Serving 33 years in the army is no simple feat, but for veteran John Dougall, being of service to the community and to Australians doesn’t stop there.
Mr Dougall, having retired from the army, entered the race for Mitchell Shire’s North Ward at the upcoming council elections.
He said his motivation to run for council stemmed from being a service-based person.
“Serving is kind of where my inherent motivation comes from,” he said.
“Working as part of the army for 33 years, that was about service in some ways to the nation or national security.
“It has a true purpose and a mission and it rallies people together.
“I’m no longer part of the full-time army, but I’m still motivated by this desire to serve.”
Mr Dougall said having experience in leadership and service, combined with time to commit, brought him to a point in his life where he could serve his community closer.
“I don’t want to be naive about this sort of a job,” he said.
“I think I’ve got the right experience, but I’m also at the right level of energy and opportunity to have a really good go at it.
“In terms of doing some research and talking to people, it was very clear that there is community dissatisfaction with the performance of current council.”
Mr Dougall said he was shocked to see that Mitchell Shire ranked significantly below average in the Victoria-wide Consumer Satisfaction Survey.
“Speaking of people, and qualitative evidence suggested that there’s plenty of room for improvement and as a ratepayer, I feel like I should expect better,” he said.
“I thought, ‘Well, I can make a difference’ ... I understand how bureaucracies work, I understand how businesses work, and I've been in senior committees making decisions, so it sort of adds up.”
During Seymour’s Candidates Forum, Mr Dougall said that when he talked about council, what he heard was frustration.
“I guess the sources of frustration would be what is in front of people’s eyes,” he said.
“Their evidence about how good council is doing is what they feel and experience every day.
“It could be frustration that that thing (a problem) has been there for a long time, and no one has had a look at it.
“What I’m about is the function of a high-performing council. The first and most important thing is that you get that group (councillors) to agree on a common purpose so that that group becomes a high-performing team.”
He said finding a common purpose involved trade-offs, compromise and consultation, but that the net outcome was far better because there was a common voice and a common direction.
For Mr Dougall, it’s important for council to be a partner to the community.
“You’ve got the council, the CEO, the executive team, and then you’ve got councillors, and then you’ve got the community,” he said.
“It’s a building block to try and make sure that the council is operating as a team, and that team is working on behalf of the residents.”
Being an army man, Mr Dougall said he was a product of a merit-based system, and had attached values he learned in the military to his way of life.
“I think there’s some incredibly good values that those organisations instil in you,” he said.
“That might not appeal to some that I am a product of a system like that.
“I think I truly can reform the way the immediate council not only focuses on what’s important and becomes a high-performing team, but inculcates an improved decision-making process mechanism, not just among the council but among the council staff.”
Mr Dougall said he felt a lot of people were conditioned to accept a low standard and believes there was not much they could do about it.
“That to me is sad, but it’s wrong as well,” he said.
“I would like people to take an interest in how we can make a change.
“We should expect it, and we should demand it. And so I think I’m one of the people that can actually make that happen.”