Aussie suburb to be renamed after it was labelled ‘genuinely racist’ by councillors – but some residents living there aren’t so excited about it
- Lake Macquarie councillors formally voted for name change on Monday night
- Liberal councillor Kevin Baker felt Coon Island suburb name was ‘utterly racist’
- Locality named after Herbert Greta Heaney, who was widely known as ‘Coon’
- Mr Heaney, a coal miner, was the first resident to live on the Island back in 1915
A suburb in the NSW Hunter region is poised to be renamed after it was labelled ‘genuinely racist and hurtful’, with the original name inspired by a local’s dark skin when they finished a shift down the coal mines.
A decision was formally made on Monday night by Lake Macquarie councillors to rebrand Coon Island, situated at Swansea, 25km south of Newcastle, in NSW.
The area is now set to boast both an Indigenous and non-Indigenous name, rather than its long standing single locality.
Coon is a deeply offensive racist slur used to describe black people.
Coon Island (pictured) was named after Herbert Heaney, who was the first recorded permanent resident on the island in 1915
Coon Island, situated at Swansea, 25km south of Newcastle is set to be re-named Pirrita Island
According to news.com.au, Lake Macquarie Council has formally submitted a proposal to the Geographical Names Board that the island should be now known as Pirrita Island and the adjacent Coon Island Point instead be referred to as Miners Point.
Liberal councillor Kevin Baker heavily advocated the renaming of the Island.
‘Coon Island was a name that was genuinely racist and genuinely hurtful to a lot of people in our community,’ he said.
‘It was a name that stopped people within our community from being able to enjoy what is a beautiful part of the world and it was not in line with community expectations.’
However, the renaming of the Island wasn’t universally welcomed by all local residents.
A community consultation from Lake Macquarie Council, which garnered 2120 responses, saw 56 per cent of responders oppose a possible name change.
Coon Island as well as Coon Island Point were both named after Herbert Heaney, who was the first recorded permanent resident on the island in 1915.
He was caucasian and worked underground in the coal mines, and was labelled ‘coon’ by colleagues after coal dust frequently appeared on his face during a work shift.
The Geographical Names Board still need to give the new name their tick of approval – but the Council expects that to be a swift process.
The decision to rename Coon Island comes after Coon cheese, named after US cheesemaker Edward Coon, changed its name to Cheer last year due to racist overtones.
The cheese remains available on supermarket shelves across Australia, but under the Cheer name.
Heaney was nicknamed ‘Coon’ by his work colleagues for often have a darker face after a shift in the coal mines (pictured, the island)
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