No more name changes

Cairns council says the people need to make their case

Cairns councillors are hesitant to change more landmark names on the basis of offence until they see more evidence of community activism.

At its Wednesday meeting the council noted the change of Blackfellows Creek to Bana Gindarja Creek, a change brought about by a Gimuy Walubara Yidinji campaign.

But changing other contentious landmark names – such as White Rock’s Skeleton Creek, a morbid reminder of what historians and traditional owners have said was a frontier war massacre of Aboriginal people – would need to be driven by a community campaign, deputy mayor Terry James said.

“It depends on the community. (Blackfellows Creek) has a long history of community wanting to change that name,” Mr James said. “If there are others out there, people are encouraged to make submissions to council.”

The Queensland Department of Resources is ultimately responsible for changing creek names.

But the successful change of Blackfellows Creek’s name involved council advocacy – at a January 2021 meeting the council resolved to support the name change and made a submission to the Department of Resources the next month.

Now named Bana Gindarja, the name change set a precedent for the Cairns region; the creek is also one of very few in Queensland that has had its name changed.

Division 2 councillor Rob Pyne, who led the campaign at council, said he was not yet convinced that changing other landmark names, such as Skeleton Creek, was the appropriate course of action.

“Some people have the view that it’s important to not forget what happened in the frontier wars,” Mr Pyne said.

“To have landmarks named where these injustices occurred, it makes people aware that the frontier wars happened, because there’s still some denial of that.

“It’s my job to listen, so if traditional owners and the community want to change that name, I’ll consider that.”

Mr Pyne also raised Chinaman Creek – which runs through Portsmith, Woree and Earlville – at council’s meeting.

“I haven’t had one person from the Chinese community in Cairns say they want that name changed,” he said.

“It’s an acknowledgment of Chinese history in Cairns, but I’m happy to hear a different point of view.”

Lai Chu Chan, the president of Cairns and District Chinese Association, said her personal view was the name Chinaman Creek was not offensive.

“I don’t think it’s derogatory,” she said.

It makes people aware that the frontier wars happened

Rob Pyne Cairns councillor