WA Water Ski Association to honour Frank Bonney

“He just ate, lived and breathed waterskiing; you could see it in his eyes,” his daughter Heather Bonny said.

“When I wrote a book about him, there were 55 tributes. We were only planning on getting four of five.”

The Tasmanian-born champion waterskier moved to Perth in 1955 and had his HPC Pest Control and water skiing business on Burswood Road for 45 years. He also helped found the Burswood Watersports Water Ski.

Mr Bonney was 17 times WA State Slalom Champion and seven times Australian Slalom Champion.

A plaque honouring Mr Bonney will be unveiled at the WA Water Ski Association headquarters in Burswood on June 11 as part of the Heirisson Island Tournament Water Ski Club and Tournament Water Skiing WA presentation day.

“He bought a fishing boat and found some old skis in it. He then started skiing and the WA Water Ski Association was formed in 1957,” Mrs Bonney said.

“He skied until he passed away… I once asked some international judges whether there was anyone in the world doing what he was doing.

“They said there were only people in their 50s or 60s going at the same speeds as he was.

“He would be going at 52km/h.”

Mr Bonney died in 2012, at the age of 84 and his life is remember in the book Water Skiing Legend The Life & Times of Frank Bonney: The History of Water Skiing, which Mrs Bonney wrote with water skier Jon Broderick.

“It took three years to complete the book, with proceeds going to the Cancer Council and the Make- A-Wish Foundation,” she said.

“It doesn’t just look at my father and his life but also the history of the sport from the 1960s.”

To attend the presentation, RSVP by June 5 to Dawson@westnet.com.au.

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