New Park Names For Oran Park

30 April 2020

Several parks in Oran Park Town are a step closer to being officially named after Camden Council endorsed the names for seven parks and two reserves at a Council meeting on 28 April 2020.

The park names selected reflect the history of Oran Park including the former raceway and working dairy farm as well as past civic leaders who have made a significant contribution to the Camden local government area.

Here are some interesting stories behind the origin of these names.

Dawson Park

This is the park located off Dick Johnson Drive where the splash park is located. This park will cater for all the community with spaces provided for junior play as well as a ‘Ninja Warrior’ course for our youth. BBQ’s and picnic shelters will provide an ideal location for family picnics.

Behind the name – The park is named after John Dawson-Damer, a member of the English aristocracy who was a prominent racing identity and keen car collector who once owned one of the most famous racing car collections in Australia. He and his wife also previously owned the historic Oran Park homestead (now known as Catherine Park house) which is visible to a large part of Oran Park. Roads in this area were designed to provide sightlines to the homestead to celebrate this grand piece of local history.

Singer Park

This park is a colourful centrepiece in Austen Circuit and provides play equipment for the younger members of our community.

Behind the name – Oran Park Raceway was built with volunteer labour over many years by members of the Singer Car Club. If not for this committed group of car enthusiasts, Oran Park Raceway would never have been built. The park in Austen Circuit has been named to recognise the commitment of the Singer Car Club.

Titan Park

This park is located off Ewing Loop and includes a large dog off-leash area with separate areas for small and large dogs.

Behind the name – At the time when Oran Park Raceway was operating, the Police conducted Police Dog Training at the Raceway. As a fitting tribute, this park has been named after ‘Titan’, a general duties Police dog that was killed in the line of duty in 2004.
Other park names endorsed by Council are:

Julia Reserve

Home of the recently opened skate park off Peter Brock Drive, Julia Reserve is a hub for young people. Facilities within the park include Camden’s first outdoor parkour zone, basketball court, ping pong tables and a youth and recreation building which will provide much needed services and activities for our young community.

Behind the name – Julia Perich migrated to Australia in 1938 along with her husband Kolombo Perich. Julia and her husband were dairy farmers and founded Leppington Pastoral Company in 1951. They went on to purchase local dairy farms including one in Oran Park on which Oran Park Town stands on today.

Kolombo Reserve

Located off Oran Park Drive, the reserve features a retention basin which attracts local birdlife. A boardwalk along the basin provides views over the water and allows people to get close to nature.

Behind the name – Kolombo Perich migrated to Australia in 1938 along with his wife Julia. Kolombo and his wife were dairy farmers and founded Leppington Pastoral Company in 1951. They began with a small dairy farm in 1951 milking 25 cows and by 1963 they were milking 200 cows at Bringelly. They went on to purchase local dairy farms including one in Oran Park on which Oran Park Town stands on today.

Angus Park

A new neighbourhood park located off Brangus Loop. The park includes a choice of swings including a nest swing as well as acoustic equipment for budding young musicians.

Behind the name – the chosen name is in recognition of the farming heritage of Oran Park. Angus is a breed of cattle that was imported into Tasmania in the 1820’s with the breed later introduced to the southern mainland in 1840.

Hollywood Park

Located on Oran Park Drive, the gateway into Oran Park Town, this park is home to the iconic ‘Oran Park Town’ sign and has amazing views over Oran Park Town and Catherine Park House.

Behind the name – this name reflects the more recent history of Oran Park Town. Locals have for a long time referred to the gateway sign as the ‘Hollywood Sign’ and we felt it was appropriate to embrace this local reference.

Whiteman Park

This is a new park coming soon to the north of Oran Park Town.

Behind the name – the park has been named after Charles Thomas Whiteman who served as Mayor of Camden from 1892 to 1893 and was one of the first elected representatives of the Camden Municipality in 1889. The Whiteman family have a long-standing history in Camden including the establishment of Whiteman’s department store on Argyle Street which was open for business from 1878 to 2000. The store passed through four Whiteman generations and employed many Camden residents.

Brooking Park

This is a new park coming soon to the north of Oran Park Town.

Behind the name – the park has been named after Frank Brooking who served as Mayor of Camden from 1993 to 1997. Frank Brooking was a respected civic leader and member of Camden Rotary, Rural Fire Service and many community committees and organisations.

These names will now be referred to the Geographical Names Board and will be placed on exhibition.

For more information on our local parks, visit the parks page on our website.