Coon Island and Coon Island Point will be no more.
Lake Macquarie Council at their July meeting voted 8 to 5 in favour of submitting a Place Name Proposal to the Geographical Names Board to rename Coon Island to Pirrita Island and rename Coon Island Point to Miners Point.
But, a rescission motion signed by Liberal councilor Jason Pauling and Independents Colin Grigg and John Gilbert was put forward to reverse that beucase they didn’t feel that it aligned with the community’s views.
Council has undertook community consultation in May asking what the community thought of a change – of the 2120 responses received by Council, 56 per cent were against a name change and 44 were for a name change.
Last night at an Extraordinary Meeting, the Coon Island and Coon Island Point rescission motion was defeated.
Council’s original decision remains in place and council staff will proceed with a Place Name Proposal to the Geographical Names Board to rename Coon Island to Pirrita Island and Coon Island Point to Miner’s Point.
Council said that reviewing the name forms part of an upgrade to the site, including a new boardwalk, public art and interpretative signage, proposed to start in 2021-2022.
Image credit: Lake Macquarie Council