KYOGLE NAMED OVERALL STATE TIDY TOWNS, SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AWARDS WINNER 2011!

OVERALL STATE WINNER
KEEP AUSTRALIA BEAUTIFUL NSW
TIDY TOWNS, SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AWARDS 2011

With its rich history, fertile location and strong community spirit, Kyogle is the winner of the 2011 Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Overall Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Award.

After many months of assessing, judging and planning, the highly anticipated Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Awards were held over three days this weekend (4^th to 6^th Nov) in Lithgow, NSW.

More than 300 delegates converged on the town, eager to discuss the issues affecting their communities, share insights, look at solutions, meet with others passionate about their community and of course hear the judges results.

Saturday morning saw the presentation of the Category Awards in the presence of Her Excellency, Prof. Marie Bashir, AC, CVO Governor of NSW. Many towns and communities were rewarded for their outstanding efforts to create a more beautiful, sustainable environment for their region. A full list of Category Award winners follows.

On Saturday evening The Hon. Robyn Parker, Minister for Environment and Minister for Heritage was special guest at the annual Awards Dinner, where Kyogle was named the recipient of the most coveted title of the year – Overall State Winner, for its outstanding entry in 2011.

Peter McLean, Chief Executive Officer of Keep Australia Beautiful NSW congratulates Kyogle as deserving winners of the 2011 Overall State Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Award.

“Kyogle is a beautiful town in many ways, not just on the surface. The passion of residents for their town is evident in the consultative approach taken by community groups, council, schools and business. Notable is the very high level of community participation, from the very young to senior residents. The community is a proud one, and there is a real sense that each member understands their individual responsibility to care for their town and its surrounds. This willingness of groups and individual to identify goals and work together has created a sustainable, active and prosperous community”. Peter said.

KYOGLE – GATEWAY TO THE RAINFORESTS

Kyogle,  known as the ‘Gateway to the Rainforests’, lies on the banks of the Richmond River at the base of Fairy Mountain in the beautiful Northern Rivers region of NSW. With a population of 2800 the town is the administrative seat of the Kyogle Shire Council. It is located 758km north of Sydney, on the Summerland Way close to the Queensland border.

Like most NSW communities, Kyogle has diversified over time with cattle grazing, dairy farming and forestry now the primary industries. In recent years Kyogle has increased its emphasis on tourism, drawing heavily on its proximity to the World Heritage-listed 'Gondwana Rainforest' reserves in the Border Ranges.

Kyogle provides amenities and a standard of living and comfort far beyond what one might expect for the size of the town. Public spaces and recreational areas around town are noted for their commendable cleanliness and maintenance.

Care of its extraordinary environment is at the heart of this community.  Kyogle Tidy Towns Committee is active in a range of advocacy issues and their action plans link in with plans that exist for the Chamber, schools and many Government and Non-Government Organisations. Kyogle Shire Council also has an Environmental Management Plan, developed in consultation with the wider public.

As the Tidy Towns assessor Greg Howling commented, ‘I found community participation in Kyogle to be both wide in its reach, deep in commitment and inspirational in the quality of its vision. Council and youth combine remarkably well with senior residents to ensure an effective mix of energy, vibrancy and efficiency. The Tidy Towns Committee is worthy of particular commendation for its commitment to ensuring that anyone who has something to offer is able to find a place, encouragement and acknowledgement of their involvement.’

In 2011, a package of projects was presented which demonstrates a clear vision for the future of the town, ensuring a balanced emphasis on provision of core services, visual and lifestyle resources and maintenance of the region's unique natural and cultural heritage values.

A snapshot of these diverse projects shows what community cohesion can achieve:

• Council has actively supported the Youth Environment Committee and efforts to overhaul recycling services
• The community has received excellent support from Envirofund applications, Landcare grants and the Catchment Management Authority
• Council has supported the town with grants for environmental work
• Community groups have had success with National Trust and Telstra Grants
• Kyogle Tidy Towns last year developed its own sponsorship grant program
• Revenue from the markets is put back into the community with an award sponsorship program
• Kyogle High School is a leader in school environmental initiatives and networking. Students have designed their own community garden in association with Kyogle Tidy Towns and course content involves a study of weed management in the Kyogle Botanical Garden. School assessments complement the work of Kyogle Council.
  Well done Kyogle for winning the State title!

Each Overall Tidy Town winner was analysed by a State judging panel to determine the coveted title of NSW Overall Tidy Towns, Sustainable Communities Winner for 2011.

Overall Tidy Town, Sustainable Communities Award recipients by population category are:

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For further media information please contact, Carolyn Oakley, Media & Communications Manager on (02) 9633 3380 or coakley@kabnsw.org.au

For interviews or comment please contact Peter McLean, Chief Executive Officer of Keep Australia Beautiful NSW on 0416 227 158.