An outdated name or an important piece of history? A rural road in South Australia's southeast is at the centre of controversy over its name after a resident raised concerns it was offensive. In addressing the complaint, the region's local council has voted unanimously for the name to remain.
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00:00This quiet country road in the state's south east has a name some are uncomfortable with.
00:08But for now that name is staying.
00:11Council clearly is keen to keep that name and look everybody has different interpretations
00:16around it but it's part of the rich diversity history of Panola.
00:21The issue came to the fore when a resident wrote to the local council over concerns the
00:25name was offensive.
00:27The resident added it is embarrassing when sharing my address with others and I find
00:32myself apologising for the term particularly when communicating with Asian Australians.
00:37The council met on Tuesday night to consider the issue and delivered a unanimous verdict.
00:43The mayor says the council's decision was in line with broad community sentiment.
00:47Changing of names tends to rewrite history and the generations in the future wouldn't
00:54have that rich history how it actually was.
00:58The decision to keep the name has been backed by the family of one of the south east's first
01:02Chinese migrants.
01:04If it's controversial then we have an opportunity to talk about the history of why it was called
01:10Chinaman's Lane.
01:12We also have an opportunity to talk about the issues that surrounded particularly prejudiced
01:18against the Chinese in this area.
01:21Along this road Chinese migrants set up market gardens in the 1850s which became an important
01:27part of the local economy.
01:29They also became a rest stop for the thousands of Chinese people who arrived in robe and
01:34walked to the Victorian goldfields.
01:37Not everyone agrees the name holds history in a positive light.
01:41This word is offensive to those communities and associated with the racial slurs of the
01:47colonial past.
01:48A dirt road dividing opinion.