TWO former Gawler residents from two different generations are set to be honoured by Gawler Council by having sections of the soon-to-be-completed Gawler East Link Road (GELR) named after them.

Councillors voted on the two names to be given to the two sections of the GELR at its meeting last Tuesday.

Pioneering botanist Moritz Schomburgk, who settled in what is now Buchfelde from Germany in 1849, will have the section of road between Potts Road and the Calton ‘connector’ Road named after him, while the connector road will bear the name of aboriginal health leader Mary ‘Mullamar’ Graham.

Mr Schomburgk was a doctor of philosophy who was an early curator of the Gawler Museum and chairman of the district of Mudla Wirra, the local council at the time.

Later, he would become curator of the Adelaide Botanical Gardens and was responsible for the planting of greenery throughout the Adelaide CBD.

Mrs Graham was a reconciliation force in Gawler in the early 2000s, playing a role in fostering healing between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in Gawler.

She inaugurated a stolen generations women’s group, was the Aboriginal Family Resource Worker at the Gawler Health Service, and was widely recognised in the Gawler community for her  reconciliation work.

She passed away in 2013.

Councillor David Hughes said the names were suitable for “such a significant road”.

“I do like the idea of sometimes using the past landowner, but I do think for such a significant road using significant people who have made a very large contribution to Gawler and its history will add to it,” he said.

The owners of the Springwood land development had wished for council to name the Calton connector road “Springwood Boulevard”.

Springwood Boulevard was not put forward as an option by any elected members, but was added to the state’s Road Name Register.