Linear park should be renamed for Brenton Lewis, resident suggests
The late Murray Bridge mayor oversaw the transformation of Adelaide Road. Should his name be permanently attached to the area?
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The late Brenton Lewis was always good for a chat, Peter Crowley says.
He was a busy man during his term as Murray Bridge’s mayor, from 2014 to 2022 – especially given that he spent his last three years in office fighting the cancer that would claim his life.
But no-one was ever beneath him, Mr Crowley recalled.
“Brenton always used to seek me out for a chat, often reflecting on Murray Bridge’s contemporary issues as well as our past – our mothers were childhood friends,” he said.
“When Brenton found out I had been diagnosed with cancer, he opened his heart to me.
“How hard it is to keep on keeping on when battling cancer, and how remarkable it was that Brenton proudly continued on for many years as mayor while undergoing treatment, especially when one knows that your diagnosis is terminal.”
Mr Lewis was remembered as a driven, aspirational leader who had made his community prouder, safer and more progressive, Mr Crowley said, even amid a fire at a major employer and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another lasting achievement had been the redevelopment of Sturt Reserve, Adelaide Road and Swanport Road.
So, on Monday night, Mr Crowley came to the Murray Bridge council with a suggestion.
Why not name the Adelaide Road linear park after Mr Lewis?
Perhaps a name like Brenton Lewis Gardens would be a “fitting testimonial to his leadership”.
Councillors were open to the idea.
“The mayor was a very humble man, so I’m not sure how he would feel about it, but I think he would be honoured,” Cr Mat O’Brien said.
Cr Andrew Baltensperger agreed it would be fitting: “Brenton drove that (project).”
Mr Crowley, a retired school teacher, also suggested that the council improve the remnant mallee scrub at the top end of Adelaide Road, adding informational signage about its plant species and making it into a kind of botanic garden.
Local volunteers could probably help, as they had with places like Murrundi Reserve at Wellington and the trails through Kinchina Conservation Park; but the council would need to lead the way.
Councillors did not make any immediate decisions in response to Mr Crowley’s presentation, but Mayor Wayne Thorley suggested the council would consider both ideas in future.
