In April, Northern Territory’s town of Batchelor defeated an impressive list of finalists to take out the national Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Town Award.
Other State finalists were Tamworth (NSW), Bruce Rock (WA), Geranium (SA) Bundaberg (QLD) Wynyard (TAS) and Cobden (Vic).
Chief Executive Officer of Coomalie Community Government Council, Jeff Colver, said the Town set out to win from the outset. “We made an assessment and analysis of what we needed to do and what had to be changed,” he said.
He said that, while the small community could not afford to invest a great deal in monetary terms, the improvements came about through a massive local effort. “We could not do this just with money,” he said. “We said to the community if you work with us we can gain the title. They worked on their own properties, on Council land and crown land, all over the place, to achieve the improvements that won this award from entries across Australia.”
The project primarily involved the removal of rubbish and overgrowth from all local properties including unoccupied land. For those residents unable to carry out their own home maintenance. Council offered assistance in the form of volunteers.
On the weekend prior to the judges’ visit, Council organised a massive last ditch effort following the untimely visit of Cyclone Steve. It supplied volunteers with available plant and equipment to carry out this work.
National Tidy Towns judge Dick Olesinski said Batchelor’s culture is unique with a fierce bush spirit that inspires and enthuses action within the community. “It brought out the pride local people feel about their town,” Jeff Colver said.
For further information contact Jeff Colver, telephone (08) 8976 0058
