The Multicultural Cherry Fiesta celebrated the many cultures that have become part of the Hilltops community and its cherry industry during Young’s 2025 National Cherry Festival. Photo: Hilltops Council.
A multicultural festival that brought thousands of visitors to Young and a campaign that introduced water bills to Delegate residents without a single complaint have both been recognised at the 2026 Local Government Week Awards.
Hilltops Council and Snowy Monaro Regional Council were among the regional winners of the RH Dougherty Events and Communications Awards, presented in Sydney on Thursday night (6 August).
For Hilltops, the win adds a second statewide accolade to the Multicultural Cherry Fiesta in the space of a few months.
The event won Division A of the 2026 RH Dougherty Award for Innovation in Special Events, after also taking out the Festivals and Community Events category for councils with populations under 50,000 at the NSW Local Government Excellence Awards in June.
Staged as part of Young’s 75th National Cherry Festival in December 2025, the Multicultural Cherry Fiesta was designed to celebrate the different cultures that have become part of the Hilltops community and its cherry industry.
The program included First Nations education and dance, Tai Chi, Afrobeats and Brazilian, Vietnamese, Philippine, Persian and Tongan performances, along with cherry-inspired cooking demonstrations from celebrity chef Adam Liaw.
Hilltops Council’s award submission said independent device tracking estimated between 18,308 and 21,440 people attended, with almost 67 per cent coming from outside the local government area.
Market research commissioned for the event estimated visitor spending at $1.78 million, 67 per cent above an average weekend and eight per cent higher than during the 2024 festival.
The submission also reported increased trade, greater visibility of different cultures and stronger community engagement.
Hilltops Council said the double win was a tribute to the many hands behind the National Cherry Festival, from its events team and volunteers to community groups, sponsors and performers.
It said their combined effort had helped put the Hilltops region firmly in the spotlight.
Snowy Monaro Regional Council’s winning project could hardly have been more different.
Its four-person communications and engagement team won Division A of the Excellence in Communication category for a campaign explaining the introduction of usage-based water billing in Delegate.
The council was tasked with communicating two major changes to the small border community – the arrival of drinkable town tap water and the introduction of water usage charges for the first time.
According to Snowy Monaro Regional Council’s award submission, the four-person team worked with a budget of just $3430 and used a mix of communication and community engagement to explain the new billing system and prepare residents for the change.
Council information shows usage charges began in October 2025 at $3.89 for every 1000 litres used, with residents receiving their first bills in March this year. An online bill estimator and water-saving information were also provided before the first bills arrived.
The result was unusually smooth for the introduction of a new household charge.
According to the council, no complaints or negative feedback were received when the first water usage bills were issued.
Residents also told the council that information provided before billing began had prompted them to identify and repair leaks on their properties, reducing unnecessary water use before they started paying for it.
Snowy Monaro continued engaging with residents throughout the rollout, allowing the council to check whether people understood the changes, respond to concerns and adjust its communication where needed.
The council also collected two Highly Commended results on the night.
Its Snowy Monaro Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy 2026–2029 was Highly Commended in Division A of the Leo Kelly OAM Arts and Culture Awards.
The strategy was adopted in February following community consultation and sets out a four-year framework for how the council supports and manages arts, cultural and heritage activity across the region.
Its Draft Residential, Commercial and Industrial Land Strategy 2025–2045 also received a Highly Commended in Division A of the LGNSW Planning Awards.
The draft strategy looks at future residential, commercial and industrial land needs across towns and villages in the Snowy Monaro, and attracted more than 100 submissions while on public exhibition.
“Council extends its gratitude to Local Government NSW for recognising the outstanding efforts of our staff at the NSW Local Government Awards,” said SMRC mayor Cr Chris Hanna.
“With a win in the RH Dougherty Events and Communications Awards, and two highly commended projects in the LGNSW Planning Awards Arts and Cultural Strategy/Plan categories, the Snowy Monaro has shown that you don’t need big city budgets or the staffing numbers of a major regional centre to do great work in service of the community.”
“Congratulations to all the teams and individual staff members involved in each of these projects,” he added, “our accolades are well-deserved, and I want to thank you on behalf of our Council—and our region—for doing us all so proud.”
Wagga Wagga City Council was also recognised, receiving a Highly Commended in Division B of the Leo Kelly OAM Arts and Culture Awards for its Cultural Plan 2020-2030 – Midway Report 2025.
The report reviews the first five years of Wagga’s 10-year cultural plan and tracks progress against 50 recommendations covering cultural infrastructure, programs and investment in the arts and creative industries.
The Local Government Week Awards span several categories, including the RH Dougherty Events and Communications Awards, the Leo Kelly OAM Arts and Culture Awards and the LGNSW Planning Awards.
Councils compete in divisions based on population, with Hilltops and Snowy Monaro entered in Division A and Wagga Wagga in Division B.
The awards form part of Local Government Week, which runs from 3 to 9 August and highlights the range of services and programs delivered by councils across NSW.
