KEEP Victoria Beautiful Tidy Towns Awards judge Ron Williamson toured Horsham last week to see the community groups nominated in this year’s categories.
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Horsham Rural City Council technical services director John Martin said Mr Williamson met various members of the community from six award categories.
Community groups nominated included the Wimmera River Improvement Committee in the environmental sustainability category, Wastebusters for its efforts in resource recovery and Horsham Urban Landcare for the protection of the environment category.
Also nominated were St Brigid’s College VCAL students for their partnership with Andrea Cross and the Horsham Ag Society to establish a community garden at the showgrounds. The group was nominated in the active schools category.
Horsham councillor Alethea Sedgman was recognised in the young leaders category for being an exemplary role model for young people across the Wimmera and Mallee.
Mr Williamson’s last stop was to meet the Voices of Wimmera choir at the CWA hall. The choir is nominated in the community action and leadership category.
Mr Martin said each community group and person nominated this year were worthy of the awards.
“The judge heard a lot of information and got a good sense of what each of the ideas and projects those community groups involved are all about,” he said.
Mr Martin said Horsham had received the opportunity to present the awards once again.
“Having won the state award for the last two years in a row, it gets presented here in Horsham,” he said. “It will be a big night.”
Voices of Wimmera choir founder Max Pietruschka said the performance for Mr Williamson was extremely enjoyable.
“The judge at first just stood there to watch us, so we pulled him in to join us in singing,” he said.
“We were only meant to sing three songs, but we ended up singing up to seven songs and we loved it.”
He said several community members encouraged the choir to put forward its nomination.
“Singing is a lovely vehicle of happiness,” he said. “Voices of Wimmera brings together 20 to 30 people to share experiences and have fun together.”
Mr Pietruschka said the choir was “not about whether you can sing – but to help people leave with a smile”.
He said the choir had written songs for the judge that were inspired by the Wimmera and Tidy Towns.
The winners of the Tidy Town Awards will be presented at the Horsham Town Hall on November 25.