MEDIA RELEASE - 13 DECEMBER 2010

After consultation, Parramatta City Councillors unanimously approved on 13 December 2010 the final report for the creation of “Eels Place” by renaming a small part of Grose Street, west of O’Connell Street, Parramatta. This was first initiated by the then Deputy Lord Mayor Chiang Lim on 27 September 2010.

Despite not making it to the 2010 National Rugby League (NRL) finals, the name Parramatta Eels (which in Aboriginal “Parramatta” ironically means “where eels lie down”) will not lie down and their loyalty and support for the Parramatta Eels continue unabated. This decision by Parramatta City Council was made on the same day that one of its stars, Eric Grothe (Jnr), also made his stunning announcement of his retirement, and another Timana Tahu is expected to leave in 2011.

“It is amazing that for over 50 years, Parramatta Eels has had its corporate address on O’Connell Street. The new ‘Eels Place’ will remedy this oversight,” said Clr Lim.

“But even more importantly, it will galvanise and attract Eels supporters near and far to enthusiastically rally around our Eels team for a spectacular and long overdue grand final win next year in 2011!” said Clr Lim.

But one of unintended anticipated negatives of Eels Place may be the regular replacing of the “Eels Place” street blade due to its popularity by forces unknown. “Parramatta City Council and the Parramatta Leagues Club will work together to ensure that the ‘Eels Place’ streetblade will be vandal and theft proof. And we look forward to working together to produce ‘Eels Place’ replica streetblades, to sell, to distribute and to proudly adorn in our Eels fans’ homes and bedrooms,” said Clr Lim.

The final step in this process is to serve notice to the Roads and Traffic Authority, Registrar-General and Surveyor-General of the Information Sourcing at Land and Property Management Authority NSW, Australia Post, the Chief Executive of the Ambulance Service of NSW, the NSW Fire Brigades, the NSW Rural Fire Service, the NSW Police Force, the NSW State Emergency Service, the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association and the Geographic Names Board. (NOTE: A total of 10 organisations.)

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For any further information, please contact Clr Chiang Lim,
Parramatta City Council on 0427 277 299 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it