Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has officially opened the new state-of-the-art Proserpine Entertainment Centre and the new Cenotaph in the Whitsundays today.
“Locals know too well the devastation that Tropical Cyclone Debbie caused to this region back in 2017,” the Premier said.
“We made the decision not just to rebuild, but to build back better. That’s exactly what we’ve done with the Proserpine Entertainment Centre.
“This centre is absolutely state-of-the-art. Throughout construction it delivered a great boost to the local economy. And by employing locals and securing events in the future, it will continue to generate revenue for local businesses.
“Our government will always invest in cyclone recovery and resilience to ensure that the Proserpine can continue to prosper in the future.”
The Palaszczuk Government invested $13.725 million towards construction of the entertainment centre construction.
The Australian Government also contributed $5 million.
Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox thanked the Queensland and Australian governments for the financial assistance to rebuild bigger and better.
“The end result is a ripper and the new PEC will be a landmark facility in Proserpine for many years to come,” Mayor Willcox said.
The new centre has a multipurpose auditorium and stage, tiered seating with 380 seats, kitchen, café, bar ticketing area, toilets and dressing room.
The rebuild also included a street foyer, cinema screen, art installation, loading dock and scenery dock, technical theatre equipment, outdoor performance area and an upgrade to the Cenotaph.
The original Cenotaph, a three-wing brick wall with the names etched in marble of local men who served in World War 1, World War 2 and the Korean War, was demolished in 2020.
“The years had worn the old memorial but this new Cenotaph is built to last. It will be more resistant to extreme weather and will be able to cater for larger gatherings with the memorial garden area,” the Premier said.
“The names of another 21 brave locals have been added to the previous honour roll on this new memorial. Many of these family names continue today, generations after these courageous people served with honour.
“Importantly, these projects have also meant jobs for locals. The construction of the Entertainment Centre created more than 40 jobs for local tradies, adding further financial benefit back into the local community.”
The PEC will be open for the local community during the Proserpine Street Fair on March 27.
