Born in Melbourne, Deborah Ely trained as a painter and art historian in the UK in the late 1970s, returning to Australia in 1988, after six years as Visual Arts Director of Watershed Media Centre in Bristol. It kicked started her incredible career as visionary leader, her name synonymous with many arts organisations.
It was Ely’s ambition that realised a masterplan for Bundanon Trust, one that attracted an $8.5million dollar NSW Government grant in 2019, and laid the pathway for the organisation’s next chapter with a new gallery and expanded facilities (due to open November). She leaves a proud legacy.
