Tree Fest and Community Infrastructure Plan awarded

The City has won two awards at the Parks and Leisure Australia WA for Excellence, which recognise and celebrate the outstanding initiatives and innovative efforts of ‘The People Behind the Places’.

The Community Based Initiative of the Year Award was awarded to the City for the 2023 WA Tree Festival, a groundbreaking statewide celebration of trees and the natural environment.

Founded by the City of Stirling in 2022 the purpose of the WA Tree Festival was to educate the community about the value of trees in urban spaces through 150 activities and events held across 18 local government areas during April and May 2023.

The City also won the Strategic and Master Planning Award of Excellence for our Community Infrastructure Plan 2023-2033, which takes a leading, strategic and holistic approach to provision of community infrastructure in the City.

Mayor Mark Irwin said the two awards had recognised the City’s capability to effectively plan for the future and advocate for the needs of community.

“On behalf of Council we thank Parks & Leisure Australia for recognition through these awards and I congratulate the City teams that have led these initiatives,” he said.

“I would also like to thank the Western Australian Local Government Association for taking the lead on the 2024 WA Tree Fest event, including a launch in collaboration with Kings Park – Botanic Garden and Parks Authority and long-time host of The Garden Gurus, Trevor Cochrane.

“The growth of the festival from 11 local governments in the first year to 30 in the third is a testament to the passion that the sector and the community feel about the importance of trees in an urban environment and our commitment to improving our urban canopy.

“Through our Community Infrastructure Plan, we are adding new layers of sophistication to how we plan to meet the needs of our diverse communities to enhance their wellbeing and quality of life by providing quality, functional infrastructure.

"With more than 290,000 people expected to live in the City by 2041, we need to appropriately plan for the changing needs of our growing community.

“Together, these two initiatives are leading examples of how the City will deliver our long-term vision to become a sustainable City with a local focus.”

Background
The Parks and Leisure Awards WA Awards of Excellence honour remarkable projects and initiatives that have contributed significantly to the advancement of the local government industry across a diverse spectrum of fields, from park development to community engagement programs.

State winners become national finalists in the National Awards of Excellence in October. The City previously received a high commendation for the Strategic and Master Planning category for our Public Open Space Strategy 2021-2031.

The Community Based Initiative of the Year Award is designed to recognise the combined effort that is required to successfully plan, organise, and manage effective initiatives, programs, events and/or festivals which promote and enhance leisure time for a number of social, environmental and economic benefits to the community.

The Strategic and Master Planning Award recognises the development of strategies for parks, open space, sport, recreation and leisure opportunities by rewarding outstanding examples of strategic planning that have enriched and revitalised a community.

Image: Sponsor Woodlands representative Andrew Wynne, Mayor Mark Irwin and CEO Stev Rodic with City officers Cressida Cullity, Clayton Chipper and Kristina Jansons-Binns accepting the award for the WA Tree Festival.