Edward Robert Drury

Edward Robert Drury CMG (1832–1896) was a banker in Queensland, Australia. He was the first general manager of the Queensland National Bank which played a major role in Queensland finance in the late 19th century.

Edward Robert Drury was born in 1832 in Brussels, Belgium, the son of the Rev. William Drury (chaplain to the British Embassy in Brussels and tutor of Leopold II of Belgium) and his wife Anne (née Nicholas).

Drury immigrated to Australia in 1852.

Drury was employed by the Bank of Australasia in 1853. In 1860 he was promoted to manager of their Brisbane branch.

In 1872, he was appointed the general manager of the new Queensland National Bank, a role he held until his death in 1896. He was the President of the Australian Association of Bankers from June 1894 to June 1895. Drury was professionally and personally committed to promoting development of the colony of Queensland. In both his banking role at the Queensland National Bank and his personal business activities, he was very involved with investment in mining, agriculture and land development.

In addition to his banking career, he was the Consul for Belgium for which he was made a Knight of the Order of Leopold.

When the Crimean War broke out in 1854, Drury was one of the first to volunteer for the New South Wales Volunteer Rifles. On 15 November 1860, he received his commission as captain. He excelled at rifle shooting and won a silver medal in a 1854 Queensland competition of the National Rifle Association of England. He was a founder of the Queensland Rifle Association. In 1876 he was gazetted as a major in the Queensland Volunteer Artillery. In 1884 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and took command of the field artillery. In 1891 he became a Colonel and served as Commandant of the Queensland Defence Force on a number of occasions. In 1885, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his contribution to colonial defence. He was one of the oldest officers on the active list.

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