Tidy Towns 2007
7 Aug 07
Wendy Jones (Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria), Helen Guy (Koonwarra) and Anthony Zimora (Mayor, City of Latrobe)
Koonwarra entered the Keep Australia Beautiful, Sustainable Communities Tidy Towns competition again this year and on Friday, 3 August 2007 was named the South East Regional Winner and State Finalist in the "Community Pride Award".
The entry was titled "Building Koonwarra" and centred around this community website and our role as the small town pilot for the overall concept of community domain name websites.
The site clearly demonstrated to the Judges just what can be achieved towards connecting community members with each other, community groups, local businesses and the wider community through its defined sections and topics outlined.
Other projects outlined to the Judges were the Koonwarra Community Brochure, the Koonwarra Kitchen Garden, South Gippsland Freecycle TM Group, that Koonwarra is now Plastic Bag Free and the Koonwarra Community Fire Plan that is currently being worked on.
Koonwarra won the overall Community Pride Award from the other Population Category Winners such as Morwell and Hastings.
So - Koonwarra - you can be justifiably proud of your beautiful Village and our long time apt slogan of "Koonwarra - the small town with a big heart".
The State winners were announced at Benalla on 6 October 2007. Unfortunately Koonwarra did not win the State title with it going to Stuart Mill, another small town in the Wimmera. Our congratulations go to them as they were judged the justifiable winners. We will try again next year.
TIDY TOWNS 2006 ACHIEVEMENTS
Koonwarra entered the "Keep Australia Beautiful" Tidy Towns - Sustainable Communities Awards this year for the second time and was named South Eastern Region Overall Winners and State Finalists in two categories - Sustainability Victoria's Innovation for Sustainability Award - Population Category 2 + Overall Winner: Koonwarra, for the Koonwarra Sustainable Community Centre.
This award recognises achievement through innovation by communities, local government and industry to educate, demonstrate and bring about change in practices towards sustainability. KABV recognises that advancing sustainability requires a commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. KABV looks for evidence of innovative activities or projects - planned, under development or established - which use our resources more efficiently and reduce our everyday environmental impacts.
In the 1990s the Koonwarra Primary School was closed and this facility was to be lost to the community. The residents of Koonwarra undertook to gain control of the building and grounds so that it could become a community resource. This was achieved when it was taken over by the DSE and a Board of Management now runs it. With facilities available the Koonwarra Sustainable Community Centre was formed becoming the hub of the community. The 4 acre grounds also feature paved play areas, an oval, a Bike Ed and game trail, a community garden, a Waste Wise trail, frog pond and picnic and bush cooking pit. The centre is devoted to community and educational use and as such has been used by many diverse groups including South Gippsland Shire Council, Greencorp, EPA, South Gippsland Specialist School, Youth Education For All, Gippsland Southern Health Service, Bike Ed and multiple school groups. Greenfleet, the Australia wide business, started in Koonwarra and is still based in the Community Centre building. With this base the community has launched into other activities designed to enhance their sustainability.
AFGC Packaging and Stewardship Forum's Litter and Resource Recovery Award - Population Category 2 + Overall Winner: Koonwarra, for the Waste Wise Village.
This award recognises achievement in community litter and resource recovery. KABV looks for evidence of community, local government and /industry initiatives on resource recovery, the application of the principles of the waste hierarchy and community commitment to litter abatement activities.
Working closely with the Gippsland Waste Management Group Koonwarra undertook to ensure all the community and businesses minimise litter creation to the extent that they became Australia's first Waste Wise Village. Annual waste audits are held to keep improving their efforts. They have nearly achieved a 100% removal of plastic bags from all activities. To educate the young a Waste Trail providing waste disposal information has been established at the Community Centre. For the community at large the Centre is the base for South Gippsland Freecycle. This Internet based activity operating in 67 countries avoids the dumping of goods in landfill by providing a forum for people to give unwanted items to whoever wants it. The Gippsland region already has over 200 members who dispose of unwanted goods in this way.
The Koonwarra Sustainable Communities Centre, formed through dedicated community involvement and foresight, is the pivotal force connecting the Koonwarra community and shaping its future.
KSCC Manager, Thomas Burge with the Tidy Towns Judge
At the Presentation Dinner held at Benalla on 9 September 2006 Koonwarra was named State Winner in the Sustainability Victoria's Innovation for Sustainability Award for the Koonwarra Waste Wise Village.
Neighbouring South Gippsland Shire town, Loch, was State Finalist in 5 categories and awarded State Winner in the Community Pride Award for the Sunnyside Park and Lock Up projects.
Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities is regarded as the most successful long-running award program (24 years) recognising the environmental work being done in Regional Victoria. "It was a very competitive year, which we believe reflects the concern being shown by communities as they strive to find ways to contribute to creating a more sustainable environment" Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria Chief Executive Andrew McLorinan said. He also said Loch and Koonwarra had put in a "tremendous effort" to win against larger towns. Mr McLorinan said Koonwarra was "very highly regarded" generally for its sustainability and commended the people of Loch who have "immense pride" in their town. Congratulations have also been received from South Gippsland Shire Council and Prom Country Regional Tourism.
Thomas Burge Accepting the Award for Koonwarra
Cr Jennie Deane, Ruth Cashin (Loch Tidy Towns Sub Committee), Amanda Dinger (Loch Tidy Towns Co-ordinator and President of the Loch Community Development Association) and Thomas Burge (Koonwarra Sustainable Communities Centre Inc). Cr Deane was particularly pleased as she is from Loch but also on the Board of the Koonwarra Sustainable Communities Centre Inc giving valuable, and valued support to each community.