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Unit 4
Your National Capital
What's in a Name?
Activity
Setting the scene
Recognising that the National Capital is a place for all Australians, suburbs, town centres and street names within the National Capital are named in accordance with established policies and guidelines.
Many of Canberra's suburbs have been named after famous Australians or politicians.
A Canberra suburb often has a theme for all of its street names, such as sportsmen and women, politicians, musicians, the film industry, inventors, mining towns and river systems.
A new suburb is being developed in your town and it requires a suitable name.
What to do
- Create a name for a suburb using the criteria below.
- List reasons why you have chosen a particular name.
- Present your case to a committee.
Use these criteria for naming a suburb in your town:
- A name for an Australian suburb should reflect Australian history and be a source of national pride and achievement.
- If choosing a person's name for a suburb, that person should have contributed significantly to Australian society. Christian and/or surnames can be used.
- If choosing a person's name for a suburb, that person should have been deceased for at least twelve months.
- Duplication of the name in other suburbs must be avoided.
- A name for a suburb considered likely to cause offence must be avoided in all circumstances.
List in detail the reasons why you came up with a particular name for the suburb.
Nominate five people to form a suburb-naming committee.
Write the suburb name on the blackboard. You have ten minutes to convince the committee that the name you have chosen for the suburb is the best choice.
During this time, the committee should take notes. At the end of all the presentations, discuss which suburb name is the most suitable. Rank five names in order of preference and present to the class your reasons for the committee's decisions.
