A CELEBRATION was held in Worwong Avenue, Somerville, to acknowledge name changes to the street, reserve and pre-school.
Originally, Blacks Camp was used to name a road, a pre-school and a reserve.
Mornington Peninsula Shire changed the name from Blacks Camp Road – which was seen as being offensive – earlier this year after consultation with First Nations people and the community.
Worwong Avenue, which it is now known as, comes from a traditional name for the location referred to in the 1841 journals of William Thomas, the protector of Aborigines of Port Phillip, who chronicled his life and work with the Kulin nation people.
A mural titled Tillerkite (play in Aboriginal language) made by the pre-schoolers supervised by Aunty Sammi Trist now stands at the front of the pre-school.
The reserve’s new name, Beek Beek (pronounced biik biik) relates to earth (many lands).
The Somerville Community House, pre-school and senior citizens collaborated to hold a celebration including activities for all ages.
There were displays of art and craft work, activities for children such as nature threading, stick wrapping, seed planting, a scavenger hunt, while musicians and singers performed on the day to an appreciative audience.
The Somerville Community House unveiled a new patchwork quilt for the centre and members the Somerville/Tyabb Rotary Club were on hand with their barbecue raising money for Kids in Wheelchairs.
Community house manager Kim Fitcher said everyone agreed it was a wonderful day celebrating with the Somerville community.
First published in the Western Port News – 25 October 2022
