Orange's Chris Gryllis OAM has been recognised for his many decades of civic service, being named a 'NSW Local Hero' at the NSW Tidy Towns Awards, held in Orange over the weekend.

A retired real estate agent and former Orange City Councillor, Chris Gryllis' dedication to keeping Orange beautiful predates the founding of the Tidy Towns Awards in NSW, having been involved in community clean-ups with Rotary for more than 50 years.

In his 30 years as an Orange City Councillor, Mr Gryllis chaired the city’s Tidy Towns committee for about 15 years and was involved for 30 years overall.

"Chris has consistently brought people together around practical community action and has played an important role in building the pride, participation and shared responsibility that underpin Orange’s Tidy Towns success," reads a statement from the Judging panel.

Orange Mayor, Tony Mileto, congratulated Mr Gryllis on his success and said is a wonderful reflection of his longstanding commitment and passion for making Orange a better place to live.

"His involvement began back in 1982, and for more than four decades, he has continued to demonstrate what can be achieved through dedication, community spirit and a genuine love for our city," Cr Mileto said.

"People like Chris make an enormous difference, often through years of hard work and commitment that deserve to be recognised and celebrated. His contribution is something our entire community can be proud of...

"Thank you for your incredible contribution to Orange and for helping make our city such a special place."

The historic Hunter Valley town of Dungog was the Overall Winner at the 2026 NSW Tidy Towns Awards, presented at a function at Banksia Orange on Saturday 17 October, but there were a number of other local category winners.

Ross Hill Wines was the winner of the 2026 NSW Tidy Towns Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Award (Population Category E), while Orange City Council won the 2026 NSW Tidy Towns Resource Recovery Award, Heritage & Culture Award, along with the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Water Conservation and Protection Award, and NSW Tidy Towns Liveable Towns Award (All for Population Category E).

The Orange Nature Playgroup also won the 2026 NSW Tidy Towns Young Legends Award.