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…
Day: January 29, 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.”