Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today announced that Forest Lake had been named Brisbane’s most ‘Spotless Suburb’.
Last year the Lord Mayor launched the Spotless Suburbs competition in conjunction with Keep Australia Beautiful and SITA Environmental Solutions to get local communities interested in keeping their local suburbs clean and tidy.
Cr Newman said 19 suburbs and the community groups representing them were nominated by their local councillor this year to compete across eight categories, including the grand prize of the 2010 Spotless Suburb.
Cr Newman said Forest Lake, located on Brisbane’s south-western outskirts, was judged the city’s tidiest suburb thanks to the efforts the Forest Lake Friends of the Park – a collaborative of 16 smaller community groups dedicated to looking after different parks in the area.
“This is our own version of the Tidiest Town,” Cr Newman said. “These Forest Lake residents have shown a real passion for looking after their local patch, which is exactly the attitude needed if we’re going to make Brisbane Australia’s most liveable city.
“They’ve set a great example for other suburbs around Brisbane and I congratulate them on being named Brisbane’s most Spotless Suburb in 2010.
“Another way we’re encouraging people to get involved is by rewarding those residents who act as our eyes in the suburbs with the chance to win one of ten $100 cash prizes each month.”
The Lord Mayor said Council was continuing to spend record dollars on keeping Brisbane tidy with about $40 million set aside for more grass cuts, street sweeps, litter patrols and bins.
“I'm committed to keeping Brisbane's streets clean and last year the amount of litter in the CBD and Valley dropped about 15 per cent thanks to our record spend,” Cr Newman said.
“We’ve also increased the number of Council flying gangs employed to respond to things like broken footpaths and potholes from 10 to 12 this year and upped funding for Council’s 12 graffiti clean up squads to $3.65 million.”
Local Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor (Parkinson Ward) said the Forest Lake Friends of the Park had made a major contribution to the improving their local community and were deserved winners of the Spotless Suburbs competition.
“The hard work they put in on their own time just shows how proud they are to live in this area and I look forward to continuing to work closely with them in the future,” she said.
“Along with keeping the city tidy, the Lord Mayor is also helping to green our suburbs by planting two million trees and protecting 500 hectares of bushland this term.”
Cr Newman said the southwest suburb of Corinda was named Brisbane’s inaugural Spotless Suburb in 2009. (full list of winners overleaf)
BRISBANE SPOTLESS SUBURBS WINNERS 2010
SPOTLESS SUBURB 2010 AWARD:
PARKINSON WARD
Forest Lake Friends of the Park, Forest Lake
PRIDE AWARD:
CHANDLER WARD
Gainsborough Park, Mackenzie
PARTNERSHIPS AWARD:
HAMILTON WARD
Racecourse Road Precinct, Ascot
LITTER MANAGEMENT AWARD:
CENTRAL AWARD
Fortitude Valley Entertainment Precinct
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AWARD:
BRACKEN RIDGE WARD
Aspley Special School Kingfisher Recycling Project, Aspley
ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AWARD:
GABBA WARD
Norman Creek Friends Rejuvenating Ecological & Environmental Creek System (FREECS) Moorhen Flats Project, Coorparoo/Woolloongabba
ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AWARD (JUDGE’S COMMENDATION):
TENNYSON WARD
Caesar’s Place Bushcare Group
YOUNG LEGENDS AWARD:
WALTER TAYLOR WARD
Indooroopilly State School (Year 5’s Moore Park rejuvenation project)