Whittlesea councillors have rejected a controversial proposal to rename part of Beveridge.
In January, this paper reported that a group of five Beveridge residents were making a third push to have a small north-eastern pocket of the suburb renamed Wurunbik, an Aboriginal word meaning “manna gum country”.
The Wurunbik Working Group cited problems with emergency services, saying crews often drove straight to central Beveridge, about 12 kilometres away in Mitchell shire.
But Whittlesea councillors rejected the proposal last Tuesday night, saying it did not have enough community support.
Earlier this year, the council received a petition signed by 550 residents protesting the proposed change.
Cr Rex Griffin said while the council understood the Wurunbik group’s fears, a name change would not solve the problem as the area would still be split between two municipalities.
Long-time Beveridge resident Peter Rodaughan said the naming drama had been an issue since 2001.
“If this decision had been passed, there would be massive discontent in the community,” he said. “Many problems would arise from changing the long-term name of our suburb.”
Mr Rodaughan said the identification problems raised could be addressed by a briefing to emergency services.
