Damian Drum’s political career is ending when the bell finally tolls with the next election.
Born and raised in Shepparton region, the youngest of seven kids in the family, his early life after leaving school was in the building trades, a carpenter and joiner, he had his own business building and constructing sheds.
When he wasn’t working at building sheds, he was playing local footy for Congupna where he had grown up. Eventually he was picked up by Geelong where he stayed for nine years playing more than 60 games with them.
His playing career gave him a lead into coaching, and he eventually took up the role of senior coach with Fremantle.
With a credible national sporting profile, Damian won pre-selection with the National Party to contest the State election in 2002, winning his seat in the Legislative Council. Although without any political experience, he rose quickly and Drum soon found himself Deputy Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council, party Whip, and Shadow Minister for Youth Affairs, Education Services, Sport, Recreation, Racing, Consumer Affairs and the Commonwealth Games.
When the coalition won office in 2013, in the following March, Drum was appointed Minister for Sports and Veterans Affairs in the Napthine government, serving until the government was defeated at the 2014 State election.
When the 2016 Federal election was called, Damian then won National Party preselection for the seat of Murray as it was known when Liberal member, Sharman Stone, retired from politics.
The seat of Murray was abolished in 2019 and became Nicholls as it is today.
While in office, Damian has successfully worked towards bringing about Federal funding for a large number of major and minor projects in the region including the Moama Bridge, SAM and the Maude Street Mall.
In the volatile Federal politics, Drummie sat as a backbencher while holding the role of National’s Whip which could ‘best be described as like that of a team manager, you need to make sure everyone knows their roles and has what they need to get their jobs done’.
When asked what he will do on leaving politics, Drummie, as he is affectionately known, says he is going to take it easy for a while away from the hubris required for political campaigning and spend more time with his family and friends and just getting his life back from the public gaze.
