TIDY TOWNS TIPS
HERITAGE AND CULTURE AWARD
Recognises a community’s outstanding commitment
to the conservation and celebration of a community’s
indigenous and non-indigenous heritage and culture.
Judges look for:
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Successful outcomes from community/government strategies/initiatives designed
to address preservation of cultural or natural history and culturally significant
buildings and sites.
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Development and/or implementation of innovative, community-based strategic or
business plans relating to historic or cultural preservation and/or restoration.
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Research into and the protection, and where appropriate display, of culturally
significant sites records and artefacts.
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Celebration, within and by the local community, of culturally significant
events/traditions.
It is hoped that various projects in this category will contribute to building a strong sense
of place in regional communities throughout the State.
PROJECT IDEAS
 Establish or maintain local historical societies/groups
 Establish or maintain museums, galleries and heritage interpretation trails
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Preserve headstones and research those buried at your local cemetery
Hold events (for example, welcoming newcomers to the community or honouring
older residents)
Encourage local businesses to adopt signage or paint work on shop facades that
is symbolic of the community’s cultural identity
Preserve culturally significant sites and traditions
Promote the community’s heritage and culture to tourists and residents
*Please note these are examples only and are not essential.* It is important for
communities to work toward achieving their own overall objectives.
JUDGE’S TIPS
As for other categories, local shires undertake projects that can easily be incorporated
in your submission, such as Australia Day celebrations.
Tidy Towns Committees should also make contact with shire staff to see how they can
contribute to the local townscape or community development plan or cultural plan
(based on cultural mapping). Through the process of cultural mapping, community
members identify and document local cultural resources such as galleries, craft
industries, distinctive landmarks, local events and industries, as well as intangibles like
memories, personal histories, attitudes and values.
Judges are also keen to view or hear about strategies and action plans.
CASE STUDY
The state winner of Heritage and Culture for 2015 was Albany. You can read all about
their projects and projects by other state finalists here (from page 14).
RESOURCES
For event ideas, you might get inspiration from the Events Calendar on the RRR
Network site. Remember that planning for future events is judged on an equal basis with
conducting the event. Grants and Awards is another useful feature of this great
website.
To search for significant heritage sites in your community, use the inHerit or the
Aboriginal Heritage Enquiry System. For a simple search of the latter, select ‘zoom to
an area’, select Local Government area and your region, eg: Albany. Click ‘Aboriginal
sites’ and ‘Other heritage places’ and Topographical maps and satellite imaging. You
will see a number of sites, for example 22193 in Albany. Next, under the heading ‘what
do you want to do?’ click ‘Find specific registered sites,’ select ‘ID’ in the second
column, then type in 22193 for particulars.
The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the State Heritage Office also have hardcopy
site files available for research and Heritage Officers who can answer enquiries.
The Western Australian Museum is dedicated to ‘inspiring people to explore and share
their identity, culture, environment and sense of place, and to experience and contribute
to the diversity and creativity of our world.’ Their Museums Assistance Program is
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currently headed by Clare-Frances Craig and visits to provide advice to regional
museum staff are possible.
Museums Australia and the National Trust are also good resources for communities
keen to interpret or preserve museum collections or buildings, respectively.
The Community Arts Network WA can help you gain necessary resources and funding
for community cultural development projects.
Keep Australia Beautiful’s Tidy Towns staff can provide further advice and support grant
applications with letters of recommendation.
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