July 2nd, 2023New Road Name Proposed for Ballarat Airport Precinct

The City of Ballarat intends to name multiple roadways within the Ballarat Airport precinct and is inviting public feedback.

The unnamed roads are all located within the Ballarat Airport precinct and provide access to the various occupancies. The current council addressing for each occupancy utilises a unique building reference number, however this addressing format is insufficient and ambiguous given the number of occupancies that operate in the precinct on various roadways.

Earlier in 2023, the council asked the community to provide feedback on a number of potential names for use in the airport precinct. There was a great amount of interest in this proposal and some insightful feedback was received. After taking this feedback into consideration, the council has now come back with an updated list of names that it believes embrace the history of the area.

The proposed names being recommended have been compiled in conjunction with the Airport Manager, Ballarat Airport Stakeholder Reference Group and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. Each name has been chosen for its relevance and/or historical significance to the Ballarat Airport in addition to conforming with the Naming rules for places in Victoria – Statutory requirements for naming roads, features and localities 2022. The council is only seeking feedback on the proposed names.

1. Kittyhawk Close – a well-known single seat aircraft that were the only effective RAAF fighters throughout the fighting at Port Moresby and Milne Bay in 1942 when the Japanese advance towards Australia was stopped[1](External link)(External link).
2. Winmaling Circuit – (pronounced Win-mar-ling) – the Wadawurrung word for ‘wind’ as supported by Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
3. Gladys Way– Gladys Joyce Mathews – born in Ballarat, enlisted into the Royal Australian Airforce in 1942 in Ballarat. Gladys was a part of the ‘1 Wireless and Gunners School Ballarat’ (Mathews has been ruled out as it would create a duplicate road name).
4. Avro Anson Approach- The Avro Anson is a significant aircraft in the history of the airport. During World War 2 over 6000 men trained at 1 Wireless Air Gunners School and the majority of them trained in one of the 72 Avro Anson’s used.
5. Terminal Place – an appropriate name for an access road to terminal buildings at an airport.
6. Karndorr Circuit – (pronounced Karn-door) – the Wadawurrung word for ‘track’ as supported by Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
7. Fairbairn Street – Wing Commander Charles Osborne Fairbairn served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps in World War 1 and afterwards in the Royal Air Force, where he was awarded the Air Force Cross. He served as the Commanding Officer of No 1 Wireless Air Gunners School and transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve of Officers in 1944. He was responsible for the training schools’ daily operations and the welfare of the trainees as well as fostering positive relations between the base and the Ballarat Community[2](External link)(External link).
8. Cheetah Road – designed by Armstrong Siddeley in 1930 and had evolved from the 7-cylinder Lynx radial of 1920. Primarily used on pre-war British military aircraft, including the Arvo Anson monoplane bomber which in 1935 was Britain’s’ first twin engine aircraft with retractable undercarriage[3](External link)(External link).
9. Boomerang Road – The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) Boomerang is a fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia between 1942 and 1945. It was the first combat aircraft designed and constructed in Australia.
10. Timmins Lane – Thora Beatrice Timmins – born in Ballarat, enlisted into the Royal Australian Airforce in 1942 in Ballarat. Thora was a part of the ‘1 Wireless and Gunners School Ballarat’.
11. Petch Circuit – Flying Officer Francis Noel Miller Petch was born and educated in Ballarat, wanting to join the air force from a young age. He enlisted in the Royal Australia Air Force in 1942 and was posted to the No 1 Wireless Air Gunners School. Frank was discharged from the Royal Australia Air Force in 1945 with the rank of Flying Officer[4](External link)(External link).

Working with the Traditional Owners

The City of Ballarat says it’s committed to reconciliation, working positively today and into the future with the Wadawurrung (Traditional Owners) and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members to learn, acknowledge and move forward together. In continuing this commitment, it is proposed that the the names;

Winmaling (prounounced Win-mar-ling) – the Wadawurrung word for ‘wind’,

Karndorr – (pronounced Karn-door) – the Wadawurrung word for ‘track’

be used in this renaming proposal as supported by Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.

Commemorative Naming

As part of this naming proposal, the council is considering the use of four commemorative names and would like to make contact with the family of the four people that we have proposed to name roads after. The four names are;

– Wing Commander Charles Osborne Fairbairn

– Flying Officer Francis Noel Miller Petch

– Thora Beatrice Timmins

– Gladys Joyce Mathews

Community Engagement

As part of the council’s legislative requirements for road naming, it is now seeking feedback on the proposed names. Interested parties are encouraged to make submissions, whether for or against a proposal.

Any proposed names must conform with the Naming rules for places in Victoria – Statutory requirements for naming roads, features and localities 2022. Further information on the naming guidelines is provided by the State Government at Place Naming – Naming Rules(External link)(External link).

Submissions on the proposed name are being invited and will be received by the council until 5pm Friday 7 July 2023 with more information on the council’s own website.

If no submissions are made it will be assumed that there are no objections and Council will proceed with the road naming process.