PLANS to name a road in the new Windy 1100 subdivision after Neville Dawson have been scrapped following a decision by the Geographical Names Board.
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However, Bathurst council has come up with another way to honour the man considered to be a pillar of the community.
A pathway that will link the new subdivision to the intersection of Bradwardine Road and the Mitchell Highway is set to be named after him, as well as his wife, and would be known as the Neville & Johanna Dawson Pathway.
Mrs Dawson was included in the proposal as she also made a noteworthy contribution to Bathurst through business and community work.
The couple co-founded Dawson's Removals and Storage, a business that is still trading today.
Mr Dawson was also a co-founder of the St Patrick's Sporting Club and a long-term member of Bathurst Rotary, while Mrs Dawson was a long-term member of Bathurst Inner Wheel.
Mrs Dawson died in July, 2022, with Mr Dawson's death coming four months later.
According to Bathurst council, the Dawson family has welcomed the new tribute to the couple.
"The naming of the pathway has been welcomed by the Dawson family and they were very grateful for the inclusion and subsequent recognition of Mrs Dawson," the council said.
The council's intended name for the pathway will be on public exhibition for 28 days, allowing people to make submissions on it.
If no objections are received, the name will be officially recorded and signage will be installed at either end of the pathway.
Why was the road name rejected?
In October, 2023, Bathurst council adopted the names for six roads in the new Windy 1100 subdivision, one of which was proposed to be "Neville Dawson Drive".
The names were considered by the Geographical Names Board, which rejected "Neville Dawson Drive" as the latest version of the NSW Address Policy only permits the use of either a person's given name or surname, not both.
The council's fallback option was "Dawson Drive", but this too was rejected as the Geographical Names Board deemed it to be too similar to the nearby Mawson Close.
The intention now is to name that road Eviston Drive after John Eviston, who was born in 1844 and died in 1925.
Mr Eviston immigrated to Australia from Ireland in 1864 and came to Bathurst in 1869, where he went on to establish a successful menswear business, Kelaher & Eviston'.
He was also know for his community service, which included giving time to his Catholic church, founding both the Bathurst St Vincent de Paul Society and the Australian Holy Catholic Guild, being a member of the Bathurst District Hospital Committee, and serving 14 years as the deputy coroner.
In addition to all of that, Mr Eviston was one of the founders of the National Advocate.
That publication merged with the Western Times in 1963 to become the Western Advocate.
Rachel Chamberlain
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
