General News
5 March, 2022
Horsham Tidy Towns prepare for national judging
The official judging process of the Australian Sustainable Community and Tidy Towns 2022 awards have been announced.
THE Horsham Tidy Towns committee is looking to hit the national stage with the upcoming Australian Sustainable Community and Tidy Towns 2022 awards.
Keep Australia Beautiful have advised that a national judge will visit Horsham during March or April with a specific date to be announced two weeks before judging.
Horsham Tidy Towns committee chairman David Eltringham said he looks forward to the community getting onboard the national contest and doing their part.
“We’re going to be judged next to the best cities that have received state awards in every state of the nation,” he said.
“Not only is it a compliment for our city to be judged on such a stage, it's also a responsibility, and we’ve really got to give it our best effort.”
Mr Eltringham said he was hoping the Horsham community would get behind the efforts of the committee and help “freshen up” the town.
“Horsham has to look as though it’s a fair dinkum contender for Australia’s tidiest town and sustainable community,” he said.
The national contest comes as Horsham was Victorian Overall Tidy Towns winner of 2021 after qualifying for nine of eleven categories for the Sustainable Communities Tidy Towns Awards.
Horsham Tidy Towns committee member Neil King said a lot of Tidy Towns contributions were from actions unseen in the community.
“The people of Horsham have exceeded themselves in terms of the support and the things they do around the town,” he said.
“There’s the support and raising of funds for the cancer centre, which won a state award, and then there’s the involvement of the townspeople and the clean ups they do.
“People will go around, unseen, and pick up rubbish around the town in the early hours of the day and during their morning walks. I know a number of people from community groups who do this.
“I think the people in Horsham understand the importance of making their town as good as they can make it.”
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It has been just over 20 years since Horsham won their last Australia’s Sustainable Community and Tidy Towns award with, then, chairman Vale Don Johns leading the committee.
Mr Eltringham said another national award would serve as an appreciation to their past Horsham Tidy Town’s leader.
“Mr Johns was a legend in his lifetime,” he said.
“He lived and breathed the concept of how good this program is for promoting our community.
“He was Horsham Tidy Towns committee chairman in 2001 when Horsham was awarded Australia’s tidiest town. To accomplish and repeat that 20 years later would be a great compliment.
“It would keep the town’s title intact and it would allow us to appreciate the fact that Mr Johns was a leader that helped make awards such as this possible for the community.”