Perth Voice Interactive

The co-naming of Weld Square as “Wongi Park” is off the table.

Vincent council had approved the dual naming in principle, but mayor Alannah MacTiernan told the Voice it was dropped following meetings with the indigenous community (last week we reported the name had been adopted).

“There wasn’t a great deal of enthusiasm,” Ms MacTiernan says.

Wongi means having a chat in Nyungar, but there’s also a mob from the goldfields called Wongi and the locals felt this might cause confusion.

Ms MacTiernan says while the name’s a no-go, the council still wants to recognise the significance of the park for Aboriginal people, and they’re currently trying to secure a sculpture that was historically outside the nearby Aboriginal Advancement Council.

by DAVID BELL