The Strathfield-Homebush District Historical Society is a community-based, incorporated organisation dedicated to conserving, protecting, and promoting the history and heritage of the Strathfield–Homebush district. Due to the impact of the proposal to rename parts of Homebush as Strathfield, the Society opposes the proposal and urges Council to withdraw it.
Letter objection to Homebush renaming proposal – SHDHS September 2025
The key reasons for our position are:
- Homebush is one of Sydney’s oldest suburb names, dating back to the early 19th century, and has been part of the Strathfield Municipality since its incorporation in 1885. Removing or replacing this name would blur the historic and geographic distinction between neighbouring suburbs and risk erasing an important part of Sydney’s heritage.
- Council’s notification does not provide background studies, costings, or a balanced analysis of the proposal’s impacts. Further, the notification information appears to assume that the impacts are wholly positive, despite clear and significant consequences for community identity, local institutions, and heritage.
- Claims of “confusion” regarding location are not substantiated. On the contrary, renaming an area serviced by Homebush Railway Station and containing long-established institutions such as Homebush Public School, Homebush Boys High School, Homebush Village Shopping Centre and Homebush Post Office as Strathfield would increase confusion for residents, businesses, and visitors.
- If clarity of location is the actual concern, a more obvious issue is the shared postcode (2140) for the distinct suburbs of Homebush and Homebush West. This anomaly regularly causes misreporting in postal, demographic, and statistical records and is more deserving of correction. Council could also consider restoring Flemington as the suburb name of Homebush West, which would provide greater differentiation with the suburb of Homebush.
- The Society has no objection to the inclusion of the isolated property ‘Strathbelle’ on Beresford Road (which does not contain an address on the notification) being included in the suburb of Strathfield which is consistent with other properties in this street location.
- Renaming a suburb involves significant practical costs, from updating signage, maps, and government records to requiring businesses, schools, and households to amend their documentation and communications. These resources could be better directed towards improving community facilities and infrastructure
The Strathfield Town Hall is 100 years old in 2023. For over 100 years, the Strathfield Town Hall has brought together the members of the local community, whether debating issues of the day, attending joyous social events, participating in civic defence and emergency services, celebrating arts and performance or commemorating wartime service and remembering the passing of loved ones.
The Strathfield Town Hall celebrates the 100th anniversary of its opening on October 9 2023. The Town Hall has recently had significant restoration works.
Strathfield-Homebush District Historical Society 