She was a 25-year-old-single mother of two (a four-year-old and a two-year-old) who noticed that Gloucester didn't have a change table in the public toilets and permitted smoking in the public children's playground.

It was 2008 and she was by far the youngest candidate.

"I could see things differently than the other councillors," Katheryn said.

With a generally older age demographic on the former Gloucester Shire Council, Katheryn reckoned she could see gaps in the community needs that they didn't necessarily see.

She had an interest in getting involved in local government but figured it was something you did when you were retired. At the time, she was working part-time and studying. She attended an information session to see what type of education was needed in order to be a councillor.

When she found out there weren't any requirements, she decided to run.

"I thought, I'll give that a crack. I had a campaign budget of $150," she laughed. "I wanted to make something out of myself. I wanted to contribute and be helpful to the community."

There were nine positions up for grabs and Katheryn came seventh in the vote tally.

She's been re-elected ever since, including being successful in two election in the newly formed MidCoast Council.

When the Gloucester Shire Council was forcibly dissolved in May 2016 and MidCoast Council was formed, Katheryn submitted an application to the administrator, John Turner, to be a part of the interim council before an proper election could be called. She was successful.

"The merger was a really difficult time but I still thought it was important that (Gloucester) had a voice," she said. "If you're not at the table then you can't influence. You can't help."

When it came time for the first election for the new council, Katheryn was among the three former Gloucester councillors, including James Hooke and John Rosenbaum.

But the election process and campaigning was a whole new world for them.

"We had no idea what was going to happened but we all believed that Gloucester needed a voice.

"There was no ego among us. We all supported each other. It was all about the community," she said.

Katheryn was the only one of the three to get voted in. A short time later, she was elected deputy mayor by the new council.

Having held the position in the Gloucester Shire Council, it was a move she thought would be good for Gloucester but in the end, she found herself so busy that she was beginning to lose her connection with the community.

"People thought I'd moved because I wasn't around as much," she said.

"The grass roots are important me. I missed the connection."

When the role came around earlier this year, she didn't put her hand up.

It's been 14 years since her first election and Katheryn has just gotten married (now Katheryn Stinson) and is about to give birth to her third child, due in June.

It was early in her pregnancy when she had to decide whether or not to run in the latest MidCoast Council election, held late last year.

But her unrelenting passion for Gloucester and the needs of the smaller communities within the vast electorate motivated her to put her hand up once again.

"I don't want to let the community down. There are things that I feel that I really need to fight for," she said.

And there are a few projects she wants to see through until the end, mainly around Gloucester's water system.

"Another motivator was the drought. When (Gloucester) ran out of water, it was one of the most significant things that impacted me," she explained.

"People on the land, with low incomes, who couldn't afford water, were holding out for rain. And it didn't come. The price of water went up and people felt helpless.

"I want to see the water projects through - water treatment, water storage and water pressure."

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She also wants to ensure that the other small communities around region aren't forgotten, so she keeps a watch on things that people are concerned about.

But she also encourages others to get involved.

"If you see a gap, you can get involved. Comments on social media won't get it fix. You can do more than just complain," Katheryn said.

She stresses the importance of understanding the processes and procedures.

"As an average person, you can make motherhood statement to say you want to improve the roads, but you need to understand the roads program in order to make the change happen," she said.

At the end of the day, Katheryn believes being a councillor is a role for anyone who is passionate about the community and who want to make a difference.

"I think I've proven that ii can be for anyone," she smiled.