NINE Mornington Peninsula residents received honours on Australia Day from the Governor-General – five OAMs, two AMs and two AOs. Liz Barraclough of Balcombe Estuary Rehabilitation Group (BERG) was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her “service to conservation and the environment, and as a volunteer educator”. Ms Barraclough was the Mt Martha conservation group’s inaugural field officer, appointed in 1997, and a key part in the revival and rehabilitation of the estuary. She has been a member of Mt Martha foreshore advisory group since 2007, a member of the community reference group for South East Water’s…
Month: January 2015
NEW Australian of the year Rosie Batty has vowed to use her award in her continuing fight against domestic violence. The 52-year-old mother of slain son Luke received the honour from the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, at Parliament House, Canberra, on Sunday night. The tragedy for Ms Batty is that events leading up to her award began on that fateful day in February last year when 11-year-old Luke was murdered by his father at Tyabb oval. Since then her tireless campaign for family safety – and her eloquence in championing its cause – has made national headlines. It has given…
‘HIGH and dry’ is the best way to describe this Coast Guard patrol boat (pictured) which ran aground on Elizabeth Island, Western Port Bay, early last Thursday morning. The crew was returning from Corinella about 3am when they crashed on a high – 3.1 metre – tide. No one was injured. Coast Guard spokesman Jeremy West said a Marine Safety Board inquiry would determine the cause of the accident. “All the crew are safe and well and that’s the main thing,” he said. “They followed the correct processes and procedures and the boat has been taken back for repairs.”
DISTRICT SEAFORD has kept its MPCA District season alive with a superb win against arch rival Seaford Tigers. The Tigers appeared to have the upper hand in the clash heading into day two, however a superb knock from Damien Lawrence got the home side across the line. Seaford won the toss on day one and sent the Tigers into bat. It looked like a good move when they had the opposition 4/30 and 5/59, however, the Tigers scrambled to 9/236, thanks largely to 77 from skipper David James and more than 100 runs from the tail. Seaford was in all…
PROVINCIAL BAXTER shot to the top of the MPCA Provincial ladder on Saturday after beating Heatherhill outright. Heatherhill resumed its second innings at 0/19, still 48 runs behind Baxter’s first innings total. The Hills batted first on day one of the clash and made just 94 in 36.2 overs. Baxter came out firing and quickly made 8/161 in 35 overs before having another crack at the Hills late on the first day. The second innings was marginally better than the first for the Hills, making 109 in 39.3 overs, however it was never going to be enough to save the…
SUB-DISTRICT BALNARRING’S season came alive in MPCA Sub District cricket on Saturday after it won outright against Skye. The Saints started the match in sixth position and 20 points behind fourth place. However, the outright win sent them to fifth place on the table, just one game behind Carrum Downs. Balnarring bowled out Skye for 88 on day one before posting a quick fire 7/168. Skye fared much better on day two and managed to score 161 with Rob Gruar top scoring with 71. This left Balnarring 84 for victory. Ben King hit 45 to help the Saints to 3/91…
Click on the link below to download the events sheet for the day: Mornington Peninsula Australia Day Events
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is under pressure to cut its rates as the state government promises to force councils to justify any increases above the rate of inflation. Councils will be required to send their budgets to the Essential Services Commission for permission to raise rates above inflation under Labor’s new policy. The shire’s 2015-16 budget is well under way. Officers are assembling the data on which our rates and charges will be struck – under the experienced financial eye of new shire CEO Carl Cowie. For the first time in perhaps a decade, those who put their views annually to…
A LOYAL disciple of Mt Eliza-based guru Swami Shankarananda has defended criticism of his self-admitted sexual impropriety as being “a publicity stunt from those that would bring him down”. The “high priestess” Rhonda “Vilasini” Reukers says one of the swami’s former disciples “is trying to destroy his credibility because he wants to be a guru himself”. However, Callum Campbell, CEO of the Australian Mediation Association has been appointed to come up with a solution to the crisis enveloping the Shiva School of Meditation and Yoga in Tower Rd. Swami Shankarananda has apologised to his followers for his actions and the…
LACK of passengers has put the brakes on the innovative Peninsula Explorer Bus with the service making its final trip on Monday, Australia Day. It was a disappointing end for the consortium behind the scheme as well as tourism businesses that supported or benefitted from the hop-on, hop-off bus tour service. Shareholders of a company formed to run the buses have lost $450,000. The service started on 1 November with two double-decker, 80-seat, open-top buses running around the southern peninsula, with hourly stops at destinations such as Peninsula Hot Springs, Point Nepean National Park, Eagle Ridge Golf Course, Boneo Maze…
PASSENGERS aboard the P&O cruise ship Pacific Pearl visiting Mornington and the peninsula on Tuesday 24 February will get a warm welcome: members of the town’s chamber of commerce will be at the pier to greet them. The visitors will receive local tourism information and advice on nearby places of interest. Chamber staff will coax them into seeing the town’s sites and encourage them to dawdle up and down local streets taking in the scenery and atmosphere while, hopefully, spending money. The ship’s captain and crew will even be invited to a civic reception at The Rocks Restaurant in Schnapper…
When a grieving mother spoke out calmly just hours after her son’s murder, she gave voice to many thousands of victims of domestic violence who had until then remained unheard. Rosie Batty has risen above her personal tragedy and the great loss of her 11 year old son, Luke, who was the victim of domestic violence at the hands of his father in a very public assault. Rosie’s story jolted Australia into recognising that family violence can happen to anyone. Victorian Police Chief Commissioner, Ken Lay, praising Rosie as the most “remarkable victim” he has ever met, says Rosie has…
By Cameron McCullough The entrance to Port Phillip is considered to hold some of the most treacherous waters in the world. The Rip, as it is known, has a large tidal flow through a relatively narrow channel from the bay to Bass Strait, and a high rocky seabed. The waters surrounding The Rip are synonymous with wild water and treacherous rocky outcrops that have claimed many ships since the 1830s when Melbourne was settled by Europeans. One such ship, the Sierra Nevada, was an iron ship of 1523 gross tons. Built at Southampton in 1877, it was 71 metres…
TOP line equestrian events, The Boneo Classic, will be held at Boneo Park Equestrian Centre from 22–25 January. The event will feature the Pacific League World Cup Dressage Final and the final round of the Show Jumping World Cup Series. Winners of each discipline will represent Australia at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in April. Mornington Peninsula mayor Cr Bev Colomb welcomed local riders Caroline Wagner and Jamie Coman at Boneo Park last week. Wagner, of Somerville, won the 2014 Sydney International Dressage Event. She will compete in the Pacific League World Cup Dressage Final at the Boneo…
THE sight of the little boy running excitedly up the beach and wrapping his arms around his mother’s legs before running in circles is reward enough for the 20 or so onlookers whooping and cheering him from the water’s edge. His joyful careering around in the sand reminds me of a small puppy let off the lead. It is just one small cameo enacted out on Point Leo beach on Saturday as 60 disabled surfers take to the water helped by a small army of volunteers. The Disabled Surfers Association’s Mornington Peninsula branch is holding the first of the year’s…
FLINDERS MP Greg Hunt says the federal government is “determined to protect and manage the Great Barrier Reef not just for the coming decades, but for the coming centuries”. Since its election in late 2013 the government has “put an end to the five massive dredge disposal plans for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park that were inherited” from the former Labor government”, Mr Hunt, who is also the environment minister, said. “The Coalition is ending the century-old practice of dumping in the marine park – a practice that was fully embraced by Labor governments at both a federal and…
Detectives from the Frankston Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team are on the hunt for a man who exposed himself to an elderly woman in Carrum Downs last year. Investigators have been told the 65-year-old woman was walking south on Lyrebird Drive when she was approached by a man who appeared to be fiddling with his fly around 7.15am on 13 November. As he got closer, the woman noticed that he had exposed himself and she ran away in alarm. As she began jogging towards home, the man jumped in his car and drove past her. Detectives believe the…
ALLEGATIONS of sexual impropriety have shaken the usual calm surrounding the Shiva School of Meditation and Yoga at Mt Eliza. American-born ashram director Swami Shankarananda, also known as Swamiji (formerly known as Russell Kruckman), is alleged to have had sexual relations with more than 40 women attending the ashram. Free confidential counselling is being offered to “anyone who needs assistance” while a sub-committee has been appointed to write a code of conduct for everyone working for the ashram, including Swami Shankarananda. “It breaks my heart that our beautiful Satsang [gathering for the truth] has been shaken and split by anger…
MORE than two years after opening on 17 January 2013, Peninsula Link freeway will get directional and tourism signs that were omitted from the original brief for the $760 million road. The signs followed intense lobbying by federal Dunkley MP Bruce Billson and peninsula tourism officials. At least $175,000 of the cost will come from a federal Coalition government grant organised by Mr Billson in what some people will see as an unfair cost burden. Peninsula motorists were surprised and disappointed at the lack of directional signs when the freeway opened in 2013. Strangers to the peninsula using the freeway…
THE horrendous fines just keep on coming for the Rosebud West man caught driving his motorised car fridge alongside Point Nepean Rd on Saturday. On top of receiving a $738 fine for driving while unlicensed, and $738 for driving an unregistered vehicle, he will be hit with another $500 release fee by the shire. That makes for an expensive – $1976 – trip to the shops … Hastings Highway Patrol police apprehended Chris Ryan, 29, driving his 49cc motorised esky on the footpath gave him a roadside breath test which came back negative. His four-wheel petrol-powered esky was then impounded…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire spent more than $6 million on consultants in the 2013-14 financial year. The figure has been provided to council watcher and southern peninsula resident Barry Robinson, who for several years has been asking the shire how much it spends on external advice. It is not a complete response, but a significant change in what appeared to have been a policy of denying info to ratepayers over a number of years on a wide range of issues. In 2013-14, $6.24 million was spent on consultants. As to being given more detailed figures, shire sustainable organisation director Bruce Rendall…
A NEW era in tourism is about to enrich Mornington – and the whole peninsula – with the regular arrival of P&O cruise ships from next month. The harbour town has been chosen as one of three regional ports on the iconic company’s new regional tourism itinerary. The first visit – by the Pacific Pearl – is part of an eight-night cruise departing Sydney on Saturday 21 February and calling at Eden, Mornington, Portland and Kangaroo Island. The 63,786 tonne ship is due to arrive here at 9am on Tuesday 24 February and depart at 6pm for Portland, which is…
FILMMAKER Sean Cousins and his GP wife Steph Ryan were a bit surprised when their driver in Papua New Guinea took what appeared to be a diversion and drove into the grounds of a school. Once inside the school the driver’s purpose soon became apparent: he knew of a teenaged girl in need of medical assistance. That diversion in the town of Popondetta, near the Kokoda Valley, will have a sequel in March when 15-year-old Coco arrives in Australia for corrective surgery to one of her feet that was badly mangled in a car accident. Allowed to heal on its…
MORNINGTON Peninsula shire will continue clean-up efforts to remove debris caused by storms which hit Somerville and Tyabb last Wednesday. Sixty buildings were damaged and more than 200 homes lost power. Trees were knocked down, and several roads blocked by fallen trees. Some properties remained without power until Saturday. The shire is removing debris – predominantly green waste – from roads and roadsides. This includes vegetation from private property that has fallen onto the road or roadside reserve. Somerville Mechanics’ Hall lost its roof and the hall has been closed. Mornington Peninsula Shire issued a news release saying it is…
PORTS Minister Luke Donnellan intends talking with “all parties involved” about the government’s plans for the Port of Hastings. The government has announced Infrastructure Victoria will assess the merits of expanding Hastings or building a new port north of Geelong in Port Phillip, despite Labor candidates going into the November election with promises of “no container port in Western Port”. However, now in government, Labor is taking a much softer line. “As a government we do have time and we need to get the decision right on the location of Victoria’s next container port; that’s why we will commission Infrastructure…
THE annual general meeting of the Frankston Mechanics’ Institute will be held on Thursday, January 28th. *** OWNERS of horses suitable for artillery or remount purposes, who wish to dispose of them are notified that Messrs A. Scott and Co will hold an inspection at Tanti yards, on Monday next, at 12 o’clock. *** MR P. Wheeler notifies by advertisement the hours in which the Frankston Pharmacy will be open for business, he also notifies that in special cases he will dispense medicines at any hour, day or night. *** THE anniversary of the Frankston Methodist Church will be held…
THE co-founder of the Mornington Railway Preservation Society, Howard Girdler, has died at age 85 of pneumonia. Mr Girdler’s funeral was held at Tobin Brother chapel in Mt Martha last Wednesday and as his coffin was being taken from the chapel to a hearse, the sounds of a steam train were played, putting smiles on the faces of crying mourners. The former teacher was the driving force behind the foundation of the railway society, which saved the section of the rail line between Moorooduc and Mornington, although the society was unable to stop the state government selling the railway reserve…
A MAJOR legal obstacle to the $18 million gondola chairlift on Arthurs Seat has been removed with Save Our Seat announcing it will not appeal a planning tribunal decision in the Supreme Court. Save Our Seat had until last Wednesday to lodge an appeal against the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s December decision to confirm Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s approval of the ride last June. Save Our Seat spokeswoman Kylie Greer said “on advice from our barristers, we would be hard pressed to overturn the VCAT decision”. Ms Greer said deciding not to appeal would not stop SOS from “pursuing…
AS tens of thousands of holidaymakers descend on the Mornington Peninsula over summer, official statistics show record numbers of residents are out of work. While locals may appear to be on holidays, the federal electorate of Flinders – covering most of the peninsula from Mornington south and across to Hastings and including Phillip Island – has had one of the highest jumps in unemployment across Australia. A drop of 4.8 per cent in job participation rates puts Flinders as the second worst hit electorate in in the country. Neighbouring Dunkley (Mornington, Mt Eliza and Frankston), saw a 3.1 per cent…
THE audience on top of Rye pier ducked the splashes as more than a dozen sets of arms and legs flailed around in the water below, scrambling for a piece of timber tossed into their midst by a man wearing an intricately woven cloak and wearing an impressive headpiece. Reverend Father Eleftherios Tatsis of the Greek Orthodox Church Panagia Kamriani at Red Hill was back on the pier for the annual Epithany, or blessing of the water ceremony. And the people splashing around in the water were church members eager to be first to seize the wooden cross tossed by…