A small town council has rejected a resident’s request to change the name of a road as a “racial insult”.
The resident of Penola, a South Australian town of about 1,000 people located in the state’s east near the border with Victoria, had just bought a property on Chinaman’s Lane and was embarrassed by the name of the road.
He asked Wattle Range Council if they would change the name, but yahoo reported that it rejected the request at its monthly meeting on Tuesday.
“Upon consideration of the officials’ report detailing the historical origins of the name, opinions expressed by other residents and a submission received from a descendant of one of the first Chinese settlers, the council made the unanimous decision not to change the name of the lane,” lamented a spokesman.
Renaming the lane would have meant updating several databases, title references and addresses, according to the spokesperson.
The lane got its name in the 19th century when it was used by Chinese vegetable farmers selling supplies to those passing from Robe to Ballarat during the 19th century gold rush.
In the letter introducing the request, the anonymous resident acknowledged the historical origin of the name, but argued that it was outdated.
“While I recognize that the name has a connection to the history of the region, the word ‘Chinese’ is widely considered a slur, and has been for some time,” the letter said.
A council in the South Australian town of Penola, near the border with Victoria, has rejected a resident’s request to change the name of a road deemed a “racial slur”.
The letter’s author said they were especially embarrassed by the name if they had to share it with someone of Asian descent.
A similar name change proposal divided residents of one of Australia’s most luxurious suburbs in July.
Osmand Chiu, a second-generation Chinese-Australian, wanted a name change for Chinaman’s Beach in Mosman, on Sydney’s lower north shore.
Chiu, a researcher at the independent public policy think tank PerCapita, said the term “Chinese” is disrespectful and used as a racist slur.
“It’s shocking to have a place called ‘Chinamans Beach’ in the town I was born and raised in, like there’s nothing wrong with it,” he told the Mosman Collective.
“Nowadays we would never name a place or even refer to someone as ‘Chinese,’ which says a lot about the term.”
This popular tourist spot, which is surrounded by a 250m stretch of sand, is now home to some of the most expensive real estate in Australia.
It is understood that the name is relatively recent.
The beach was traditionally known as Rosherville Beach, but was renamed in 1977, according to Sydney University senior lecturer in history Sophie-Loy Wilson.
Despite the petition of an embarrassed new residents’ council, it rejected the name change stating that it had historical value.
Wilson told SBS Insight the name was changed to refer to Chinese fishermen who used the surrounding waters.
Locals are divided on the issue, with resident and real estate consultant Rob Klaric saying the picturesque beach should not be renamed.
“A lot of rich Chinese people from mainland China love the fact that the beach is called Chinese Beach,” he said.
Other neighbors defended the name on social media.
‘Well, should it be called Australianman Beach? Let’s see how that goes? “I’m so bored of people being offended by the words, yawn, yawn,” one wrote.
Another added: ‘Of course not. It is history with a wonderful story. When will this madness end?