Lockhart was the big winner in the NSW Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities award.
The small eastern Riverina town was awarded the prestigious 2010 Overall State Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities award.
Beating Nundle, Young, Orange, Portland and Singleton for the honour, this will put Lockhart firmly on the map when it hosts the 2010 NSW Tidy Towns Awards and influx of some 500 visitors.
Lockhart won two awards in the group B, 351-1200 people category: the Overall Award and the Grundfos Water Conservation Award for the “Every Drop Counts’ project. This involved the extension of the Brookong Landcare Effluent Treatment Scheme to remove all discharge from Lockhart Sewerage plant entering Brookong Creek.
Plans to enlarge the pond will accommodate recycled water to the industrial park and new residential areas being developed.
Highly commended awards were received for the Heritage Branch Cultural Award for Lockhart’s restored grandstand and the Packaging Stewardship Forum Waste Management and Litter Reduction Award. This was won by Lockhart for its innovative entry - the National Farm Art Sculpture Competition that attracted art work made from recycled materials as part of the Lockhart Spirit of the Land Festival.
Peter Davis, Tidy Towns Assessor was particularly impressed with, “the cohesive partnerships formed by Council, committees and other local community groups.”
The town was abuzz with excitement as word passed around of their achievement.
On Monday, Lockhart Mayor Peter Yates said it was a magnificent achievement for the people of Lockhart.
“It’s a great boost to our morale and takes the heat out of the drought which we have been enduring for the past four years.”
Cr Yates congratulated all the community organisations and council staff involved that showed the foresight for this to happen.
Lockhart’s Tidy Towns committee is a sub committee of the Lockhart Progress Association.
“Hosting next year’s awards with an influx of visitors from all over Australia and NSW will be huge for us,” Progress Association Chairman Max Day said.
Meanwhile Lockhart has won the right to compete in the National Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Award. The judge will be in Lockhart on November 30.
“We would like all residents to present Lockhart in its best light,” said Fran Day who works side by side with her husband on the Progress Association executive.
The couple are passionate about Tidy Towns and its mission of a sustainable community. “Tidy Towns is about working in partnership with community organisations and Council to ensure growth and development and a quality of life for its residents,” they said.
Mrs Day said the Lockhart committee had received wonderful assistance from Yvonne Booth and the Henty Tidy Towns representatives who had hosted an information workshop this year.
‘The Henty Cemetery Project, The Next Generation’ which identified 250 previously unmarked graves with plaques, received a Highly Commended for the very competitive Heritage Branch Cultural Heritage Award.
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