NOMINATIONS are open for next year’s Mornington Peninsula citizen and young citizen of the year and the year’s best community event. “Right across the shire, we have so many ordinary people doing extraordinary things. These awards help to make sure these individuals are rewarded for their generosity, selflessness and community spirit,” the mayor Cr Bev Colomb said. “If you know a friend, family member, school mate, community leader or any person or community event that helps make our community a better place to live, help us to recognise their efforts by nominating them for an award! Nominating is easy and…
Month: October 2015
WHALE watchers, tourism operators and environmentalists are marvelling the record number of whale sightings this year in Western Port. Sightings of more than 110 humpbacks, one southern right and four orcas in the region have encouraged whale watching cruises to extend their schedules. The apparent increasing numbers of whale is also providing ammunition for those opposed to an international container port being built at Hastings. While off the state government’s agenda at the moment, the port expansion could be added to the state’s major infrasturcture list if Western Port is designated as the most appropriate site by Infrastructure Victoria. Conservationists…
ROSEBUD Secondary College has won this year’s Wakakirri Challenge for Secondary School Story of the Year. There were 247 entries in the event which has categories for primary and secondary schools. Rosebud’s entry One Of Us, with teacher Brea Low, tells the story of two Jewish sisters who are taken to the Warsaw ghetto after the infamous Kristallnacht riots. Death slowly consumes them at a concentration camp. One sister gets a new identity and survives to tell their story. The performance was described as “incredibly powerful” by critic Petra Glieson. Established in 1992, Wakakirri is reportedly Australia’s largest performing arts…
THE state government is offering “a new tool” to help users save money on their power bills, following the release of figures showing that nine out of 10 Victorians are paying too much for electricity. Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio says the Victorian Energy Compare independent price comparison tool lets Victorians enter data online from their smart meter or power bill to find the best offer. The average Victorian household spends about $2800 on energy bills every year, which represents about 2.3 per cent of the average household income and up to about seven per cent of income for lower income…
AN event to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness will be held Saturday 7 November, at Southern Peninsula Arts Centre. Blue Dog Night will kick off with a barbecue at 6pm and show at 7pm. Tickets are $20 at the door with those under 16 free. Artists and photographers will display work in the foyer for a silent auction. Entertainment will be by bands The Warrains, Ling Marra and SugaTree, and Melbourne band Lasseter’s Reef, and Isla Ka from Tasmania. Organiser Erin Watkins will play original tunes. The event drew inspiration from a night of live music,…
SUB-DISTRICT Rosebud will head into day two of its match against Skye in a commanding position after belting 9/316 in 76 overs on Saturday. A superb 108 from young keeper Kane Donald set up the massive total, however, it came on the back of some solid early batting as well. Matt Maher scored 60 batting at four and skipper Brad Glenn hit 36. Jason Mathers was rolled for a duck. Pat Clish was the best of the Skye bowlers, claiming all five of the nine wickets. Skye faced the final four overs of the day but escaped without loss. Dromana…
DISTRICT IT’S been a long time since Heatherhill has dominated a day of cricket but it certainly did that on day one of their MPCA District clash against Flinders. The domination came on the back of young gun Kristian Miller, who smashed 133 against the Sharks. Opening the innings, Miller clubbed 18 fours and two sixes as he dominated all eight Flinders bowlers used to try and dismiss him. Jake Theobald provided solid support for him early with 35 before skipper Nathan Martin got in on the act and helped himself to 66. Miller was eventually dismissed by Max Royal…
PROVINCIAL LONG Island has placed itself in a commanding position against Pines in MPCA Provincial cricket after scoring 9/263 on day one of the match. Despite a shaky start that saw the home team 3/49, Islanders’ skipper Scott Phillips (70), along with Justin Bridgeman (31) took the score to 117. Strong performances from Andrew Tweddle (49) and keeper Michael Chaplin (42) in the middle order then ensured the Islanders batted out their 80 overs and posted a strong score. Craig Entwhistle and Nick Wilcox each claimed a couple of wickets each for the Piners. The Piners will need to bat…
Daryl Braithwaite and band will be performing at the Chelsea Heights Hotel on November 2. Braithwaite, the former Countdown King of Pop is looking forward to returning to the Chelsea Heights, where they have always had a great reception. “We are heading to the Chelsea Heights again, which is a great gig. The venue is terrific with lots of space and a great sound,” says Braithwaite. “It’s the audience that make it and the Chelsea Heights always delivers.” Braithwaite has spent most of his life doing what he loves, and after more than 40 years in the music industry, is…
PRIVATE A. McArthur, of Mornington, is reported wounded. *** ON account of the ordinary train being cancelled on Saturday, the mails will arrive at 5.14, and be delivered up to 6 pm at the local post office, *** DR and Mrs Maxwell are at present spending a holiday at Healesville. Dr Bartram is attending to duties in the meantime. *** THE monthly meeting of the Somerville Horticultural Society will be held on Monday evening next, when Mr T. M. Bourke will deliver a lecture on co-operation. *** A welcome home, will be given Lieutenant Fisher, Sergeant Polglase and Private O.…
THE seemingly long wait over, it was all eager anticipation on 14 October at the first Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meeting in almost a month – at least for the eager ratepayers who filed into the gallery to observe democracy at work. There were … oh, let’s see … at least three or four of us. Councillors were not exactly tripping the light fantastic as they took their places. Their feet seemed leaden. CW sensed a frisson, always likely to produce some reportable highlights. They came, but CW was slightly repulsed by several of them. A significant sight for the…
THE Melbourne Press Club last week commemorated the death of Graham Perkin, one of Australia’s great journalists, 40 years ago. He was vitally alive in that room for the many who worked with him, and for those honouring the legend he has become, an enduring and inextinguishable presence in the annals of Melbourne. Ranald Macdonald, a former managing director of David Syme and Company who now lives at Flinders, appointed Graham Perkin editor and with him revived The Age, making it a newspaper of world renown. He spoke at the commemoration dinner. This is an edited text of his address:…
THE new Women’s National Premier League soccer consortium Southern United is interviewing prospective coaches and plans to announce appointees soon. Its policy is that, if a male candidate is successful, then the best female candidate will be offered an assistant-coaching role. The consortium represents one of the largest catchment areas in Victoria. It is an amalgam of Casey Comets, Mornington, Langwarrin, Seaford United and Peninsula Strikers juniors. The interim board consists of Michael Woodward (Strikers and ex-local zone representative), Rob Harrington (Strikers), Rosemary Meeds (Mornington), Dawn Stone (Casey Comets), Stuart McLeod (Casey Comets), James Honey (Langwarrin) and Willie Lynn (Seaford…
ARTIFICIAL tree hollows – although not the real thing – are still important to the conservation of Australian hollow-nesting animals. They complement the diminishing number of old, natural hollows, which take many years to form, but which are often lost when mature trees are chopped or fall down. This time of year there is much competition for the few available nesting spots. Bats, possums, gliders, owls, parrots, ducks, kookaburras, rosellas and kingfishers, as well as various species of frogs, snakes and skinks, are all searching for homes. Students at Mt Eliza Secondary College’s Real Time Learning program decided to help. …
THE tension between activist group GetUp and Environment Minister Greg Hunt rose another notch last week over filming of a demonstration outside his Hastings office. Freelance cameraman Brett Tyley says a “dressing down” from Mr Hunt “was intimidating, rude and unprofessional for a man that holds that office”. Tyley says Mr Hunt objected to being filmed addressing a crowd of protesters even though it was Mr Hunt “that walked into the front of the crowd who I was there to film as part of my job”. “I was shocked at this as it is very unusual to be addressed as…
THE state government will be asked urgently to pay for safety measures at Tassells Cove, Safety Beach, where cliff erosion is endangering children who ignore a restricted area to play in “caves” formed at the foot of the unstable clay. The problem was highlighted by Cr Graham Pittock as an item of urgent business at Mornington Peninsula Shire’s 14 October meeting. Councillors voted to “immediately” seek “redress from the Crown due to sea processes causing this emergency in order for rectifying the situation”; to get legal advice; to investigate the danger as a priority; and to ensure the safety of…
A FUNDRAISING effort to help sick children that promotes the Melbourne Cup has been given the all-clear by the state government in the same week Gaming and Liquor Regulation Minister Jane Garrett called on the federal government to crack down on gambling adverts for the sake of young people and children. The Starlight Foundation, a not-for-profit that improves hospital experiences for children and chronically ill teenagers, has partnered with Victoria Racing Club to sell “pin & win” Melbourne Cup lapel pins to raise money for the Starlight Express Room at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital. Ms Garrett told The Age newspaper…
CRIME investigators have been hampered in their gathering of evidence by the lack of CCTV cameras in Main St, Mornington. The absence of publicly-owned cameras operating in the street was only revealed last week during investigations into two vicious assaults against teenagers waiting for buses. Although installed and on public display, the cameras have gradually fallen into disrepair. Almost exactly a year ago an 18-year-old girl managed to avoid being abducted from a bus stop in the same Barkly St bus stop by slumping on the ground. Her abductor was unable to drag the plucky girl into a white van…
THE state government is pouring money into Rosebud to both make it a “destination” and to bridge the gap between the infrastructure of Melbourne’s inner and outer suburbs. In a statement issued last Friday Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Bev Colomb enthusiastically supports the government’s $4.15 million grant for the shire’s the Destination Rosebud project. The total value of the project is $5,501,713 with council contributing $1.35m in this year’s budget. Council says it will “inject” 33 jobs and $10.6 million into the local economy “and will provide opportunities for our young people to re-engage in employment, and to reconnect…
ONLINE shaming of shoplifters is the way to go for small retailers upset by frequent stock losses. That’s the message gleaned by Zen Living proprietor Annie Zaicz who, fed up with almost-weekly shoplifts, installed CCTV cameras in her Main St, Mornington, store and watched and waited for results. They were not long in coming: a woman in her mid-30s pushing a child in a pram was filmed rummaging among the stock and stuffing a $200 dress and a $199 handbag inside the pram’s luggage rack. A furious Ms Zaicz was determined to track the culprit down. She posted the footage…
Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate Nathan Murray. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the 27-year-old, who also goes by the name of Nathan Rogers, for failing to appear at court in relation to drug, theft and arson related offences. Murray is known to frequent the Mornington, Frankston, Leongatha and Cranbourne areas. Investigators have released an image of Murray in the hope that someone may have information on his current whereabouts. He is described as being approximately 175cm tall with a medium build, fair complexion and brown hair. Anyone who sees Murray is urged…
ROSEBUD audiologist Fallon Arnold is about to head off on a two-week volunteer placement for All Ears Cambodia, based in the capital, Phnom Penh. The organisation offers a range of hearing health services to those afflicted with hearing loss or ear-health problems, such as infections. “It has been something I have always wanted to do,” Ms Arnold said. She received input from an audiologist working in Queensland “who was fortunate enough to do several placements there”. “We have a fantastic health care system in Australia and I wanted to give back to a country where access to vital hearing health…
AN estimated 10,000 cyclists took to the roads on Sunday in the 23rd annual Around the Bay – Ride for a Child in Need. Most of those opting for the longer 250 kilometre ride around Port Phillip had some relief from pedalling while aboard the Queenscliff-Sorrento ferry. However, the 28 members of the Pirates Sporting Club swapped handle bar for oars, rowing surf boats across the 12 kilometre stretch of water. Other riders followed courses ranging from 20 to 10 kilometres, including ones starting at Geelong and Sorrento. From the beach at Sorrento the Pirates were back on their bikes…
A HOST of Mornington Peninsula primary schools are taking part in VicHealth’s Walk to School activities this month. The mayor Cr Bev Colomb joined pupils at Mt Martha’s Osborne Primary School on Wednesday, while Cr Antonella Celi took part in festivities on Thursday at Our Lady of Fatima Primary School, Rosebud. Walk to School’s month of activities encourages pupils to walk – or ride, scoot or skate – to and from school throughout October. It improves health and fitness, increases social connections and confidence – and helps care of the environment by reducing car emissions. “Mornington Peninsula is pleased to…
THREE teenagers were treated for stab wounds and a woman knocked unconscious early Sunday morning during a confrontation over a noisy party in Cool Store Rd, Hastings. The woman was treated at the scene by ambulance officers while a 19-year-old man from Bittern and two 16 and 17 year old youths from Hastings took themselves to Frankston hospital. Police have been told that up to 20 people gathered in nearby Gold Court late Saturday night as a resident was seeing his wife off to her night shift job. He told them off about loud noise from the party, saying his…
TWO bridges under the Mornington Peninsula Freeway are to be strengthened under a state government $35.8 million “stronger bridges program”. The bridges spanning Devilbend Creek and Tuerong Creek at Tuerong are two of 48 listed for work in “regional Victoria”. The state Opposition says 10 of the bridges on the list are within four kilometres of the suburban Mulgrave electorate of Premier Daniel Andrews. Mr Andrews and Roads Minister Luke Donnellan went to Traralgon to announce the funding to strengthen the bridges. The first stage of the bridge-building exercise will concentrate on 17 “priority bridges that have deteriorated to such…
THE “age-friendliness” of the Mornington Peninsula was a major topic at the shire’s first Positive Ageing Community Summit held on International Day of Older Persons, Thursday 1 October. That “friendliness” relates to transport, housing, social participation, respect, volunteering and employment, communication and information, community and health services, and outdoor spaces and buildings. About 60 attended the summit which brought together residents to reflect on the progress of the shire’s Positive Ageing Strategy 2013 – 2018: A Community for All Ages. A highlight was a comedy act by Evelyn Krape. It aimed to consider new and emerging issues in creating an…
UP to 16 trucks were brought in to fight a grass fire last week at BlueScope Steel’s recreation reserve in Denham Rd, Tyabb. The fire started at 6.30am on Tuesday and burnt out five hectares before being stopped after an hour about 300 metres from the BlueScope steelworks. The fire was fanned by a strong northerly wind on an unusually hot October day which saw fires burn out of control across the state. Mornington Fire Brigade officer-in-charge Arthur Haynes said 27 District Eight appliances initially responded to the fire call in the hot and sticky conditions. “We turned them back…
THE vehicle carrier Hoegh Jeddah was again on the move mid-afternoon last Thursday after being anchored in the main shipping channel south of Rosebud since about 7am. It is understood the pilot called a halt to the ship’s departure from Melbourne because of engine trouble. Peter Harry from the Port of Melbourne Corporation said the shup had been anchored on the south side of the channel so as not to impede traffic. He said there had been no danger of it being grounded. By mid-afternoon the Hoegh Jeddah was undergoing sea trials, accompanied by the tug Hastings, before being given…
TWO Mornington bodybuilders will take part in the Natural Olympia competition in Las Vegas next month. Ultimate Fitness owner Nicky Jacobson, who is team coach of the Ultimate Angel Warriors bodybuilding and fitness model team, along with colleague Alicia Jukes, have qualified to represent Australia in the Natural Olympia in Las Vegas, in November. Club member Andrew Barnes said this was the biggest natural bodybuilding competition on the 2015 world calendar. Jacobson has made a big impact in her eight-year bodybuilding career. As the Victorian Over 40 fitness champion she qualified for last week’s Australian titles in Canberra, where, she…