Not many students have written a book before they enrol in journalism school, let alone one displayed in the window of most bookstores across the country.
But Bonnie Hancock isn’t your average student.
The professional kayaker and ironwoman has written two books before even stepping foot into the sandstone buildings of Bond. Her autobiography The Girl who Touched The Stars, recounts Hancock’s incredible feat as she circumnavigated Australia by surf ski in 2022.
Hancock’s 12,700km paddle took 254 days and saw her come face to face with sharks and crocodiles while facing bouts of hypothermia and seasickness.
Her return to Mermaid Beach on August 27, 2022 saw Hancock become the youngest and fastest person to complete the feat.
Originally from the small town of Sawtell in NSW, Hancock grew up in the water and always had a love for writing and storytelling.
“Through primary school I used to write family newsletters and stories. English was always my favourite subject,” she said.
“When I got to the end of the Year 12 it was either journalism or dietetics. Eventually I chose to study dietetics as it would help my professional career as an ironwoman.”
Upon moving to the Gold Coast, Hancock qualified for the Nutri-Grain Ironwomen series at the age of 19 and competed for nine years in the professional circuit but it was her incredible adventure around Australia which prompted the book.
“I was in the professional ironwomen circuit for nearly a decade and then it was my paddle around Australia where I was lucky enough to write and publish the book through HarperCollins,” she said.
“I wrote the initial draft myself, which was around 120,000 words, and I wrote that over a period of about four months whilst my bulging discs and fingers were healing from the paddle.
“My book reignited my passion for storytelling, and I loved writing and all the content creation I got to do.”
Since then, Hancock has gone on to give a TED Talk in Paris in 2023, write a children’s book and create a documentary.
But it was a stint with Channel 9 which inspired her return to university.
“Two weeks ago I did some work experience in the Channel 9 sports journalism department, and I absolutely loved it and literally signed up to Bond that day,” she said.
“After completing my big projects, it just feels like the right time to study journalism.
“I’m so excited to learn from all the educators at Bond, just to learn about the reality of what different avenues of journalism look like.”
Three years on from her record-breaking pursuit, Hancock hopes she has left a legacy.
“The experience was absolutely wild, it was just a crazy idea that was made possible from the support of so many people,” she said.
“Everyone just lifted me up onto their shoulders when I didn’t think I could go any further, and we did it.”
