Bonney, Charles, 1813-1897

Charles Bonney was born at Sandon, Staffordshire, England, on 31 October 1813 and arrived at Sydney in December 1834. In March 1837 he was the first to overland sheep, bringing some 10,000 belonging to Ebden to a station on the Goulburn. In 1841 a period of depression led to cattle becoming almost unsaleable, and in 1842 Bonney became a magistrate and commissioner of crown lands in South Australia. He held this position for about 15 years. He was in England from 1858 to 1862, and returning to South Australia, became a member of the legislative council in 1865 and 1866. From 1869 to 1871 he was manager of the South Australian Railways and in 1871 he was appointed Inspector of Lands purchased on credit, and in 1880 retired on a pension. He died in Sydney in1885.