Ben Boyd Road: Calls to rename Neutral Bay street over slave ties
A campaign to remove the name of a slave trader from a national park and prominent street on Sydney’s north shore is gaining traction. The NSW Government has commissioned a historian to investigate the 19 century merchant’s record - but not everyone is happy with the proposal.
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The NSW Government has commissioned a historian to investigate a 19th century Scottish merchant’s links to slavery following calls to rename the Ben Boyd National Park, The Mosman Daily understands.
Benjamin Boyd was a businessman, whaler, banker and grazier who is known for forcibly bringing more than 100 men from New Caledonia and Vanuatu as labourers and shepherds – a practice now known as “blackbirding”.
As well as the national park, which is near the Victorian border, his name is celebrated on Sydney’s lower north shore with Ben Boyd Rd in Neutral Bay and the Boyd sporting house at Neutral Bay Public School.
It is understood Environment Minister Matt Kean has begun the process of commissioning a historian to investigate Boyd’s links to slavery which could trigger the renaming of the National Park.
This in turn could see his name wiped from the lower north shore.
Mr Kean said he was “very concerned about this issue”.
“A lot of people have to come to me saying he’s done all this bad stuff and others are saying he did a lot of good things as well. We need to find out more about who he was,” he said.
“I will (also) be seeking a full briefing on this matter from my department and intend to discuss it with local elders and the community.”
It comes after a petition was launched to rename Ben Boyd Rd in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, which at the time of publication has more than 170 signatures.
The petition, headed by Neutral Bay resident Jack Gough, states it was “totally unacceptable that such a racist and inhumane man should continue to be ‘honoured’ in the name of a prominent road”.
Mr Gough, a former Greens parliamentary staffer who made headlines for resigning following party infighting in 2019, has suggested seeking feedback from the local indigenous community on another title.
“Given the context of Black Lives Matter and people stepping up to question who we give accolades to as a society I think it’s a good time to have a conversation about the people we recognise in the community,” he said.
“There’s a minority who fit into the camp that any move to take down these signs equates to deleting or rewriting history. To that I’d say we read about history in books, the naming of our road signs and towns should be about who we choose to honour.
“My kids don’t go to (Neutral Bay Public) but if they did I wouldn’t be happy about them having to cheer on his name at sporting events.”
The move to rename the 2km street has drawn a mixed response from shop owners while the Neutral Bay Chamber of Commerce has raised concerns it could hinder small traders with extra expenses as they recover from the coronavirus lockdown.
“We’d have to change our shop signs and directories – it would impact a lot of businesses and the people who live along the road,” H&T cafe owner Vic Footarkoon said.
“We’ve been here for nine years and it’s always been Ben Boyd Rd – it’s a beautiful name.”
The proposal has been added to the next Neutral Bay Public council agenda and referred to the Department of Education for consideration.
A North Sydney Council spokeswoman said any move to rename Ben Boyd Rd was “not something that could be done quickly.”
“Community consultation would be needed, especially with the residents and businesses on (the road) and we would need to get approval from the NSW Geographical Names Board,” she said.
Supporters of the name-change have included Ben Boyd Rd resident Susan Vincent-Billing who said: “I hate the idea of living on a street named after a slaver.”
North Shore Historical Society member Geoff Huntington had mixed thoughts on the proposal, saying: “I think we have to be careful that we don’t rush to rewrite our history.”
Records show Boyd’s links to the north shore included owning a home in Neutral Bay and a nearby wharf where he exported wool to London.
A plaque is also located at the corner of Ben Boyd and Kurraba Rds commemorating his arrival from Scotland to Sydney in 1842.