Townsville receives new neighbourly accolade

Townsville City Council is celebrating its new status as a Very Neighbourly Organisation ahead of Neighbour Day this Sunday 29 March.

Relationships Australia, as the home of the Neighbours Every Day campaign, has recognised Council for its work in increasing respectful relationships across the Townsville community.

Mayor Nick Dametto said it was gratifying to see Relationships Australia recognise Council’s commitment to growing Townsville as a city for everyone.

“Building connected neighbourhoods can be incredibly beneficial. It makes residents happier, healthier and gives a strong sense of community,” Cr Dametto said.

“Council has worked for many years to strengthen social ties across our city through initiatives such as being part of the Welcoming Cities network, offering funding for not-for-profits to host community-building events, and actively promoting ways for our community to get involved in Neighbours Every Day, which is our country’s yearly celebration of community.

“These days it’s easy to get caught up in our daily lives and forget about the importance of getting to know your neighbour. Especially in Townsville, where we are very susceptible to natural disasters, it makes it even more critical to create close bonds.

“I’d like to thank Relationships Australia for recognising Townsville City Council as a Very Neighbourly Organisation.”

To celebrate this Neighbour Day, council is offering new fridge magnets to the community for residents to write their neighbour’s contact details and emergency contacts, as well as new neighbour letterbox calling cards, available in Townsville’s top 10 languages: English, Afrikaans, German, Italian, Malayalam, Mandarin, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Cr Dametto said residents could use these tools to help get to know their neighbour.

“It’s so important to get to know your neighbours, even if it’s just popping your head over the back fence to introduce yourself,” he said.

For more information on how to be neighbourly in Townsville, visit Council’s website.