MacDonnell Council keeps cleaning up at Territory Tidy Town awards
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MacDonnell Regional Council has gone from strength to strength in the Territory Tidy Town Awards. At this year’s awards ceremony, held in Katherine, the MacDonnell Regional Council again emerged as the major winner of the evening:
Mount Liebig won the major Territory Tidy Town award and will go on to represent the Northern Territory at the National Tidy Town Awards next year Mount Liebig also won Best Medium Community Areyonga won the Dame Phyllis Frost Litter Control and Prevention award Wallace Rockhole’s long term achievements as one of the Territory’s Leaders were acknowledged by being awarded the Geoff Finch Memorial Cup Finke and Haasts Bluff both won Community Participation awards while the Finke community school won Best Territory Tidy Towns School award the Warren Creek outstation won the Best Outstation award Titjikala was among five communities to receive 4 Gold Star Tidy Towns Accreditation community members Dave McGregor from Titjikala and Ken Porter from Wallace Rockhole were recognised for their continuing efforts through Community Citizens awards and the MacDonnell Regional Council won the Best Regional Council award for a second consecutive year “Mount Liebig had been quietly cleaning up their community and making some great changes – they really deserve this great award” said Council President, Sid Anderson.The entire Mount Liebig community has embraced the responsibility to keep their community clean. While the local Civil Works team of the MacDonnell Regional Council provides the backbone for getting things done, they are well supported by the efforts of the residents.
Awards recognising the efforts of council staff and residents from communities across the Northern Territory were presented by the Deputy Chief Minister Willem Van Westra Holthe in a gala ceremony at the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre in Katherine.
In announcing the final nominees for categories in the Tidy Town Awards, the Keep Australia Beautiful (NT) CEO Heimo Schober acknowledged “It is becoming extremely difficult to select final nominees from within the MacDonnell Regional Council communities, especially as the other Regional Councils across the Northern Territory are also taking up the Tidy Towns challenge.”Workers representing six MacDonnell Regional Council communities travelled to Katherine to attend the 2015 Northern Territory Tidy Towns award ceremony. For the Civil Works team from Docker River this meant a four day round trip that is testament to the enthusiasm and respect of the MacDonnell Regional Council staff for the Tidy Town awards.
When MacDonnell Council formed in 2008 many communities didn’t have a regular rubbish collection and households burned their waste in old fuel drums in the street. Today communities compete to best impress the judges.
A healthy competition among the 13 communities of the MacDonnell Regional Council means the achievements of its staff are rated very highly when judged against the rest of the Northern Territory. In many aspects of local government and service delivery in remote Australia, the MacDonnell Regional Council is seen as a leader and innovator by stakeholders and peers.
“I knew our communities were doing great work – but to be told we are the Best Regional Council suggests we are doing something right!” said MacDonnell Regional Council CEO, Jeff MacLeod.
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