ECU's WAAPA Alumna Lucy Durack wins 2025 Western Australian of the Year Arts & Culture Award. Photo credit: Kurt Sneddon.
An alumna of ECU's Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Lucy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theatre in 2002. Since then, she has become one of Australia's most celebrated leading ladies, delighting audiences on stage, screen and television.
Durack's breakthrough role came as Glinda the Good Witch in the original Australian production of Wicked. She has since gone on to star as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde The Musical – a role that earned her both a Helpmann Award and a Sydney Theatre Award – as well as Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical, Roxy in Sisters and judge on Australia's Got Talent.
In a post shared on social media following the gala event, Durack said she was extremely honoured to have been nominated for the Arts and Culture West Australian of the Year Award, “especially in such fine company as Dr Dorothy Erickson AM and Ian Booth, both of whose work I admire greatly. I am so proud to be from Western Australia and so grateful to @wadayfestival, @crownperth and the support of my family and so many kind people who have generously helped me in my career and life journey to put me in this very lucky position.”
A proud Perth local, Durack continues to make her mark both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. She is currently developing new television projects and is co-founder of Hey Lemonade – an evidence-based wellness app that won “Best New Business” at the 2023 Australian Women's Small Business Champion Awards. She is also an ambassador for Little Big Steps, supporting children living with cancer.
Durack was one of 21 finalists across seven categories at this year's awards, which celebrate exceptional Western Australians who have made a significant impact in their fields. She was joined in the Arts & Culture category by fellow ECU alumna and renowned artist and historian Dr Dorothy Erickson AM (Secondary Education, 1958). Jo-Lene Kashkooli-Ellat (Secondary Education, 2008), another ECU graduate, was a finalist in the Professions Award category.
The prestigious overall Western Australian of the Year Award was presented to Brother Olly Pickett, a retired teacher who has dedicated three decades to building and distributing more than 61,000 all-terrain wheelchairs to children in need through the charity Wheelchairs for Kids.
ECU congratulates all finalists – and especially our inspiring alumni – on this well-deserved recognition of their remarkable contributions to Western Australia and beyond.
