An artist’s impression of North Perth Common.
Camera IconAn artist’s impression of North Perth Common. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

City of Vincent councillor suggests Nyungar flag colours for North Perth Common design

Julian WrightEastern Reporter

A CITY of Vincent councillor has suggested including Nyungar elements in the North Perth Common ahead of the detailed design stage.

Designs for the $750,000 North Perth town centre project were released in June after public consultation.

It featured a suspended, three-ringed lighting art installation, 14 extra trees and a pedestrian-friendly shared space that can be adapted for community events and markets.

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Councillor Dan Loden suggested at the June meeting that the three rings that light up reflect Indigenous culture.

“There’s an opportunity there to make them red, yellow and black which would reflect the Aboriginal flag and acknowledge the traditional owners of the land,” he said.

He also suggested the name be changed to reflect the “knowledge holders” in the area as part of detail process.

Mayor Emma Cole was hesitant but open to discussing it further.

“I don’t necessarily agree that changing the colours to red, yellow and black without having a local Nyungar artist involved from the very outset would be culturally appropriate,” she said.

“I’m happy to have further discussions, but if we were going to go down that line and bring Nyungar elements into it, that it would be essential to do that from the very beginning.”

After councillors discussed the removal of a tree and possible traffic changes, Ms Cole focused on the positive aspects.

“We’ve focused on some of the constraints and negative aspects of the project, but this an absolutely fantastic project,” she said.

“We went to the community and said ‘what location would like this square to be in and what elements would you like to see?’

“So this wasn’t plucked from the sky, this was a consultation process with our community.”