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You may already know Josh Fittler.
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Maybe you’ve bought some Guyra spuds from him at the farmers’ market.
Or, if you’ve ever picked up a handpiece and knocked the wool of a New England Merino, maybe you’ve shared a shed with him.
And if you’re mad enough to get up early on a frosty winter’s morning to run up a big hill, you’ve probably met him at Parkrun too.
But what you might not know, is that Mr Fittler, or Josh as he’s known to everyone, is also developing a chemically susceptible strain of Barber's Pole worm, to combat the chemically resistant parasites found in sheep flocks around the region.
It’s smart business.
And it’s with that same nous and determination that Josh Fittler has announced his bid to become an Armidale Regional Council councillor.
Mr Fittler is a born and bred New Englander.
Apart from a short stint in Queensland after he finished his degree at UNE and couldn’t find a job, he has spent his entire life in the region.
Job growth and youth unemployment are key issues on Mr Fittler’s agenda.
He said it was important Council did what it could to boost the employment prospects of school leavers, and TAFE and UNE graduates.
“As a young person in Armidale, I found when I finished university, there was no work here,” he said.
“You could get a PhD and work at the university.
“But for a population of about 20,000, there wouldn’t be a proportional number of available jobs for young people in Armidale.”
Mr Fittler said Council role was promoting Armidale and Guyra as “open for business”.
“Most people I’ve talked with haven’t been happy with the Council and how it’s been functioning,” he said.
“All my family is here.
“The future of my children and nieces is going to be here, so I want to make sure it's a livable place.”
To do that, Mr Fittler wants to Council to leverage the city’s NBN advantage and attract technology and innovation based companies to the region.
“The university has the smart region incubator for start ups,” he said.
“We also have the NBN.
“I think we have huge untapped potential there for new technology in Armidale.
“The government is pushing it at the moment.
“So with the innovation boom, we should really be capitalising on that.”
Mr Fittler also wants to take advantage of the sheep sales in Guyra.
And to secure the town’s water with a pipeline from Malpas Dam.
“I don’t want to see Guyra get lost in the merger,” he said.
“With the sheep sales now in Guyra, why not an abattoir in Guyra again?”
“You get 20 to 30 jobs in an abattoir.”
Mr Fitter said the bottom line was, he really cared about the region.
“My family is here and I want to stay here,” he said.
“I don’t want to be pushed out because it's not affordable or comfortable to live in.
“And I think in time, I would be a real asset to the Council and the community.”