Situated in Western Australia's Mid West, the small mining town of Cue has achieved outstanding results in Tidy Towns this year.
Known as the 'Queen of the Murchison', Cue is located 650 km north east of Perth. At the turn of the century Cue was the centre of the Murchison Goldfields boasting a population of around 10,000, but now all that is left is a small settlement with some of the most grandiose buildings to be seen anywhere in rural Western Australia. With a current population of around 300 the Tidy Towns program was implemented with the help of volunteers, school students, local business, and the Shire of Cue. Through the cooperation of the community, this dedicated small town has managed to achieve many positive initiates over the past year, even though the Tidy Towns committee was formed as late as April 2006.
Cue Primary School has been involved in a variety of practical programs promoting sustainability. Students have practiced the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle, conducted a school waste audit and have started a compost bin to help reduce the amount of school's green and organic waste going to landfill. This year Cue Primary School has also achieved Water Wise School accreditation.
In the past year many improvements have been carried out around Cue. Brockman Park was developed as a memorial, acknowledging a local Indigenous family. Now well established, it contains many features including shade, seating, barbeques, play equipment and a lovely garden. Brockman Park has been
While in the main street, any disused shop windows had their front windows cleaned and filled with various displays, including antiques, making the street much more interesting to locals and tourists. An information centre was also established in the main street making use of a beautiful historical building and providing a valuable resource for tourists.
Natural heritage conservation work was undertaken by volunteers at Milly Soak, a historic spring, and graffiti was removed from Garden Rock, restoring the local natural icon to its former glory.
In May 2007 representatives from Cue went on to represent Western Australia in the National Tidy Towns competition, in Ballarat, sponsored by Hungry Jack. Cue was proud to win the Litter Prevention Category Award, sponsored by the Packaging Stewardship Forum, which recognises their achievement in community litter management and reduction.
Special Commendation - Tom Price Tom Price has earned a Special Commendation from the State Judging Panel for their extraordinary efforts. Tom Price is a vibrant community, with a strong ethic of volunteering throughout the town. A great diversity of community groups, the Shire of Ashburton, Pilbara Iron, and the Ashburton Aboriginal Association worked together on many Tidy Towns projects this year and they are to be congratulated for their efforts.
Other Regional Finalists and Winners for 2006 were:
Collie took out the top honours at the 2006 Australian Tidy Towns Awards.
The South-West town won the Keep Australia Beautiful national competition, beating other state and territory finalists in April 2006.
It is the second time Collie has advanced to the national awards as a State winner and it is the third national title for Western Australia in 10 years.
This national accolade is a fantastic achievement for the Collie community. Collie's Tidy Towns Committee plays an important role in preserving and enhancing the local environment through a broad range of projects, and they have developed alliances for a sustainable future. The committee, made up of concerned and proud residents, including youth representatives, believes that the Collie community should minimise human impacts through responsible environmental management while respecting the rights of human endeavours.
The community has shown a fantastic commitment to the program over almost 20 years. Collie's schools have an ongoing commitment to environmental care as well as visual improvement programs. From paper recycling programs in place, in partnership with local mining organisations, to litter reduction approaches and community planting programs as well as numerous beautification projects undertaken for overall community benefit. Collie's students continue to learn about innovative ways to lessen their impact on the environment.
Collie is a great example of how the 37-year-old Tidy Towns program has evolved - no longer does the program focus on people picking up litter and beautifying their streets. The people of Collie addressed key social, environmental and cultural concerns of importance to their community. Schools, community groups, local businesses, industry, and hundreds of individuals worked on many projects and new innovations, including river restoration, weed eradication, 'recycling' grass trees, collection of ring pulls for prosthetic limbs, mobile phones for reuse; and building a hydrocarbon recycling facility.
The Tidy Towns program has provided Collie with an opportunity to change past public perceptions of the town as a 'dirty coal mining' town to one that is more than proud of its cultural heritage but also committed to building its community spirit and ensuring a sustainable future for the town.
The Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA would like to congratulate the Collie Tidy Towns Committee and all of the Collie residents who contributed to their win!
