A Yarragon stalwart has been honoured by Baw Baw Shire Council with the official renaming of Rollo Street Park to Angela Malacarne Park.
The site of the former Yarragon Primary School has been redeveloped into a community focused space, and renamed to honour Mrs Malacarne, who taught at the school for nearly 39 years, and attended it herself as a student.
The park was officially reopened on Saturday 21 March with much of Mrs Malacarne's family in attendance, as well as Baw Baw Shire Councillors and Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing.
The official opening on Saturday not only celebrated the park's new name but also saw the official unveiling of its new features, following a complete refurbishment, which transformed it into a new community asset.
Key features of the upgrades include:
- The planting of more than 60 trees
- The resealing of Hanns Lane with diagonal parking
- A walking path
- Seating
- A drinking fountain
- Bike racks
- Rain gardens
- Improved drainage
- New bollards and fencing
- Shelter, and
- Signage
Baw Baw Shire Mayor Councillor Kate Wilson said she was incredibly proud of the transformation to the park, but prouder of its new name which celebrates someone who has put so much time into the Yarragon community.
"A couple of years ago, Council took the unusual step of seeking an exemption to the commemorative naming principle in the Naming Rules, to rename Rollo Street Park, Angela Malacarne Park.
"We were thrilled when this was granted by the registrar, and it was no surprise that through our community engagement exercise we found out that, this renaming also had the full support of Baw Baw Shire locals," Cr Wilson said.
Cr Brendan Kingwill, who attended the Yarragon Primary School when Mrs Malacarne taught there, spoke about the value that this long-term resident has added to the area.
"In 1963 Ms Malacarne returned to the primary school, where she worked for the next 38.5 years before retiring on 19 June 2002," he said.
"During her time at Yarragon she worked under 12 different principals, saw exceptional change to the curriculum and teaching methods, and taught at least 800 local children, later teaching the children of former students. She even taught her own sons.
"Mrs Malacarne has also been involved as a volunteer in the canteen for the Yarragon Football, Tennis and Cricket Clubs, and the Catholic Church - her service to Yarragon has been immense."
Angela Malacarne Park is now open for the community to visit and enjoy and has been updated thanks to a joint funding venture between Baw Baw Shire Council, who contributed $434,689 and the Victorian Government, who funded more than $1.52 million.
In 2025 Council received the Excellence in Geographic Place Naming Award for the collaborative efforts of the Major Projects and Governance teams, after being successful in seeking an exemption to name the park after Mrs Malacarne.
