Grant Allen Woodhams (born 7 August 1952 in
Sydney,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
) is an Australian former politician. He was
The Nationals member of the
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House, Perth, Parliament House in the Western Australian capi ...
from February 2005 to March 2013.
Arriving in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
in 1967, Woodhams was schooled in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
and
Albany he graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
from
Murdoch University before starting work with
ABC radio. After working with the ABC in Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, Woodhams returned to Western Australia in 1990 to work in the Mid West. He left the ABC in 2004 to pursue his master's degree in Education.
At the
2005 state election, Woodhams defeated one-term
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
MP Jamie Edwards to take the seat of
Greenough for the
Nationals. He was re-elected at the
2008 state election, again defeating an incumbent Liberal MP,
Gary Snook, this time for the seat of
Moore, following Greenough's abolition. Woodhams was elected
Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Legislative Assembly. The office has existed since the creation of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 under the '' Constitution Act 1889''. The 31st and cur ...
in November 2008. During his first term in the Legislative Assembly, Woodhams's style of oratory became renowned within the chamber for his adaptations of poems and songs, particularly in his budget reply speeches. While Speaker, further poetry was not forthcoming, but he concluded his valedictory speech in 2012 with his own version of "
Clancy of the Overflow
"Clancy of the Overflow" is a poem by Banjo Paterson, first published in '' The Bulletin'', an Australian news magazine, on 21 December 1889. The poem is typical of Paterson, offering a romantic view of rural life, and is one of his best-known w ...
", entitled "Woodie, the Speaker of the Overflow".
Woodhams announced in 2012 that he would retire at the
2013 state election in order to spend more time with his family. He was succeeded by Shane Love who went on to hold the seat for the Nationals in 2013.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodhams, Grant
1952 births
Living people
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Politicians from Sydney
Speakers of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia
21st-century Australian politicians
Members of the Order of Australia