As most of you know, I am a dedicated speedway fan alongside my passion for motorcycling. In 1959, as a young boy, our family lived in Adelaide, in the suburb of Croydon. Just around the corner from our house was the then-famous Rowley Park speedway and, every Friday night we could hear the roar of the cars as the regular meetings were held. I never went to the track as a kid, dad was very dismissive of it and thought it was just a horrible noise, but I do remember the larger-than-life figure who ran the speedway, a flamboyant character called Kym Bonython. Well, today while browsing an O/S forum, I came upon this obituary and I quote it in full with only corrections for spelling and punctuation. The entry was dated yesterday.
“Kym Bonython best known to Rowley Park Speedway fans as the ‘Boss’ has died at 90y/o. He was a man whose family was establishment making some of his exploits a bit more unusual.
Kym who had a very wide range of interests from art gallery owner and promoter, Jazz promoter and the Boss and promoter of Rowley Pk for at least 20 years.
As an art promoter he was responsible for promoting a lot of up and coming now major artists.
As a jazz promoter he brought in Duke Ellington,Count Bassey, Dave Brubeck and many other top acts.
And as a speedway promoter he brought in a lot of class competitors in both bikes and cars. The very successful English solo test tours in the 60s and early 70s were largely arranged by him. And with cars so many top midget competitors from the US, NZ and the rest of Australia. Names like Bob Tattersal, Marshall Sargent, Larry Rice, Mel Kenyon, Garry Patterson , Barry Butterworth and so many more. And locals like Goerge Tatnell, Garry Rush, Steve Brazier and so many more. In hindsight he was a promoter unrivalled. These days there is no-one even remotely like him as a promoter. He had a rapport with the Rowley crowds and we were often referred to as ‘the bloody pie-eaters’. He had a few hassles with Tatnell too, who buried his trade mark chequered flag hat in the track on a couple of occasions and once presented him with a [Midford] convict’s jacket.
He was a fierce competitor in midgets and had some horrific crashes. And did himself no good with a couple of them.
He also raced hydroplanes at North Arm, and had some crashes in them too.
He was one of the main instigators of getting the Grand Prix to Adelaide and was a member of the GP board for sometime.
He was a decorated wartime fighter pilot and I believe was shot down in them.
In the 84 Ash Wednesday bushfires he lost his and his wifes Julie’s Mt Lofty home and a lot of very valuable art as well as his personal jazz collection. And his Moto Guzzi motorcycle.”
And here’s a very early shot of the man at work while still an active competitor.
RIP to a man who did it all.