Family behind Pat Morton lookout says no to name change
The family behind the land gift that created Pat Morton Lookout is calling on Ballina Shire councillors to keep the landmark’s name as debate grows over giving the site an Indigenous name.
The issue is on the agenda for the first monthly meeting of council tomorrow, where councillors will consider a near $1 million upgrade of the lookout car park.
Mr Jack Easter, a former Ballina mayor and local state member donated the headland land from his family’s dairy farm, with the request it be named after Pat Morton.
Morton was the minister credited with helping deliver the Coast Road linking Ballina and Byron Bay and supporting establishment of the lookout.
The site was officially opened on March 26, 1977, with a dedication plaque acknowledging the Easter family donation and the naming decision.
Family seeks recognition
Mr Easter’s daughter, Margery Fitzgerald (main image above), is urging councillors to keep the Pat Morton name.
“I find it very distressing that my family was not sought or invited to be involved in any consultation with possible name changing,” she said.
Ms Fitzgerald said the naming formed part of the original gift and should remain.
“My father appreciated and respected the contribution Mr Pat Morton made to the establishment of the lookout and the Coast Road,” she said.
The family supports upgrades to the site but wants historical recognition preserved, including retention of the plaque.
Ms Fitzgerald said she was not seeking to engage in the broader debate about Indigenous naming, saying her focus was simply on keeping the Pat Morton name.
However she acknowledged that the headland is not widely recorded as having a traditional place name, meaning any Indigenous name would likely be newly created rather than based on actual historic links to the site.
Upgrade plan prompts renewed attention
Council papers for the February meeting outline plans to redesign the car park, including the construction of a concrete pathway for cyclists and pedestrians safely linking both ends of the coastal pathway, separating users from motor traffic.
A bus zone would be built beside the Coast Road and carpark spaces reduced from the current 45 down to 43.
The front row ocean-view spaces would fall from 14 to 12 under the proposal.
Although the works focus on safety, access and landscaping, the report has drawn attention to the naming question.
Plans for the carpark upgrade to go before councillors at the February monthly meeting
The site is referred to in the council agenda as the “Lennox Point (Pat Morton) car park”, wording that places the long-standing name in brackets, raising concerns council staff have already sidelined the original name.
The weathered commemorative plaque from the lookout opening in 1977
Long running debate
Discussion about changing the lookout’s name was first mooted in 2021 when former Greens-aligned councillor Jeff Johnson questioned why the landmark carried the name of a political figure with limited direct local connection.
Pat Morton was born and educated in Lismore before moving to Sydney.
As a minister for highways and local government in the Askin government, Morton was a strong advocate for urban renewal in Sydney.
His pro-development stance helped trigger heritage campaigns and the Green Bans movement.
Mr Johnson moved for council to explore Aboriginal place-naming in partnership with the Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council as part of broader cultural recognition work.
Ballina Shire Council recently signed a partnership agreement with Jali ensuring representatives with local ancestral pre-colonial family links are consulted on cultural and planning decisions, including place-naming discussions.
The February report does not propose a formal renaming decision, but the wording has revived debate about whether the landmark could eventually adopt an Indigenous name, a dual name, or retain its current title.
Margery Fitzgerald said removing the name would overlook the circumstances under which the land was given.
“Why take it away? We can’t erase history — any of our history,” she said.
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Good on you Margery. I don’t think the name should be changed. As my second cousin this is part of my family history too