Greater Shepparton City Council intends to pay tribute to one of the city’s most esteemed figures, the late Lance Woodhouse.
The council proposes to name the parkland located at 32-54 Kialla Lakes Drive, Kialla, the Lance Woodhouse Village Green.
Public support is a significant driving force behind the proposal.
Council is welcoming written submissions to cement this decision, with a deadline set for 5pm on July 10.
If no objections surface, the proposal will be presumed to have full support.
Mr Woodhouse, the longest-serving lawyer in the Goulburn Valley, was a man whose passion for community development and environmental enhancement resonated profoundly in his work.
He was born in 1925 and passed away at 96 in June 2021, leaving a footprint larger than most.
His son, Andrew Woodhouse, supports this tribute to his father
“It confirms my father’s belief about the importance of green open spaces,” he said.
“It recognises his work and will inspire others to do better.
“I remember sitting around the kitchen table, and he (Lance) said, ‘What we’re going to do is flood this piece of land. But to increase the quality of the housing for people who don’t live on the foreshore, there will be slithers of parkland near the water.’
“When he designed the Kialla Lakes environment, he was quite adamant that there was a good ratio of buildings to open spaces.”
Mr Woodhouse’s devotion to community development was not restricted to the physical environment.
He was also instrumental in the founding of Shepparton Villages, and his other contributions to the region include forming the Shepparton Theatre Arts Group, and establishing the Driver Education Centre of Australia and Goulburn Valley Grammar School.
Mr Woodhouse received an Order of Australia Medal, two Rotary Paul Harris Fellowships, life memberships of Shepparton Villages and STAG, and was named Greater Shepparton Citizen of the Year in 1993.
Submissions regarding the proposed name can be sent to Janine Saxon, Greater Shepparton City Council, Locked Bag 1000, Shepparton, 3632.
For further information, contact council’s planning department on 5832 9730.