Tamworth Regional Council considers renaming Fitzroy Plaza

While local businesses have sometimes referred to the area as Fitzroy Street Mall, residents have informally referred to the area as Fitzroy Plaza for years - but perhaps not for long.

During its latest ordinary meeting, council has resolved to explore options for officially naming the area of Fitzroy Street between Peel Street and Kable Avenue.

So far Fitzroy Place has the top spot, but council is also exploring options that would include Aboriginal words for "meeting place".

As Tamworth pays tribute to Gomeroi elders during NAIDOC Week, an Aboriginal name for Fitzroy Plaza could be another way to honour the oldest continuous living culture on earth.

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Tamworth mayor Russell Webb said there was a "strong appetite" among the community to name the plaza Fitzroy Place, but more consultation was needed before council could make a decision.

"There has been some talk through the CBD working group and when we get to a point where we might actually rename it there will be some community consultation," Cr Webb said.

Council's CBD working group confirmed in May that although the town square has been commonly referred to by either Fitzroy Plaza or Fitzroy Mall for many years, it has never been given an official name.

The group, which consists of a dozen community representatives alongside a half-dozen councillors, landed on Fitzroy Place as its preferred name, but also asked the council to explore options that pay homage to the region's rich First Nations heritage.

This suggestion also opens up a potential avenue to give the area a dual name, a convention which is becoming more common across NSW.

Councillor Marc Sutherland, Tamworth's first Gomeroi councillor, said he's happy to see interest from the working group in exploring an Aboriginal name for the plaza.

"To hear the members of the CBD working group suggest dual naming is an amazing opportunity for us as a town to really step forward in that space," Cr Sutherland said.

But he said a simple translation from "meeting place" to its Gomeroi equivalent would miss the opportunity to share the history of the land with people visiting it.

"I think it's a good opportunity for us to look at the landscape across Tamworth and the stories that intersect our city, and use language that captures that story," Cr Sutherland said.

He said there are stories of Gomeroi people meeting at a place they called "Kambaalngu".

"Gambaal is the name for our Silver Perch [fish], and 'Maian Kambaalngu' means the people belonging to the Silver Perch," Cr Sutherland said.

He explained that a literal English translation of Maian Kambaalngu would be limited to only "fish's watering hole," but a full translation would include the connection between the fish, the river, and the land.

As people are considered a part of that connection, like a link in a chain, 'Maian Kambaalngu' could be interpreted as "a place where people belong".

Cr Sutherland said this is just one example of how Gomeroi language can be used to share the stories of the traditional custodians of the land Tamworth sits on today.

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