FAQ

The City investigated the following names with the Geographic Names Committee (GNC) as they are roads adjacent to or nearby the reserve or have historical references to the site. Pigeon Park, Sullivan Park and Cower Park received conditional approval from the GNC.

Stevens Park 

Stevens Park is a duplication of the name Stevens applied to the nearby Stevens Reserve. 

Beazley Park 

Beazley Park is a street name in the WGV development and has an historical link to the former school site. The GNC did not give conditional approval due to it being a duplication of Beasley Park (different spelling, same sounding) in Leeming. The proposed name is also not an adjoining road to the POS reserve. 

Cower Park 

Cower Mews is an adjoining street name within the WGV development. Cower - pronounced ‘Cow-er’ - (from the Nyoongar Language) is the name of the Purple Crown Lorikeet. The Cower is part of the dreaming of Cowaramup and while the bird does not originate from Fremantle it does follow the blossoms to Fremantle. The word is referenced from "A Nyoongar Word List". 

On 12 November 2012, the City received approval from the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) Whadjuk Working Park to use the word for road naming. On 06 November 2018, the City referred the proposed park name back to the SWALSC to confirm that the earlier approval (for the use of the name ‘Cower’ for road naming) would also be suitable for the park name. As a result Carolyn Fenelle of SWALSC advised that; “we have referred back to the Whadjuk Working Party Meeting Minutes of 17 October 2012 and confirm that the Aboriginal name ‘Cower’ was considered appropriate by the members”. 

Sullivan Park  / Pigeon Park

The name ‘Sullivan’ is associated with Sullivan Hall located within the Reserve area. Sullivan Hall is not heritage listed but mentioned on the inherit website (Heritage Council) (Place Number 22583). The listing notes the Hall as having, ‘social significance to the local community as a venue for recreational and community pursuits.’ The history of community involvement with the hall is noted and transposed below: 

The following is historical information for the site: 

“A parent group in the area began meeting in April 1958 to call for a local community hall to be built. Council allocated the land, which it had acquired from the Anglican Church in 1945, and the community set about acquiring materials. The main frame is believed by locals to be a reused army shed. Sullivan Hall was constructed by the local community and opened in October 1959 as a Guide Hall. It was named after Jim Sullivan, as a thank you to both the Sullivan and Notley families, who had supported the building project. Guides and Brownies met at the hall, and it was also widely used for concerts and dances. In 1962, a second half to the hall was completed. Local community members subscribed ten shillings a piece towards its construction. The place was managed and cleaned by volunteers and all profits went back into its maintenance. White Gum Valley Square Dance Club was formed, which used the hall from the early 1960s into the 1990s.” 

The naming of a local park or reserve is assessed by the Landgate Geographic Names Committee (GNC) in accordance with the Policies and Standards for Geographical Naming in Western Australia version 01:201 (‘the Standards’) – with the final approval required from the Minister for Lands.

It is expected that all new local parks or recreational reserves will be named after an adjoining road name. If, due to duplication, an alternate name is required, the following are considered suitable sources for such submissions: 

• names from Aboriginal languages formerly identified with the general area 
• names of pioneers who were relevant to the area 
• names of persons who died during war service 
• names associated with historical events connected with the immediate area. 

Proposed names with significance to specific groups only (this excludes Aboriginal names) or names with no relevance to a particular area are not acceptable for approval. 

Local park or recreational reserve naming or renaming proposals will not be approved if: 

• the proposal seeks to adopt a developer’s estate/promotional name coined to endorse a development 
• the proposal seeks to adopt the names used for existing infrastructure, for example schools, shopping precincts, hospitals etc
• the proposed name has no relationship to the area or is a made-up name 
• petitions presented in support only represent one point-of-view
• the proposal is not supported by local government
• no broad-based community survey has been undertaken for a renaming
• the renaming proposal does not have strong local community support •
• the proposal is to rename all or part of a local park or recreational reserve after urban development occurs.