Robert Charles Kucera APM was born on 6 November 1944 and is a former Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 2001 to 2008, representing the seat of Yokine.
17 Facts About Bob Kucera
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Bob Kucera represented the Labor Party for most of his career, but lost preselection prior to the 2008 state election, and resigned to sit as an independent for the final months of his term.
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Bob Kucera was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Norah Gertrude and Karel "Charlie" Bob Kucera.
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Bob Kucera's mother was Welsh, while his father was a member of the Czechoslovak Air Force, and the two met while stationed at Pembroke Dock during World War II.
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Bob Kucera's father returned to Wales after the war, and during his childhood the family lived for periods in Cardiff and in the small village of Mamhilad.
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Bob Kucera joined Western Australia Police in 1966, and remained with the force until 2001, when he resigned to run for parliament.
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Bob Kucera was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study policing overseas in 1991, and from 1999 to 2001 served as assistant commissioner to Barry Matthews.
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Bob Kucera has been awarded the Australian Police Medal, the National Police Service Medal, the National Medal, and the Western Australia Police Medal.
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At the 2001 state election, Bob Kucera was recruited by the Labor Party's leader, Geoff Gallop, to stand for the party in the seat of Yokine.
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Bob Kucera defeated the sitting Liberal member, Kim Hames, who had been a minister in the government of Richard Court.
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Immediately after being election, Bob Kucera was made Minister for Health in Gallop's new ministry.
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Bob Kucera served in the position until a reshuffle in June 2003, after which he was instead made Minister for Tourism, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for Peel and the South-West.
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In October 2005, Bob Kucera resigned from the ministry after claims of a conflict of interest.
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Bob Kucera contested Labor preselection for the seat of Mount Lawley, but lost to journalist and lobbyist Karen Brown, a supporter of Alan Carpenter.
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Bob Kucera considered running as an independent at the election, but later announced his retirement from politics, expressing a desire to spend more time with his family.
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Bob Kucera eventually rejoined the Labor Party, and in February 2012 was invited by the party's new leader, Mark McGowan, to again contest preselection in Mount Lawley.
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Bob Kucera was successful, but at the 2013 state election was easily defeated by the sitting Liberal member, Michael Sutherland.