What's in a name?
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Plenty, says Jim Cassidy, who's lived in Brolgan Road for 48 years.
A few weeks ago the Cassidy household received a letter from Parkes Shire Council advising of plans to change the name of their part of their road to Hooley Street.
At present, Hooley Street extends from the Parkes skate park to Middleton Street where the road veers to the left and becomes Brolgan Road.
The proposal is to extend the name Hooley Street along what is now Brolgan Road - where the road veers to the left - to the new bypass extension of Hartigan Avenue.
Brolgan Road would then be the name of the road from the bypass out of town.
The proposal comes after Transport for NSW requested council to assist with the road naming process and changes to existing and proposed roads as part of the Parkes Bypass upgrade, according to the letter.
It's based on concerns about mapping for emergency services once the bypass is constructed, Mr Cassidy says.
No thanks, he adds.
"For us it makes no sense," he told the Champion Post, pointing out that changing the current Brolgan Road name impacts more residents than any other option.
Google maps shows five numbered properties in Hooley Street - one to nine along the southern side of the road - and 78 along Brolgan Road to Hartigan Avenue.
Every one of them would have to change addresses from utility bills to banking, vehicle registration to passports, Mr Cassidy said.
But it's more than the inconvenience of the change, it's also personal preference.
"Why would we want to be called Hooley Street when we can be named Brolgan Road - based on the Aboriginal name for a beautiful Australian bird?" He asked.
There's also a proud local history attached to the name 'Brolgan', residents say.
Mr Cassidy says the consensus at a meeting of residents, who invited some councillors to join them, on the weekend was that the road on the far side of the bypass be renamed West Brolgan Road or similar if it's going to cause an issue for emergency services.
"Council said they will pay for it but it's a lot of expense and I believe it's a waste - the Parkes ratepayer will be paying for it," he said.
A public petition opposing the change has since been delivered to council.
The road name change proposal was initially tabled at council's ordinary meeting in July 2020, where they agreed to first seek public feedback on the matter.
The letter says once the public consultation process is completed, a future report will be presented to council to consider adoption or further alternatives.
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