Council commenced managing the Epping Animal Welfare Facility on 16 October 2022 and is providing regional animal welfare services on behalf of the Cities of Whittlesea, Merri-bek and Darebin.

It is proposed that the facility is relaunched with a new name to move away from being suburb-specific and reflect that the Facility services a much broader region.

To acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which the facility is located, the Wurundjeri Willum Clan, it is proposed to rename the facility with the Aboriginal name ‘wat djerring Animal Facility’.

About the proposed name

In early 2022, an application was submitted to the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (‘Corporation’) seeking suggested Aboriginal names to be provided for use in the title of the facility.

The name the Corporation offered is wat djerring, meaning “we together”.

The name is pronounced “wot jerring” – the ‘dj’ sound is not known in the English language but is a combination of the two sounds. They are pronounced together, but there is more emphasis on the ‘j’. The name is displayed in lower case lettering, with no initial capitalisation.

The meaning of wat djerring – “we together” – reflects that the three councils are working to deliver positive animal welfare outcomes for our communities and the main goal of the service which is to bring people and their pets back together.

It should be noted that this was the only name supplied for Council’s consideration by the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

Have your say

In accordance with the Naming Rules for Places in Victoria your feedback is welcome on the proposed name ‘wat djerring Animal Facility’ by 5.00pm, Sunday 20 November 2022.

You can provide feedback by answering the questions below, sending an email or in writing to the contact details below. If you are unable to provide feedback in writing then please contact Council on 9217 2294 to discuss other options.