On Saturday, 9 November 2024, in a troubling Victorian State Government first that sets an alarming precedent for 6,000+ community locations in Victoria, the following sign was erected in Berwick Springs:

As a member of the community, I wish to express my deep concern and disbelief about this change and the process by which it was conducted.

The name Berwick Springs Lake is intrinsically linked to the identity of our Berwick Springs community. It has been a defining feature of our neighborhood and holds significant meaning for local residents. The sudden change of this name, without proper community consultation, has caused enormous distress among residents and beyond.

We find it deeply troubling that consultation with the local community has not ocurred on the fundamental matter of the name change. Residents find the lack of community consultation a betrayal of democratic principles and extremely poor public sector governance, totally outside what they expect of the elected representatives and public servants. It also concerning that residents will not be consulted on the "permanent signage" and on any other fixtures (e.g. monument) earmarked to be installed at the lake. It is imperative that we are respected and consulted in all related matters moving forward.

Residents are anxious about what this unilateral decision means for our community.

This sets a concerning precedent that extends far beyond our neighborhood. If established place names can be changed without meaningful community consultation here, it could happen anywhere. This creates uncertainty and concern that extends to residents from across the state, who will worry their own community landmarks could face similar arbitrary changes.

The objection to this change is a matter of principle. It would remain the same regardless of which religious figure's name had been chosen. This is not about any particular faith or community, but rather about maintaining the community identity of our area.

We respectfully request that you take action to:
1. Review the process by which this decision was made.
2. Adequately engage in a process of community consultation in this matter, with a particular emphasis on those most directly affected - the residents of Berwick Springs.
3. Take necessary steps to reinstate the original name, Berwick Springs Lake.

The community demands that all associated work (e.g. development of new signage) is halted until proper consultation occurs.

The head petitioner is Mr Michael Ball, who himself wrote the following pertinent questions:

• Why has the name changed of The Berwick Springs Lake to Guru Nanak?
• Why weren’t local residents consulted on the name change?
• Who initiated this name change without local community consultation?
• Does this mean our local area will no longer be called Berwick Springs and will all street signage and names on maps be changed and now be called LAKE GURU NANAK?
• What relevance does Guru Nanak Dev Ji born in 1494 and founder of Sikhism have to our local area? Why was the Sikh religion chosen, given we are a multicultural community with many religions and community groups living in our area?
• What will the permanent signage look like, and will our local residents be consulted?
• Over 1,000 local residents took the developer of Alira to VCAT to save the Berwick Springs Estate Entry Features, name and all, will residents have to go to VCAT again?
  
  

In signing this petition, I state that:
1. I do not agree with changing the name of Berwick Springs Lake  to Guru Nanak Lake.
2. I have not been consulted on this change.
3. I support the points of action (indicated above).