OPPONENTS of the RACV’s proposed $135 million resort at Cape Schanck are using image warfare and the internet to win converts and keep pressure on decision-makers. The latest tactic is an internet survey that allows comments both for and against the controversial development that will rise five storeys – almost 30 metres – and accommodate 650 conference delegates, up from the existing 250 limit. A pamphlet promoting the six-question survey includes an arresting image of the proposed resort dwarfing Cape Schanck’s iconic lighthouse. The new anti-resort push comes as the issue gained complexity following an abandoned meeting of Mornington Peninsula…
Month: June 2015
THE Barkers Rd closure saga may have come to an end but such is the nature of epic tales that it may well have a stanza or two to run. The story so far: a vacant block at 2 Barkers Rd, Main Ridge, was bought by Ms Antoinette Noronho for $425,000 at a mortgagee’s auction in early 2013 after the previous owner had failed to get permission for an access road to his “landlocked” 16-hectare property. Previous sale price: nearly $1 million. Ms Noronho seeks access to her land via a track through a Parks Victoria reserve, the Main Ridge…
SUMMER saw a record number of campers on the Mornington Peninsula with people staying during the so-called shoulder periods either side of peak periods increasing by 25 per cent in comparison to the previous year, CEO Carl Cowie has stated in his most recent monthly report. The figures were contained in his April report, which was presented to the council in late May. Mr Cowie said the department running foreshore camping was one of few in the shire that turned a profit. “The 2014-15 season is now closed with a record occupancy of 112,000 nights being achieved,” he said. “This…
Besgrove St bunker, 7pm Tuesday 9 June. Stalwarts cooled (literally) their heels until doors were unlocked. Initial absence of biscuits remedied personally by C Cowie CEO. THIS was a meeting as action-packed as Audie Murphy’s war, or the Westerns he made later in his safer role as an actor. And, as action-packed events are usually accompanied by the munching of sweets, the meeting was marked by the rhythmic movement of syncopated jaws masticating mints. First up was five footpath proposals, ranging from Mornington to Sorrento through Mt Martha, Dromana and McCrae. Total cost of the proposals: $1.22 million, dealt with in about…
A BIRTHDAY celebration of special significance on 6 July will honour long-term Mt Eliza resident Victor Ian Hamilton Shadforth, of Jackson’s Rd, who turns 100. It will be held at Josephine’s Restaurant, The Briars, for close family and friends. Mr Shadforth has had a bit of practice with grand events: his 99th birthday was held at Heronswood Homestead, Dromana. He met wife Patricia, of Lapoinya, Tasmania, at a community singing event, which was a popular form of entertainment for young people before the war. They were married in 1937 and lived happily for 73 years until her death in 2010.…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors will be asked if they want to continue legal action against an award-winning business that, although preparing and regularly serving food, claims it is not a restaurant. Green Olive of Red Hill in 2008 was given a permit for “primary produce sales” and “manufacturing sales” after presenting plans that showed a small sales counter and tasting area in an existing shed. Council officers say Green Olive now offers “a substantive menu of food and drink” prepared by two chefs in a commercial-sized kitchen served in an area equipped with 80 chairs. It also runs cooking classes,…
By David Harrison and Mike Hast THE landfill in Hampton Park likely to be the destination for shire rubbish after Rye tip closes is set to be expanded. Last week it was reported that French-based Suez Environnement, operator of the Hampton Park landfill, or tip, would expand adjacent land that could take waste for many more years (“Quarry waste target again”, The News, 9/6/15). The Hampton Park landfill is a key plank in the shire’s future waste disposal strategy as it looks for sites to set up a so-called bulk haul centre that would take waste from smaller trucks and take it…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire says it will continue to provide family day care, despite the imminent slashing of federal funding for the service. As a result, the shire says it has been forced to double its administration levee from mid-July from 75 cents to $1.50 an hour for each child “rather than see this service lost to the community”. The shire regards its family day care as a high quality, regulated home based child care service for children up to 13. Children are looked after in a registered carer’s home – not a day care centre. Operators provide flexible care day…
SITTING around at home after a series of ankle operations didn’t appeal to Mornington student Daniel Arapakis. He couldn’t walk but he still wanted to do something interesting. That “something” has now earned him a place as a junior in the Australian team to contest the world model aeroplane championships in the Czech Republic next month. Daniel, 13, will contest the F3D class – the Formula 1 of model aeroplane flying. It’s the fastest class in the world, reaching speeds of 350kph. His opponents are 50 other world-class flyers whose average age is 30. “It’s so much fun; I love…
ABOUT 20,000 peninsula properties are no longer designated flood-prone and more could be removed from the list as a result of “state of the art” mapping and weather modelling still under way across the shire, shire councillors have been told. But while councillors voted to endorse the amended maps already completed, municipal building surveyor David Kotsiakos faced a torrent of questions from councillors dissatisfied with aspects of the maps, presented at the 9 June council meeting. The maps’ aim is to set floor heights for new building works, which will keep them above floodwater. The mapping program is separate from…
Police are appealing for information following an armed robbery at a service station in Mornington on Sunday, 7 June. Frankston Embona Task Force detectives have been told a man brandishing a knife entered the service station on Moorooduc Highway just after 9pm. He approached the sole male attendant and demanded the contents from the till before removing cash. The offender then ran out of the store towards Moorooduc Road. He is perceived to be Caucasian in appearance, around 40-years-old, 183cm and medium build. He was wearing a black hoodie top, a black beanie and a black scarf covering his face.…
STARDATE 2015. These are the voyages of the Small Business Minister Bruce Billson. His mission: to explore strange new business tax deductions, to seek out new cost savings and new Liberal Party policies, to boldly go where no man has gone before? If this mission statement sounds a bit “out there” beyond the higher-profile stars of the Abbott cabinet, then allow The News to explain. The federal MP for Dunkley has been out and about spruiking the Abbott government’s second budget and its focus on small business has seen Mr Billson elevated to the command deck of government. The irrepressible Minister…
OPPONENTS to a container port at Hastings are being warned not to give up the fight just because the state government plans to lease the Port of Melbourne with guarantees of no competition for 50 years. The Preserve Western Port Action Group wants the government to “pursue sustainable developments that support the tourism and recreational boating industries” as an alternative to further industrialising Western Port. The group was Infrastructure Victoria to begin its assessment of whether Bay West in Port Phillip or Hastings is the best location for the state’s next container port. “Detailed submissions will be sought and the…
THE latest studies into rising sea levels show beaches and foreshores will be affected throughout Western Port, with the biggest loss of land to inundation occurring in the northern section of the bay. While beaches from Somers to Flinders with steeper foreshores will in large part retain their existing profiles, erosion is expected to increase as cliffs become more exposed to the sea. The studies also warn that underground water supplies will increasingly be salt affected. Land surrounding the bay’s tidal channels, such as those at Hastings and Merricks Creek, will also come under increasing pressure from rising levels in…
Direct from Las Vegas and following a sold out tour of the US and the UK, ‘The Rat Pack’ will be making their way to Australia in June. ‘Frank’ (David deCosta), ‘Dean’ (Johnny Edwards) and ‘Sammy’ (Nicholas Brooks) are back in town and will be lighting up stages across the country as they bring back the grand old days of those classic crooner hits that we all know and love. Johnny Edwards brings the magic and charm of Dean Martin back to the stage. With that chiselled smile, charming ways and funny lines, Dean Martin is remembered as the King…
PENINSULA LEAGUE CHELSEA came back from nowhere to record a thrilling two-point victory against Langwarrin on Saturday in Peninsula League Football. Looking down the barrel midway through the last quarter and trailing by three goals, Chelsea kicked five unanswered goals to wrestle back the lead and open-up a 10-point lead at the 27-minute mark of the quarter. Hudson Thomas, who finished the game with four goals for the Gulls and was arguably one of the best players on the ground, put his side in front before Jayden Attard extended the lead with five minutes left in the game. Langwarrin then…
MPNFL clubs should be moving as quickly as possible to take control of their own destiny, according to the man who led the charge for Casey Cardinia Football League to defect from the MPNFL two years ago. Narre Warren Football Club president and South East Football Netball League board member, Kahl Heinze, said if clubs wanted a future and to remain relevant in local football in their community, they needed to take action and break ties with the MPNFL immediately. Heinze said the management of the league from a board and administration perspective was “blatantly incompetent”. “These guys that run…
THE MPNFL-appointed Independent Tribunal handed down its Somerville Players Points System verdict last Thursday night as promised, but the league failed to pass that information onto clubs. The panel members – Geoff Dempster (Northern Football League Board Member, former member of the AFL Community Football Board), Bob Beazley (MPNFL PPS Implementation Working Party member) and Andrew Swales (Independent Tribunal Chairman) – met as communicated with Nepean League clubs on Thursday night. At this meeting, the tribunal determined that Somerville coach David Hirst was a two point player, not a one point player. It is understood that the league had advised…
NEPEAN LEAGUE Speccy-tacular: Red Hill went down to Dromana in Sunday’s Nepean League game despite this marvellous mark. Final score Dromana 9.15 (69) to Red Hill 7.6 (48). Pictures: Andrew Hurst RYE came from 17 points down at three quarter time to beat Sorrento by the smallest of margins in Nepean League football on Saturday. In front of a massive crowd that pushed beyond 3000 people, Toby Woodford copped a head high tackle with less than a minute on the clock and went back and kicked the goal from 20 metres out to seal the win for Rye 12.12 (84)…
Mr S S. Price, dentist of Melbourne, will visit Frankston for the convenience of patients on Sunday, June 13th, and may be seen at Garrood’s Prince of Wales Hotel. *** A mistake was made in last issue in reference to the raffle conducted by Mrs Rimmer. The amount received should be 8s 1d not 18s 1d as stated. *** Subscribers for the raffle for the Eiderdown Quilt given by business people of Frankston are notified that the raffle will be drawn in the Frankston Mechanics’ Institute on Saturday evening, 12th June, at 8 o’clock. *** The first of a series…
A CEREMONY recognising the 69th anniversary of the Italian Republic drew about 60 residents to the shire’s Rosebud office on Tuesday. “Italians have made an important and long-lasting contribution to Australia as a nation for many, many decades,” Cr David Gibb said. “Today, Italian Australians are prominent in politics, sport, journalism, law and the arts, and have considerable influence on the growth of Australia’s construction, food, wine, fishing and tourism industries.” The Rosebud Italian Club’s Lorenzo D’Alia said Italians were grateful “knowing that we have contributed to the development of this country, and consider ourselves fortunate to live our tranquil…
JOAN Kirner’s influence on the Mornington Peninsula will be felt long into the future. Victoria’s first and only woman Premier co-founded the Landcare movement in 1985 when she was Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands. With Victorian Farmers Federation president Heather Mitchell, Ms Kirner oversaw the development of a program that has reversed the degradation of farmland, public land and waterways throughout the state. Last week the Landcare organisation paid tribute to Ms Kirner, who died on Monday 1 June at age 76 of cancer of the oesophagus. (Ms Kirner never smoked.) The organisation said the former Labor MP “recognised…
THE worked-out Pioneer quarry in Dromana could be used as a waste “bulk haul station” for consolidation of rubbish before it is transported in larger trucks to tips in Hampton Park or Werribee. This is despite Mornington Peninsula Shire’s new Waste and Resource Recovery draft report nominating a site in Dromana’s industrial estate for such a facility. In manoeuvring highly reminiscent of that in a 2009 shire waste management report, the focus of the latest document is on expanding the shire tip, or landfill, at Rye, but with alternative waste technology (AWT) as the preferred acoption. The shire uses the…
THE recent $40 million sale of 94-hectares of land earmarked for a commercial and retail precinct at Martha Cove, Safety Beach, has breathed new life into the waterfront development 15 years after it was proposed. The Martha Cove sales office staffers say the dream of a thriving waterfront estate with direct bay access is now a reality. The $650 million development was envisaged to encompass multiple housing developments, marina berths and a commercial project to draw residents and tourists to the peninsula. However, the global financial crisis (GFC) took its toll in 2008 with sales stagnating for a time, and…
MOOROODUC Primary principal Peter Quigley is getting ready to choose architects for a new teacher resource centre and administration block funded by a $1 million grant allocated in the recent state budget. “The $1 million is certain,” he said. “It is to be fully funded within the next months. We have done quite well.” However, Mornington MP David Morris doubts that the full amount needed for the new buildings will come through. “Promises have been made to a great many schools, the projects promised far exceed the funds available. Let’s hope Moorooduc is not one of them … but the…
THE shire’s distinctive mobile library has gone to the renovators for a $285,000 makeover that will include expanding its middle section. It will away for about eight weeks and has been replaced by a more modest vehicle that will trundle around the shire’s 16 mobile library stops to keep far-flung readers happy. The book bus was driven to a truck body specialist in Melbourne last week to receive a new expandable middle that will take it from about 2.5 metres wide to six metres, enough room for a small lounge area, according to the shire’s library boss Geoff Carson. “The…
NEGOTIATING steep Wooralla Drive in Mt Eliza by foot is to be avoided by all but the most experienced walkers but that’s about to change with the shire getting ready for the construction of a footpath between the Tower Rd roundabout and Emil Madsen Reserve. Tender documents are being prepared and the shire is likely to call for prices from construction companies in about four weeks. It is hoped work will start in August or September. The long-awaited path will wind down the steep hill and have a bridge over Balcombe Creek. It will also cross the railway line, which…
PENINSULA Home Hospice (PHH) has launched a $5m campaign to pay for its new Mornington headquarters. The building will provide the first permanent home for the 30-year-old organisation that supports people suffering from a terminal illness. The service offers free palliative care, counselling and therapies to patients and their families in the municipalities of Mornington Peninsula, Frankston and Kingston (south of Mordialloc Creek). Small charges may apply to care by the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) and the use of specialist equipment. Directors of PHH bought 327 Main St, Mornington, in April after research and “years of coping with leases…
BURGLARIES at two farms in Tuerong have highlighted the risks residents take in leaving their property unguarded in unlocked sheds and garages. Detective Sergeant Nick Vallas, of Mornington police, said “thousands of dollars” in handyman tools and equipment, including a generator, nail gun and sporting equipment, was stolen from the large rural properties on 21 May. These goods will make their way onto the second-hand market, where naive – or unscrupulous – buyers will snap them up for unrealistically cheap prices, he said. Last week police raided three Hastings properties looking for stolen goods, and, at one address, found a…
A MORNINGTON woman has been named a Barnardos Mother of the Year 2015 national finalist at a recent awards night in Sydney. Barnardos Australia is one of the leading child protection charities in Australia. Dreena Lawrence-Gray was presented with her award by the Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife Margie. She was nominated by her daughter-in-kind Lana Guest. Ms Lawrence-Gray was a single mum who already had a “lively, rebellious teenager” when she made the decision to invite another one into her home. Lana Guest, then 17, was a troubled friend of her daughter’s. Born to heroin-addicted parents, Lana…