Tribute to Nambucca businessman Geoff Bonner

Geoffrey Charles Bonner was born October 2, 1940 and passed on May 22 this year.

Geoff was born in Wollongong to Linda ('Lindy Lou' - nee Maher) and Charles Edwin Bonner (dec).

Geoff's mother, Linda, was an orphan whose adopted family raised her in Lismore.

She is described as 'born in unknown' and died on September 20, 1985, in North Ryde. The family is currently searching for her birth certificate to find her birth parents and where she came from.

Geoff had an older brother Peter (dec), and a younger brother Denis (dec).

Denis passed away in his home in Oberon only weeks before Geoff passed, so the family has experienced the loss of two male patriarchs in the space of a few weeks this year.

Geoff's father worked at the steelworks in Port Kembla, and his mother cared and looked after the family. As children, they swam and canoed in the creek near their family home.

Geoff and his brothers were always getting into mischief with the billycart they rode around on together. They loved to visit the local baker, milkman, and rabbit sellers on their travels.

Geoff later moved to Marrickville and then to Vaucluse with his family.

Geoff's biggest love for the ocean and all its mystery came from the adolescent memories of sailing around Sydney Harbour with his father, brothers and friends.

Geoff was a member of the Vaucluse Yacht Club for many years.

He served an apprenticeship as a panel beater and was a proud tradesman like his father. However, he later discovered that sales were a great passion.

Geoff's love of the water brought him to live in Macksville and Nambucca Heads in the '70s, where he was a well-known businessman who owned his own company offering home improvements.

Geoff was an amazing entrepreneur and later developed a very successful product, and business, in Nambucca Heads that he created by himself from his kitchen table - known as Guttermesh. This well-known product protected family homes from leaves collecting in the gutters - avoiding the chance of blocked drains and the fire hazard of leaf litter build-up.

Guttermesh was distributed Australia wide and Geoff's family were very proud of him and loved to hear the stories of how well Guttermesh was doing.

Geoff shared his great love for Nambucca Heads with his family, and this special town is the chosen place for large family reunions that will now occur many times of the year in honour of Geoff's memory.

Geoff is remembered by his three adult children, Alyse, James and Kylie, his grandchildren, Tristan Bonner, Alezandia Bonner, Alex Bonner, Zoe Bonner, Lily Crnek, Elizabeth Alimeni and Rose Georgeson, and his great-grandchildren Lyran Price and Isla Crnek.

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