Late gay activist Peter Bonsall-Boone receives Order of Australia honour
Image: Peter de Waal (right) with his late partner Peter Bonsall-Boone.
THE late marriage equality advocate Peter ‘Bon’ Bonsall-Boone has been posthumously awarded the Order of Australia in today’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Earlier this year he and his partner of fifty years Peter de Waal [who was also awarded the Order of Australia] urged the government to pass marriage equality so that they could have their relationship recognised with a marriage equality certificate.
They even personally mailed a letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull urging him to legalise same-sex marriage, knowing that Bonsall-Boone had been diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer.
The letter read: 鈥淒ear Mr Turnbull, you can make our wish come true. But please do it quickly as Bon鈥檚 time is fast running out!鈥�
The couple were open about their sexuality at a time when being homosexual was still illegal in Australia, this lead to their groundbreaking appearance together on the ABC program Chequerboard聽in 1972.
The documentary which showed their shared life and even a brief kiss was very controversial at the time, but showed same-sex couples to many Australians for the first time.
The Queen’s Birthday honour list for 2017 features 891 prominent Australians recognising a range of contributions and services across all fields including professional endeavours, community work, Australia鈥檚 Defence Force, and Emergency Services.
Other notable Australians appointed the Order of Australia this year include Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and actress Cate Blanchett.
And about time too! Just a pity he did not live to receive it.
Peter and others throughout the wider Australian Community are the people who should be getting these awards for at least they have contributed something and often at great personal and financial cost to themselves and their families.
Unlike the usual recipients the vast majority of whom are simply doing the job they are already being very, very highly paid to do, yet they have actually contributed nothing extra. Just look at all the politicians – failed and current, members of the Judiciary, the Armed Forces, Senior Public Servants the list goes on and on and, unlike Peter and others they get these honours.
Too little too late, no thanks to an incompetent one-seat majority LNP government! Come 2019, looking forward to a Labor victory!