NEWS DESK
Indigenous names sought for shire’s 11 new wards Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors want Indigenous names for the 11 new municipal wards being created on the peninsula by the Victorian Electoral Commission. A majority of the shire’s 11 councillors last week agreed to ask the Local Government Minister Melissa Horne to “implement” and a local government municipal panel to “consider” Boon Wurrung language place names for the wards. Councillors at the Tuesday 31 October public meeting agreed to “seek advice” about Boon Wurrung ward names from the Bunurong Land Council. The Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation is locked in a legal dispute with the Boon Wurrung Land and Sea Council over a native title claim to more than 13,000 square kilometres of territory. The ward boundary and name changes are part of a VEC review that will see 11 single councillor wards replace the existing two three-councillor, one two-councillor and three single-councillor wards. The VEC has proposed three “models” for the ward changes and lists possible ward names as Briars,
Moorooduc, Mount Eliza, Nepean, Red Hill, Rosebud, Safety Beach, Seawinds, Tanti Creek, Warringine, Watson Creek, Capel Sound, McCrae, Somerville, Balcombe and Truemans. Horne will be told that council wants Boon Wurrung language place names “as this council considers that recognition of Indigenous culture is an important part of our history as recognised in our local state sponsored reconciliation action plan”. Cr Despi O’Connor said Boon Wurrung was “actually the language and the Bunurong Land Council appreciate that as well and is something they talk about”. Asking the Bunurong “to lead” in suggesting ward names would build the shire’s relationship with the land council. O’Connor said the land council would not make up words if there was not one appropriate for a ward. “There may not be a name they think is especially necessary and I don’t think we should just put a different name, a Bunurong name, if it’s not from the heart and real.” Cr David Gill, who suggested inviting the Bunurong Land Council to help name the new wards, said the shire now had a cross section of Aboriginal names for its wards and Kangerong was “quite an obvious area name for Dromana”.
Choosing Aboriginal names for wards would “send a signal to our land council, and they have their difficulties … that we seriously understand issues and want to do something”. The Bunurong Land Council (Aboriginal Corporation), now being run by a special administrator, has received $200,000 from the shire over the past two years plus an unknown amount for conducting archaeological field assessments as part of a cultural heritage management plan (CHMP) process (“Administrator to ‘fix’ land council woes” The News 30/10/23). Gill said work done by shire CEO John Baker showed “that there is some, not an understanding I suppose, but some leaning towards what we are suggesting or what I am putting up for us to consider - to have First Nations names, place names [for our wards]”. He said it was the names of wards, not places like Red Hill, Rosebud, Sorrento, Shoreham, Mornington, Hastings, Mount Martha, Dromana, Flinders and Mount Eliza, which were going to change. “What we’re considering here is not tossing everything out, what we’re considering here is ward names, not the other names of where we live on the peninsula,” Gill said. Continued Page 8
Helping nature: Head of art at DromanaSecondary College Jyoti Funston and Jodi Vermaas of the Australian Conservation Foundation with entries in the art competition aimed at bringing attention to threatened species. Picture: Gary Sissons
Art approach to protect nature DROMANA Secondary College students have teamed up with the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Mornington group to raise awareness of the need to protect threatened animals and habitats. ACF’s Dr Jodi Vermaas said the Mornington group was championing the southern brown bandicoot through an art project, and believed involving young people was one of the ways to get people to think of threatened species and how strong laws and enforcement are needed to protect them. “I approached the school and the school’s head of arts, Jyoti Funston, agreed that this project would fit with their curriculum and is open to all students at the school,” she said. “It’s really great to see the students so excited to get involved.”
Entries to the art competition were judged on Thursday and Friday (2 and 3 November) after being displayed at the school for a week, with Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie a guest judge. Vermaas said the southern brown bandicoot was selected as a focus of ACF Mornington’s campaign because it was once common on the peninsula. It is not thought to still exist on the peninsula any more largely due to habitat loss and predation. As an environmental lobby group, ACF is heavily involved in education and raising awareness, and is pushing for protection of Australia’s forests, wetlands, reefs and wildlife. Australia has the highest rate of deforestation in the developed world and has driven more mammals to extinction than any other country.
Christmas Lunch 2023 ENTREE
INDIVIDUAL SEAFOOD PLATTER ‘Coffin Bay’ natural oyster, king prawns, marinated ‘Dromana’ mussels, hot smoked salmon, baby iceberg salad, cocktail sauce & a sour rye baguette
OR
SOUP
CHOICE OF 2:
ZUCCHINI & WHITE BEAN SOUP
BAKED BUTTERNUT PUMPKIN SOUP
Garlic & chive croutons
MAIN
Toasted almonds, chives & parmesan croutons
TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS ROAST Apricot & mustard glazed ham, turkey, ‘Otway’ pork, roasted vegetables, sauces, chutney’s & accompliments
DESSERT CHOICE OF 3:
STEAMED CHRISTMAS PUDDING Brandy anglaise & vanilla cream
OR
‘RED HILL’ CHERRY TART
Almond pastry, crème fraiche & icing sugar
OR
PEACH & PASSIONFRUIT PAVLOVA Lemon curd, meringue & whipped cream
SEATING BETWEEN 12PM & 12.30PM ADULTS $120.00 • CHILDREN (UP TO 12YRS) $60.00* *Entrée soup, children’s serve of roast turkey and choice of the above 3 desserts Children 3yrs and under no charge/no meal - BYO meal & highchair
Santa will be visiting with a present for all the kids To book your table please contact Management on 5950 0300 OR visit www.ticketebo.com.au/rosebudhotelxmas (Payment in full is required for all bookings)
Southern Peninsula News
8 November 2023
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