By Xavier Smerdon
A 17-YEAR-OLD Wyndham student has become part of the history books by coming up with the name of a new park in Tarneit.
Tristan Clark took out the top prize last week in an 18-month-long competition to find a name for a park in The Reserve residential community.
Asset1, the developer of the community, challenged students from Westbourne Grammar School to reach into their imaginations and think of the best name for the park.
The winning entry was Meeree Reserve, which means sun in the local Aboriginal language.
Tristan said he chose the name because it incorporated a number of hidden meanings.
“The sun is the reason that this parkland has transformed from a mass of dirt into a thriving native parkland for the general public to enjoy,” Tristan said.
“The Aboriginal people worshipped the sun, it was a part of who they were and their lives so this is another reason I have decided on this term.”
Asset1 managing director, Luke Adams, said the park naming competition was a way to engage local students and to encourage a sense of ownership of their surrounding community.
“Asset1 has been developing new estates in the City of Wyndham for many years, but the one element which cannot be simply ‘made’ is a true sense of community,” Mr Adams said.
“That’s why programs such as this park naming competition are so important as they help to create a sense of identity within these new communities.”
