Tatura Reserve Renaming Request Not Supported

Council has recently considered the request to rename Tatura Reserve in Tatura Crescent, Fulham Gardens to ‘John & Teresa Pinto Reserve’, or similar variation. We can now confirm that the decision of the Asset Management Committee on 19/06/2023 (Item 4.44) not to support the renaming request of Tatura Reserve in Tatura Crescent, Fulham Gardens has been supported. This means that Tatura Reserve will retain its existing name and there will be no change.

This decision follows consideration of the outcomes of community engagement, undertaken in March/April 2023 and available below, our Reserve Naming Policy, and other cultural or historic implications, alongside Council's discretionary view. We'd like to thank the requestor and everyone who participated in the consultation process and noted their support or objection toward this request.

Overall, majority of unique respondents were not in support of the renaming proposal, with 62% against changing the name of the reserve, 31% in support of renaming the reserve, 5% not minding either way what the reserve is called and 2% indeterminate. All feedback was noted and carefully considered in the decision making.

We will soon be installing a reserve name sign in the reserve, identifying it as Tatura Reserve and making clearer that Tatura Reserve has been specifically identified as a ‘dogs on-lead’ reserve following feedback received during the engagement process.

We appreciate the community’s participation in this consultation and the sharing of local & historic knowledge, alternative ideas and personal opinions. You can view more about this request and the engagement outcomes by navigating this project page, otherwise don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Community Engagement Objectives

We engaged with the community from 9am Friday, 10 March to 5pm Sunday, 2 April 2023 on the proposed renaming of Tatura Reserve in Fulham Gardens.

The purpose of this engagement was to:

• Inform the community about the renaming request received for Tatura Reserve and Council’s approval to consider of this request.
• Understand if the community supported a change to the reserve name and, if so, which name they preferred from the options presented, or if they preferred for the name to retain its current name – “Tatura Reserve”.
• Invite comment to understand the community’s connection to the reserve, any historic insights on the reserve and its existing name, and what the renaming of the reserve might mean to the public - both for and against the proposal.
• Collate the information received from the community to assist in Council’s decision-making when determining how the proposal will proceed.

For the period of open consultation, we had 174 visitors to the Your Say Charles Sturt project page and posted approximately 331 consultation fact sheets to the surrounding reserve area. We received a total of 57 responses and submissions to the consultation, 42 which were unique. Based on the fact sheets distributed to the surrounding area, this represents an approximate 13% participation rate. In addition, we received 1 petition and 5 feedback forms which could not be included in these results as they were not able to be attributed to individuals. However, their preferences were still included in the report findings for Council consideration.

Overall, it was apparent that majority of survey respondents were not in support of the request to rename the reserve, however many who did not support the renaming of the reserve were supportive of a plaque or other public recommendation for Mr John Pinto.

The general sentiment from those participants who objected to the renaming request for Tatura Reserve (62%) cited the following reasons for their objection to the proposal:

• A past attempt to rename the reserve after Mr Pinto was already rejected or declined due to resident feedback at that time;
• A personal connection to the existing reserve name and being long-time residents in the area;
• Interest in the origins and history of the name 'Tatura', and concerns/respect for the significance the existing name may have to Indigenous Australians;
• Naming after an individual should recognise those who contribute to the City in a volunteer capacity or have achieved significant achievement to the benefit of others.

There were those who, while not supportive of renaming the reserve, were supportive of alternative recognition for Mr John Pinto, such as a plaque or personal tribute as a more appropriate and considerate option that also recognises community ties to the existing name.

While 31% of participants were supportive of the renaming request for Tatura Reserve, we received limited comments/written submissions that demonstrated support for the proposal. These comments indicated:

• That naming the reserve after Mr Pinto was an appropriate recognition of his work; and
• That some residents were unaware of the existing the name or that the reserve had a name already, and so were supportive of a request to rename it.

Other comments that were made that did not specifically express a preference or sentiment, suggested:

• Naming the reserve “Tatura Pinto Reserve” or "Pinto Reserve"
• Consider naming a newly developed reserve “Pinto Reserve”, rather than renaming Tatura Reserve.
• Installing plaques in reserves across the city to that explain the history or meaning behind the reserve name, as its nice for the community to understand why a place has been named in that way.
• It would be great to see Council considering and reporting on the history of reserve naming’s when they consider these proposals, to understand the history and background of the original name and its significance to residents, culture, and history.

Other feedback and requests received on reserve features that were not within the scope of this consultation were:

• Comments about dogs off-leash and not being patrolled (2)
• Not knowing the current reserve name/no signage (2)
• Request for a community garden (1)

Queries and comments about dogs being off-leash and unpoliced was investigated with our Community Safety team during the consultation period. They have confirmed that Tatura Reserve is a dog on-lead only reserve and, after visiting the site, signage reflecting this could be better displayed. They have also committed to increasing patrols at this reserve to encourage compliance by dog owners.

It was noted that there is no current reserve name signage on Tatura Reserve, which may also be why some respondents commented that they were not aware of its name. Once a decision has been made about the reserve name, a naming sign will be commissioned and installed for this reserve, which will include direction that dogs are to be on-leash only.

Please refer to the comments and responses document for further information on other, out of scope requests received.

There were several references made about the meaning and origins of the name ‘Tatura’. Some comments suggested that this was an Aboriginal name meaning ‘Small Lagoon’. Information was also provided suggesting that the name has potential significance in Indigenous history in Victoria. Another contributor suggested that old, underground maps suggest that the area was part of a small (now underground) river system.

Staff contacted Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi (KYK) to seek any information on the name ‘Tatura’, including any history or cultural significance to the area or First Nations people, and also seek any feedback on the renaming request. The report was delayed by one month to allow additional time for feedback to be received, but at the time of submitting the decision report, KWK had not been able to provide a response. Given the decision report is recommending that the name of the reserve remain as 'Tatura Reserve', it was not deemed imperative to delay the report further however staff will engage with KWK on future naming/renaming requests prior to undertaking consultation to ensure they have opportunity to provide input, historic information and advice.

Queries and comments about dogs being off-leash and unpoliced was investigated with our Community Safety team during the consultation period. They have confirmed that Tatura Reserve is a dog on-lead only reserve and, after visiting the site, signage reflecting this could be better displayed. This will be actioned shortly, and the community safety team have committed to increasing patrols at this reserve to encourage compliance by dog owners.

It was noted that there is no current reserve name signage on Tatura Reserve, which may also be why some respondents commented that they were not aware of its name. Once a decision has been made about the reserve name, a naming sign will be commissioned and installed for this Reserve, which will include direction that dogs are to be on-leash only.

The Asset Management Committee (AMC) will review the outcomes of community engagement on the renaming request and consider the findings when deciding on the matter at its meeting on 19 June 2023. Based on the outcomes of enggement with the community, the decision report recommends, "That the name of 'Tatura Reserve' be retained in accordance with Council's Reserve Naming Policy", taking into consideration the strong community desire to retain the current name of the reserve.

Following endorsement of the AMC's decision by Council at its 26 June meeting, this page will be updated with the outcome of the request, and we will inform all consultation contributors, the consultation catchment area, and other identified communities of interest of the final decision via email or post.

If you have an interest in the outcome of this project, you are encouraged to +Follow the page to be notified of the decision and updates and decisions as soon as they become available.