Month: May 2015

RATEPAYERS are again being asked for their views on the shire’s waste recovery plan as pressure is said to be growing on the landfill at Rye, predicted in some Mornington Peninsula Shire reports to be full in two years or less. The current draft ̔Municipal Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy’ follows several previous similar documents, including the 2009 ̔Municipal Waste Management Strategy’ and a proposal in 2013 following the Environment Protection Authority’s refusal for a tip at the old Pioneer quarry on the Arthurs Seat escarpment. The new community consultation was approved by councillors at the 11 May meeting. It…

AUSTRALIAN squash legend Geoff Hunt brought his skills and coaching abilities to the Tonic squash courts and gym, Dromana, last week. Now 68 and retired and with an MBE for his services to the sport – Hunt is widely regarded as one of the greatest squash players in history, having been ranked world number one 1975-1980. He won the World Open title four times. Accompanying him to Dromana was Qatar champion Abdulla Al Tamimi, who took part in coaching sessions at the club in Collins Rd. Hunt was a senior Australian Institute of Sport coach for several years before moving…

NEPEAN LEAGUE HASTINGS dropped from second place on the Nepean Division leader to fourth after being overrun by Somerville on Saturday. It was the first loss of the season for the Blues and once again highlighted how close the top teams of the competition were. After trailing by 14 points and being kept goalless in the opening term, the home side hit back in the second and led by seven points at the main interval. Luke Clark, who finished the afternoon with five majors, started to get his hands on it in attack and Josh Mulheron began to get on…

PENINSULA LEAGUE PINES continued its slide down the Peninsula Division ladder after copping a hiding at the hands of Frankston YCW on Saturday. The Pythons started the year in superb fashion and won its opening four games of the season, however, it is starting to realise that the powerhouses of the competition have a little more to offer. Mornington was able to touch the Pythons up last week and it was Frankston YCW’s turn to give them a bit of stick on Saturday. Coming off a loss against Langwarrin the previous week, the Stonecats again started slowly in their match…

INTERLEAGUE FORMER Richmond, North Melbourne and West Coast Eagles forward Aaron Edwards has cut short his Bali holiday so that he can represent his league at the country championships this weekend. Edwards had organised to go to Bali for a week, leaving last Sunday straight after the game against Frankston YCW, return on Saturday morning to play against Ovens and Murray. However, upon hearing that the team was travelling together by bus to Albury on Friday, Edwards rearranged his flights to ensure that he could join the team on the bus. Peninsula Division chairman of selectors, John Hynes, who played…

The secretary of the Frankston Football Club acknowledges with thanks a donation of £1 1s from Mr Booth. *** Mr S. S. Price, dentist, of Melbourne, wishes it known that he will attend at Garroods’ Hotel, Frankston, this week-end, for the convenience of those who may wish to consult him. *** Three of Miss O. Sherlock’s pupils were successful in the musical examinations for May, held by the Musical Society of Victoria. Among the names of the students who have passed are: Honors in piano, Pass in Theory, Willmott Croskell. Pass in Piano, Dorothea Thornell, and Florence Vines. *** The…

THE sorry saga of the destruction of Portsea’s front beach continues with further damage being done during last week’s windy weather and rough seas. The extent of the erosion is increasing with ocean-like waves now also pounding either side of the sandbag wall, or revetment, installed by the state government in late 2010 at a cost of more than $1 million after the beach and foredune started being swept away in 2009. Last week’s waves removed thousands of tonnes of sand and foredune from the eastern end of the beach, exposing the roots of old trees as well as rocks…

THE shire council has released a draft management plan for Safety Beach foreshore that will guide its use over the next 15 years. But Safety Beach Foreshore Landscape Committee is concerned replanting work it had done since 1999 could be removed to enable car parking areas to be sealed and marked. Committee president Tom McCullough said that according to the draft plan, which was approved for public exhibition mid-April, at least two parking areas would encroach on plantations. “It’s a hostile environment to grow plants. Volunteers from our group have laboured long and hard for many years and it would…

CLIENT services formally provided by nurses at the former Royal District Nursing Service offices at Rosebud and Frankston are now being handled from Moorabbin. The service has given assurances that the change will not affect “service levels”. A revamp of RDNS operations across the state has also led to the loss of 45 full time nursing positions. The RDNS says there were no forced redundancies at Rosebud or Frankston offices, although seven management staff “chose to take redundancies rather than work within the new structure”. Australian Nursing and Midwives Federation Victorian branch secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the union had “given…

IN ROSEBUD, “a dark and stormy night” was threatening. This, the much-derided first sentence of the 1830 novel  Paul Clifford was apt, even though this night was merely dark, pre-meeting. The popular English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton followed up his opening purple prose with this: the violent wind was “fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness”. Phew! We had Neons. That’s winter on the Mornington Peninsula, too, the cold darkness exacerbated by a distinct lack of biscuits for those warming their frozen fingers on a cuppa before the meeting. But CW digresses, and will digress…

OPENING of the rebuilt outer section of Mornington pier has been delayed due to problems with the way wave screens have been attached to the seaward end of the structure. Ten large concrete wave screens have been removed and are being reattached using a different, stronger system. The wave screens are a crucial element to protect the harbour from storms. They have been installed on both sides of the pier to provide the best protection of the harbour since a pier was first constructed more than 150 years ago, however the harbour will still be vulnerable to big northerly storms.…

THE award-winning screen musical The Sound of Music, which first charmed audiences in 1965, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Worldwide celebrations to mark the milestone including gala concerts, marionette exhibitions, tours of the movie settings and cast reunions. Not to be left out, Mornington audiences will be treated to a new junior version performed by students. About 50 have jumped at the chance to be in two special performances, 11am and 4pm, Sunday 28 June, at the Peninsula Community Theatre, Wilson’s Rd. “This unique film is still as popular half a century on as it was when it…

A LONG-running campaign to improve safety at a Mt Eliza traffic black spot has been successful with the area’s federal MP Bruce Billson securing funding for a signalised pedestrian crossing that will also enable cars to trigger the lights. The $400,000 for signals was revealed in an email Mr Billson sent to interested parties on 9 May including Mornington MP David Morris, shire councillors and Mt Eliza safety campaigner and businesswoman Joanne Kidder. Mr Billson said a signalled pedestrian crossing would be installed on Nepean Highway “in the vicinity of Tower Rd and Volitans Ave (near the bus stops) and…

CONTRACTORS working for VicRoads returned to the task of constructing a second right-hand turn lane at Mornington’s busiest intersection last week after a delay of about five weeks due to “an issue with traffic signal hardware”, as VicRoads told the shire council. But this might be only a small glitch as residents are predicting the new turning lane could cause a traffic jam at the Nepean Highway end of Main St, the town’s main north–south artery and shopping strip. After completion of the work, three lanes of traffic will be turning into Main Street’s single northbound lane – two from…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire says it has removed potential hazards from its 17 Maternal and Child Health centres after an eight-month-old child was hospitalised with a head injury sustained at one of the centres. On Friday, the shire confirmed an anonymous report received by The News that the child had been injured in an incident involving a wall heater. The report claimed the child had been severely burnt but shire communications manager Todd Trimble said this was incorrect. “The child was not ‘severely burnt’, but rather sustained an impact injury to the head as a result of a heater grate landing…

CRIB POINT FC  – By Jared Newton CRIB POINT went down in a nailbiter to Frankston Bombers by four points to remain winless on their home deck a quarter of the way through the season. The game ended in farcical circumstances with the siren blowing during a clear lull in the play with the umpires blaming timekeepers and the timekeepers blaming umpires for not blowing time on. While it was a dampener to an otherwise good game of footy it probably didn’t affect the result as Frankston had possession of the ball at the time and played the better footy on…

HASTINGS FNC – By Phil Stone, club president SENIORS REPORT IT was a tough day at the office. The wind out on the ground was horrendous and made it really tough to use the football. The game was strange with the first quarter littered with wasted opportunities and we didn’t really take advantage of the breeze. At half-time we said we were not playing the way we wanted to and the boys come out and responded. It was great to see us put in a big third quarter and basically win the game in that quarter. It is always good to…

EILEEN Elizabeth Clarke was born in Somerville on 5 January, 1916 at the private hospital run by Sister Hodgins. In 1940 she married a Hastings fisherman, Norman Herbert Francis, who died in 1999.Eileen lived in the house that she and Norm built in Tyabb in 1953 until she passed away on 19 April, 2015. Holy Trinity Anglican church was filled on 27 April for Eileen’s funeral service which was conducted by Rev. Alex. Packett. The eulogy was given by Richard Francis who was supported by his daughters Libby Gaynor and Debbie Francis, and his granddaughters Courtney and Taylah Gaynor. From…

A BIG turnout – which included a guard of honour by fire crews – farewelled former Somerville CFA captain Rodney Howard Armstrong on Saturday. Flags at the station were at half-mast and the fire bell was tolled once for each of Mr Armstrong’s years as a firefighter, 54 years. Funeral director Edward (Ted) Bull there were 240 mourners at the funeral, with many lined up along Graf Rd as first a fire truck and then the hearse passed by. Born 31 May 1942 at Mornington, Mr Armstrong died of kidney failure on 4 May, aged 72. In his eulogy, Somerville…

SOMERVILLE Secondary College in Graf Rd has again been attack by vandals. Constable Jack Henderson, of Hastings police, said a call was received at 9.15pm to report three youths “causing trouble” at the school. The caller also reported hearing the sound of glass being smashed. Police arrived at the scene at 9.30pm and patrolled the school, but the youths had run off. “Police saw damage to the top light of a bobcat, and where the offenders had removed a small fire extinguisher from the bobcat and deployed its contents,” he said. “The offenders had also used a bottle of oil…

HMAS Cerberus Dogs footy team hosted its second annual Pink Sports Day against a St Kilda City third division team on Saturday to raise funds for breast cancer research. Raffles, tin shakes and sales helped the club raise $400. A ceremony to name the oval the McAuliffe Oval, after recently retired Lieutenant Commander Murray McAuliffe, was held before the game. The McAuliffe family have been key supporters of the Cerberus Football Club for 39 years. Despite threatening skies, chilly winds and injuries forcing two players off-field, both teams showed spirit with the Dogs easily winning 125 points to St Kilda’s…

THE Big O has survived the Big C. Entertainer-at-large John Wells, who regularly performs at venues around the peninsula as Roy Orbison in a tribute show, was stopped in his tracks by a throat cancer diagnosis four years ago. The singer, guitarist and drummer said when he was told he was not expected to live more than three months when diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. “I was told I’d never sing again … and I’ve kind of beaten the odds a bit.” After spending about a year recuperating after surgery, radiotherapy and chemo Wells decided to get back on…

WHEN Christian protesters and staff at Greg Hunt’s electorate office in Hastings faced off last Wednesday one man had a foot in both opposing camps. Chairman of the Liberal Party’s Flinders electorate Peter Rawlings is a members and former treasurer of the New Peninsula Baptist Church. He told The News he knew several of those involved in last Wednesday’s “gathering”, as he put it. “I had friends on one side of the fence as it were, and friends on Greg’s staff on the other side.” Mr Rawlings authored the National Schools Chaplaincy Program for the Howard government in 2006 and…

DIESEL trains will not return to the Stony Point rail line as a quick fix to get passenger services back up and running. Metro Trains had said diesels could have been a short-term solution while work continues to install axle counters along the Stony Point line to stop boom gates malfunctioning (‘Line here to stay: Metro’, The News 28/4/15). The track was originally designed for diesel trains and in recent months boom gates at level crossings have failed to open in some instances when trains approach level crossings. “We were unable to find suitable [diesel trains] rolling stock for the…

THE future of the Port of Hastings Development Authority is in doubt following the failure of the state government to refinance its operations in last week’s budget. Hastings MP Neale Burgess has accused the government of “siphoning off” $80 million that should have gone to the authority’s operations. He said the “disturbing and cynical move” was a “further betrayal” from the Labor government which had provided no new funding for the area. “Just five months ago the Port of Hastings was building a real future for our community, already providing more than 100 jobs and preparing to provide thousands more…

NEW restrictions have been imposed on the fishing industry following the deaths of eight dolphins and four fur seals during two offshore trips by the factory trawler, Geelong Star. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) says trawlers in the small pelagic fishery must now only fish during daylight while the Geelong Star has to prove if has taken “all reasonable steps … to minimise further marine mammal mortalities”. Boats operating within a defined management zone would face a six-month ban on fishing if a dolphin died as a result of their operations. The tightening of fishing rules is seen as…

THE Frankston City Motorcycle Track remains closed after a motocross rider’s death at the venue last month. Frankston Council ordered the Frankston Motorcycle Club to close the Seaford venue after a 20-year-old man died after a collision with a fellow racer on Saturday 4 April. Council has set up a transition committee, chaired by Cr Glenn Aitken, to hand over management of the track to Motorcycling Victoria. Members of the Frankston Motorcycle Club are angry at council’s decision to effectively oust the club and some voiced their displeasure at this month’s public council meeting. A barrage of questions was submitted…

JOBS and careers of all sorts were the focus of last week’s Frankston Mornington Peninsula Careers and Jobs Expo at Mornington Racecourse. The event was designed to help the students and school leavers make informed decisions on their futures. It showed them what jobs were on offer, what skills and abilities were required, and how they should go about getting into them. Expert information and advice is regarded as the most important thing when planning young peoples’ careers – or a career changes. The event’s focus on interactivity saw many hands-on activities offered, including a tyre change pit-stop challenge, fitness…

AN exhibition by Simon Normand at the Merricks general store explores the Mornington Peninsula as it was before World War I. The artist presents a series of panoramic photographs of places that “show no sign of the dramatic effects of colonisation,” he says. Beside each photograph are original painted maps and collages of the landscape. There are references to original Boonwurrung place names, bullets found in shell middens, stones, insects and glass all preserved in resin-filled boxes. “It’s a vision of the country before the clearing,” he said. The exhibition runs until 31 May. The gallery at 3460 Frankston-Flinders Rd…

RYE barber Jeff Glaum didn’t plan on staying “too long” when he bought the Pt Nepean Rd hairdressing business in 1980, but last week was celebrating his 35th year of wielding the scissors and clippers. The 55-year-old, left, who was born at the old Dromana hospital and attended Rosebud Primary School and Dromana Tech, even did his apprenticeship at the same shop before taking over. “I’ve enjoyed it, yes,” he said last week. “At the time I thought maybe I would stay four or five years and then do something else. But the time just went by and I have…