The final decision to change an 'offensive' and 'racist' creek name now lies with Geographic Names Victoria, after two relevant councils voted in support of the proposed renaming.
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Hepburn Shire councillors unanimously supported recommendations to change the name Jim Crow Creek to Larni Barramal Yaluk during a council meeting on Wednesday night.
Mount Alexander Shire councillors unanimously backed the name change during a meeting on Tuesday night.
Hepburn Shire Councillor Don Henderson moved the motion to support the name change which he said had been 'a long time coming'.
This is a step forward, it is a step towards working together in reconciliation.
- Cr Jen Bray, Hepburn Shire Council
"What a long saga this has been. I can remember this going on for years and years," he said.
"I think it is a credit to the hard work put in by our RAC (Reconciliation Action Committee), the community, all our council officers and councillors, not just those here today but previous councillors who long wanted to see this happen."
The potential renaming of the creek which runs from near Hepburn through Franklinford and Newstead has long been a point of contention in the community.
An extensive community consultation process which included a special meeting for councillors to hear public submissions revealed overwhelming support for the change, with a relatively small number of loud objectors.
There were 187 people in support of the renaming overall, including 41 tacit approvals, with 30 objectors, a council report revealed.
Representatives of the local traditional owners Dja Dja Wurrung recommended the name Larni Barramal Yaluk, meaning home or habitat of the Emu Creek.
Jim Crow is known as a racist and derogatory term referring to 'black people' across the world and was applied to the 'Jim Crow Laws' in the United States from 1877.
Hepburn Shire Councillor Lesley Hewitt seconded the motion for renaming and said changing the name did not change history as many objectors feared, but instead recognised pre-colonial history.
"I found it somewhat ironic those who felt by changing the name we were erasing history did not recognise that the name itself erased the history of the Djaara people," she said.
"To me we are reinstating language but also acknowledging that history. It makes me proud to be part of Hepburn Shire in doing that.
"Some people objecting said it doesn't really matter. The reality is it does matter... to First Nations people and numerous people who encouraged us to do it and have fought for this or raised this for a long time."
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"By changing it we would be showing respect and awareness to First Nations people. This would be another important step in the right direction," he said.
Councillor Jen Bray said it was no longer appropriate to hold onto a name that has racist connotations that causes pain and distress to traditional owners and others in the community.
"By reinstating a Djaara name we are remembering a history that goes back thousands of years," she said.
"We are remembering and learning about emu dreaming place, connecting to country so we can respect it and its caretakers, learn how to take care of country and be a part of it. T
"This is a step forward, it is a step towards working together in reconciliation."
The registrar at the Office of Geographic Names (OGN) will make the final decision to accept or reject the name change proposal.
All people who participated in the community consultation period will be advised of the council decision.
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