Hi, I'm Darren!
I'm a GP and emergency doctor, a former rural veterinarian, and a Central Coast resident of fifteen years – and I'm running as your Greens candidate for Central Coast Council.
Working in health has taught me that environmental and community health and wellbeing are inextricably linked. I've lived in a tiny home on wheels, and experienced first-hand the bureaucratic nightmare of trying to address a housing shortage with alternative forms of housing that are affordable and energy efficient. I've advocated for the protection of the Dial Range from logging, and last year I joined others in holding Council to account by pushing to save some of the elm trees on Risby Street in Ulverstone.
You may also know me as the Greens candidate for the upper house seat of Montgomery, challenging the need for a new stadium at Macquarie Point.
This election I'm focused on what makes daily life on the coast healthier: urban trees that cool our towns, walking and cycling infrastructure including finishing the coastal pathway from Penguin to Ulverstone, and more housing options for the people who need them. I'll also keep speaking up about the salmon farm trials off our shores.
My motto in life is to listen and observe, stand up, speak out and take action. It's all about community-level decision making and action: even in a world that feels out of control, we can still have influence in our own area and a positive effect on our future.
See you on the campaign trail!
Darren
