Council honoured at local government week awards for TEBA initiative

Narrabri Shire Council has taken out top honours at the NSW Local Government Week Awards for innovation in special events.

Council was awarded the RH Dougherty Award for The Exchange Business Activator program.

Representatives accepted the honour at a function at Doltone House, Sydney, on Thursday.

An initiative between council, The Exchange Narrabri and the UNE SMART Region Incubator, The Business Exchange Activator (TEBA) program was judged the winner by leading experts in the communications field.

The program has been celebrated as a tremendous success following its recent conclusion.

A second version of the program, conducted by council in partnership with The Exchange, will launch later this year.

The TEBA program featured a comprehensive schedule of capacity-building, networking, and development opportunities for established and emerging businesses in the region, ultimately welcoming 680 participants across 58 events.

Narrabri Shire Council mayor Ron Campbell joined council staff for the awards ceremony and praised the work that drove the program’s success.

“Council staff, UNE, The Exchange and all those involved with TEBA should be proud of their contributions and involvement,” said Cr Campbell.

“It was a great surprise [on the night], and it was a privilege to see the recognition of hard work and the great results achieved by this multi-faceted program”.

Narrabri Shire Council was one of fourteen city and regional councils that took home awards from 116 entries.

The Commonwealth and NSW governments funded TEBA in association with the Narrabri Shire Council, The Exchange Narrabri, and The University of New England SMART Region Incubator (SRI).