Neville Thomas Bonner AO (28 March 1922 - 5 February 1999), Australian politician, was the first Indigenous Australian to become a member of the Parliament of Australia. He was initially appointed by the Queensland Parliament to fill a casual vacancy in the representation of Queensland in the Senate; he later became the first Indigenous Australian to be elected to the parliament by popular vote. Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ... is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Language(s) Several hundred Indigenous Australian languages (many extinct or nearly so), Australian English, Australian Aboriginal English, Torres Strait Creole, Kriol Religion(s) Primarily Christian, with minorities of other religions including various forms of Traditional belief systems based around the Dreamtime Related ethnic groups see List of Indigenous Australian group... Type Bicameral Houses House of Representatives Senate Speaker of the House of Representatives David Hawker, Liberal Party since 16 November 2004 President of the Senate Alan Ferguson, Liberal Party since 14 August 2007 Members 226 (150 Representatives, 76 Senators) Political groups Liberal Party ALP National Party Country Liberal Party Greens... The Queensland Parliament is located in george Street, Brisbane. ... In Australian politics, a casual vacancy is the vacancy created in the Senate when a Senator dies or resigns from the upper house. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... Type Upper house President Alan Ferguson, Liberal since 14 August 2007 Members 76 Political groups Coalition (39) ALP (28) Green (4) Democrat (4) FFP (1) Last elections 9 October 2004 Meeting place Parliament House, Canberra, ACT Web site Senate Entrance to the Senate Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State...

He was born at Ukerabagh Island, a small settlement on the Tweed River in northern New South Wales. He never knew his father and had almost no formal education. He worked as a farm labourer before settling on Palm Island, near Townsville, Queensland in 1946, where he rose to the position of Assistant Settlement Overseer.[1] This article is about the Tweed River in Australia. ... NSW redirects here. ... Palm Island (also known as Great Palm Island, or by Aboriginal name Bukaman[2]) is an island and community 65 km north-west of Townsville, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. ... ‎ The Strand CBD from Museum of Tropical Queensland, features Castle Hill in background Townsville (Postcodes: 4810-4819) is an urban centre on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1960 he moved to Ipswich, where he joined the board of directors of the One People Australia League (OPAL), a moderate indigenous rights organisation. He became its Queensland president in 1970. He joined the Liberal Party in 1967 and held local office in the party. Following the resignation of Liberal Senator Annabelle Rankin in 1971, Bonner was chosen to fill the casual vacancy. He thus became the first indigenous Australian to sit in the Australian Parliament. He was elected in his own right in 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1980. Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the modern Australian political party. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the modern Australian political party. ... Type Upper house President Alan Ferguson, Liberal since 14 August 2007 Members 76 Political groups Coalition (39) ALP (28) Green (4) Democrat (4) FFP (1) Last elections 9 October 2004 Meeting place Parliament House, Canberra, ACT Web site Senate Entrance to the Senate Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State... Dame Annabelle Jane Mary Rankin (née Wilson) (July 28, 1908 - August 30, 1986) was the second woman member of the Australian Senate, the first woman from Queensland to sit in the Parliament of Australia, the first woman to have a federal portfolio and the first woman to be appointed... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

While in the Senate he served on a number of committees but was never a serious candidate for promotion to the ministry. He rebelled against the Liberal Party line on some issues. Partly as a result of this, and partly due to pressure from younger candidates, he was dropped from the Liberal Senate ticket at the 1983 election. He stood as an independent and was nearly successful. The Hawke government then appointed him to the board of directors of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Robert James Lee (Bob) Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929) was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia after previously being an Australian trade union leader. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ...

Bonner was almost unique in being an indigenous activist and a political conservative: in fact he owed his political career to this fact. In the face of often savage personal criticism from radical left-wing indigenous activists, he often denied being a "token" in the Liberal Party.

In 1979 Bonner was named Australian of the Year. In 1984 he was awarded the title Officer of the Order of Australia. From 1992 to 1996 he was member of the Griffith University Council. The university awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1993. In 1998 he was elected to the Constitutional Convention as a candidate of Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy. Bonner was an elder of the Jagera people. He died at Ipswich. The Queensland federal electorate of Bonner (created in 2004) was named in his honour. Also, a recently re-developed rugby league oval in Ipswich was named in his honour, the Neville Bonner Sporting Complex. This oval was formerly home to an exclusive indigenous side, but is now the official home of the QLD Cup side, the Ipswich Jets, and the IRL/IJRL finals and junior representative. Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... The Australian of the Year Awards commenced in 1960. ... This article is about the year. ... Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Griffith University is an Australian public university with five campuses in Queensland between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... In Australian history, the term Constitutional Convention refers to five distinct gatherings. ... Jagera is a genus of 4 species of small tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... The Division of Bonner is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bonner was an active boomerang enthusiast. One of his boomerangs was placed on display at the Old Parliament House in Canberra. [2] This article is about the wooden implement. ... Old Parliament House today Opening of Parliament House in May 1927 Old Parliament House, formerly known as the Provisional Parliament House, was the seat of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ...

External Links

• [3] Listing of Neville Bonner's life in published media & books.