Australia's National Local Government Newspaper Online

Stanley wins national Tidy Town Award

Once again Australian towns, which have involved their communities in improving and enhancing their local environment, have been rewarded for their efforts through the 1996 Mitsubishi Australian Tidy Towns Awards. The awards not only judge the appearance of a town but look at the level of community involvement and efforts to preserve local culture, history and environmental responsibility.

Over 2,000 communities around Australia actively participate in the program which contributes annually an estimated $50 million to the Australian economy. This year's winner is Stanley in the Tasmanian Council of Circular Head.

The tiny town with a population of just 597 people has managed to make an enormous contribution to their own environment. Unlike many mainland towns which receive external funding, and employ officers funded specifically to run Tidy towns programs, Stanley's Tidy Towns programs operate on a purely voluntary basis. Government input has been minimal with less than $25,000 being received in external funding.

Cr Diane Marthick, Chairman of the Circular Head Improvement Program (CHIP) which oversaw the Stanley Tidy Towns submission, estimates the community programs involved in the submission have contributed $5 million of work to the community.

Key projects in Stanley's submission included the development of landscape plans along the coast, environmental education programs, ongoing gorse eradication and revegetation of the Nut, a 13 million year old geographical feature of the town.

The latter is maintained by the Stanley community as a haven for thousands of migratory birds which winter in Stanley each year. In addition, the community undertakes the preservation of the many historic sites and buildings in the district and carries out a litter control and waste management program that keeps the town in pristine condition.

A highlight of Judge Dick Olesinski's visit to the town was a silver service high tea served on the site of the town's waste management facility. Schools, service clubs and landcare groups all contribute to an ongoing program to preserve and enhance the town's best features.

"The award has breathed new pride and self esteem throughout Circular Head," said Paul Arnold, CEO. "Not only has it provided flow ons for local business through its new national status, it has given renewed emphasis to Council's Strategic Plan to see other towns in Circular Head achieve a Tidy Towns finals berth by 2000."

Tidy Town Commendations were received by Tuggeranong in the ACT, Timber Creek in the Northern Territory, Finley in NSW, Gladstone in Queensland, Goolwa in South Australia, Rutherglen in Victoria and Denmark in Western Australia.

The following articles are also included in this edition or go BACK to the main page: