Tidy Towns recognition for Walpole man and former Manjimup Shire councillor David Tapley

Former Manjimup Shire councillor David Tapley was the recipient of a special award for his years of service to the Walpole environmental movement at the town’s Australia Day celebrations. With festivities taking place in his native Walpole, Mr Tapley was presented with an outstanding service award for his involvement with the Tidy Towns program, which has seen the lower South West district gain multiple national, State and regional awards. The award was given to Mr Tapley by fellow Walpole residents, Keep Australia Beautiful Michael Filby and Manjimup councillor Jennifer Dianne-Willcox as a testament to his 15 years of work to preserve the environment in the lower South West. While sitting on the Manjimup Shire Council, Mr Tapley entered Walpole into the Tidy Towns competition in 2006 to try and save the bushland in and around the town, which was being ruined through excess rubbish and litter. He said although there was not a great feeling of support at the start, after a few months the town became very supportive of the movement which led to them winning their first South West award in 2007. “You just have to take the community aspect and get the people involved ... it makes you strong,” he said. “The whole of Walpole picks up because you have involved people and got them a part of it. If you get people involved then they work hard and take pride in what they do.” Mr Tapley said he was flattered to be given the award, but he wanted to stress the notion that he couldn’t have achieved what was done without the support he had around him in Walpole and at the Manjimup Shire. He said what he loved most about the work they have done in the last decade was how many tourists have travelled through the town and come away with a great image of Walpole. “It is great to see all the young people around here enjoying the environment and being brought back down to earth ... that is the beauty of Walpole,” he said. “It is a very cheap remedy, it costs you nothing to look after the environment. I can feel pretty confident in saying that no one in Walpole litters, none of the locals would throw rubbish on the ground.”