Background
He was born at Dalton to schoolteacher Abednego Tonking and Marian, née Dunne.
He was born at Dalton to schoolteacher Abednego Tonking and Marian, née Dunne.
He attended Sydney High School and Hawkesbury Agricultural College, from which he received a Diploma of Agriculture, before studying to become a teacher at the Teachers College at Blackfriars.
He taught at Bowral from 1915 to 1916, when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. After the war he taught at Hurlestone Agricultural High School (1919-1920) and Orange High School (1920-1923) before becoming an orchardist and grazier. He was founding chairman of the Orange Producers" Rural Company-operative Society from 1930 to 1938.
Tonking was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1932 as the United Australia Party member for Orange, serving until his defeat in 1941.
He was Colonial Secretary from 1939 to 1941. Tonking died at Orange in 1965.