Person
Bonython, Charles Warren (1916 - 2012)
AO
- Born
- 11 September 1916
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia - Died
- 2 April 2012
adelaide, South Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Conservationist and Chemical engineer
Summary
Warren Bonython, a graduate in chemical engineering, worked for ICI Australia for over 25 years where he was mainly involved in research and management of the production of salt by solar evaporation. In this he became a world expert. For 20 years he was manager of the salt fields at Dry Creek in Adelaide. After taking early retirement in 1966 Bonython devoted his time to conservation and bushwalking. He was particularly interested in the arid landscapes of South Australia. Among his notable treks on foot were those to the Flinders ranges (1967 - 1968), the Simpson Desert 1973, and Lake Eyre (1982); some of these resulted in the publication of well-received books. Among the conservation organisations in which Bonython held executive positions were, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Conservation Council of South Australia, and the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia. For 20 years he was President of the Scientific Expedition Group, an organisation that encourages understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Bonython also contributed to Government organisations as varied as the Uranium Advisory Council and the South Australian Museum. His involvement in scientific societies included terms as President of the Royal Society of South Australia and the South Australian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia.
Details
Chronology
- 1940 - 1966
- Career position - Chemical engineer, Imperial Chemical Industry of Australia and New Zealand Limited
- 1951 - 2001
- Career position - Member of Council, Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch
- 1952 - 1984
- Career position - Member of the Board, South Australian Museum
- 1959 - 1961
- Career position - President, Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch
- 1961 - 1976
- Career position - South Australian Chairman, Water Research Foundation of Australia
- 1965 - 1973
- Career position - Member of the Executive, Australian Conservation Foundation
- 1966
- Life event - Retired
- 1968 - 1979
- Career position - Director, Dampier Salt Ltd
- 1971 - 1975
- Career position - President, Conservation Council of South Australia
- 1971 - 1976
- Career position - President, National Trust of South Australia
- 1972 - 1982
- Career position - Member of Council, University of Adelaide
- 1977 - 1991
- Career position - Chairman, Evaluation Panel for Natural Areas in South Australia, Australian Heritage Commission
- 1978 - ?
- Career position - Trustee, World Wide Fund for Nature Australia
- 1978 - 1983
- Career position - Member, Uranium Advisory Council
- 1980 - 1981
- Career position - President, Royal Society of South Australia
- 26 January 1980
- Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in recognition of service to conservation
- 1981
- Career Position - President, Royal Society of South Australia
- 1981 - 1984
- Career position - Chairman, Reserves Advisory Committee to Minister of Environment and Planning South Australia
- 1984
- Award - John Lewis Gold Medal, Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch
- 1984 - 2004
- Career position - Inaugural President, Scientific Expedition Group
- 1985 - 1989
- Career position - President, Council of the National Parks Foundation of South Australia
- 1990
- Award - Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year
- 2001 - 2012
- Award - Fellow, Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch
- 2004 - 2012
- Award - President Emeritus, Scientific Expedition Group
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Bonython, C. Warren, Walking the Flinders Ranges (Adelaide: Rigby, 1971), 231 pp. Details
- Bonython, C. Warren, Walking the Simpson Desert (Adelaide: Rigby, 1980), 160 pp. Details
Edited Books
- Bonython, C. Warren; and Fraser, A. Stewart eds, The great filling of Lake Eyre in 1974 (Adelaide: Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch, 1989), 120 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Bonython, C. W., 'The salt of Lake Eyre, its occurrence in Madigan gulf and its possible origin', Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 79 (1956), 66-92. Details
- Bonython, C. W., 'Unravelling the secrets of Arkaroo and Curdimurka: the Gammon ranges and Lake Eyre over the last 50 years', Journal of the Historical Society of South Australia, 26 (1998), 136-46. Details
- Oats, Graeme, 'Walking with Warren', SEGments: journal of the Scientific Expedition Group, 28 (1) (2012), 3-6. Details
- Ward, Brian J., 'Obituary: Charles Warren Bonython, AO, KGSJ, BSc, FRACI, FRGS, FRGSA 11 September 1916 - 2 April 2012', South Australian Geographical Journal, 112 (2013), 81-5. Details
- Willing, Richard, 'Editorial [obituary for C. Warren Bonython]', SEGments: journal of the Scientific Expedition Group, 28 (1) (2012), 1-2. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7970068. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/277358594. Details
- 'Bonython, Charles Warren (1916 - 2012)', SA Environment Hall of Fame, Conservation Council SA, Adelaide, 2024, https://www.saenvironmentawards.org.au/warren_bonython. https://www.saenvironmentawards.org.au/hall_of_fame. Details
- 'Bonython, C Warren (1916-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-458736. Details
See also
- Who's who in Australia 2012 (Melbourne: Crown Content Pty Ltd, 2012), 2430 pp. Details
Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn
Created: 28 May 1999, Last modified: 4 October 2022