Allan Walters running for Division 5 in South Burnett elections

Former Murgon councillor Allan Walters has entered the race for Division 5 and has given his account of the controversy surrounding him during his last council post.

Allan Walters is running for Division 5 in the South Burnett Regional Council elections.

After 24 years since he was a Murgon Shire councillor, Allan Walters has decided to get back into politics by entering the race for Division 5 in the South Burnett Regional Council elections.

Mr Walters moved to the South Burnett in 1993, managing the Yallakool Tourist Park before running, and winning, a seat in the Murgon Shire Council.

“I put my name down, they had the elections and I got one of the highest votes,” he said.

After finishing up at the Murgon council in 2000, Mr Walters left the region and managed tourist parks around the state before moving back to the South Burnett years later.

The 75-year-old said he decided to run for council again because he loves to be involved and “helping the community”.

“I think I have a lot to offer the Division 5 area,” he said.

Like Kathy Duff, who is currently running for mayor, Mr Walters said he wanted to bring depots back into the divisions.

“Say we’ve got a fellow that lives in Murgon and he has to travel to Wondai each morning to pick up his machine, it could be out the other side of Proston, it could be anywhere.

“If we have those people in those areas at Proston and the other depots, we don’t have to do that,” he said.

Mr Walters said he also wanted to see portfolios gone.

He said that whoever was voted into a division should oversee everything from the division.

Allan Walters is running for Division 5 in the South Burnett Regional Council elections.

The father of three and grandfather of 11 said he learnt a lot from listening to the different generations.

“You listen to the younger people, you listen to the older people and you come up with some bloody good ideas,” he said.

One issue from the past that Mr Walters wanted to get off his chest was the controversy that happened while he was a Murgon Shire councillor.

During that time, Mr Walters said he and his wife were accused of embezzling money from council but never charged.

“The police came in, took all the books and all of the computers away and never found one cent,” he said.

Mr Walters said he also had a contract dispute with the Murgon Shire Council but decided it was too difficult to chase down any money.

“To chase that money would have broken us something terrible,” he said.

“My wife never got over what happened and she also has now had a stroke and got dementia, they put it all down to the stress that was all happened through that period.”

With all that behind him, he said he had “a lot of ideas” for the region and was ready to get back into the game.

“A thing I have on my side is I am retired and I’ve got plenty of time up my sleeve,” he said.

The South Burnett Regional Council elections will be on March 16.