By Ruza Zivkusic
AMEETINGwas held last week for Hillside residents to discuss Melton Shire’s name change, but no one turned up.
Four councillors and two council officers spent up to an hour waiting for residents to join them at the consultation meeting at Parkwood Green Community Centre last Wednesday.
It turned out to be a disappointing wait for the councillors as most of them said they doubted whether residents from the eastern part of the corridor really wanted a name change.
“I was expecting that some people would come,” councillor Justin Mammarella said.
“The fact that nobody came – I don’t know whether to think that they are all happy with any decision that we as a council make, or whether perhaps they’re not interested in it,” he said.
Cr Garry Stock believed residents did not take the matter seriously enough.
Thirty-two thousand surveys were sent to Melton Shire residents on 6 February, asking for their suggestions.
By 24 March, 1710 residents had replied to the survey with suggestions for the new names.
“As a councillor I’m at a loss because there is only so much information you can give to people and if they don’t take it up we will always get people saying. ‘I wasn’t told’,” Cr Stock said.
The highest percentage of responses came from Melton and the lowest from Diggers Rest.
When the decision to change the municipality’s name was made earlier in the year, 52 per cent of Hillside residents were in favour, and 84 per cent each of Melton and Melton South residents disagreed.
The most suggested name was Djerriwarrh, with 36 entries.
Cr Stock said a number of funny names were also suggested (see list), such as Harmony, Iraq, Satellite and Sherwood.
“There was one person that would submit 50 different surveys,” Cr Mammarella said.
Melton Shire mayor Chris Papas said a second consultation meeting was held the next day at Melton Community Hall, which attracted 20 people.
All except one resident were against the name change, Cr Chris Papas said.
Another two consultation meetings are scheduled for tonight (Tuesday) at Diggers Rest and at Rockbank tomorrow.
“We’re committed to finalise what we’ve started in order to get a view,” Cr Papas said.
He said it was up to the residents to attend meetings in order to ensure a fair decision.
“I think we just need to get a bit more serious about these things,” Cr Papas said.
So far $1500 has been spent on the project out of an allocated $30,000, he said.
