DAN Andrews, who hails from Wangaratta and attended Galen College, has resigned after nine years of running Victoria.

He leaves a divided legacy - especially over his harsh COVID lockdowns.

The boy from the country describes leading the state as “the honour and privilege” of his life.

Having first assumed the seat of Mulgrave at the 2002 election under the Bracks Government, Mr Andrews rose through the ranks to be named party leader in 2010, and was in charge as Labor was successful at the 2014 election, at which time he was named premier.

His Labor Government was re-elected in 2018 and again in 2022, despite heavy criticism of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Andrews said that through the good and the bad, his government had sought to do “what’s right”.

“As much as we’ve achieved together, there’s so much more to do,” he said.

“Recently, in talking to my kids and (wife) Cath, thoughts of what life will be like after this job have started to creep in – and I’ve always known that the moment that happens, it’s time to go and to give this privilege, this amazing responsibility to someone else.”

Mr Andrews said the role had consumed him throughout recent years.

“The only way that I know how to do this job is to have it consume me, to have it define me – to a certain extent, every waking moment is about the work, and that takes a toll,” he said.

“To have been premier for nine years and the leader of my party for 13 years is a greater set of opportunities than I ever thought would be afforded to me, a kid from the country, with only really an aspiration to do good, to work hard, to work with teams of people to hopefully make things better.”

After a surprisingly messy succession process, his anointed replacement finally got the nod.

So, who is Jacinta Allan?

Like Andrews, she hails from rural Victoria – Bendigo.

Allan was Andrews’ deputy premier and a member of his inner circle and considered the person being primed for leadership for years.

She is well-known as the minister for transport and infrastructure, who oversaw some of the state’s key projects, including the suburban rail loop and overseeing the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games.

The daughter of an electricity salesman, her history is mainly in unions and politics.

In 1999, she was elected to parliament at the age of 25 – the youngest ever woman MP in Victoria.

She later married former ministerial adviser Yorick Piper; they have had two children together.

Allan last year talked to Guardian Australia about her endometriosis diagnosis and its effect on her fertility.

“Looking back, when I was a teenager and younger woman, I had terrible period pain and really difficult experiences that had to be regulated with medication and there was an embarrassment to it. You didn’t talk about it,” she said.

“Then, as I was getting older and it came time to have kids, I didn’t have an understanding that endometriosis can impact on fertility. It wasn’t until I had a bit of a heart-to-heart with a very dear friend that she pointed me in the right direction about how to get my endo treated and how improve fertility outcomes.”

She is not afraid of a brawl – getting Sky News of Victorian train platform screens in 2018.

But her closeness to the former premier is also considered a potential weakness