Regardless of the climbing heat, Mitchell is decked out in a cobalt blue suit and crisp white shirt.

His shoes are shiny and his phone is clearly visible.

These days Mitchell – a product of working class Maitland – looks every bit the big city professional, marking the evolution of young country boy into a proud gay man.

“My life has done a 360. I have been on, and remain on, a journey of a life time,” Mitchell said. “But something I have never forgotten is where I come from and who I am.”

At this pivotal point in his life Mitchell is juxtaposed as branch president of the Maitland Liberal Party and executive officer of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, two roles that challenge and inspire him in equal measures.

“Being part of Mardi Gras has really challenged my political views because I have been exposed to a community that is under represented and it has given me the opportunity to get in there and help make a difference,” Mitchell said.

“Mardi Gras has made me think in a different way. There will be times, and there are times, where Mardi Gras’ view is different to my view but there is always a different opinion on things. And that comes with maturity.”

Maturity is something Mitchell, at just 24, has in spades. And it’s something he, sadly, attributes to the tragic death of his mother to cancer in 2011 at age 55.

“Losing my mother (Kerrie) was, and still is, the hardest thing I’ve had to go through in my life,” the former Maitland High School student said.

“She was just a world of knowledge to me and to lose her, my best friend, at such a young age was something that changed me and matured me very quickly.

“But my mother’s death has also given me so much more strength and determination to achieve my goals because I know she’s proud of me.”

In 2009 Mitchell was named Maitland Young Citizen of the Year, an achievement that unwittingly sparked the young man’s love for politics and community.

“I was so humbled to be awarded this title which opened my eyes to the political world I guess,” he said.

“Then I met Robyn Parker (now Member for Maitland) in the street before her election. To this day she is my political mentor and a very close friend of mine who I look up to.”

At 18 Mitchell joined the Liberal party – “I was given an opportunity to be me and have a voice in an environment of like-minded people” – and in 2011 became an instrumental part of Ms Parker’s winning campaign.

“I can’t explain the feeling of achieving that result and it’s a night I’ll never forget. Still, to this day, I get shivers,” he said.

The following year Mitchell ramped up his party involvement and took on the role as campaign manager for the seat of Newcastle.

“This remains the best experience I’ve ever had and since then I’ve involved myself further in the party,” he said.

“I do believe in its core values and the fact that success is down to the individual and that’s what I’ve taken from the Liberal party. My involvement in politics is all about being able to help people.”

Following the campaign, Mitchell made the move to Sydney and subsequently became involved with the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras something he describes as an unexpectedly eye-opening.

“I came into the organisation with a bit of an arrogant view,” Mitchell said.

“Being gay myself I knew I would fit in, having something in common with the organisation’s values, but I’d never been to Mardi Gras before,” Mitchell said.

In fact, Mitchell’s life as a gay teenager living in Maitland bared little to no resemblance of life in the world of Mardi Gras.

“It was a struggle because being gay isn’t something that’s wildly accepted in Maitland,” Mitchell said of his adolescence.

“I would get picked on for being different and for so long I denied my sexuality to myself because of what my family and friends would think.

“And it’s a hard thing to go through, being the country town boy who comes out. 

“But Mardi Gras has helped me understand that everybody is different and everybody has a story and regardless whether you’re gay, straight, black, white, liberal, labour whoever you are, it’s the person inside that’s important.

“One day I’ll walk away from this organisation owing them.”

Ironically, through his involvement with Mardi Gras, Mitchell found himself enjoying tea and biscuits with Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

It’s here, in the confines of the PM’s rooms, the pair discussed their opposing views on gay marriage.

“Ideally I think that gay marriage is a human right and it should be up to the individual whether they want to get married or not and we shouldn’t discriminate just because people are gay,” Mitchell said.

“In saying that, I respect Tony Abbott’s opinion and the view that he has. Tony represents a very conservative electorate in Sydney and his role as a politician is to represent the people who elected him.

“But being the Prime Minister he needs to represent everybody. But that’s the good thing about the Liberal Party, I can have my opinion and Tony can have his, we mightn’t agree all the time and on this topic we don’t agree.

“I would love the opportunity to one day marry the man of my dreams, whoever that may be.”

Mitchell is now four years into his own seven-year course of action, a path he also links to his late great mum.

“When mum passed away I had a bit of a chance to think about what I was going to do with my life,” he said.

“When mum passed away I stayed in Maitland to look after my family, trying to get them back on track and getting them through the hard times.

“But mum always told me to go to Sydney.”

Mitchell hopes to one day represent a community and, if that’s Maitland, he’ll accept the challenge with open arms.

“If Maitland wants me then I would be extremely humbled,” he said.

“Politics is really the only job where you can make a difference in somebody’s life whether that’s helping them with an issue at their school, getting something fixed in their street or listening to their issues around social welfare.

“And being a politician is the only way you’re able to make a difference and make someone’s life easier because there are people out there doing it tough and politicians are in a position to help that and manifest change.”

Still living in the family home in Tenambit is Mitchell’s dad Anthony (a former Labor supporter) and younger sister Aimee-Leigh, 22 (not interested in politics at all).

“My dad went to school with Joel Fitzgibbon (Member for Hunter) and sends me everything he does so I have a balanced view,” Mitchell said. “And up until 2011, when he saw the work I was doing, he was a true Labor­ supporter.

“The only time my mother voted Liberal was in 2011, which was her last chance to vote, and that’s something that sits with me very softly.”

As for the future, Mitchell isn’t entirely sure of his next step but he has a strong sense of where he going.

“You just have to keep evaluating. If something doesn’t go the right way you have to reassess and get back on track and find what makes you happy,” he said. 

“And what makes me happy is being able to make a difference and knowing I am achieving something.

“My experience here in Maitland has really shaped me into who I am today . I am definitely a small l liberal and I think I’ve found the right balance for me.”