Cardinia Shire Council has been made aware of an issue regarding the chosen name for the Officer District Park site.
The Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation has advised Council that upon further review from their new Linguistics team, that the provided name of 'Torongo' is no longer an appropriate name for the landmark park.
In a statement provided to Council, the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC) stated that:
'The previous word which BLCAC provided was Torongo. This word is taken directly from the journals of William Thomas, an English Protector of Aboriginees during the colonisation of Melbourne. As Thomas was a monolingual English speaker, he was not able to accurately hear or distinguish the sounds of Boonwurrung. For this reason, when reconstructing Boonwurrung language today, we need to compare across multiple sources and what we know about Boonwurrung language to produce an accurate form.
'These sources are also still becoming available to us as we continue to research and discover records in disparate locations around the world. As these records come to light it allows us to more accurately rebuild a language devastatingly lost to colonialism.
'Based on this more rigorous research, we believe that durru is the actual word for 'heart' in Boonwurrung. This is spelled using a modern, consistent, and standardized orthography (spelling system) that has recently been developed by BLCAC.
'We understand that it is inconvenient to have the word changed last minute. We are now proud to say that BLCAC has implemented a much more rigorous and effective standard for researching Boonwurrung language, which will be instrumental in reawakening language in community. Having consistency in the way the language is written is very important for helping Bunurong people reconnect and relearn language - so we are incredibly appreciative of the willingness to change to the correct form of the word.'
In May 2024, Council invited the community to have their say on a new name for Officer District Park.
In partnership with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and local Koori Kids, 6 indigenous names were provided and put forward as potential new names for the landmark park. The names were voted on by the wider community and 'Torongo' was chosen as the preferred name for the site.
Council was initially directed by BLCAC that the name Torongo was significant, because it was believed to mean "heart" in the Boonwurrung language. The name was then chosen to recognise and reflect the cultural and historical importance of the area, as well as to honour the Bunurong people and their connection to the land.
After extensive community consultation and further review from BLCAC, the name 'Torongo Park' was also formally endorsed by Council at the Council Meeting on 19 August 2024.
As 'Torongo' is not an accurate word for 'heart' in Boonwurrung language, and 'durru' was not the name voted on and chosen by the community, Council is proposing to not proceed with the name 'Torongo' and instead, commit to finding a more appropriate name moving forward.
Cardinia Shire Council CEO Carol Jeffs said, "Council is genuine in its commitment to community consultation, and we value the feedback, opinions and ideas shared by the community to help shape and inform key decisions."
"We are proud to see our new landmark park in Officer opening, as it will offer a range of regional firsts for the community such as the incredible adventure playground. However, such an extraordinary park, deserves an appropriate name which has been selected by the community for the community."
Cardinia Shire Council Mayor Cr Kowarzik said, "While we are disappointed that we are unable to proceed with the initial name chosen by the community, we are committed to getting this right. We appreciate that the Bunurong Land Council identified the issue before the park opens."
Council will now temporarily readopt the working name of 'Officer District Park' and will review its naming process and options, before reconsulting the community in 2025.
