The Victorian government has renamed a lake in Melbourne after the founder of Sikhism, sparking fury from local residents who are fighting to change it back.
Berwick Springs Lake was officially renamed Guru Nanak Lake in a ceremony on November 9 which was attended by several Labor MPs and the Victorian Multicultural Commissioner and included a “welcome to country” performance conducted by an indigenous man.
“This land belongs to aboriginal people. Being welcomed by them here and having a place named after our Guru is an honour,” said chair of the Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria (SICV) Jasbir Singh Suropada, who lobbied the government to rename the lake since 2018.
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny said in a speech that the renaming was “another way we are ensuring Victoria’s place names better reflect and celebrate our state’s rich diversity and history”, and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt announced $600,000 for Sikh community meal events statewide.
The lake was nominated for renaming under the state’s “Name a Place” initiative which seeks to honour Victorians who have made a contribution and are from “groups currently under-represented in Victoria’s place names”. It is unclear how the founder of Sikhism fits the criteria.
But many locals were unhappy about the change, saying they were never consulted and that it set an alarming precedent, and creating a petition to undo it.
“This is so wrong. I’ll be fighting for it to be reverted back. This has no relevance whatsoever and is creating further division. Watch this space the residents are furious. Appalling,” wrote one resident on Facebook.
“The process and this renaming of an already established public place is simply wrong. Even more disturbing is the lack of respect given to the local residents who were never consulted. It’s offensive,” head petitioner against the renaming, Michael Ball, said.
“The Berwick Springs lake is the focal point of our local area, it’s our identity and everyone knows it as Berwick Springs. Many residents I have spoken to since Saturday are shocked to say the least, many saying this is unbelievable.
“You cannot change the name of a local area without consultation first, that is this government’s and your first mistake.”
The petition against the renaming states: “Residents find the lack of community consultation a betrayal of democratic principles and extremely poor public sector governance, totally outside what they expect of the elected representatives and public servants.
“Residents are anxious about what this unilateral decision means for our community.
“What relevance does Guru Nanak Dev Ji born in 1494 and founder of Sikhism have to our local area?”
Even some members of the immigrant Sikh community spoke out against the renaming, and warned it could provoke a “racist” backlash.
“I’m a Punjabi Sikh. I’m sorry, but this name is a bad idea. In the rush to ingratiate yourself with Indian Australians (something politicians of all stripes are guilty of), you’ve ignored that Guru Nanak is a *religious* figure,” wrote Amanjit Gill.
“I don’t think we should be naming landmarks after religious figures (unless a landmark’s notability is specifically due to religion). If a person happens to have a Punjabi name but their notability is unconnected to religion, that would be different. But the name ‘Guru Nanak’ exists entirely in a religious context as the founder of Sikhism.
“Additionally, such gestures are cynical – everyone can see it, except for the community being flattered. And they’re counterproductive. Rather than increase harmony, all they ever achieve is increased suspicion and racism against visible minorities.”
A temporary sign has been erected at the lake announcing the renaming, and saying the permanent signage will be “developed in consultation with traditional owners, Sikh communities, City of Casey and Melbourne Water”.
A signboard was also installed by SICV at the site containing information about the Sikhism founder.
Victoria is home to 91,000 Sikhs, according to the 2021 Census, and the lake’s surrounding suburbs of Berwick and Narre Warren South are home to just 670 and 595 Sikhs respectively.
Header image: A temporary sign announcing the renaming, left. Labor MP Lee Tarlamis wears a Sikh head covering at the ceremony, right (Facebook)
