The naming of parks and reserves better identifies the location in case of an emergency and commemorates a person that has made a significant contribution to Wodonga.
Proposed by the council’s Place Names Committee, the three names have been given in-principle support by the office of Geographic Names and there have been no objections from family members.
As per the Geographic Place Names Act 1998, the council is now asking the community for their feedback on the proposed names.
As part of the naming process, once approved, a parks sign with the name of the park as well as a short summary about the person or reason behind the name is placed on site.
The three names and their locations proposed are:
- Jenny Elford Park - Acacia Crescent, Wodonga;
- Haeusler Park - Kingswood Way, Wodonga; and,
- Whitla Park
-
Between Fisher Court and Nicholson Court,
Res2 on LP203101 and Res1 on LP138959.
Park name: Jenny Elford ParkLocation: Acacia Crescent, Wodonga
Jenny Elford was known across Australia as the Snow Girl after becoming lost in the mountains for four days in 1953 in Mt Donna Buang. As a result she lost both legs below her knee to frostbite. Jenny, a trained nurse, later became a chiropodist and after marrying Hugh Elford she moved to Wodonga in 1981 with her two children. She instigated and operated the Albury Wodonga Amputee Support Group. She passed away in 2012.
Park name: Haeusler ParkLocation: Kingswood Way, Wodonga
The Haeusler family was an early land owner in Wodonga. They arrived in Lobethal, South Australia, from Germany in the 1850s and then set out for Wodonga West, arriving in 1860. The family owned the property now known as “Whitestone” on Coyles Rd and had also owned a sheep farm on the hill country at Wodonga West. Their farm land is now occupied by the Wodonga Golf Club.
Park name: Whitla ParkLocation: Between Fisher Court and Nicholson Court, Res2 on LP203101 and Res1 on LP138959
Charles Francis Whitla, aka Chas Whitla, contributed so much to the community. In 1979, he received Wodonga Council’s Community Service Award and later that year the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s Honours. From Wangaratta to Benalla to Wodonga, many of his former students have gone on to become leaders in their own fields and continue Charles Whitla’s community work.