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Neville Bonner is born
Neville Bonner was born in 1922 under an isolated palm tree on Ukerebaagh Island near the mouth of the tweed river. His mother had no access to the metropolis during the night, so it was an arduous time for her to raise him (and his siblings) up. -
His mother died
Julia, Bonner's mother, died in 1932, leaving his grandmother to care for him. He was sent to Beaudesert State Rural School where he studied for less than a single year. -
Bonner's grandmother dies
Bonner's grandmother, after a while of looking after him, died in 1935. This caused Bonner to raise himself up and make his own decisions. Then, he moved back to New South Wales, where he developed an interest for politics. -
Bonner attempted to enlist in the army for WW2
Bonner, with a few of his fellow natives, enlisted in the army. However, they were rejected. This was because of the fear that Aboriginal men could not adapt to the harsh fighting environment in foreign lands. This made him very upset as he believed that Australians all have duties to serve in such major jobs. -
Bonner married for the first time and moved houses
During 1943, Bonner married Mona Banfield and moved to Palm Island, his wife's homeland. They worked together to benefit the community, but Bonner had a persisting thought that the inequal rights of the Aborigines had to be presented in Government. Finally, he was promoted to Assistant Settlement Overseer in his new home. -
Bonner, once again, moves houses
In 1960, Bonner and his wife moved to Ipswich, where he joined the One People Australia League, partnered with the Queensland Government. This association was constructed for the use of aiding the welfare of aboriginal people. -
Neville Bonner joins the Liberal Party
After the Referendum in 1967, Bonner made a decision that changed his life and others as well. He decided to become a member of the Liberal Party in parliament. However, he was prevented from joining the Labor Party because of a speech by a local- Bill Hayden. -
Bonner became the first Aboriginal person to take the seat of a Senator
During 1971, Bonner had been chosen to sign a Senate vacancy in a Commonwealth Parliament caused by a resignation from Dame Annabelle Rankin in Queensland. He was the first native to take the spot of a senator. Even though he was in the Liberal Party, he occasionally voted in the other side. This was because he wanted to alter the rights of native Aboriginal people. Bonner was sometimes referred to a ‘trailblazer’. -
Bonner's wife died, and he married another
During the year of 1972, Mona died and subsequently, Bonner married Heather Ryan, a worker and director of the One People Australia League. -
Bonner receives the 'Australian of the Year' award
In 1979, he was named the ‘Australian of the Year’ along with Harry Butler, a famous naturalist and Julie Sochacki, a community service volunteer. -
Bonner was voted out of the Senator position
Because he had opposed the Liberal party a few times and that he was pressurized by other participants, he was voted out of the senator place in 1983. Finally, Bonner stood out as an independent and nearly successfully retained his seat. -
Neville Bonner finally goes to a university
He attended the Griffith University in 1992, where he achieved an honorary doctorate in 1993. -
Neville Bonner was elected into a constitution and gave a now-renowned speech
In 1998, he was elected into the Constitution Convention for a Constitution Monarchy. Bonner then gave his renowned speech - How Dare You, where he mentioned about the struggles Aboriginal people faced towards the other government members. -
Neville Bonner dies
Neville Bonner finally died in 1999, in Ipswich, where he had stayed for approximately half of his life.
