Bass Coast Shire Council and the Bunurong Land Council have scored an ‘excellence in place naming’ award for the Berninneit Community Centre naming proposal.
The award was presented at the annual Victorian Geospatial Excellence awards held recently at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Mayor, Clare Le Serve acknowledged the fantastic work done by Council staff and community through engagement with this naming process. Over 700 local residents responded to this consultation process.
“This was an excellent project with a strong community consultation particularly in managing timelines to ensure the name was available at the time of the opening of Berninneit,” she said.
“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the options of naming of this cultural masterpiece and especially our thanks go to the local traditional owners, the Bunurong people for their contributions and collaborations on this important piece of work.”
Council CEO, Greg Box said Berninneit, which means ‘gather together’ in Bunurong language, has lived up to its name having hosted hundreds of thousands of people already with myriad shows and performances, exhibitions, community events and through the library.
“This has been exemplified over the last eight months with thousands of people gathering for amazing cultural activity in this space,” he said.
The redevelopment of the former Cowes cultural and community centre involved replacing the existing centre, to bring together the cultural and social aspirations of the community and draw visitors in to showcase the history and culture of the region. The new facility will encourage a range of community activities and events, the Council says.
