A former partner and solicitor with law firm Payne Butler Lang in Gayndah, he also spent four years serving as a North Burnett councillor from 2016-2020. Now retired, he continues to be passionate about collaborating for social and economic growth in the North Burnett and Wide Bay regions.

John has supported his rural community over the years, having previously been a Director of the Gayndah Fruitgrowers’ Co-operative, a member of the Wide Bay Burnett LifeFlight Rescue Helicopter Regional Advisory Committee, and a volunteer for several not-for-profit organisations. He is currently the current Chair of the Mundubbera Bendigo Community Bank Branch and the Gunther Aged Care Facility in Gayndah. John was recently named both the Gayndah and North Burnett Citizen of the Year in the 2021 Australia Day awards.