Have your say on suburb naming

The area, which includes parts of Pakenham, Nar Nar Goon and Nar Nar Goon North, is being developed and is expected to accommodate 7,000 new homes.

Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Jack Kowarzik said that due to the size and scale of the development area, a new suburb name would be required.

“Geographic Names Victoria (GNV), the State Government body that oversees the naming and registration of place names in Victoria, has advised that the precinct should have its own suburb name, distinct from Pakenham,” Mayor Kowarzik said.

“This is due to the large number of properties that the area will include, the distinct geographic area and the confusion that could result from retaining the existing suburb names.

“The suburb boundaries as they exist would result in situations where several future streets will cross suburbs boundaries and postcodes. This would not only result in confusion but also presents a challenge for emergency services, and therefore a community safety risk.”

Pakenham East and East Pakenham are unable to be used for the suburb name because directional names such as this can no longer be used in road or place names within Victoria. The proposed suburb boundary will generally follow PSP boundary, with the exception of the northern boundary which will follow existing property boundaries, as well as additional parcels of land south-east of Mount Ararat South Road, between Princes Highway and Princess Freeway.

Cardinia Shire Council’s Place Names Advisory Committee has developed a shortlist of preferred suburb names, in consultation with the Nar Nar Goon Progress Association, Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society, Berwick Pakenham Historical Society, State Government bodies, emergency services and Australia Post. The names, which have received provisional approval from GNV, are female commemorative names of women from Cardinia Shire who are deserving of recognition. At the Council meeting on Monday 15 April, Cr Graeme Moore put forward an alternate motion to include a sixth name, Honora.

The shortlist of names includes:

• Leila – Leila Keating attended Officer State School and was the first woman to complete a medical degree at Melbourne University. Leila’s family built ‘Fairwood Park’ in Officer.
• Alice Park – Alice Henry grew up in Beaconsfield and become a prominent journalist and writer. She was active in the fight for women’s equality and wage rights.
• Gwyn – Gwyn Mapperson, from Beaconsfield Upper, was actively involved in the local community, with the Upper Beaconsfield RSL and was a member of Legacy. In 1999 she was awarded a life membership with the Upper Beaconsfield RSL sub-branch.
• Beatrice Park – Beatrice Thomas was the first female Shire Secretary at the Shire of Berwick. She was also an inaugural member of the Historical Society of the Berwick Shire, now the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society. 
• Debra – Debra Bramley was an active member of the community as the assistant secretary of the Nar Nar Goon Progress Association, member of the Pakenham Uniting Church, Nar Nar Goon kinder committee and editor of the Goon News community newsletter.
• Honora – Honora Carney and her husband Michael leased a large parcel of land between Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon south of Princes Highway from 1869. They had 7 children and ran a farming business before Michael passed away in 1880. Determined to keep the family farm, Honora purchased land south of the highway in 1887 and land north of the highway in 1902. She continued to run the farming business with her children until her death in 1912.  

As part of the engagement process, on the advice of GNV, Council will rename Mount Ararat North Road and Mount Ararat South Road. Feedback from emergency services has highlighted concerns around public safety and the confusion caused by duplicated road names. Council is therefore proposing to rename Mount Ararat North Road as Mount Ararat Road, and to use the second most popular name from the above list as the new name for Mount Ararat South Road.

To learn more, attend an upcoming community pop-up session:

• Sunday 21 April, 10am–2pm at Lakeside Market, 40 Lakeside Boulevard, Pakenham.
• Tuesday 23 April, 10am–2pm at Cardinia Lakes Shopping Centre, Windermere Boulevard, Pakenham.
• Thursday 2 May, 10am–2pm at Nar Nar Goon Township Reserve, Main Street, Nar Nar Goon (next to the Nar Nar Goon Kindergarten).

Voting is open from Tuesday 16 April until Tuesday 21 May. To have your say, or for more information, visit Pakenham East Precinct Naming | Creating Cardinia