Community submits thousands of new names for former bridge and drive
29 March 2022
After thousands of suggestions were put forward from the community, six key themes have emerged for the new names of the former Pisasale Drive and Paul Pisasale Bridge.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said she was excited and proud to see such a strong list of alternative names, thanking the community for their thoughtful suggestions.
“Over the course of four weeks council received 3,475 suggestions through Shape Your Ipswich, social media, emails and calls, with 1,154 names meeting the eligibility criteria and able to be grouped into six naming themes,” Mayor Harding said.
“Common themes included local sporting legends such as Ash Barty and Shane Watson, community heroes like Jeff Watson who was lollipop man for three decades, local flora and fauna and an Indigenous name recognising the first people of the region known traditionally as Tulmur.
“There were more than 2,320 suggestions that did not meet the criteria outlined in council’s Naming Procedure, the majority not permitted as eligible names as they referred to estate, business, product or religious names or themes, political names or themes, and council staff or councillors’ names.
“More than 100 suggestions received did not specify a particular thing or person, such as suggestions like ‘change it to anything’ and ‘not named after people’.”
Most common naming themes suggested for the former Paul Pisasale Bridge and Pisasale Drive:
- Ash Barty
- Jeff Watson – a ‘lollipop’ man for more than 30 years at Ipswich Central State School, who passed away last year.
- Local flora or fauna such as the Rakali (an aquatic mammal common in Ipswich waterways).
- Indigenous name chosen by Traditional Custodians, as a mark of respect and reconciliation.
- Local (non-sports/community) hero or founding family.
- No name – it was suggested the bridge not be named after person or thing.
Mayor Harding said she encourages everyone in the Ipswich community to sign into Shape Your Ipswich and lodge support for their preferred name for the Bridge and Drive.
“Ipswich residents can rank their favourite alternative name themes for both locations from the eligible shortlist until 8 April 2022.
“The eligible names in the most popular themes as voted by our community will then be presented to council for consideration.”
The call for name suggestions was open to the community from 7 February to 11 March 2022.
All responses and comments will be reported to council, and a detailed community engagement report will be made available on Shape Your Ipswich after the final decision is made by Council.
Council’s Naming Procedure, adopted during Administration (Aug 2018-Mar 2020), states council can rename a location after consultation with impacted businesses and residents.
Support of 75 per cent or more is needed from landowners along Pisasale Drive to proceed with a name change, with three out of four landholders agreeing to change the name at the start of consultation.
This was not required for the renaming of the bridge at Springfield. The signage on this bridge has since been removed.
Mayor Harding said it is the first-time council has used this name-changing process.
“As we have done since the day this council was elected in March 2020, we are asking our community what it wants and what they think is appropriate moving forward,” Mayor Harding said.
To view and support eligible name suggestions for the former Paul Pisasale Bridge in Springfield Central and for Pisasale Drive in Yamanto, visit www.shapeyouripswich.com.au/rename-paul-pisasale-bridge-and-drive.