DISTRICT: SEAFORD Tigers, Somerville and Main Ridge will be fighting it out for the final two finals places in MPCA District this Saturday. The one-day matches are the last of the home and away season, with the Tigers, Eagles and Ridge all needing to win to have any hope of progressing through to the final four. Delacombe Park and Pines will definitely play finals after sealing the top two places on Saturday. Main Ridge has the easiest of matches this weekend, facing bottom-of-the-table Ballam Park. Somerville has to play the unpredictable Carrum while Seaford Tigers face Pines. Seaford Tigers had…
Month: February 2014
COUNTRY WEEK: BADEN Powell is Twenty20 state champion after beating Doutta Stars at the MCG last Friday. Doutta Stars were bowled out for 65 before the Braves got the runs with four wickets down. Rhys Elmi top-scored with 17 while Sam Mullavey was not out at the end on 10. With five wins in the MPCA Jack Peacock Cup last season, and five wins in the Statewide Cup this season, the Braves took a 10-game winning streak to the ’G. MPCA goes close to title The Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association went within 40 runs of claiming the title of best association…
PROVINCIAL: THE make-up of the MPCA Provincial ladder will not be decided until the conclusion of this weekend’s final home and away clash. While Sorrento and Mornington have locked away the top two places on the ladder, the race for third and fourth place is on. Long Island currently sits third after thrashing Langwarrin at Ballam Park on Saturday. The Islanders are on 84 points, a game clear of fourth-placed Mt Eliza, fifth-placed Baxter and Langwarrin in sixth. The Mounties, Baxter and Langwarrin are all on 72 points and are separated marginally by percentage (1.2525, 1.2162 and 1.2030 respectively). Mt Eliza…
SUB-DISTRICT: FRANKSTON YCW will play finals for the first time in ages after defeating Carrum Downs on Saturday. The Stonecats are now in second place on the MPCA Sub-district ladder on 80 points, two games behind Red Hill (104 points). The fight for the remaining two finals spots is well and truly on. Balnarring and Rosebud are both on 72 points while Pearcedale and Skye are a game further back on 60 points. The Stonecats play Red Hill this week in the final game of the season, a one-day match. Even if the Stonecats were to lose, they cannot miss finals.…
THE tight-knit Tyabb and peninsula communities bid farewell to a cherished young soul last Friday, as hundreds of mourners gathered at Flinders Community Christian College for the funeral of 11-year-old murder victim Luke Batty. But police, psychologists and youth workers fear it will be a long time before the community, and in particular Luke’s young friends and school mates, can leave behind the pain and anguish of the Year 6 student’s senseless death at the hands of his father ten days earlier at a nearby Tyabb cricket ground. Overcast skies and light misty rain on the morning of the funeral…
VANDALS have again hit Somerville’s Dinosaur World tourist park, knocking down a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex model and causing thousands of dollars’ damage in the process. The 4.5-metre tall replica T-rex, which had stood at the entrance to the recently opened tourist park on Frankston-Flinders Rd, was attacked some time between late Sunday night and early Monday morning. It is the second time the park’s showpiece has been targeted in as many weeks, after it was knocked over and damaged on 7 February, causing more than $3000 damage. The damage this time is far worse, with park owner George Landolfo estimating…
AUTHOR and therapist Bernadette Hoey celebrated her 80th birthday last week by taking a dip at Mt Martha in a seagrass palanquin, the Eastern version of a sedan chair. It was made for her by peninsula puppeteer Ian Cuming who, with Mornington author and world renowned shakuhatchi flute player Anne Norman, joined Ms Hoey for her birthday. “Anne and I wanted to do something special for Bernadette so we arranged a beach picnic. She’s a very dear friend and mentor,” Mr Cuming said. “We can so easily forget the wisdom carried by our elders,” said Ms Norman, whose busy schedule…
AN ONLINE charity fund in honour of Luke Batty has been set up by friends of his mother, Rosie, to ensure some good comes from the tragedy. ‘‘For Rosie, her strongest belief is that something good can come out of this,’’ said close friend Jane McGrath, who has set up the Luke Batty Fund on gofundme.com “As Rosie Batty comes to terms with the loss of her son Luke this week, we can all help by showing our financial support,” Ms McGrath wrote on the website. “Rosie truly believes something good has to come out of this tragedy. She has…
THE four Mornington police officers at the centre of last week’s tragic events in Tyabb appear to have done everything they could to defuse the situation and would be forever affected by the ordeal, senior police said. With Hastings police tied up on other jobs, the two units from Mornington police station were the first officers to arrive at the Tyabb cricket ground shortly after 6.20pm last Tuesday and would have had no idea of the horrific situation they were about encounter. What they were confronted with was the battered body of a young boy and a highly agitated and…
THE murder of 11-year Luke Batty by his father Greg Anderson at Tyabb on Wednesday last week released a wave of anguish and anger that swept around the world. Luke was killed by his father as the two played cricket at Bunguyan Reserve after the boy had trained with his team. The boy had asked his mother Rosie Batty for permission to spend a few more minutes with his father. Ms Batty won praise and admiration for her measured and eloquent grief, carefully explaining her estranged husband’s long-term, undiagnosed mental illness while describing a fun-loving son who adored both his…
THE tight-knit Tyabb and Western Port communities were this week doing what they do best – coming together to lend support to the family, friends and school mates of 11-year-old Luke Batty, who was tragically killed last week by his estranged father. The outpouring of public grief following the shocking events at Bunguyan Reserve last Wednesday afternoon was most visible at the cricket ground itself, which had been turned into a makeshift public memorial as hundreds of visitors brought flowers and farewell messages for the much-loved Flinders Christian Community College student. Luke died after being struck in the head with…
THIEVES have dealt a blow to members of Hastings Men’s Shed by stealing about $8000 worth of tools and equipment. A section of the outside wall of the metal-clad building was prised open by the robbers last Thursday night or early Friday morning. Once inside, the thieves were able to carry the mainly woodworking tools and equipment out of the back door. The haul also included a TIG welder, desktop computer, mobile phone and some toolboxes of members. A safety light on the neighbouring Hastings Community Hub building was smashed, providing cover of darkness for the break-in. Men’s shed secretary…
PROVINCIAL BAXTER is in line to pull off one of the wins of the season in round 10 of MPCA Provincial cricket. Baxter is looking down the barrel of an outright win against Heatherhill after rolling the visitors for just 85. Coming into the second-last match of the season, Baxter was sitting outside of the top four, albeit equal on points with third-placed Mt Eliza, fourth-placed Langwarrin and sixth-placed Long Island. The loser of the Langwarrin versus Long Island game can kiss the finals goodbye. Mt Eliza was always going to get the job done against Moorooduc and, while Baxter…
DISTRICT TOP-of-the-table Delacombe Park dealt third-placed Somerville a massive blow just three weeks out from MPCA District finals. Playing on the small surrounds of Delacombe Park, the Eagles batted first and were humiliated. At one stage early in their innings, the Eagles were reduced to 3/6. They then stumbled 6/35 before being dismissed for just 78 in 53.3 overs. Sam Delaney scored more than half his team’s runs with 43. No other Somerville player scored double figures. The next best was Jack Barbour with nine runs. There were three ducks. Chris Brittain snared 4/18 while Simon Dignan and Shane Deal…
SUB-DISTRICT SKYE’S season looks all but over in MPCA Sub District cricket. Playing against Balnarring, Skye bowled first and could only restrict the opposition to 270. Leigh Smith was great with the ball, taking 5/70 for Skye, while Mark Walles was the best with the bat for Balnarring, scoring 77. Brenton Taylor shared a 145-run partnership with Walles, reaching 73. With 16 overs left to face on day, Skye lost 2/18 and will have to pull off a miracle this week to reel in the Balnarring total. Frankston YCW needs to take 19 wickets on day two of its match…
ONE of Frankston’s most colourful personalities at the turn of last century was an unlikely celebrity who sought obscurity in a hermit’s existence. According to stories circulating at the time, his exile was a self-imposed penance for sins committed during his wayward youth. But this did not stop people from all over Melbourne seeking him out and dining out on stories of having met the “Frankston Hermit”, as he became known. One has to wonder if the hermit was entirely genuine in his desire for solitude; his camp on the foreshore between Frankston and Carrum was not especially hard to…
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RESPECTED and admired Aboriginal singer–songwriter Archie Roach shared both poignant and light-hearted stories of growing up in the Australian outback and memories of life with his large family with about 150 people at Hickinbotham winery in Dromana on Friday night. Roach even managed to throw in some inspiring tunes he’d written over a long and distinguished career. The all-female a cappella group Ling Marra opened the night with an hour of harmonies and magical arrangements of songs from traditional and world music styles. In February 2010, Roach suffered immeasurably. Many people will remember the venerable and dignified performer, who captured…
By Chris McLennan of Western Port Festival THE annual Western Port Festival, held 21 to 23 February on the Hastings foreshore, is shaping up to be one of the largest and most exciting festivals in its 45-year history. The festival is becoming known for being the largest volunteer-run community event on the Mornington Peninsula, and this year has seen a huge spike in people wanting to get involved. Festival committee secretary Ross Topham said interest in the event has gone through the roof since last year. “Entries for the street parade have almost doubled, stall participation has increased, more community…
AN out-of-control car smashed through the fence of a Rosebud property last Sunday night, rolling multiple times across the length of the garden before smashing into a parked car and landing just metres from the front of the house. The Holden sedan, believed to be travelling in excess of 100km/h, failed to negotiate a bend on Elizabeth Drive near the corner of Rosebud Ave shortly after 8pm. The car narrowly missed a power pole after leaving the road and becoming airborne, before crashing through the property on the opposite side of the road. The impact sent fence palings flying and…
AS the peninsula copes with a long, hot summer and record-breaking temperatures, Mornington scientist Amelia Travers has been rugged up to cope with the frozen world of the Arctic where the sun makes only a brief appearance each day. During January, Ms Travers, 26, was on Norway’s Svalbard Island in the Greenland Sea close to the Arctic Circle, the nation’s most northern permanently inhabited island. She was part of an international team of scientists studying marine life with the Marine Night field campaign, part of Mare Incognitum. The team used high-tech underwater robots, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs for short) as…
PLANS are being drawn up to fill in the missing links on the Bay Trail between Dromana and McCrae. Cyclists are forced to leave the trail at the busiest time of the year because of caravans on the foreshore reserve. Unless they want to push their bikes through the crowded camping area, riders must go on Point Nepean Rd, despite there being no designated bike lane around the cliff base at Anthony’s Nose. A draft plan for the Bay Trail to be made alongside the road on the outside of the camping reserve will be released in July. Mornington Peninsula’s…
TOXIC substances such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides and anti-foulants appear to be low in Western Port, says one of five new reports commissioned by Melbourne Water. The reports are part of the government authority’s investigation into the health and environmental management of Western Port under the banner Western Port Science Review. The project started in 2010 and brought together a panel of scientists to consolidate the existing research on Western Port to improve knowledge of the area’s marine and coastal environments. Reports have been released in stages since then with five published in late January. The reports examined five…
SOIL samples and surveys began this week on land likely to be used for the planned expansion of the Port of Hastings. The 30 drilling sites are just north of Hastings within the BlueScope Steel area and around Whitneys Rd, Somerville. Core sampling and surveys have been underway in Western Port since December, mostly in the proposed port area and North Arm channel, and will now continue throughout all survey areas, including the Western Channel and anchorage. Port of Hastings Development Authority CEO Mike Lean said the survey results would provide “detailed knowledge on the soil composition, geological characteristics and…
COUNCILLORS will face greater scrutiny from the local government watchdog, the Local Government Inspectorate, when new powers are introduced into Parliament mid-year. Two new offences relating to breach of confidentiality and improper direction of council staff will be introduced. Mayors will have the power to order the removal of unruly councillors from council meetings, although how this will occur has not been detailed. The Chief Municipal Inspector will have expanded power to investigate and prosecute breaches of conduct under the Local Government Act 1989. Misbehaving councillors will face stronger penalties. Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell announced the changes on Monday…
WORK on a long-awaited trade training centre at Western Port Secondary College is set to begin within three months after the federal government signed off on $1.1 million for the project. Flinders MP Greg Hunt visited the school in Hastings to announce final funding approval for the Trades Skills Centre. The centre is expected to be completed before the end of the year, with classes to begin at the start of the 2015 school year. Training will focus on engineering and automotive trade skills, with an emphasis on marine and construction industries, which have been identified as areas of critical…