Talobilla Park, Kippa-Ring (Qld.)

Talobilla Park began life as a landfill site in 1978 and now comprises Dolphin Oval, PCYC, Boardman Road Oval sportsgrounds and the Redcliffe Rugby League Football Club. Talobilla is an Aboriginal word from a local dialect meaning ‘dolphin’. [See article below and See also: Changes in the Landscape - Reclamation – Talobilla Park] At Last – Aldermen pick a Name for Park It seems certain that Talobilla Park will be the name of the sporting fields complex at Klingner Road. With all aldermen present at last Monday night’s council meeting, the Mayor, Ald. R. Frawley, called for a decision on the name. At the previous meeting, the aldermen were deadlocked. Talobilla had been recommended by the Finance and General Purposes Committee. It was said it was an Aboriginal word meaning “dolphin”. The area includes the new sporting fields for Redcliffe Rugby League Club. At Monday’s meeting Ald. K. Benson moved that Aboriginal names for four other parks on the Peninsula be used. These were approved. When it came to naming the park at Klingner Road, Ald. W. Hunter immediately rose and questioned the translation of Talobilla. He said the Australian Navy’s new submarine had been named Otama, an Aboriginal word for “dolphin”. He said he confirmed its meaning with the Navy’s public relations officer. Laughter Laughs came from the other aldermen as Ald. Hunter suggested that a mistake could have been made with Talobilla. “It might have been the Aboriginal name for a dugong,” he said. The town clerk, Mr. G. Enright, said Talobilla was used by a local tribe as the word for dolphin. Ald. Benson said it appeared that Ald. Hunter would be prepared to accept an Aboriginal name – Talobilla or Otama – depending on the right translation. He moved that the name be one of the two, depending on the right translation. Ald. June Uksi, who had seconded Ald. Benson’s previous motion in favour of Talobilla, said there was a lot of “fiddling around” over the naming. The aldermen had to be “fair dinkum”. She agreed to have the motion withdrawn and accept the compromise. Ald. Alf Charlish then said he was not happy with either name. He believed a suitable name would be Walker Park, after Mr. Ted Walker, a retired milk vendor who has lived in the area for many years. This was moved as an amendment with Ald. Hunter seconding. However, the amendment was lost. Ald. Benson’s motion for the name to be Talobilla or Otama was carried 5-4. Confirmed The Mayor, Ald. R. Frawley, said after the meeting that a check had revealed that Talobilla was used by a local tribe, the Yugarabul, as the word for dolphin. The tribe lived in the area between the Brisbane and Caboolture Rivers. This was confirmed from the book, “Vocabularies of Four Representative Tribes of South-east Queensland”, written by Mr. F. J. Watson, an associate member of the Place Names Committee of the University of Queensland. It was pointed out that the name chosen was for the whole area which comprises about 50 hectares. Individual clubs, including the Rugby League club, could name the various fields. [Redcliffe Herald, 20 December 1978, p.3] -- Redcliffe : Looking at the landscape by Pat Gee acknowledging the work of Jack Stapleton and Pat Fields