Councillor John Schelling

John is South Gippsland born-and-bred, which is never more evident than if you walk through the street with him.

Born in Nerrena and having lived in Hallston, Toora and Leongatha, John is passionate about the diversity of South Gippsland, the richness of our farming land and the fabulous coastal areas and forests we have at our doorstep.

John has been married to Dianne for over 40 years. They have four children and nine grandchildren who all reside in South Gippsland.

John has been working in the petroleum industry for 43 years — 31 of those with local distributor Evans Petroleum as a Sales Manager. In his spare time, John has been an active member of multiple sporting codes including football, cricket, basketball, and little athletics as well as volunteering on school board's and for church groups. John is currently President of the Leongatha and District Cricket Club, Life Member of the Stony Creek Football Netball Club, Life Member of the Leongatha Town Cricket Club and Life Member of the Leongatha Basketball Association.

As for what inspired him to become a Councillor — John wanted to help restore trust in Council and the Councillors that represented the community. Restoring the respect of South Gippsland amongst other local governments was also of importance to him.

John is a self-described time fanatic who plans everything he does to the best of his ability so nothing gets missed (perhaps because he is so busy!) John lives by the adage "you have two ears and one mouth, so you should listen twice as much as you speak", which has held him in good stead throughout his life and allowed him to remain approachable to those he now serves as a Councillor.