Mr Nicholas has been elected by default, with only seven candidates for nine councillor spots up for grabs.
“Council needs to become a bit more friendly,” he said.
“I know a few of the councillors and was asked.
“If I can contribute to council being a much more friendly and operational place than what it has been; Moama faces a big increase in its population — it needs quite a modern, well-run council to get it where its potential is.”
Mr Nicholas has been a passionate driver of Moama’s botanical gardens, involved since inception including as president of the committee.
He said he did not have a personal agenda for his time on council.
“We’ve been in the area for a long time and it’s been pretty good to me,” he said.
“I had a heart attack a little while ago, quite a severe one, and I decided to do all my bucket list stuff… this is the last chew of the cherry.
“It’s something I haven’t done before.
“It’s widely exciting, but I’m yet to be trained in what they expect.
“I did expect to be doing door-knocking and all that sort of thing.”
Mr Nicholas has lived just outside Moama for 24 years and spent another two decades before that in Womboota.
He grew up in Victoria’s Western District and worked as a Qantas pilot — and could think of one skill from his profession to bring to council.
“I think being able to sit next to someone for hours on end in a state of boredom teaches you the various skills of keeping your mouth shut at times or opening it when needed,” Mr Nicholas said.
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