'Hard act to follow' after Parkes hosts Tidy Towns Awards

"It will be a hard act for Orange to follow next year." That's how Keep Australia Beautiful NSW CEO Val Southam summed up this year's Tidy Towns Awards that Parkes, as the 2024 titleholder, hosted over the weekend. From welcome drinks on the Friday night that saw a casual performance from our mayor (Neil Westcott) and a shire hotelier rocking a look like Barry Gibb (Steve Lindsay from Peak Hill) to strolling through Cooke Park for lunch on Saturday and appreciating everything handmade and Homegrown. To exploring award-winning recreational attractions and an unforgettable awards gala dinner. Parkes was on show to the 90 or so special visitors and its hard work, achievements and identity were celebrated in every sense of the word. Ms Southam said they're buzzing from the weekend, her highlight being the dinner at the Parkes Services Club on Saturday night. "Without a word of a lie it was the best night we've had," she said. The event took on a whole new format this year, with most of the category winners announced in the morning, freeing up the night for the major awards and making it a little more social than usual. Mayor Westcott described the weekend as perfect - they couldn't have asked for better weather or a better atmosphere at Homegrown, on the tours and at the dinner. He was blown away by the visitors' responses. "They were saying what a vibrant, wonderful place Parkes is," he said. "Parkes and the shire just shone for all the right reasons, I couldn't be prouder." Ms Southam praised the local talent of Georgia Sideris at the dinner and the flawless ETA Paul Fenech who had all eyes stuck on him. "Everybody was up and swaying, everybody was singing... He engaged the whole room," Ms Southam said. "The whole vibe was fabulous, Parkes done a great job." She looked back on the welcome evening at the Cooke Park Pavilion. "Even the mayor sang, and a man, I don't know who he was (Steve Lindsay), played the piano," Ms Southam explained. "One of our judges is an opera singer and the three of them were around the piano. "The whole weekend was a joy. We're still buzzing!" Ms Southam added with a laugh, the pressure is on for Orange, who will host next year's awards. The prestigious title of Overall Tidy Towns Winner 2025 was awarded to Orange, who will now represent NSW at the Australian Tidy Towns Awards in Launceston, Tasmania in May next year. Orange, a long-time Tidy Towns participant and previous state winner in 2018, 2016 and 1982, received top honours in the Biodiversity Conservation, Community Spirit and Inclusion, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, and Waste Avoidance categories for their population size (greater than 23,000). Forbes did well too - they were overall winner in their population category 5000-12,000, claiming the Community Spirit and Inclusion Award for their population category, for Forbes Shire Council's Welcome to Forbes events; and were highly commended in the categories Young Legends (Forbes Youth Action Team) and Heritage and Culture (The Trial of Ben Hall reenactment). Singleton also collected five category awards for their population (12,001-23,000) and four highly commended awards. “The Tidy Towns Awards continue to inspire regional communities across the state to step up, collaborate and innovate for a more sustainable future," Ms Southam said, congratulating the winners and finalists. "The entries received this year reflect the passion, resilience and ingenuity of local councils, community groups, schools and individuals.”

'Hard act to follow' after Parkes hosts Tidy Towns Awards

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