Lake Macquarie City Council will move to change the name of Coon Island despite the majority of respondents in a survey not wanting the name to change.
A motion to councillors at this Monday's meeting calls for council to submit a proposal to the Geographical Names Board (GNB) to rename Coon Island to Pirrita Island, and Coon Island Point to Miners Point.
It comes after community consultation was held in May and June to determine if the name should be changed, and if so what it should be changed to.
The community consultation was held after potential names were identified through meetings with Aboriginal organisations, the GNB and the Heaney Family, whose descendent Herbert, a miner, was the person the island was named after.
Council received 2112 survey responses, eight email submissions during the exhibition period and another 22 emails prior to exhibition.
Of the 2120 responses received in the period, 44 per cent were supportive of a name change, while 56 per cent were not supportive. Of all respondents, 81 per cent identified as living in Lake Macquarie.
But the report said due to the outcome of stakeholder consultation meetings, along with the significant community members finding the name offensive, "the current place names warrant reviewing under the GNB's Offensive Place Names fact sheet", which requires the GNB, council, community and Local Aboriginal Land Council to work together to identify a new place name.
Of those who wanted a name change, 86 per cent (807 people) considered the current name offensive.
Those supportive of a change were asked to rank the potential names Heaney Island, Keep Clear Island, Miners Island, Pirrita Island and Purramai Island. Pirrita Island was the most preferred, which is the Awabakal word for oysters from the mangrove tree.
For the point, Birraba Point, Heaney Point, Keep Clear Point, Kunbul Point and Miners Point were suggested.
Birraba Point was the most preferred name. But Miners Point, which was fourth most preferred, was recommended as it was the Heaney family's preference.
Another 148 respondents also suggested another name than those recommended.
The idea had been floated for a dual name, but the GNB outlines that "a dual name can only be assigned where there is strong evidence, in the form of written or oral tradition, of a pre-existing Indigenous place name". Research from stakeholders could not accurately identify a pre-existing Indigenous place name for either the island or the point.
