Simon Wyatt is running for council, hoping to represent Goulburn River Ward.
He has lived in Greater Shepparton for eight years, having moved here for medical treatment before falling in love with the region.
“I’m very appreciative of the services that I received,” Mr Wyatt said.
“We bought a house in Mooroopna, and we’ve done a makeover.”
He is running for council as he feels he has the right skills to represent the region.
“I feel I’ve got the skills to represent people. I’ve been in a lot of community groups in different places,” he said.
“I can represent and articulate and advocate for people in the area quite well, and I think I understand the issues because I talk to people.
“I’d like to put back something into the community.”
If he gets in, he’d like to do a “back to basics review of council”.
“I'm keen to examine them and to see if they’re performing as they should, and they’re cost-efficient,” he said.
He also said his top issues included staying away from “political matters” and abolishing Acknowledgement of Country.
“I'm certainly not interested in council being involved in social policy or political matters,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s their role and the Local Government Act to me doesn’t seem very clear on that.
“I am standing on a platform to abolish Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country.
“It’s a big issue for me.”
There are several reasons he believes these ceremonies should be removed.
“They are meaningless, onerous and unnecessary,” he said.
“They do nothing to unite us as Australians, they only serve to divide us and undermine our traditions and values of friendship, mateship and equality, and they certainly don’t do anything to advance the best interests of Indigenous peoples or assist in closing the gap.
“It’s a form of harassment making you participate in that.”
He said the people were what kept him in the region.
“I like the friendliness of the people, but that’s not peculiar to hear that people are more friendly in the country,” Mr Wyatt said.
“I’ve made some good friends up here.”