Place Names Register Extract

Pickering Road

Extract date: 29/03/2024

Name Pickering
Type Designation Road
Place Id 24023
Place Type Road
Status Registered
Date Registered 21 December 2010
Locality / Suburb  
  McMinns Lagoon
Local Government Area  
  Litchfield Council
History/Origin Named in commemoration of Sinclair Edmund (Lofty) Pickering (1929-2007) - the Territory's first Weeds Officer.

Lofty arrived in the Northern Territory in August 1956. He worked for the Commonwealth Department of Works and Housing, servicing heavy equipment such as bulldozers and graders in the field. He later transferred to the Northern Territory Administration which was part of the Commonwealth Department of Territories.

As Lofty came from a farming background in South Australia, he was keen to get into agriculture, so in November 1964 he transferred to the Agriculture Branch. Lofty became the Territory's first Weeds Officer, taking up duties as the only officer in a new Noxious Weeds Control Union.

Lofty's work carried him all over the Territory and he was promoted to Technical Officer. Lofty was involved in completely eradicating salvinia and water hyacinth from the Adelaide River, the Mary River, and various creeks in the 1970s and 80s. He also assisted with weeds research for control of Hyptis, Parkinsonia and Mimosa.

Lofty retired in the Territory, living at Coolalinga and died in March 2007.

Register & Gazettal information

Date Gazettal Comment
21/12/2010 Date added to the Register
05/01/2011 NTG1

The Northern Territory Gazetteer is maintained by the Place Names Section,
Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics.
GPO Box 1680, Darwin NT 0801. Ph 08 8995 5333.
place.names@nt.gov.au

© Northern Territory of Australia
The Northern Territory of Australia does not warrant that the information in this extract or any part of it is correct or complete and will not be liable for any loss damage or injury suffered by any person as a result of its inaccuracy or incompleteness. You are encouraged to notify any error or omission in the material by calling the Place Names Section.