A group of passionate Morwellians hope to put their community on the map this year after entering Morwell for the Tidy Town of the Year award.
The awards, administered by Keep Victoria Beautiful, aim to encourage, motivate and celebrate the achievements of rural and regional communities across Victoria.
It comes as a Keep Victoria Beautiful judge visited Morwell yesterday to inspect a number of areas and projects around the town.
Long-serving Advance Morwell member Keith Brownbill said the awards would give the town an opportunity to showcase what it has done for the future and the many wonderful aspects Morwell offers.
“Morwell is a town that has suffered a great deal in recent months as far as the closure of Hazelwood Power Station and the recent job losses we’ve been through, that’s certainly been the most powerful blow,” Mr Brownbill said.
“But while our future is up in the air, we’ve had a solid base for years and we now must grapple with finding a sustainable and viable future that makes us attractive to people outside of our town.
“We’re prepared to continue to work hard to ensure this belief that our town is the best in the region is widely shared.”
Morwell will be judged on a number of areas including the old Masonic Lodge on Hazelwood Road, which was recently purchased by the Morwell Historical Society, and projects Advance Morwell and the Rotary Club of Morwell have been working on, particularly at Legacy Place.
“The Morwell Historical Society offers a wonderful insight… a town that values its history is a town that has a base for making a successful future because we’re so proud of where we have come from,” Mr Brownbill said.
“(The Masonic Lodge) provides a collection of one of Victoria’s most detailed historical records.
“Another example is Legacy Place which shows what can be done with community support to provide something worthwhile for the future. It really shows the type of place Morwell is.”
Keep Victoria Beautiful judge David Moncrieff said he would consider how the community interacts with the projects around the town and how the community perceive them.
“The awards generate a lot of civic pride and it’s normally a great stimulus to volunteer-led projects,” Mr Moncrieff said.
Competition finalists will be announced in September with the awards to be presented in November at Horsham, which was last year’s Tidy Town of the Year winner.
