Proposed road name to honour long-time land owner

Council is proposing to name an existing un-named access track near the Hopkins River after a long-time land owner, George Rolfe.

The road is located off Otway Road at the rear of Scoborio Reserve.

George Rolfe (1836-1919) was a tea merchant who owned land along the Hopkins River in the 19th century. He named his property “Lyndoch” and by the 1880s, it was 50 acres in size and included a windmill, stables, a jetty and other buildings.

The property was sold in the 1950s and became the site of the current Lyndoch Living retirement and aged care facility.

A memorial horse trough commissioned by Rolfe’s stepdaughter can still be found near the Hopkins River Bridge.

Warrnambool City Council Chief Executive Officer Peter Schneider said that Rolfe Place had been proposed as a suitable name, with anyone in the community welcome to offer their support or suggest an alternative.

“Council maintains a list of suggested names for new roads, with George Rolfe deemed to be an appropriate candidate due to his long connection with the immediate area,” he said.

“While honouring a prominent former resident is one aspect of the proposal, from a practical perspective, naming the road will help in the event of an emergency.

“We are aware of previous incidents where emergency services had difficulty locating the road due to its lack of a name.

With Proudfoots, the angling club, the scout group and a playground all located on the road, the decision was made to name it to improve public safety.

“I’d like to invite anyone with an opinion on the proposed name to let us know.”

Submissions should be made in writing before 2pm Friday September 13 addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, PO Box 198 Warrnambool 3280. If a person making a written submission also requests to appear in person before the Council in support of the written submission, the submission must include this request.

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