QUEENSLAND
Rod Draper
Maranoa Candidate
A Background in the Great Divide
Rod was born and raised to a working class family. His father, a builder from Woodford timber -getter heritage, and his mother a seamstress from Caboolture. He was brought up in and around Brisbane growing up in divergent small family businesses including a corner store, and egg grading business and a building company, where before and after school was spent tending the shop and weekends and holidays on building sites.Â
Rod left school in grade 10, and, at the first opportunity at age 14, started full time work, retail at Coles, then back to construction at 17, and from there mining, survey, railways and inevitably, like a chip of the proverbial block, to owner operator, small business in construction.
Back to Business
Rod always had a thirst for knowledge and was essentially self-taught before walking into QUT in the early 2000, studying business while raising his two boys and graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in financial economics. He continued to work in this area and applied his knowledge to his small building business.
Empowering Lives
By the early 2010’s, he was working in CSG FIFO in Roma and Miles when he noticed a lack of mental health support and turned his spare time to studying counselling, then Psychology, and finally obtaining a Masters in Rehabilitation counselling.Â
Rod has worked the past 10 years in rehab and psychology helping workers, families, and businesses cope with injury and illness. He has been very active helping hundreds of injured workers, and their families adjust to injury, chronic pain and navigate the labyrinth of insurance and employment rules and compliances.
Rod has an incredible set of life skills that he hopes to transfer to helping people and communities realise their true capacity and potential stripping back the moribund chains of politics and over-governance. Rod is passionate to see everyone free to explore their own potential unrestrained by the shackles of governments, politicians and bureaucrats.
Rod still has family in Toowoomba and Mitchell and lives with his wife in Moreton Bay while looking forward to moving back to west of the great divide.
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