Following on from the petition for a Melbourne laneway to be named after late Divinyls singer Chrissy Amphlett gaining partial approval from the City Council, the CBD may find itself with two laneways honouring the Aussie rock singer.
Despite City of Melbourne councillors recently voting unanimously on plans for a Chrissy Amphlett Lane in the Melbourne CBD to go ahead, under state guidelines, they cannot simply rename a landmark in honour of the singer, who passed away in April at her New York home at the age of 53 following complications with her ongoing battle with cancer and multiple sclerosis.
While council must also consult local businesses and property owners before a final decision on the Chrissy Amphlett Laneway proposal is greenlit, further approval by the Future Melbourne Committee hit a snag when it found that no first and second names can be used to together in a new street name, due to a recent Victorian Government ruling, as News Ltd reports.
The late Divinyl singer’s husband, Charley Drayton, and cousin Patricia Amphlett (aka ARIA-winning singer Little Pattie), who presented the petition to Melbourne City Council, have opted for Amphlett Lane over Chrissy Lane as their name of choice. “There are a few choices… the final choice, though, will come down to Charley and Patricia.”
But Jessica Adams, who started the online petition that received support from over 7,200 signatories – including the likes of Molly Meldrum, Baby Animals frontwoman Suze DeMarchi and actor Noah Taylor – may have another solution.
While scouting for new locations, at the council’s request, Ms Adams has found two adjacent and unnamed lanes in close proximity to AC/DC lane, appropriate given Amphlett was inspired by Angus Young’s stage outfit with her own schoolgirl uniform at points in the Divinyls career.
“We could call one Chrissy Lane and the other one Amphlett Lane,” Ms Adams says. “There are a few choices, including locations near Collins Street, where Chrissy was christened (and worked). We’re also considering a vacant lane near Melbourne Central. The final choice, though, will come down to Charley and Patricia.”
Ms Adams’ call to Melbourne City Council to “please dedicate and name a laneway (or other Melbourne city landmark) for Chrissy Amphlett, first appeared on petition platform Change.org back in May, following the tragic news of the Australian female rock icon’s passing.
“It would be a fitting tribute,” said Molly Meldrum when he gave the Chrissy Amphlett Laneway proposal his public endorsement in July. “We’ve already got an AC/DC Lane in Melbourne and Chrissy was another act who learnt the ropes playing in the Melbourne music scene,” he said.
The death of the singer, who was ranked among the Top 10 Greatest Australian Singers of All Time in a poll voted on by fellow Aussie singers, also caused a surge in sales of Divinyls records, returning the band’s popular albums and singles to the ARIA Charts in the week following her passing.
The naming of a laneway after Chrissy Amphlett marks the third rock and roll landmark for Melbourne, following AC/DC Lane and the recent addition of the Rowland S. Howard Lane in St Kilda, which was approved by local council following strong support by the community and musicians alike, including a poignant open letter from Howards’ former Birthday Party cohort, Nick Cave.
