An evening of celebration, pride and community spirit filled Williams on Friday as hundreds gathered to honour the remarkable success at the National Tidy Towns Awards in Tasmania last month.

The sounds of conversation, laughter and shared achievement set the tone as about 150 locals came together with food, drinks and plenty of smiles to recognise Williams’ national win.

The town of Williams was officially crowned overall national tidy towns winner for 2026 in May, also securing three category awards in behaviour change and engagement, heritage and culture, and young legends.

Friday night’s event brought those achievements home with speeches, acknowledgements and time for the community to reflect on the effort behind the awards.

Special guests in attendance included Steve Martin MLC, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Grant Van Uden, Keep Australia Beautiful WA representatives Sam Culbertson and Shirley Brindley, and Newmont Boddington Gold representative Laura Meacham.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of certificates to Judy Martin and Robyn Reed who were recognised for winning the heritage and culture category for their history project.

Young community members were also celebrated, with applause for the Wildlife Warriors group and Young Legends for winning the behaviour change and engagement category.

Their efforts highlighted the role of local youth in shaping a more sustainable future for Williams.

Gemma Haddrick was also recognised on the night, receiving a highly commended award in the Dame Phyllis Frost local hero category for her contribution to the community.

The Williams Community Resource Centre was thanked for working hard processing entry forms for both the State and national awards.

Organisers from the CRC thanked the community for putting in effort to keep the town clean whether it was picking up litter, planting trees, washing cars, or supporting the CRC.

Williams CRC manager Hazel Harris said the national win was an unforgettable experience knowing the Williams community had played such a big role.

“It was an amazing experience going to Launceston amongst such great competition, but to take away a couple of the awards and then get the overall win was incredible,” she said.

“We are so thrilled — the (community) passion for the project shone through which made us take out the overall win.”

Ms Harris said Friday’s celebration reflected the town’s sustainability spirit and support for this achievement.

“It was an incredible turnout on Friday afternoon; the kids were all running around everywhere and it was generally a beautiful afternoon celebrating what Williams is,” she said.

“All different elements make up a sustainable community at the end of the day, so we thought we needed to have a party with everybody.

“It was an amazing evening.”

Keep Australia Beautiful also praised the town’s achievement, highlighting that the local people were behind the success.

“What sets Williams apart is its people,” they said.

“With extraordinary level of volunteer involvement across all initiatives, the town exemplifies what can be achieved when an entire community shares a vision for a sustainable future.

“Williams stands as an inspiring example for communities across Australia.”