Historical significance will continue to run through the heart of the Camden area, after Council endorsed the names of nine new parks at its Ordinary Meeting last night.

Greenfields Development Company requested Council’s support in naming seven parks and two reserves in Oran Park before being sent to the Geographical Naming Board to be formalised.

The new names of the parks and reserves have been connected to the history of the area and include:

1. Angus Park – in recognition of the farming heritage of Oran Park. Angus is a breed of cattle that was imported into Tasmania in the 1820s.
2. Brooking Park – Frank Brooking was Mayor of Camden from 1993 to 1997. He was a respected civic leader and member of Camden Rotary, Rural Fire Service and many other community committees and organisations. Frank Brooking passed away in 2013;
3. Dawson Park – The Hon John Dawson-Damer was a member of the English aristocracy. He and his wife purchased Oran Park House in 1969. The Hon John Dawson-Damer passed away in 2000;
4. Julia Reserve – The Perich family purchased the land on which Oran Park Town stands in 1984. Julia Perich was a member of the family who emigrated from the former Yugoslavia (now Croatia) to pursue their own Australian dream. Julia Perich passed away in 1984;
5. Singer Park – the Oran Park Raceway was built by the volunteers of the Singer Car Club;
6. Whiteman Park – Charles Thomas Whiteman was Mayor of Camden from 1892-1893 and was one of the first elected representatives of the Camden Municipality in 1889. The Whiteman family have a longstanding history in Camden including the establishment of a Whiteman's department store on Argyle Street which was open for business from 1878 until 2000;
7. Hollywood Park – whilst the majority of the proposed park names in Oran Park Town reflect the motor racing history of Oran Park, the proposed naming of Hollywood Park reflects the more recent history of Oran Park Town. The park is located adjacent to the Oran Park Town sign which is referenced by locals as ‘the Hollywood sign’ and this local reference is reflected in the name Hollywood Park;
8. Kolombo Reserve – Kolombo Perich migrated to Australia in 1948 along with his wife Julia Perich. Kolombo and his wife Julia were proud Camden residents and supported local charities and causes, which continues today through their family members. Kolombo Perich passed away in 1999; and
9. Titan Park – at the time when Oran Park Raceway was operating, the Police conducted Police Dog Training at the Raceway. In recognition of this, it is proposed to name a large park, in the southern corner of the development, Titan Park, after general purpose police dog ‘Titan’, who was killed in the line of duty in 2004.

Mayor of Camden, Cr Theresa Fedeli, said the selected park names were a fitting tribute to the historical significance in the area.

“These parks provide the community fantastic space to enjoy with your family or friends while paying tribute to the history of the area through their names,” Cr Fedeli said.

“The Camden area is rich in history and this is a great way for the whole community to pay their respect for the people who made it what it is today.”

The proposed parks and reserves will now be referred to the Geographical Naming Board for public exhibition.