Year: 2016

A man has died following a single vehicle crash in Somerville just after 5.30am this morning (27 December). It is believed at this stage the driver has lost control on Tyabb-Tooradin Road and struck a tree. One male has died at the scene, two other male occupants have been transported to hospital with serious injuries. The occupants are yet to be formally identified. Police are investigating the cause of the collision and appeal for any witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or file a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au Source: Victoria Police Media – 27 December 2016

Keeping everyone on the road safe, with an emphasis on vulnerable road users, will be the focus of Somerville Highway Patrol over the summer months. Distractions such as mobile phone use, as well as impairment factors like alcohol and drugs would be key focuses of the operation. Acting Sergeant Brian Bourke said the campaign would serve as a reminder that safety on the roads was a collaborative effort and not exclusive to particular groups. “Cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and drivers all have a role to play in keeping everyone on the road safe,” he said. “Driving on the road is a privilege,…

HEALTH risks associated with fire-fighting foams at HMAS Cerberus have been assessed as “very low”. However, the officer overseeing the clean-up of the potentially dangerous chemicals says those most likely to be affected are those in contact with contaminated ground water. These may include people who drink tank water supplemented by bore water, but could extend anyone eating fish caught near Hanns Inlet on which the base is situated in Western Port. A full-scale ecological risk assessment next year by GHD environment consultants will more fully analyse samples of soil, sediment, water and plants – as well as the areas…

OZACT players will stage an outdoor production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at Coolart Homestead, 4pm, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 January. Macbeth is one of The Bard’s most popular plays, with two of his strongest and most intriguing characters: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The play tells of their journey from lofty dreams of power and ambition to the deepest pits of desolation and despair. This is OZACT’S 21st anniversary. It has put on more than 40 productions and 500 performances in the past 20 years. The players regard Coolart Homestead as an exhilarating setting for the play. The mansion’s design –…

FLINDERS Christian Community College students put their business acumen to good use earlier this month as participants in the Foundation for Young Australians $20 Boss loans program. The idea is that students receive $20 in seed funding and then take the opportunity to plan, budget and market a business idea, and have a month to run with it. After receiving their money, the students brainstormed ideas and, as a class, decided to focus on food and beverage ideas. They researched their target market, planned business strategies and went about executing their plan. In groups, they learned to read the market,…

INDUSTRIAL land in Crib Point could soon be rezoned for residential development after councillors backed a plan for developers to build homes between 1 and 73 Creswell St. At this month’s public council meeting Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors unanimously voted to ask Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne for approval to advertise the residential zone plans for public feedback. The land is mostly vacant and homes have been built on the western side of Creswell St. The Port of Hastings Development Authority has previously not supported the rezoning of the land from Industrial 3 Zone and part Port Related Uses to…

TWO men had an eventful day at sea when their vessel ran out of fuel and then ran aground in Western Port Bay, Saturday afternoon. The pair had set out for a casual jaunt, but quickly found themselves in trouble in the rough conditions. The pair then found themselves running out of petrol and aground on mud flats as their boat began taking on water. The men contacted a friend by mobile phone who passed details of their plight on to Water Police who, along with volunteer maritime rescue crews and the police Air Wing, were then able to rescue…

FORTY-two people have drowned on the Mornington Peninsula over the past 10 years. The latest Victorian Drowning Report shows seven of the 43 drowning deaths in the state over the past financial year happened on the peninsula. From 2005 to 2015, there were also 58 hospital admissions and 82 emergency department presentations due to non-fatal drowning incidents in the area. Statistics show males are seven times more likely to drown than females, while there is a 99 per cent likelihood of one or more fatal drownings on the peninsula in any given year. “Living on the beach it is important…

Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding a fatal single-vehicle crash that occurred at Dromana on Friday. It’s believed a car travelling east on Boundary Road left the roadway and struck a power pole about 11.15pm on 16 December. The male driver, who was the sole occupant, died at the scene. Police are hoping to speak to anyone who may have seen the vehicle in the Red Hills and Dromana areas before the crash. The car is a green 2001 Ford Falcon ute with Queensland number plates. It has a black custom fabricated steel tray and an alloy bulbar on…

HOUSES in some southeast suburbs are more than twice as likely to be burgled as the average Victorian home, the RACV’s analysis of the 2015-16 crime statistics reveals. The average burglary rate rose from one-in-74 homes to one-in-68 homes, as the number of burglaries reported to police increased by 10 per cent across the state. The RACV’s interactive digital map can zoom in on any postcode to find out its burglary rate. Mornington Peninsula postcodes continued to feature after making the top 10 for the first time last year. This year, Rye, Shoreham and Balnarring were all deemed riskier than…

A RATEPAYER group is calling for surveys to make sure public land has not been included within the fence lines of multi-million dollar clifftop properties at Mt Eliza. And once the surveys are done, the group wants a walking track built along the clifftop from Jacksons Rd to Pelican Point, near Daveys Bay. In a budget submission to Mornington Peninsula Shire, the Mt Eliza Foreshore Advisory Group (MEFAG) says the proposed walking track would provide the “missing link” between Canadian and Daveys bays. The submission ranges from calling on the shire to stop nudists from leaving the “optional dress” area…

AFTER seven months of planning, renovation, refurbishment, tradies, dust and dirt, the Peninsula Home Hospice (PHH) is operating from its new Mornington offices. Previously PHH had been working from two separate sites – Golf Links Rd, Frankston and Railway Grove, Mornington – but now, for the first time in more than 10 years, it is being run from one office. “Since the organisation began in 1984, PHH has relocated on several occasions, largely to accommodate growing demand for services and meet the increasing need for space and facilities that reflect the growing role and importance of the organisation within the…

A BID to reverse a council decision to grant a planning permit to extend the Willow Creek Winery at Merricks North failed to gain support at this month’s meeting of Mornington Peninsula Shire. Cr Hugh Fraser put up a notice of motion to rescind the decision to allow the construction of a $26 million luxury hotel with 46 rooms and two restaurants at 166 Balnarring Rd, Merricks North. He argued green wedge regulations limited patronage on the 18-hectare site to a maximum of 150 people at any one time. Cloud Investments won council backing in late November (“Winery can expand…

TRADERS worried about losing their businesses to a Mornington arcade development were out collecting signatures for a petition in Main St last week. Plenty of sympathetic shoppers were eager to sign the petition which states in part: “Did you know that demolition is planned for 55-61 Main St, the lovely set of four shops in a heritage building dating back to 1901? A shopping arcade, offices and apartments (three storeys high) right smack bang in the middle of Main St’s quaint little shopping strip. “Please sign this petition if you are against the building of a shopping arcade.” The traders…

IT’S a big leap from the International Association for Universal Design Awards in Japan to the ropes course at Camp Manyung, Mt Eliza. But now they are linked: Australia’s first universally designed ropes course at the camp received a gold award in the tourism, inclusive culture and mobility category at this year’s awards. Set in the tree-tops, the ropes course allows participants of all abilities to choose how they travel around the course. They may use a scooter, skateboard, bike or the Cloud Rider, a purpose built wheelchair. The course last month won an award at the 2016 Victorian Disability…

MORNINGTON Shire Council already made significant steps towards transparency this year as a result of a Victorian Ombudsman’s investigation into council practices, according to the mayor Cr Bev Colomb. However, a report on the investigation has highlighted shortfalls in the way the shire, and several other councils, “serve the public interest” when making decisions. Ombudsman Deborah Glass released her report last Thursday (15 December) into the state’s 79 councils, Investigation Into the Transparency of Local Government Decision Making, which found that transparency was “a random matter” across the state. After gathering evidence from council staff, CEOs, mayors and councillors, Ms…

A BRIGHT yellow food van is at the centre of a four-hour safety zone at the corner of Main and Barkly streets, Mornington. The Main St Salvos will be in the zone until the end of February handing out free bottles of water and sweets to revellers on their way out or on their way home. “We have a few new additions this time round,” the Salvos Sean Mapleback said. “We have a generator which allows us be mobile if needed, we have music to create some atmosphere, additional lighting and phone chargers if people have a flat battery and…

HOUSEHOLD recycling bins on the Mornington Peninsula will be collected weekly until Friday 3 February, when the usual fortnightly service resumes. Recyclable items include aluminium and steel cans and foil, rigid and solid plastics, kitchen ware, cups and drink bottles, pots and pans, wrapping paper and envelopes, cardboard, newspapers and magazines, milk, juice and soft drink bottles and glass bottles and jars. Recyclable items should not be placed in plastic bags and containers should be emptied. Recyclables that can’t fit into the bin can be taken to Rye, Mornington and Tyabb tips or rubbish hoppers at Sorrento, Dromana and Flinders…

BLAIRGOWRIE boat-owner John Armstrong believes changes to Mornington Peninsula Shire’s boat launch permits are intrusive and restrictive. The $125 annual fee – as explained on the shire’s website – “entitles the applicant to launch and retrieve boats from the shire’s boat launching facilities and park in the designated car parks.” The new permit comes in the form of a windscreen sticker that must be attached to the bottom left-hand side of the vehicle’s windscreen. A letter to boaties from the shire’s environment protection unit said “feedback from customers advising of concerns with the practicality and reliability of the annual boat…

A BREWERY will be built at Fingal, on land formerly owned by the Freedman brothers to train thoroughbred race horses, after Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors approved an application by site owner Andrew Purchase to eventually brew beer and cider at the green wedge site. Some councillors at last Monday evening’s public council meeting voiced disapproval about alcohol being shipped in to be sold at the brewery for the first few years of the new venture’s existence. It will take at least five years for enough hops and barley to be grown on the 160 Sandy Rd land but a majority…

THE Woodworkers of the Southern Peninsula (WOSP) have been working hard to ensure it’s a merry Christmas for all this year. Meeting in Rosebud each Wednesday, the members build wooden toys and games, including rocking swans, prams, bikes, garages, helicopters, fire engines, wheelbarrows, tool boxes, carousels, trams, ride on trucks, doll cradles, quoits and yachts,  for needy families. A special handover celebration last Saturday saw about 1000 hand-crafted toys given to charities Rosebud Salvation Army, Westernport Christmas Giving and Good Shepherd foundation, for distribution. Gary Sanford, manager of the Bendigo Banks at Rosebud, Dromana and Rye, which donates funds to…

CONTROVERSY over a slew of speeding fines on Peninsula Link may have been avoided if motorists had been able to use Julian Varricchio’s latest innovation. The 24-year-old from Dromana has developed a free phone app that constantly displays and records a driver’s real-time speed – especially useful in point-to-point calculations, such as on freeways. The data can be used to determine an average speed and then be exported and possibly used as evidence to fight speeding infringements using what Mr Varricchio believes is incontrovertible data. “The end goal is that drivers will be recording all their trips and providing themselves…

COUNCILLORS’ concerns over changes to Sorrento’s skyline means a $50 million plan to redevelop the Continental Hotel will be considered at a three-day VCAT hearing in January. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal will deliberate on an application by new hotel owners to refurbish the four-storey hotel, which is heritage listed, and build a residential apartment complex including a wellness centre to the south of the main hotel building. The proposed height of the apartment building, to include a rooftop garden and terrace, was deemed to be too high by councillors at a public council meeting last Monday (12 December),…

ROSEBUD Police Station Commander Steve Wood is urging revellers to be aware of restrictions on New Year’s Eve festivities. “To ensure the safety of everyone celebrating New Year’s Eve on the Mornington Peninsula there will be no public entertainment, no public fireworks [at Rye] and bans on alcohol in all public places,” he said. “Entry to most hotels will be by pre-purchased ticketed events only and the Rye carnival will not be operating.” Gambling and liquor regulators will be working with police to make sure hotels and other licensed premises do not sell liquor to minors and drunks or allow…

THE release of a State of the Bays report is regarded as a “critical first step in securing the good health of our marine environments”, according to the Victorian National Parks Association. “Port Phillip and Western Port are under increasing pressure as the populations of Melbourne, Geelong and the bays’ catchments continue to grow,” the association’s marine and coastal campaigner Chris Smyth said. “As a result, urban and industrial development, climate change, introduced marine pests, fishing and shipping will continue to threaten the health of the bays.” The report studied the health of both waterways, providing a stocktake of the…

PROVINCIAL MT ELIZA headed into the MPCA Christmas break clear on top of the Provincial table after knocking over reigning premier Peninsula Old Boys on Saturday. On the final day of cricket in 2016, the Mounties ripped through the usual unstoppable POB top order to have them on the back foot from the outset. Defending 263, the home side got rid of Dylan O’Malley (0), Wade Pelzer (6) and Matt Hyden (7) early to have the visitors on the back foot. Justin Savio picked up the prized scalps of Pelzer and Hyden while Shaun Knott grabbed the wicket of O’Malley.…

DISTRICT RYE lost its fourth match in outright fashion in MPCA District cricket on Saturday, this time against Baden Powell. The Braves raced up the ladder to fifth place and is now just four points behind third placed Delacombe Park and fourth placed Flinders. The Demons have had a horror season. They lost three matches outright from rounds two to four before losing yet again in outright fashion on Saturday. In round five Rye avoided outright loss by just two wickets and find themselves on the bottom of the ladder and odds-on to be relegated next season. Baden Powell started…

The MCG is the likely venue to host the Victorian Championships main game next season, featuring the ranked two MPNFL, up against the best in the business, the Geelong Football League. AFL South East, along with AFL Victoria, are pushing to have the game played as a curtain raiser to the Round eight clash between Essendon and Geelong. Planning is already well underway for the 2017 campaign with coach John Hynes and his fellow selectors in Gavin Artico, Pat Poore and Paul Hopgood already finalising squads. The squad squad is expected to be finalised this week and players notified before…

SUB-DISTRICT HASTINGS finished 2016 on top of the MPCA Sub District ladder, despite going down to Frankston YCW on Saturday. Chasing 151 for victory and resuming at 3/18, the Blues had a lot of work to do with the bat on day two of the contest. The Stonecats were up to the challenge though, given their 2016/17 season was dependent on them winning the match. The Blues were rolled for just 103, YCW skipper Andrew Kitson doing the bulk of the damage with 4/31, while Craig Burch snared 3/22 from 14 overs. Sam Fulton also picked up 2/21. Mitch Floyd…

SOCCER By Craig MacKenzie FRANKSTON Pines believes that it has secured its future after finally forming executive and general committees on the weekend. After weeks of uncertainty the Monterey Reserve outfit has accepted the overtures of Mauritian-born barrister and solicitor Daniel Plaiche, a director of Club M Australia, a sports club aiming to promote Mauritian soccer at the highest level here. Plaiche and others from the Mauritian expat community have joined recently relegated Pines and plan to bring Mauritian internationals to Australia with a view to getting the club back into State 1 South-East and eventually promoted to the NPL.…