Inaugural Chairman of the BREC Board Paul Vukelic was honoured as a Life Member of BREC for his exceptional service to the centre during its foundational years.

From the initial idea that Bunbury needed an entertainment centre, Mr Vukelic played an important leadership role in gaining support for the new centre.

Simon Jacob, current Chair presented the prestigious honour to Mr Vukelic in front of 60 guests attending the official ceremony held on 22 August 2019 at BREC, before the Australian Opera’s performance of Madama Butterfly.

“For over a decade, Mr Vukelic served as Councillor on the City of Bunbury Council, and as the Chairman of Bunbury Regional Art Gallery and Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, Mr Vukelic has been a long-time supporter of the Arts. We are delighted to honour Mr Vukelic in this way,” said Mr Jacob.

“It was Mr Vukelic’s vision that BREC would be a regional hub for the community where creativity and live entertainment could flourish,” continued Mr Jacob.

“I feel very humbled to receive this honour from BREC” said Mr Vukelic.

The Vukelic family generously donated towards the capital fund raising campaign that saw the local community raise over half the initial construction costs needed to build BREC’s Stage One venue that now attracts over 60,000 visitors annually.

Life Membership of BREC is a new initiative to honour exceptional service of individuals to BREC.

“So many people have contributed so much to BREC over the years, we look forward to receiving more nominations and recognising the exceptional contribution made by others with a Life Member award in future,” said Mr Jacob