So much to love about living here

I’ve always loved the You Yangs – so I’m thrilled to represent you as councillor in the new ward named after and home to this iconic natural landmark.

The You Yangs ward – geographically speaking – is the largest of 11 new City of Greater Geelong wards, and spans from Balliang in the north to Stonehaven in the south.

There is just so much to enjoy about living in this ward.

Personally, I love exploring the bike tracks and walking trails that criss-cross You Yangs Regional Park, or looking out at our region from atop Big Rock, enjoying a stunning panoramic view that stretches to the horizon.

I also enjoy watching the planes fly over during the Australian International Airshow at Avalon Airport, heading down to Avalon Raceway and seeing the brolgas and other amazing birdlife at Serendip Sanctuary.

Down the road in Lara, the Kevin Hoffman Walk provides an incredible showcase of colourful and vibrant plants and flowers native to our region.

I encourage you all to walk this trail, through the heart of Lara, which the late Kevin Hoffman created with help from dedicated volunteers from across town.

Our beautiful part of the world has so much to offer, and I look forward to working with our new Council to help You Yangs Ward reach its full potential.

Joining this Council is an exciting next chapter in my career, which has included two deployments to Timor Leste and specialist roles with Victoria Police.

I joined the Australian Army in 2002 and went to Townsville as a Combat Engineer.

After the two four-month deployments in Timor, I finished up as a loadmaster for Black Hawk helicopters with 171 Aviation Squadron in Sydney.

I joined Victoria Police in 2011 and went on to work in the Public Order Response Team and Critical Incident Response Team – where I became a negotiator. I now work for Invictus Australia as its Victorian manager.

These are all important experiences for me to draw upon as I join the group of passionate and community-minded people serving as the new City of Greater Geelong Council.

It is important to me as a councillor to advocate for improvements to roads and footpaths across our ward, along with increasing opening hours at Lara Swimming Pool.

As a councillor, I want to assist local sporting clubs in making the most of their facilities and encourage people to see all the amazing sights in the largest ward in Geelong.

And, of course, I want to hear from you about how we can improve infrastructure and services in our ward.

You might see me out and about one-wheeling or bushwalking, down at the beach bodyboarding or surfing – badly – at the gym or trying out a new sport.

If you see me, come say g’day – I’m keen to hear your ideas on how we can make our ward an even better place to live.

Cr Chris Burson

You Yangs Ward, City of Greater Geelong