Mayor Gary Rush revealed the plans last week, indicating Bathurst Regional Council supported the idea of gazetting Wahluu as an alternative name for the Mount.

And what could possibly be wrong with that?

No-one is suggesting the name Mount Panorama be consigned to the pages of history and council is well aware that the Mount’s brand is too valuable to lose.

But surely our society is now mature enough to recognise that this area was inhabited well before the arrival of white Europeans 200 years ago.

Reconciliation must be about more than words; actions speak much louder.

So it is not good enough to say we support the notion of equality for all if, at the same time, we seek to deny the past of our indigenous communities.

As we prepare to celebrate Bathurst’s bicentenary next year, the time is right for this co-naming to take place.

Motor racing fans – indeed, most Bathurstians – will continue to think of the Mount as Mount Panorama and it is that name that will remain synonymous with the greats of the sport.

But the lure of the Mount can only be strengthened by formal recognition of its place in the region’s pre-European past.

Agreeing to the co-naming of Mount Panorama will be one of the easiest decisions this council will ever have to make. And, to its credit, council seems intent on allowing it to happen.

So let’s just hope the co-naming can be gazetted before May next year as a true indication that we respect – and celebrate – the histories of all Bathurst residents.