Regular commenter Adam linked me to the Facebook version of his letter to the editor on Mount Gambier City Council’s unimaginative decision to officially name the main corner development “Main Corner”.
Adam liked one councillor’s suggestion to call it the “Woo Cultural and Civic Complex” instead, apparently in recognition of Aboriginal heritage.
He went on to say:
At the very least I think we can all agree that something has gone awry in the naming process of the main corner redevelopment.
Given the creative dearth of our councillors, an alternate process must be devised for naming future community projects.
Pulling names out of a hat, or outsourcing the task to local primary schools, would seem to be promising alternatives.
I agree with Adam that an alternative naming process should be employed for major civic constructions.
I mentioned previously that Mount Gambier Council was also unimaginative in its approach to street names.
In the case of the main corner, a shortlist of a dozen possible names should have been compiled and advertised for public comment.
Personally, I’d like to see underrated historical figures given recognition via street names and civic buildings.
Mount Gambier isn’t renowned for acknowledging its famous sons and daughters.
Sir Robert Helpmann only belatedly received the acclaim he deserved. Max Harris’ connection to Mount Gambier is largely forgotten (he was raised there).
Those who moved to Victoria have slipped even further off the historical radar.
Former Victorian Chief Justice Sir Frederick Mann spent the first 18 years of his life in Mount Gambier before moving to Melbourne. He also served as Lieutenant Governor of Victoria.
Early Labor activist Jean Daley was also born in Mount Gambier.
In 1916 she was a delegate to the Trades Hall Council for the Hotel and Caterers’ Union and was one of the earliest members of the Militant Propaganda League. She was also an executive member of the Victorian Socialist Party in 1916-17 and of its women’s section, the Women’s Socialist League.
I’m not suggesting the main corner should necessarily be named after Sir Frederick or Ms Daley, but they should be recognised in some way.
I would call the main corner “Kanawinka”.
Kanawinka is the name of the geological fault that stretches from outside Portland to near Keith.
It is also the determining factor in the depth and flow patterns of the underground waters, which are the lifeblood of the whole area, and it was once the cliff that the inland sea beat against in ancient geological times when the region was underwater and its limestone bed was laid down.
In the Aboriginal language it means “tomorrow”.
Twitter: delmerw
says:
Please feel free to name anything you like “Delmer.” Despite the fact it has a nonsensical look to it, it’s easy enough to pronounce and the fact it contains just five letters will keep down the cost of making signs.
Years and years ago a friend entered a contest and suggested, as a school child, that a new vocational school be named the “Dy-no-mite Joint Vocational School.” It was back when “Good Times” was on in prime time. (The county went with something a bit tamer… like “The Belmont County Joint Vocational School.”)
I haven’t actually commented recently, as I’ve been quite busy. In fact I only looked at your latest posts today.
I would also support the naming of the Main Corner re-development as ‘Kanawinka’. Actually, I had no idea about the existence of the geological fault until you mentioned it.
I support the name ‘Kanawinka’ for three reasons:
- It recongises the indigenous heritage, in the fact that the name is of indigenous origin
- It to my mind at least sounds better than ‘Woo’. Whilst I cannot speak for other in the community, my instinct is that much of the public would feel the same way.
- I like the fact that Kanawinka means ‘tomorrow’; which is an optimistic, futuristic statement for the main corner re-development
I agree with you that the naming of streets often leaves a lot to be desired.
Whilst a wide diversity of street names is desirable, I agree that an emphasis should be given to local historical figures, at least to the extent, that they are currently un-recognised.
In addition to the people you named, there are several other prominent people who have come from the South East area. One would be the late Des Corcoran, who was an ALP South Australian Premier in the late 1970′s. He was born in Millicent and represented the seat of Millicent during his time in Parliament. To my knowledge there he is un-recognised (with regards to street names, etc) in Millicent and the broader South East (although I may be wrong).
Wasn’t there also a Liberal State Opposition Leader in the 1980′s, who was from the South-East (his name escapes me)?