A bit about the project

Background:

Council received a submission to name laneway R3069 to facilitate addressing for a new multi‑unit development at 156–162 Thistlewaite Street, South Melbourne.

Reasons for Naming:

• To facilitate addressing for a new multi-unit development at 156–162 Thistlethwaite Street, South Melbourne
• To ensure clear, logical, and unambiguous addressing for future residents, visitors, service providers, and emergency services.
• To align with the Australian/New Zealand Addressing Standard (AS/NZS 4819) and the Naming Rules for Victoria 2022 under the Geographic Place Names Act 1998
• To improve wayfinding and reduce the risk of confusion or delay in locating properties accessed via the laneway.

Proposed Name:

The name ‘Whitaker Lane’ is proposed in recognition of Alice Whitaker, a local resident with strong historical ties to the Montague and Port Melbourne area. The laneway is appropriately located between Thistlethwaite Street and Buckhurst Street, where Alice Whitaker lived, providing a direct geographic connection between the proposed name and its local significance.

Alice Whitaker Biography:

Alice Whitaker (nee McFarlane) was a working-class resident of the Montague and Port Melbourne area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Widowed at a young age, she raised four children under challenging social and economic conditions, undertaking low paid work and relying on extended family support.

Her family’s experiences reflect the broader hardship faced by many industrial communities of the time, including instability, poverty, and the impacts of war and labour conditions. Despite this, Alice Whitaker remained a central and stabilising presence for her family.

In the mid‑1920s, Alice and her family moved from Montague to Port Melbourne, settling in Crockford Street. This period was marked by tragedy when her son Allan, a returned serviceman, was fatally wounded during the 1928 waterside workers’ strike at Princes Pier. His death and its aftermath brought public attention to the family, highlighting the risks borne by working‑class and union communities during industrial conflict.

Despite enduring the loss of two sons and decades of hardship, her later life saw modest stability in Port Melbourne, where she eventually settled. Alice Whitaker’s story is representative of the resilience and lived experiences of working-class families in the Montague area, providing a meaningful historical connection to the proposed laneway name.