Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the life of Len Buckeridge. Len Walter Buckeridge died in March of this year. He was born in 1936 in South Perth to Richard and Winnifred Buckeridge, and was the third of four children. He grew up in Rivervale and, later, Nedlands. He attended Perth Modern School and worked as a builder's labourer before graduating in 1959 from Perth Technical College with a degree in architecture. Len's thesis, The economical house won the James Hardie prize for the best thesis prepared by a final-year student.

Between 1961 and 1978 Len designed and built thousands of mostly low-cost homes around Perth. In 1974, Len entered the project-building market to build low-cost detached houses. Now the sustainable home-building company that Len developed is one of Australia's largest home builders.

Len established a window and door fabrication company. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Len established a plethora of construction materials and building products that manufactured and supplied products to BGC, other home and commercial builders, trades and the public. In 1996, Len established BGC Construction, a respected contractor whose projects include Perth Arena, Perth Police Complex, the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, the Pathwest Centre and the University of Western Australia science library, to name just a few.

Len created a vertically integrated group spanning quarrying, home building, apartments, commercial and institutional construction. The main reason Len built such a vertically integrated group was to remove costs from the supply chain, thereby make housing cheaper.

In 1993, Len diversified into civil construction. BGC Contracting has delivered a range of mining and civil construction services across the resources, oil and gas, and government infrastructure sectors. BGC activities have spread to Queensland and South Australia, with offices in Perth, Brisbane and Whyalla, and depots in key regional areas. BGC Contracting has helped design, build and operate large mining and civil construction projects, including the South Middleback Ranges mine site, North-West Shelf LNG project, the aerodrome and railway infrastructure at Roy Hill, as well as Dyno Nobel's ammonium nitrate facility in Queensland. The group has built and manages a number of office blocks in Perth, including the 20-storey BGC Centre in the CBD.

Len has been honoured by many awards for business: The Phil Lynch Award in 1993, the Homeswest industry award in 1993, the MBA Robert Law Award in 2001, and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2003.

Len is recognised for establishing a cement manufacturing business in the face of concerted attack from incumbent oligopolists. He was also recognised for establishing a state-of-the-art brick manufacturing business and securing 40 per cent of the Perth pre-mix concrete market through providing the best quality concrete services. He was also a benefactor of TVW Telethon, the Royal Perth Hospital, North Cottesloe Lifesaving Club, Shenton Park dogs' home, Volunteering WA, RSPCA and the Ear Science Institute.

The group's turnover today is in excess of $2.5 billion. His career has been marked by the adoption of innovative techniques and by the employment today of over 4,000 people with integrity in their relationships with each other, their customer suppliers and contractors.

Len was a builder. He helped to build Perth. He helped to build Western Australia. He helped to build our resources economy and a powerful business culture in Western Australia with integrity. Vale Len Buckeridge.