FAQ

For further information, please contact:

Nathan Summers, Recreation Development Officer, on
4780 5573  or  nsummers@bmcc.nsw.gov.au.

Stanley Bignell served in the RAAF in World War 2 with the rank of Flying Officer and was taken as a prisoner of war in January 1945.  From 1956, when Stanley moved to Hazelbrook with his family, he was a tireless community pioneer working with Blue Mountains City Council to introduce a number of sporting opportunities for youth of the Mountains. 

As a manual arts teacher at Katoomba High School, he taught boat building and founded the Blue Mountains Sailing Club at Wentworth Falls Lake, providing opportunity for teenagers to participate in this sport. This included construction, sailing and water safety.  He also worked with Council to have the lake developed to facilitate its’ use as a recreational lake.

Stanley was involved in many other projects promoting recreation for youth in the Blue Mountains.  At Gloria Park, Hazelbrook he initiated and supervised construction of netball courts and gardens and founded the Hazelbrook Soccer and Netball Clubs in the 1950’s.

Stanley’s premature passing in 1978 was triggered by injuries sustained whilst fighting in WW 2. 

The 'Stanley Bignell Walkway' proposal is depicted in the attached map in the document library. 

This proposal is to name the formalised pathway system at Wentworth Falls Lake after Stanley Bignell.  This will include naming the constructed footpaths which lead to destinations.  It won't incorporate the loop path in the Picnic area.

At present, the proposed pathway system will include the path leading from Sinclair Crescent to Waratah Road, and the  lake front access to the jetty. 

 There are long term plans to have a formalised loop walk around Wentworth Falls Lake.  The 'Stanley Bignell Walkway' will be incorporated into this loop walk once completed.

The loop walk includes plans to construct a board walk to the Western part of the lake, which will be part of a pathway linking the picnic area to Banksia Road.  The dirt track leading from Waratah Road to Banksia Road would also be sealed at a future time when funds are available.  As these sections are constructed, they would be incorporated into the 'Stanley Bignell Walkway'.

Stanley Bignell had been a resident in the Blue Mountains from 1956 to his passing in 1978.  Over this time, Stanley had been involved in a number of initiatives in the Blue Mountains which contributed to the wider community, and in particular the youth.      

In 2013, Council undertook a process for naming of the new pedestrian bridge over the Highway at Hazelbrook.  The community was invited to nominate names and a number were put forward, including that of Stanley Bignell. 

At the Council meeting of 10 December 2013, the Council resolved to name the bridge after Private Ronald Field, who lost his life whilst fighting in Vietnam in 1965.  As Stanley Bignell had ranked highly in this naming process, the Council further resolved to seek alternative opportunities to recognise him. 

At the Ordinary Meeting of the Council of the 28 January 2014, it was resolved:  “That a report comes to the Council regarding opportunities to recognise the contributions of Stanley Bignell at Wentworth Falls Lake.”   [Minute No. 22]

A report went to the Council meeting on the 24 March 2015 detailing opportunities for recognising the contributions of Stanley Bignell.  This report can be viewed in the document library .  At this meeting, the Council resolved to:

1. '...place the proposal, to name the pathway system at Wentworth Falls Lake ‘Stanley Bignell walkway’, on public exhibition;  and

2.   'That the Council receives a further report on the proposal once the outcomes of the public exhibition process are known.'

The process naming Council assets is detailed in the document 'Protocol for Naming of Council Owned Assets' attached in the document library.

In summary, a person, or a group, has to fulfill a specific criteria for a commemorative name.  This includes consideration of the contributions made either to the local or to the broader community.

If this criteria is fulfilled, a proposal is put to the Council for approval for public exhibition.  The proposal is then placed on public exhibition for a period of at least 28 days, with a further 14 days allowed for submissions.  

The outcomes of the exhibition will then go to the Council for further consideration.

If the Council approves of the naming, the following two processes may occur,

(i) If the asset is within a wider complex (e.g. within a sporting ground), then the name can be formally adopted.

(ii) If the asset is stand alone, then the naming recommendation is forwarded to the Geographic Names Board (GNB). 

In this instance for the walkway, the recommendation will go to the GNB. The GNB will consider the appropriateness of the name with its own criteria, and then place this name on public exhibition through the Government Gazette for a period of 28 days.

If there are no significant objections over this period, the name will then be formally adopted.