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