Thousands to farewell Dr Manea

Thousands of people are expected to flock to Bunbury on Friday to remember Dr Ern Manea, who died last Wednesday, and his amazing life of achievements.

His funeral is set to take place at St Patrick’s Cathedral at 11am, followed by a burial at Bunbury cemetery and a wake at the Bunbury Trotting Club.

Dr Manea’s son, Mark, said everyone was welcome to attend the events of the day, but was not yet sure how they would accommodate the predicted crowd.

He said it would be an ecumenical service, which would include several religions because Dr Manea believed in promoting unity.

As for the wake, the trotting club staff are preparing for a turnout of more than 1000 people, to be divided between two rooms, one for the family and the other for the general public.

Mr Manea said the finer details of the day would be known later in the week but promised it would be a simple service to honour the memory and achievements of his father.

Dr Manea left a lasting impact on the community, which has inspired a number of tributes from around the State, including from the WA Country Heath Service.

South West regional director Grace Ley said Dr Manea made an “immeasurable” contribution to public life and health care in Bunbury and the South West for almost 60 years.

“Over many decades his drive, energy and leadership have helped to shape the nature of local medical services and have done much to provide the foundation for general practitioner and hospital services, both public and private.”

Mr Manea said his father would be pleased with how he had been recognised by the community, with his proudest achievement being Manea Senior College.