Chris Cocking, a part-time security guard at Corowa, is the face behind a petition submitted to the council on Monday night.

The petition was sparked by two serious attacks, including one where a man, 28, was stabbed in the lower back in Les Stone Park in May last year.

A month later, another man, 28, was knifed several times in a daylight attack while walking through David Bishop Reserve about 9am.

Mr Cocking does not have a personal link to the men assaulted but believes more should be done to protect those visiting parks and reserves in Wodonga.

“You can’t put a value on life,” he said.

Fed up with the violence, Mr Cocking created the petition and placed copies at Wodonga hospital about 11 months ago.

The petition was picked up by a hospital staff member this week who sent one page of it into the council.

Mr Cocking returned to the hospital yesterday in search of the other petition pages, but they had been misplaced.

He believes the petition would have attracted more than the 11 signatures handed into the council this week.

Mr Cocking has petitioned the council to invest in lighting at all parks and reserves in the city, as well as hiring security guards to patrol those areas.

“Some of the parks have lights, but it’s the parks and pathways that don’t that are the worry,” Mr Cocking said.

“Someone could be hiding behind trees, just waiting to jump out.

“We also need guards on push bikes to deter those who are acting suspiciously.”

His son Taylor, 16, said he never felt safe walking home through Ernest Condon Corridor, near his house.

“There’s no lighting and you can’t see who is around,” he said.

Wodonga police said they did monitor parks as part of their night patrols.

The petition will be discussed at next month’s council meeting.