Meet the Man, Meet the Mayor
Nick Dametto
With a strong professional background and respected legacy in the political sphere, Townsville City Council Mayor, Nick Dametto has come along way since he was just a kid on a North Queensland cane farm.
Growing up in the Hinchinbrook Shire in the rural locality of Hawkins Creek, Nick was raised in a tight-knit farming community settled largely by Italian migrants just north of Ingham. Nick’s childhood was spent outdoors and perfectly defined by adventure and lessons in hard work that continue to shape him today.
“It was great growing up in North Queensland,” Nick reminisced.
“I had a free-range childhood spent riding pushbikes, motorbikes and four-wheelers and fishing down the river every afternoon to catch black brim or barramundi – we were pretty safe to do whatever we liked – as long as we were home by dark and didn’t accidently burn anything down on the cane farm!”
Nick’s formative years of fence free freedom taught him values of self-reliance, problem-solving and the value of hard work. Whether digging a bogged vehicle out of mud or retrieving a snagged lure from the other side of a river, Nick learned that a hands-on approach always wins.
“Growing up on a farm, you’re taught to do your own problem solving – bogged or stuck, it’s up to you to make a decision,” Nick continued.
With sleeves often rolled up to his elbows, Nick speaks admirably of his grandfather and father’s work ethics and credits his mother’s diligence to forming several core values he’s carried into adulthood.
“It’s tough on the farm, and helping out taught me that if you wanted anything in life you had to work hard for it, and that’s something I’ve taken into my adult life.”
Nick also fondly reminisces on the camaraderie forged with childhood friends during long days of camping and fishing as a blueprint for lasting mateship.
“We were always up to no good,” he laughed.
“But building mateship with those people that would become lifelong friends taught me how important it is to invest time with people, and you always have got to have your friends’ backs.”
Family remains central to Nick’s life. Born into a large Italian family - his grandmother had six siblings, his father four - he grew up amidst social Sunday lunches, full of homemade pasta, laughter, and the smells of sugo simmering on the stove.
“There’s always a family function – a loud, full on family function – really, it was just a loud yet nurturing environment to grow up in and to me, a perfect day is still centred around family,” explained Nick.
“Sometimes when you take on very public roles, it’s like being caught in a whirlwind, and it’s always good to have family that keeps you grounded - spending time together, enjoying a meal, conversation, catch up, taking a step back - that’s just what you need.”
Nick acknowledges the public demands of elected life, recalling moments when people would approach him mid-meal or during family time to thank him for help that truly changed their lives, or to ask urgent questions about local issues.
“It’s almost like you’re married to the city, or in my previous role, married to the electorate. I took on the role of Townsville Mayor because I wanted to see North Queensland flourish, because I believe that when Townsville does well, the whole region does.”
Yet despite the whirlwind of public responsibilities, Nick always finds grounding in the time he shares with his loved ones, and the Italian culinary traditions he cherishes.
“I love making a good pasta sauce, and if time allows, making and rolling my own pasta, raviolis and gnocchi, that’s the sort of stuff I love doing – creating some of those Italian foods that you just can’t buy off the shelf.”
In Nick, Townsville has a mayor forged by wide-open cane fields, bustling family kitchens, and the rhythms of North Queensland life. Hard work, loyalty, and a deep respect for community aren’t just values; they’re a way of being. Whether he’s rolling ravioli at home or guiding the city through change, Nick brings the same steady, wholehearted energy to everything he does.
