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| IMAGE: Daily Telegraph, 22 September 2023 |
Echo, 21 November 2023:
Changing the name of a local street because it is derived from a racist slur might seem a simple decision at first glance.
But the reality has proven more complicated when it comes to Hottentot Crescent in Mullumbimby’s Tallowwood housing estate.
The street was given its name because of the hottentot fig trees that were planted there in 1993.
But the word ‘hottentot’ itself is a racial slur that has been directed toward members of the Khoisan tribe in South Africa for hundreds of years.
Earlier this year Byron Council was approached by a local resident who argued that the crescent should be renamed.
In response to the approach Council sent letters to the 23 houses on the street asking for their views.
It received a wide range of responses, from those who felt the strongly that name should be changed, through to those who strongly believed it has become part of the local identity that has nothing to do with its racist derivation.....
Byron Shire councillors will consider the issue as Item 13.23 Possible change of road name Hottentot Crescent, Mullumbimby at its ordinary monthly meeting on Thursday 23 November 2023.
Item 13.23 carries the staff recommendation:
That Council commences the name change process for Hottentot Crescent, Mullumbimby
