About Bob Bonnett
Lived 1932 – 2018 (aged 85). Bob Bonnett was an Australian australian rules football player.
Robert "Bob" Bonnett (1933 – 11 May 2018 ) was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in the 1950s and 1960s.
A full-forward from the Port Melbourne area, Bonnett attracted the attention of senior recruiters while playing for the Melbourne Sunday Amateur Football League in 1950, with both South Melbourne (VFL) and City (NTFA) interested in securing his services; but in 1951, at the age of 18, he began playing with Port Melbourne in the VFA. In 1951, he was a leading full-forward in the VFA seconds, kicking 112 goals for the season, and he made his senior debut for Port Melbourne in 1952.
Over the following twelve years, Bonnett was a prolific goalkicker for Port Melbourne, kicking a then-VFA record of 933 goals through his career, passing the previous mark of 880 goals set by Frank Seymour in the 1930s; as of 2014, he is the third-highest goalkicker in VFA history, behind only Fred Cook and Rino Pretto. He was the VFA's leading goalkicker on four occasions: in 1956 (95 goals), 1957 (97 goals), 1958 (84 goals) and 1961 (a career-best 111 goals); many sources also credit him with a fifth title, in 1963 (44 goals), although contemporary sources suggest he was second behind Yarraville's Robert Evans that year. Bonnett was club captain from 1958 to 1959 and in 1962, won a premiership with the club in 1953, represented the VFA in interstate competition on a number of occasions, and was named in the Port Melbourne Football Club team of the century. over the following three seasons, he kicked another 301 goals in the seconds. He coached the Port Melbourne senior team from 1969 until 1971,
Bonnett was known by the nickname 'Bonox' from his junior days, named after the beef extract product of the same name.
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Important facts
People in Bob Bonnett's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Bob Bonnett's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Bob Bonnett?
Australian rules footballer
When was Bob Bonnett born?
Bob Bonnett was born on 1 September 1932.
When did Bob Bonnett die?
Bob Bonnett died on 11 May 2018.
What was Bob Bonnett's occupation?
Bob Bonnett was an australian rules football player.
What nationality was Bob Bonnett?
Bob Bonnett was Australian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bob Bonnett. https://biography.guide/bob-bonnett/
MLA: "Bob Bonnett." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bob-bonnett/.
Chicago: "Bob Bonnett." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bob-bonnett/.
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