A Noongar elder in WA’s south west has criticised a council’s decision to block a proposal to give the Blackwood River an indigenous name.

The Shire of Boyup Brook rejected the proposal to call the river Goorbilyup after receiving a request from the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes a year ago.

The river passes through a number of shires, including Augusta Margaret River, Nannup, West Arthur, Bridgetown-Greenbushes and Boyup Brook and to create there name change needed the consent of all the shire councils.

Noongar elder Sandra Hill said she felt like she had been “kicked in the guts” after pushing for the recognition for over a year.

Noongar elder Sandra Hill had been fighting for over a year for recognition.

“There is a limit to how many times a person can be kicked in the guts over a single lifetime and I’m feeling that I’ve reached mine,” Ms Hill wrote on social media after hearing of the rejection.

“The Goorbilyup is the intestine that runs through the entire land mass of the south west.

“It is fed be creeks, brooks and streams throughout all of its length which starts at Lake Dumbleyung and ends at Taalinup (Augusta).

“It is the most precious, most significant and most cultural land asset that the Bibbulmun people know, through its waters it provides ongoing nourishment for all of the forests, flora and fauna throughout the south west of WA.”

Boyup Brook council announced its decision on social media in November an immediately faced a barrage of criticism from locals.

“Shame on this shire for neglecting Noongar culture… Sadly, this lack of spirit will give the Shire of Boyup Brook a bad name,” one resident wrote in response to the council post.

Minutes of the council meeting on October 23 shows the proposal was defeated by six votes to two.

Landgate, WA’s land council does not approve the dual naming of parts of geographical features which cross shire boundaries and states any move would require the support of all councils a river traverses through before it could consider a naming.