The 62 year-old, spoke to The Border Mail on Tuesday after Wodonga councillors lauded him at Monday night's meeting.

Mr Watson rode his bike to the council offices on a Monday last month before his world was upended.

"I had two hip replacements last year and I just felt like the six-million dollar man, I was back, in no pain anywhere and riding the bike," Mr Watson said.

After returning home and cooking dinner, he felt severe pain in the early hours of the next day and thought he had pulled a muscle only to soon learn he had pancreatic cancer with secondary liver cancer.

Now the father of three is being treated by oncologist Craig Underhill who was on the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund board with him.

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"It's palliative chemo to relieve pain, we're certainly too far down the track to do anything for life-saving, it's just one of those hidden cancers that you don't get the symptoms until a far bit of muck has gone on," Mr Watson said.

"It's quite ironic that I looked after my late wife Christine through all her cancer diagnosis and we've both ended up at the same spot."

Mr Watson, a passionate beekeeper, responded to his diagnosis with fatalism.

"I'm a realist, I believe that those things happen and I'm on a (drug) trial and the nice thing is that the funding from the cancer trust is supporting that," he said.

On Monday night, acting Wodonga mayor Graeme Simpfendorfer and councillors Danny Lowe, Olga Quilty, Ron Mildren and Kev Poulton formally paid tribute to Mr Watson.

"Our hearts are filled with pain for what you have to go through and what your family is facing, but we certainly wish you all the best," Cr Simpfendorfer said.

Cr Lowe spoke of his own recent battle with cancer and Mr Watson's assistance.

"He was constantly in there in support all the time and now I hope I can reciprocate for John in his health battle and I wish him all the best and he's got a whole community behind him because there's not one person I've ever spoke to that has a bad word about John Watson," Cr Lowe said.

Cr Mildren noted Cr Watson had followed his grandfather and father in being a Wodonga councillor.

"He's been an absolute stalwart in pursuing the things that are necessary to make this community great," Cr Mildren said.

"He has done a lot of things that people don't see, he's done a lot of things that have an impact but aren't high-profile."

Mr Watson said he appreciated the community's support and the kind words from his former council colleagues.

"I get a bit of a buzz because you battle away and you think 'we're all against each other' but underneath we all respect each other's views and work to the greater benefit of our community," Mr Watson said.

He said he "missed council so much".

Mr Watson was a councillor from 1997 to 2004 and from 2012 to last month with a year as mayor in 2001-02.

In the intervening years he ran Hungry Jack's eateries and was overseeing the Albury store when it was incinerated.

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