THE committee of management for the Gordon Street Reserve in Heyfield has been asked to put forward a more appropriate way to honour the contribution of a community figure after Wellington Shire Council knocked back a suggestion to name the entire reserve after him.
Council’s place names committee ruled the facility not be renamed the Alan Way Reserve based on a current policy not to name locations after a person.
The place names committee has asked the reserve committee to consider naming a feature within the reserve, since only one of the ovals is currently named, after Vern Scott.
Councillor Malcolm Hole said the reserve committee was concerned council had not listened to community opinion in recognising 33 years of work the late Mr Way had put into the facility.
“There are already properties and sports grounds around Wellington Shire with names of other people on them,” he said.
While current council policy dictated locations not be named after individuals, place names committee chairman Darren McCubbin said confusion in locating a newly-named reserve was also a factor behind the decision.
Cr McCubbin said there was also opposition from at least one of the clubs that use the reserve.
“They pointed out that one of the reserves is currently named after an important person . . . so they made the suggestion that one of the ovals should be named after Alan or indeed the pavilion.”
For more read Friday’s Gippsland Times.
