What’s in a name? Apparently a lot according to the City of Mandurah.
The local government has undertaken the mammoth task of renaming the parks and reserves within its boundary.
The naming project forms part of the City’s Reconciliation Action Plan that was created to recognise and celebrate local Aboriginal culture and history.
A group was formed with representatives from various City business units as well as Aboriginal cultural consultants to facilitate the project.
The group helped identify appropriate locations and to propose new names.
The first site to be identified for naming approval is Winjan’s Camp, which is located within “Reserve 45814” at McLarty Road, Halls Head.
During their meeting on February 13, councillors discussed the proposed name change of Winjan’s Camp to Yaburgurt Kaaleepga Reserve.
The new name will honour elder Yaburgurt (George) Winjan who was born and lived in the area.
As there is already an officially approved Winjan Reserve and Winjan Place in Mandurah, the reserve is unable to be officially named as Winjan’s Camp.
Meaning Yaburgurt’s Home in the Noongar language, the title has been identified as the most suitable name for the reserve.
The site is widely recognised throughout the local community as being the birthplace and home of the elder, who was commemorated by the City in 2015 as part of the Yaburgurt 100 Year Commemoration and Public Artwork Project.
The name Winjan’s Camp will be added to the approval as a commonly known name.
Council will be requested to approve the naming of the reserve and to issue an application to be made to the Geographic Naming Committee at Landgate at their next council meeting on February 27.
Town ward councillor Peter Rogers welcomed the decision but said there was still plenty of work to be done with another 600 parks or reserves set to be renamed.
According to a report from sustainable development director Tony Free the benefits of recording and preserving geographic names was associated with the past, present and future of a community.
“They form an integral part of personal identity by defining where people were born, live, have lived and from where their ancestors have come from,” the report said.
For more information go to the City of Mandurah’s website.
