Keith Cook

A citizen trying to make Baw Baw Shire a better place for everyone is how West ward candidate Keith Cook describes the motivation for him to stand for council.

A local resident all of his life - he was born at Crossover and now has a small (50 acres) farm at Ripplebrook where he raises beef Mr Cook says his extensive involvement over the years with community groups has emphasised the need for council and the public to talk to each other.

“It is not just councillors listening to what people want but also talking about council’s plans and actions”.

Mr Cook said he understands why many people want to move to Drouin and Warragul and sees managing the growth that brings while maintaining the area’s country feel and beauty as the biggest challenge facing council.

He said he would be an “out and about” councillor and believes it is a responsibility for council to be involved in the community.

Mr Cook said he is a strong supporter of council consultative committees and would like there to be more in future.

He believes the outgoing council “has done a good job” but there is plenty more to do.

It is Mr Cook’s second attempt to win a seat at the council table after being unsuccessful in the 2012 election for the Drouin ward.

Among a number of volunteer groups of which he is or has been a member is the Committee for Drouin where he is the current president.

A particular passion of his is local history, one of the main reasons he wants the shire’s development and growth to be carefully managed.

Mr Cook is a member of the Warragul and district historical society, is involved in recording and documenting the recollections of long time Drouin residents, is chairman of the RokebyCrossover Friends Group and coordinated celebrations in 2014 for the Rokeby hall centenary and this year for the 150th anniversary of the Crossover hall.

He also gives talks about local history to various organisations and at Drouin’s Ficifolia Festival each year.