Council celebrates Tidy Towns performance
26 November 2021
Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte) has taken out the top gong in the Territory's Tidiest Towns.
The winners of the 2021 Northern Territory Sustainable Community Tidy Town Awards have just been announced in a virtual presentation ceremony hosted by Heimo Schober, CEO of KABC(NT) in Darwin. Staff of MacDonnell Regional Council who witnessed the ceremony were overjoyed with the results.
CEO Jeff MacLeod couldn’t have been more pleased and said that “these awards truly reflect the hard work and dedication of MRC’s staff, particularly those in the communities which have been recognised in today’s announcement”.
Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte) officially became the ‘Territory’s Tidiest Town’ again and is now the Territory’s Finalist after winning the overall NT Award as well as receiving the Category Award for ‘Best Medium Territory Tidy Towns Community.’
As the Territory’s 2021 Tidiest Town, the MacDonnell region community of Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte) will represent the Northern Territory at the Keep Australia Beautiful, Australian Sustainable community Tidy Towns Awards next year in 2022.
Mr Schober commented that “The township’s strong culture of continuous improvement and community participation helped the MacDonnell Desert community win the competition yet again, they’re achieving ‘new norms’ all the time. The MacDonnell Council Staff, Traditional Owners and the residents of Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte) all deserve this win for their efforts and dedication to ensure their community is the Territory’s Tidiest Town and Sustainable Community over the past 12 months.”
“This will be MacDonnell Regional Council’s ninth consecutive outright win. It is inspiring to see a Regional Council consistently producing Territory Sustainable Tidy Town winning communities.”
The township of Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte) continues to demonstrate great community collaboration, pride and leadership in local sustainability practices and education, and sets a wonderful example for other remote Territory townships to follow.
“I congratulate the MacDonnell Regional Council for their leadership and support inspiring Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte) to win this Award,” Mr Schober added.
“Again, the MacDonnell Regional Council has won majority categories at the 2021 Territory Sustainable Community Tidy Town Awards,” Mr Schober said.
MacDonnell Regional Council was the winner of 7 of the 16 categories awarded.
| Category | WINNER |
| Overall Winner/ National Finalist | Santa Teresa-(Ltyentye Apurte) (MacDonnell Regional Council) |
| Best Medium Community | Santa Teresa-(Ltyentye Apurte) (MacDonnell Regional Council) |
| Best Regional Council | MacDonnell Regional Council |
| ‘Dame Phyllis Frost’ Litter Control & Prevention | Papunya (Warumpi) (MacDonnell Regional Council) |
| Waste Management | Santa Teresa-(Ltyentye Apurte) (MacDonnell Regional Council) |
| Energy Conservation | MacDonnell Regional Council |
| Environment Action | MacDonnell Regional Council |
Two of MRC’s invaluable community members were recognised for their commitment, collaboration and hard work undertaken.
| Category | WINNER |
| Community Citizen | Dougie Wells (Titjikala) |
| Community Citizen | Nanny Kingsley (Haasts Bluff) |
Additionally, the M’Bunghara School, located at Dashwood Creek via the Pupunya Road, took out the Best Territory Tidy Town School Award.
| Category | WINNER |
| Best Territory Tidy Town School | M’Bunghara School |
And lastly, all of the residents of the Santa Teresa community were recognised for their efforts in making this community a model for all to follow.
| Category | WINNER |
| Community Participation | Santa Teresa-(Ltyentye Apurte) |
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