‘Absolute joke’: Residents furious as Victorian lake renamed after Sikh founder Guru Nanak

The Victorian government is under fire for renaming a lake after an Indian religious figure without consulting local residents.

An Australian lake has been renamed after an Indian religious figure without the consultation or knowledge of local residents, prompting fury at the Victorian government.

Berwick Springs Lake, southeast of Melbourne, has been renamed Guru Nanak Lake after Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh faith.

An official ceremony was held on Saturday to mark the change with members of the Sikh community joined by government representatives including Multicultural Affairs Minister Ingrid Stitt, Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny and local Labor MPs Gary Maas and Lee Tarlamis.

Berwick Springs Lake has been renamed. Picture: Facebook

“This name is another way we’re ensuring Victoria’s place names better reflect and celebrate our state’s rich diversity and history,” Ms Kilkenny said in a statement.

Mr Maas said, “Berwick Springs is a beautiful location for this mark of our celebration of Victoria’s Sikh communities.”

Mr Tarlamis said the renaming “pays tribute to his timeless teachings focused on people living in peace and harmony” and “reaffirms our commitment to fostering a harmonious and inclusive community in Victoria”.

Victoria is home to Australia’s largest Sikh community with more than 91,000 Sikh Victorians recorded in the 2021 Census.

In addition to the name change, the Victorian government has announced $600,000 in funding for Langar events across Victoria for the Sikh faith founder’s 555th birthday anniversary.

The change pays tribute to the founder of the Sikh faith. Picture: Facebook

“Langar is the tradition of people sharing a free communal meal, regardless of their gender, class, nationality or faith,” the Victorian government said in a press release.

“All Langar events welcome the Sikh and broader Victorian community to attend.”

The change comes as the Victorian government’s “Name a Place” campaign seeks suggestions for 6000 new names over the next three years.

“We want to make sure these names recognise the people who helped make our communities thriving places,” the website states.

“We’re inviting all Victorians to nominate someone who has made a significant contribution to be considered for a new place name, particularly individuals from under-represented groups including women, First Peoples and multicultural communities.”

A renaming ceremony was held on Saturday. Picture: Facebook

Ms Stitt said she was “delighted to be recognising the significant contributions of our Sikh community in Victoria by naming a landmark after the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak”.

“In the coming months, Sikh Victorians and the broader community can celebrate, commemorate and learn more about this important figure and Langar,” she said. “We are proud to support the celebrations and I encourage everyone to find an event in your local area.”

Jasbir Singh Suropada, chair of the Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria which lobbied the government for the new name, told SBS Punjabi the group had been in talks with the Victorian government since 2018 “regarding [naming] a place after the founder of our faith”.

“Now that this lake will be called Guru Nanak Lake, the name of our Guru will be part of legal documents such as Government Gazettes and be part of the history,” he said.

“People visiting this place will look at the board, read about our Guru, [and] some might Google it and learn about Sikhism and its founder. We are trying to add a link describing about Sikh history here so whoever wishes to know more can do so.”

The renaming ceremony began with a Welcome to Country performed by Uncle Mark Brown, a Bunurong elder.

“This land belongs to Aboriginal people,” Mr Suropada said. “Being welcomed by them here and having a place named after our Guru is an honour.”

Ms Kilkenny wrote on Facebook, “There’s a story, an identity and a sense of belonging behind the name of every street, park, reserve, lake, mountain, creek, beach and public space. So let’s make sure the names and stories of our places are as diverse and vibrant as our beautiful communities.”

The ceremony began with a Welcome to Country. Picture: Facebook

But the decision has sparked outrage from local residents, with a petition calling for the change to be reversed attracting nearly 1500 signatures.

“I’m sorry but what an absolute joke,” one woman wrote on Facebook.

Another local slammed it as “outrageous”. “Where was the community consultation?” they said.

One wrote, “No consultation. This must be reversed immediately. We have lived in the Berwick Springs estate for 25 years. How can you change the name without the residents being notified?”

One local said it was “so wrong”. “I’ll be fighting for it to be reverted back,” he wrote. “This has no relevance whatsoever and is creating further division. Watch this space, the residents are furious. Appalling.”

Another woman said, “WTF! Why not call one of the 100 new estates going up this? None of the people living in the actual community in this estate had even heard about this change.”

One noted, “Guru Nanak wasn’t exactly a local — he was born in 1469?”

Local residents said they were not consulted. Picture: Facebook

That prompted a reply from Ms Kilkenny.

“True — but for many members of the local community Guru Nanak is a very significant part of their lives,” she wrote. “And very progressive too — equality, truth, compassion and service to community.”

Michael Ball, who organised the Change.org petition, said the process and “this renaming of an already established public place is simply wrong”.

“Even more disturbing is the lack of respect given to the local residents who were never consulted,” he wrote.

“It’s offensive. The Berwick Springs Lake is the focal point of our local area, it’s our identity and everyone knows it as Berwick Springs. Imagine next Saturday these ministers turning up at Albert Park Lake unannounced and renaming it without any consultation.”

He claimed the local community “wasn’t even invited on Saturday”.

“I wonder why,” he said. “Because we weren’t consulted. At Berwick Springs we will be fighting this precedent on behalf of all fellow Victorians.”

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Originally published as ‘Absolute joke’: Residents furious as Victorian lake renamed after Sikh founder Guru Nanak