The national finalists in the Keep Australia Beautiful, Australian Tidy Towns Awards have been announced and will now compete to become Australia’s Tidiest Town 2009.
Having commenced in 1969 in Western Australia, the awards celebrate their 40th anniversary this year.
Keep Australia Beautiful National Chairman, Don Chambers, said that over time, the Tidy Towns program has widened its focus from litter and civic pride, to now encompass a full spectrum of local sustainability issues.
“Since its inception, Tidy Towns has played an important role in highlighting Australia’s best examples of excellence in grassroots environmental improvement in regional and rural areas across Australia,” he said.
Through the Tidy Towns Awards, Keep Australia Beautiful is able to recognise local community and individual efforts that are helping regional towns to become environmentally, economically and socially sustainable communities.
Each year, tens of thousands of volunteers donate their time and effort to undertake practical local initiatives, with projects ranging from water and energy conservation to bush regeneration, endangered species and habitat protection and the preservation of local culture and heritage.
The 2009 Tidy Towns finalists are:
- Atitjere (Harts Range), Northern Territory
- Kambalda, Western Australia
- Stansbury, South Australia
- Oatlands, Tasmania
- Horsham, Victoria
- Tamworth, New South Wales
- Caloundra, Queensland.
The national awards presentation will be hosted by the Governor General at Government House in Canberra on Friday 8 May.
Keep Australia Beautiful will be fundraising in the leadup to the 40th anniversary celebrations, with charity donations, an auction of Tidy Towns memorabilia, sales of organic ‘Keep Australia Beautiful’ T-shirts and a chance to win one of seven weekends away.
For further information or to attend the Australian Tidy Towns Awards presentation weekend, visit www.kab.org.au/tidytowns
