Exhibitions come and go every few months, walls are painted and activities differ.

The one thing that has been constant at the gallery, however – at least for the past 14 years – has been its director, Richard Perram OAM.

As the saying goes, though, “There is nothing permanent except change”.

Mr Perram, after more than a decade in his role, on Friday brought his time at BRAG to a close.

“You come to a certain thing and you make a decision,” he said of deciding to retire. 

“I’ve been there 14 years and I believe that you shouldn’t be in the same position forever.”

What led Mr Perram toBRAG in the first place is an interesting story. 

In 2004, when he was living in Sydney, he had thought about retiring from his job. 

It was actually his partner, Stephen, who alerted him to the job on offer for a director at BRAG, which he had seen while reading the Sunday paper. 

He wasn’t completely sure he wanted to work in a regional area, having lived in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne before, but put in an application anyway. 

Soon after, he was given the job and made the move to Bathurst. 

Under his guidance, the gallery has gone from strength to strength. 

Mr Perram said that soon after arriving, he realised the air conditioning in the gallery would prevent it from access many works, as they need to be housed in very specific conditions. 

He spent around eight years lobbying Bathurst Regional Council to upgrade the facility.

It was quite the challenge for him. 

“[I learned] you don’t always get an immediate solution to a problem,” he said. 

Eventually, his efforts paid off. 

By the end of September, 2017, the final stage of a series of upgrades were completed, meaning BRAG now has a new air-conditioning system and humidifiers, new LED lighting and solar panels that have enabled the gallery to borrow works from major Australian and international museums.

Throughout his years at the gallery, Mr Perram has helped to bring a number of exhibitions to Bathurst. 

The one he is most proud of, though, is The Unflinching Gaze: photo media and the male figure, which was on display from mid October to early December last year. 

He was the curator of this exhibition and, with over 200 pieces, it was the largest to be shown at BRAG.

“To do the The Unflinching Gaze: photo media and the male figure was probably the highlight of my career here in Bathurst because it was so complex,” Mr Perram said. 

The exhibition was a huge undertaking, with works borrowed from multiple sources.

“What made this so different was that it was an original exhibition that hadn’t been seen anywhere else and was developed here in Bathurst,” Mr Perram said. 

In other accomplishments, he has doubled the size of BRAG’s permanent collection to over 2,000 works valued in excess of $11.5 million, and worked closely with the director of Cultural Services to help develop a cultural vision for Bathurst. 

Although Mr Perram has already finished working, BRAG will hold a special farewell celebration for him on February 9 when the next suite of exhibitions are opened. 

The BRAG Society, with the help of council, has also purchased a new ceramic in his honour for the gallery’s permanent collection.

In his retirement, Mr Perram will be moving back to Sydney with his partner and travelling overseas to places like New York and Paris.