Great Southern towns shine

Towns of the Great Southern were standouts at this year’s Tidy Town’s State awards with Nyabing, West Arthur and Ongerup taking away accolades.

Nyabing Historical Society treasurer and secretary Alyson Cooper said it was fantastic for a town of 400 people to be among the ranks of submissions from Exmouth, Collie and York.

“The biggest thing for us was that it was an entire town volunteering effort,” she said.

“We aimed high and we weren’t afraid of failure.”

Mrs Cooper said she hoped the achievement would inspire younger people to get involved in the campaigns for Nyabing.

“We would like to see young people get involved, there are many categories ranging from roadside pick ups to litter prevention.”

The community action and partnerships award went to Ongerup and West Arthur won the general appearance category.

West Arthur also took out the State title in 2011.

The Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities is part of the Keep Australia Beautiful Program.

The awards aim to acknowledge towns that work towards achieving sustainability, preserving culture and protecting the environment of the town.