Recently awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to music, Bonetti reflected on her past and the journey that started with her holding a violin from her earliest years.

“I started making music in primary school; it was a public school,” she recalls.

“There was a dedicated string instrument program, and fortunately, I was chosen.

“I started with the violin and continued playing it throughout my education, even at university. I never had to pay for lessons.”

Her encounter with music gave her life direction, so much so that she began to firmly believe that “public schools should provide free access to music education in the classroom”.

After completing her university studies in arts and music in Adelaide, Bonetti moved to New South Wales for an audition with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1984.

“It was very exciting,” she remembers. “It was my first time away from home, in a big city, [and I was] ready to start my career.

“The orchestra offered me full-time training, but then I wondered, ‘What would I do in the music industry?’”

In an extremely competitive field, opportunities as a violinist were never lacking for Bonetti.

From the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under the brilliant direction of Hiroyuki Iwaki to an extraordinary tour with Led Zeppelin in the 1990s; from Orchestra Victoria, the performance partner of The Australian Ballet, to string quartets for events and weddings.

Today, she is part of the well-established community ensemble, the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra, and leads an adult group.

In 1996, Ivanhoe Primary School sought to expand its arts curriculum, with the local community strongly advocating for it.

“My husband and I, both string musicians, made ourselves available to teach music. At the time, I was teaching at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar and was also a professional violinist,” Bonetti recalls.

“So, we started the program, but even today, it’s still quite rare to see such an initiative. It was fortunate that the school community embraced it from the very beginning.”

It’s Bonetti’s incredible talent and extraordinary passion for children’s music education that earned her the esteemed OAM recognition, which she admits was “unexpected”.

“I’m stunned by this honour,” Bonetti admits. “I understand why it was awarded to me, but it is also thanks to the entire school team that has worked at the Ivanhoe institution for so many years, as well as the families of the children who continue to benefit from the program.

“It was just an idea that grew into an opportunity for so many students.”

Bonetti’s view is that music should not be a privilege for the few, but a valuable tool capable of discovering talent and exploring emotions for all. Bonetti’s dream remains “for music to reach everyone, without exception”.

“I remember Sophia, an exceptional student who showed musical talent from Grade 2 when she first joined our program. Today, she is both a musician and a teacher,” she says, visibly moved.

“Hamish, on the other hand, had some learning difficulties, but he loved playing the violin, and his passion for music eventually influenced his academic results.”

Music is the throughline of Bonetti’s family history. Her husband’s grandfather was an Italian immigrant to New Zealand during the Gold Rush in the 1800s and played for silent films. Her husband’s father was a musician in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Even her two children have inherited the same musicality. Her son serves as the coordinator for the string instrument program at Genazzano FCJ College.

“My husband always played the piano in the living room and improvised melodies to make the children dance,” she recalls with nostalgia.

“Spooky or cheerful tunes that turned into fairies or monsters in his stories.

“Today, I do the same with our granddaughter, because I believe that having fun while listening to music is essential for fostering children’s creativity and imagination.”