If strong bloodlines are anything to go by, Nathan Drummond shapes as a first-rate, future leader at Richmond.

The Tigers’ third pick (No. 52 overall) in last week’s 2014 National Draft, has a fascinating family history that abounds with outstanding leadership.

His paternal great-grandfather, Tom Drummond, captained Collingwood in the early 1920s, played in two premiership sides for the Magpies (one being against Richmond), and also represented Victoria at State level, before ending his league career with a brief stint at South Melbourne.

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He’s been described as a clever winger, a fine ball-handler, and an excellent mark for such a small man (170cm and 68kg).

On Nathan Drummond’s maternal side, his great, great-grandfather, William Cooper, was a highly-respected Aboriginal leader.

Cooper was one of Australia’s earliest Aboriginal rights’ activists.  He was founder of the Australian Aborigines League, and travelled throughout the nation, organising petitions that were aimed at convincing authorities to improve the lives of Aboriginals.

But the great care and compassion that Cooper displayed, wasn’t merely confined to his own people.  He also fought for many other oppressed groups in society. 

In the late 1930s, when news filtered through to Australia about Nazi Germany’s treatment of the Jewish people, Cooper, then aged 77, led a delegation from his home in Footscray, to the German consulate in Melbourne’s Collins Street.   He had with him a petition condemning the “cruel persecution” of Jews in Germany and demanding that it cease.

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Much to Cooper’s dismay, the German consul general refused to accept the petition, but the protest certainly caused a stir at the time, and his wonderful display of humanitarianism was not forgotten by the Jewish community . . .

Four years ago, William Cooper made history by becoming the first Indigenous Australian to be honored with his own memorial and garden at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Israel’s Jerusalem, as acknowledgment for the role he played in leading that protest.

Nathan Drummond has red hair and fair skin, so his Indigenous heritage is not obvious.  Nevertheless, it’s something that he’s extremely proud of . . .

“Because I don't have dark skin, people look at me and don't think I'm Indigenous, but it's something I know inside me and it means a fair bit,” he said in an interview with ‘The Age’ football writer Emma Quayle.

“It's pretty weird to think about what things were like back in the old days, because it seems like Indigenous people weren't even seen as real people, and my life is so different to that.

“To me, it means having family, being close to everyone, and knowing that you come from somewhere and have a community.  That's the biggest thing.”