The Petition and the Aviatrix

Lores Bonney (1897-1994) and Cherri Bonney

By Dee McLachlan

As reported at Gumshoe News, Cherri Bonney, a singer in Western Australia, has been collecting signatures for an Inquest into the deaths at Port Arthur. Cherri has now obtained an impressive 1336 signatures! She will soon deliver these to Tasmania’s premier, Will Hodgman.

I have recently learned that Cherri’s aunt Lores was an aviator, and born in my home territory, South Africa. Lores came to Oz at age 9. Her story is one of daring and, in case it’s in the DNA, premier Hodgman had better watch out!

In 1932 Lores flew solo around the coast of Australia in a Gipsy Moth. She later recollected an encounter during a refueling stop at a remote cattle station:

“I was met by two bush cockies complete with grass stalks hanging from their mouths. They slowly looked me up and down, and one drawled ‘Yer know mate, can’t be much to this flying business, if a woman can do it.’

I gave him a pitying smile.”

In 1933, she departed from Darwin, Australia on April 15 and arrived at Croydon, England on June 21, the first woman to make that trip solo. Quite some feat. She was awarded the MBE for her courage and perseverance.

Lores’s niece also has courage and perseverance. Lores was challenging stereotypes, but in 2016 Cherri is taking on the State of Tasmania and the government of Australia.

Here is Cherri’s item at Change.org:

My petition is to free the innocent Martin Bryant! and allow his rights to be upheld for once. It’s been a festering boil in my mind and many others I’m sure that poor Martin Bryant is the victim of an atrocity designed to amend gun laws in this country.

Martin was hand picked by ASIO to be handled by a Psy-op group in South Australia to become the patsy/fall guy for this murderous event in 1996 in Port Arthur, Tasmania. He

had the mind ability of an 11-year-old. The handling of Martin started a decade or more prior to the mass murder by Psy-op.

When the time came for that horrid day they simply had all the Government on queue to escape, step down, and tell the media lie after more lies, hiding, destroying, covering up all evidence from the public, victims families included.

As it is, nothing has budged to give Martin his lawful inquest. Carleen Bryant has been denied access to her beloved son rotting away in Risdon prison. Martin is innocent. Tasmania deserves a Coronial Inquest by law!

It’s strange to have court hearings for such small crimes YET Martin has been denied right from the start!

When 35 people were murdered and 22 wounded by gunmen, just a bit to strange don’t you think? This is not how a law system should work! If we are controlled in this manner already, god help the next ASIO hand-picked child for maybe another Mass Murder anywhere in the world.

I pray for every Australian to get behind a Coronial Inquest vote to beat the drums for Martin’s freedom of speech rights and for Martin to be heard once and for all.

As Australians we have a duty of care to all underprivileged kids as Martin was. The other factor is Martin HOLDS the truth! simply because he is alive, this alone is worth more then we all could imagine, our people in power must be shaking in their boots.

Please raise your voice to get a Coronial Inquest underway, otherwise we all lose in the long run.  Up until now Martin’s life certainly has! This is NOT the Australian way or is it? your choice… Thank you for your time 🙂

And, which may be a worry for those in charge, many other Australians are fed up with how the authorities have abused process.

These are just a few of the comments that accompanied the petitioners signatures:

There needs to be a trial. I want to see evidence. The ‘story’ is not believable — Sam Carrison, Australia

When a government goes out of it s way to deny the facts to the public, it’s because they have something to hide. I’d like to know precisely what that is. — Mark Novak, Australia

I seriously doubt Martin Bryant is guilty. — Tiffany Henderson, Australia

I KNOW the Port Arthur Massacre was actually a prearranged Government Psychological Operation. Not Only From The Publicly Known And Released Information By Andrew McGregor And Wendy Scurr, BUT from other witnesses who WERE THERE in that date. Including 2 now retired Victorian Special Operations Group Police Officers Who Swore To Me That They, as well as the NSW Special operations group officers and the Tasmanian police were not called to go to Port Arthur That Day/Night and Arrest or Kill A Lone Gunman, especially Martin Bryant who in REALITY would be no threat to that many highly trained and skilled SOG POLICE OFFICERS. The 2 Officers That I personally Knew At the time swear that they were being shot at and their positions were given away and known by at least one and most likely more than one shooter as their positions had been exposed and kept getting exposed through out the whole night at Seascape by the suspect or suspects using professional night vision equipment and being fired on by someone who had Military Special Forces Training. Let alone a Intellectual Disabled Man with no PROFESSIONAL Weapons Training What so ever…Chris Leermakers, Australia

It seems that persistence and tenacity is in the Bonney blood!

More on Cherri’s Aunt (source, Russell Naughton):

She aimed at the record from Australia to England, got food poisoning in Rangoon, and to avoid monsoon weather had to land on the beach. But to avoiding a stray buffalo, she was forced to ditch in the water — and overturned. After the wave receded she crawled out and was helped by islanders in salvaging the plane.

After repairs in Rangoon, and being arrested in both Turkey and Czechoslovakia for ‘unapproved’ landings, she finally reached Europe.

In 1937 she flew through storms and two forced landings to South Africa from Australia.

Lores Bonney at Wangaratta, Victoria, Sept 18, 1932

From the website Australia.gov.au on Aviatrices!

“Australian women were not allowed to fly until 1927, 17 years after many other countries had women charter pilots and flying instructors. Saddest is the story about a young nursing sister in London, Hilda Hope McMaugh, the only woman among 400 getting their wings in 1919. On return to Australia Hilda was forbidden to fly and never got an Australian licence.”

Lores Bonney. Image courtesy of the State Library of Queensland: 49962.

“Maude Lores Bonney, the wife of a wealthy Brisbane leather manufacturer, first started taking flying lessons because her husband forbade her to drive a car. The lessons were taken in secret at Eagle Farm airport, with Bonney getting a lift with the local milkman.”

“When her husband, Henry, found out he was more supportive of her than she expected. In 1931, when she gained her license, he even bought her a plane, which she called ‘My Little Ship’.”

At age 93, Lores got an honorary degree from Griffith and was awarded the Order of Australia for services to aviation.

Niece Cherri also pilots a plane. We can dream that someday get the Order of Australia for “landing” Martin Bryant the hell out of Risdon Prison.