BONNEY Fitzgerald (nee Murray) was born in Beaudesert, the third daugher of Phil and Alice Murray of Pine Creek, Canungra.
Bonney went to school at Witheren and helped out on the family dairy farm. She was very athletic and won a lot of sporting awards at school.
After school she became a governess but later went to help at the family’s shop in Samford, where she met her first husband, Malcolm Harwood.
She was only 17 when she married and by the time she was 25 they had six children: Kaye, Phillip, Coral, Owen, Sandra and Roslyn.
She was devastated by the loss of Phillip (aged 20) in an accident, then lost her husband to a heart attack only five years later, after 27 years of marriage.
Bonney sold up and went to live with and care for an uncle on Tamborine Mountain, where she also worked as a Catering Manager at Roslyn Lodge.
She met Garrett Fitzgerald in Canungra and they married at Surfers Paradise.
Together they built Canungra’s first supermarket on land owned by Garrett.
Bonney was up early every morning, seven days a week, doing the fruit and vegetables, setting up the deli and preparing the chooks to be cooked ready for the first customers of the day.
At night she did the paperwork for the supermarket and service station.
Bonney owned land at Pine Creek which became a refuge for them at times when they needed a break away.
She became known as ‘Bonfire Bonney’ because she loved having a small or large fire burning.
At times she would be seen running with wet blankets when a fire escaped containment lines.
Bonney lost her son Owen to a heart attack aged 44 and later her daughter Roslyn succumbed to a heart attack when she was 58.
She and Garrett travelled overseas and around Australia which gave her wonderful memories.
They bought an apartment in Main Beach as their retirement home, with Bonney travelling back and forth to Canungra to look after the businesses until they were sold.
As Garrett aged and needed care, Bonney looked after him full-time until he was placed into palliative care where he passed away after 28 years of marriage.
Bonney was never one to sit still and was involved with her children, grand-children and great-grandchildren.
She loved living in her home, looking out at the new buildings going up around her, as there was always something going on.
She loved watching ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ even though she said the story line was getting silly and she loved reading.
Bonney was caring to the end. When she passed away on July 1, 2024 she had already organised for her body to be donated to the UQ body donor program.
