Road rage: Lyn and Greg Emerson, with the Cohen Street sign in the background. They actually live on Cohen Rd, but the sign has been stolen. They are hopeful that submissions to council in regard to the re-naming of their street to Platypus Road will influence a re-think by Campaspe shire.
Battle lines are being drawn by residents of Rochester’s Cohen Rd who are planning to reject a Campaspe shire suggestion that Platypus Rd be used as the new address of their homes.
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Six of the road’s eight residents are preparing submissions in response to a letter received on August 18 from the Campaspe Shire Council’s assets manager Daniel Basham.
There are four other residents who share Cohen Rd addresses despite being located at the end of long laneways, involved in the feedback process — which must be tabled to shire before September 30.
Lyn and Greg Emerson are decade-long residents of Cohen Rd and, due to mailing confusion, were last residents of Cohen Rd to be made aware of the proposed name change.
They, along with neighbour Kirsty Gebbie and a growing band of nearby residents, are preparing to make alternative suggestions to Platypus Rd.
“We don’t mind the street being renamed, we would just like a say in the name.
“And we really think that there are better options than Platypus Rd, particularly when several of the founding families of Rochester are not recognised with street or road names in the town,” Mrs Emerson said.
The August 18 letter includes a suggestion that the stretch of road from Pascoe St to Aitken Rd (where the Emersons live) at the southern end of a confusing road network that starts as Cohen Rd, bear the name of the native Australian marsupial mammal — which dominates the landscape of the town.
“We think it is a bit of overkill (the platypus is featured on the giant silo in the heart of the town and there are platypus carvings along the Campaspe River) and having spoken to friends about the name change — after they pick themselves up off the floor from laughter — we have some up with other options,” she said.
Historic marker: This marker on High St honorus Dr John Pearson Rowe, the man recognised as Rochester’s founder, who residents of Cohen Rd have identified as a preferred option for the re-naming of their road.
Mrs Emerson and the other residents involved in discussions have suggested that the founder of Rochester, Dr John Pearson Rowe, would be the ideal person to be honoured with a road or street named in recognition of his achievements.
Dr Rowe was the first person to erect a building in Rochester, opposite the current Ampol service station in High St, when he founded the Star Hotel — a Cobb & Co stage stop.
“A platypus certainly didn’t discover Rochester, and neither did a kingfisher,” she said.
A second name, Kingfisher Rd, has been nominated by council as the new title for the stretch of road between Zegelin and Sullivan Rds (at the opposite end of the lengthy thoroughfare that stretches across Lowry Rd, most commonly known as Kyabram Rd - just to add further to the confusion).
After Sullivan Rd the name changes from Cohen Rd to Cohen St and continues in that state to Pascoe St, where it changes back to Cohen Rd.
"We are at 276 Cohen Rd, which ends at Pascoe St, then it is Cohen St to Lowry St, then it continues as Cohen St to Sullivan Rd, when it becomes Cohen Rd again,’’ Mrs Emerson said.
By now I am sure you can see the reason for the need for some sort of name change.
And you are not alone in your confusion.
Emergency services are among the organisations leading the charge in regard to re-visiting the street and road names — located close to the eastern entrance to Rochester.
Mr and Mrs Emerson said because they have a second property in their name at Echuca it was some time before they received the letter informing them of the road name alterations.
“Greg read it in the paper, but all the other people in the street already knew about it,” Mrs Emerson said.
The couple is no newcomer to conversing with the local government authority, they have regularly reported the frustrating removal — illegally — of the sign that shows their road name.
“The Cohen Rd sign, from some reason, has been stolen three times,” she said.
Such is the confusion of the Emersons in relation to the street and road names that they didn’t even realise the opposite (northern) end of their road was also known as Cohen Rd.
There were no potential names mentioned in the initial August 8 letter, but 10 days later the names Platypus and Kingfisher appeared on the council documentation.
Mrs Emerson and her neighbuor, after speaking with the other residents, have found nine of the 12 residents are against the Platypus Rd re-naming.
“I was told by a shire officer, when I made contact, that our road was the closest to the Campaspe River, which is why they chose the name Platypus,” she said.
In the second letter, unveiling the proposed names, the reasoning for the selection is “(they ) have been chosen as they are a connection to place for the community. Both animals are local fauna that are featured on the town’s silo art and with statues throughout the township.
“Kingfisher Rd and Platypus Rd meet the required naming rules,” the letter explained.
Mrs Emerson said the only time residents of the street saw the river was when it flooded.
“I love those silos to bits, but they have a lot to answer for,” she said.
She said naming the street after someone like Dr Rowe, who died at the age of 68 on May 16, 1878, was more fitting.
Then there is the confusing formula used to number homes on the road.
“If this gets through, because we are 320 metres from Pascoe St, we will become 32 Platypus Rd. They apparently decide the home numbers by dividing the distance by 10 — so we become number 32,” she said.
Mrs Emerson said she hoped the outcome would be that the Platypus and Kingfisher Rd names would be saved for new housing developments in Rochester.
"I would love the street to become Rowe St or Rowe Rd.
“Research by another resident, who is building a home at the end of a lane that starts on Cohen Rd — the southern version — had also suggested the name Seward.
“He (Thomas Seward) apparently bought the Star Hotel off Dr Rowe.
“And then there is the Major family, who are not recognised with a street or road name in Rochester.
“They are probably even more relevant to this road because they started the abattoirs, which was in the next block,” she said.
Mrs Emerson said she understood the reason behind the name change, due to emergency services, tongue-in-cheek telling me that the only time there had been a fire truck down the street was when Santa came at Christmas.
Adding further complication to the process is the fact that the town boundary finishes at Pascoe St, and does not include the Emersons and their neighbours.
“Apparently that means that the whole stretch of the road cannot be changed to Cohen St or Cohen Rd,’’ she said.
Rochester ward Councillor Paul Jarman said the re-naming of streets was an extremely serious process for the state government
“There are a whole range of reasons that the names (Platypus and Kingfisher) have been suggested, but this is very much the start of the process — not the end.
“Mailing and delivery, along with emergency services, all need to be considered. We do need to work through the process that meets with the wishes of the community and the requirements of the government authorities,” he said.
• Campaspe Shire Council Interim chief executive officer Tim Tamlin said council was currently undertaking the street naming process in accordance with its statutory obligations.
“We understand that this has been an outstanding matter for many years which is of great concern to the emergency authorities when responding to emergency calls, due to the confusion the current street names and numbering creates.
“Council looks forward to hearing from residents so their feedback and suggestions can be considered when council makes its determination on how to best respond,” he said.
Founding father: Dr John Pearson Rowe, considered founder of Rochester after he was the first to erect a building at the site of the town — originally known as Rowe’s Camp.
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