Month: January 2016

DON Prout moved to Tyabb when he completed his electrical apprenticeship at the age of 21. For the past 66 years he has conducted his business as an electrician in the district, although these days he is “more-or-less” retired. Over the decades he has been involved in a variety of community activities with Rotary being a special interest. This is Don’s story. Earlier Prouts Don’s knowledge of his grandfather, Samuel Prout, is limited other than he spent some time in South Africa where he managed a gold mine. He was a keen musician as evidenced by the photograph of the…

SEARCH and rescue police on Friday night recovered the body of a 64-year-old Hastings man who went missing off Hastings pier that morning. Police rushed to the scene after receiving reports of an abandoned wheelchair. They set up a shelter at the end of the pier while divers searched for a body. Hastings Yacht Club is assisting police with its CCTV footage. There are no suspicious circumstances. Police are preparing a report for the coroner. For support and information about suicide prevention, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. First published in…

A TRAWLING expedition by fisheries officers on land and sea netted 144 anglers breaking such rules as catching too many fish, using too many lines and keeping undersized catches. Despite the number of anglers booked, Fisheries Victoria says its Operation Billit found “the vast majority” of anglers in Western Port and Port Phillip “are doing so legally”. The operation was targeting snapper anglers but caught one angler with too many calamari and another with abalone. “We inspected 2100 recreational anglers on the water and at the boat ramps, we detected a total of 144 offenders were detected,” Fisheries Victoria’s Bob…

A MAN, 27, drowned at Gunnamatta beach, Sunday, while swimming with friends about 500 metres west of the area patrolled by lifesavers. The Taiwanese national, of Box Hill, got into trouble after being caught in a rip and pulled off a sandbank at 1.20pm. His two friends alerted lifesavers, who ran back along the beach. One swam out to the boy and brought him ashore. The lifesavers performed CPR until Ambulance Victoria crews arrived to take over, but he could not be revived and died at the scene. A report will be prepared for the coroner. Gunnamatta club captain Patrick…

A GUARD of honour was the focus of hundreds of mourners for businessman Murray Gomm at Somerville Football Oval, Monday. The cortege did a lap of the oval – with the 40-strong guard popping cans of beer to toast the man whose family built the Somerville hotel and ran it for many years. Ted Bull, of Ted Bull Funerals, said Mr Gomm oversaw the hotel’s smorgasbord which was “the best meal in town with queues out the door”. Mr Gomm, 60, had been in good health until being diagnosed with colorectal cancer in December 2014. Wife of 30 years, Leanne,…

HYDROGEN sulphide gas levels in Merricks Creek are being monitored daily to avoid danger to campers and beachgoers. Melbourne Water gave the monitoring equipment to the camping ground to measure the gas levels – which cause a strong odour – but, so far, the results are “well below levels that would trigger a response”. The move comes as Balnarring Beach Community Association president David Gill warns that “dangerous hydrogen sulphide and methane gases from Merricks Creek are being monitored daily and closure of our camping reserves is a possibility. “However authorities have not, to our knowledge, warned local residents of…

“DROMANA Pier has exceeded its expected lifetime and, despite recent repairs, will need to be demolished in the next eight-10 years, perhaps even less.” That’s the view of Save Dromana Pier Committee chairman Ray Barnard-Brown and the unpleasant prospect faced by the group’s members who are determined that a new pier replace the existing structure when it is demolished. Members of the Association for Building Community in Dromana believe that the new pier should be designed to strengthen its public appeal. They believe that a sound, improved pier is vital to the future of Dromana and is conducting a survey…

GUNNAMATTA Surf Life Saving Club has received $5000 from the federal government’s Beach Safety Equipment Fund. The fund assists lifesaving clubs to buy rescue equipment and first-aid supplies for rescues over the summer season. The club’s 90 active members celebrated its 50th anniversary last weekend. Vice-president Ray Webb said the money would be used to replace worn rescue and patrol equipment. “It will also enable us to replace the motor in one of our inflatable rescue boats,” he said. The also will enable the club to spend other funds on training and to run nippers sessions. “This equipment will assist…

TWO men have been arrested and are expected to be charged on summons with arson after setting fire to a caravan on Arthur’s Seat Rd, Arthurs Seat, 10.40pm, Tuesday 19 January. The 46-year-old, from Seaford, and 25-year-old, from Frankston, allegedly torched the single axle van, with flames spreading to nearby bushland. Rosebud CFA crews managed to limit the extent of the fire – their job being made easier by damp conditions and lack of wind. Arthur’s Seat Rd was blocked off as a precaution against falling branches until mid-morning Wednesday. Detective Sergeant John Coburn, of Somerville police complex, said police…

DETECTIVES are searching for a firebug after Monday afternoon’s Crib Point fire storm and have spoken to two men, although no charges have been laid. The alarm for the first fire was sounded about 1.30pm – nearly the same time and place of a fire one week earlier. Embers from that fire on The Esplanade have been blamed for starting the more devastating fire which destroyed one house and six outbuildings. “Police are investigating the Crib Point fire as an arson attack,” Mornington Peninsula Southern Metro Region Inspector Karen Nyholm said Friday afternoon. “This is an insidious crime that has…

AUSTRALIA Day has special meaning for long-standing Red Hill couple Royal and Roy Setter, who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on the nation’s birthday, 26 January 2016. Royal Elaine (nee-Powell) and Roy George Setter married at St Peter’s Church of England, Frankston, on 26 January 1946, and moved into the family home in Paringa Rd, Red Hill South soon after. There they stayed for the next two years while building their own home just up the road. The couple worked hard on their orchard before retiring in 1982, building a new home in Red Hill where they now live. The…

SUB-DISTRICT DROMANA maintained its dominance in MPCA Sub District cricket, picking up a solid 29 run win against Balnarring. With its season on the line, Balnarring resumed on day two at 1/42, chasing 193 for victory. At that stage of the game, the pendulum was certainly swaying in favour of the Saints. However, an early run out of Mark Walles on the second day put the Saints on the back foot. Tom Hilet was also run out when he was cruising with 23 runs. Dromana was taking advantage of the luck in the match. Aaron Kaddatz continued his dominant season…

DISTRICT DELACOMBE Park failed in its attempt to pick up an outright victory over Seaford Tigers on Saturday in MPCA District cricket but is still a smoky to play finals. The Parkers were on the verge of victory after the first day’s play after scoring 175 and then having the Tigers in real trouble at 5/72 at the end of the day. The Tigers made just five more runs before being bowled out for 77. Shane Deal claimed 4/21 and Andrew Stapleton 3/23 for the Parkers. Delacombe Park then made 99 in 35 overs with Rowan Charles top scoring with…

PROVINCIAL CRIB Point are eight points clear in second place on the MPCA Provincial ladder after picking up an outright win against Baxter on Saturday. The Magpies headed into the second day of the clash having already won the match after bowling out Baxter for 88 on day one. Resuming at 7/179, the Pies added just 12 more runs before Baxter were back out to bat. Ricky Thompson top scored for the Magpies with 45, which included three fours and two sixes. The second innings didn’t fare much better for Baxter. In fact, it was much, much worse. The visitors…

SOMEWHERE back in 1996, a stupid conversation took place between four young blokes in a dusty oil shed on the trucking yards of Port Melbourne’s Dallas Crane Transport that went something like, “so ya reckon we could do this for a living?” Almost 20 years later, Dallas Crane have become a not only a lauded constituent of the Australian rock ‘n roll scene, but a trend-proof mainstay that continues to exhilarate audiences wherever they bloody well set foot! Some used to call them, “Australia’s hardest working band,” playing their guts out to anyone who’d listen, in which most cases was…

MR Jas Croskell, a very old resident of Frankston, departed this life last week at the ripe age of 84 years. An extended notice will appear in our next issue. *** THE “Wattles” Club will give one of their popular socials and dances in the Frankston Mechanics this (Saturday) evening, the proceeds being devoted to the fund for sick and wounded soldiers. *** ON Monday next (A.N.A.Day) a grand fete will be held at Tyabb in aid of the Red Cross funds. The Hastings Band will enliven proceedings during the day, and the ladies have made special arrangements to have…

ABOUT 200 jobs will be lost in Mornington and Carrum Downs with closure of the Masters “home improvement” stores. The demise of the Woolworths-owned Masters chain comes as no surprise, considering its much-publicised failure to gain market share. Each store employs about 100 staff – full-time, part-time and casual. A Woolworth’s media team on Tuesday said the Masters stores would “remain open as normal for some months to come”. “What we’ve announced is we intend to exit the business.  How we exit, which will either be through the sale process or a wind-up process, has yet to be decided and…

COMMUTERS travelling on the Frankston line faced frustrating service cancellations and delays during the early morning weekday peak hours of 7-9am last week. Several scheduled train services were cancelled at short notice and customers were quick to vent their anger at delays on social media. Metro Trains spokeswoman Sammie Black said an incident involving a person being struck by a train late on Monday afternoon “had a knock on effect” throughout the week. “We understand it inconveniences customers and our aim is to ensure everyone gets to their destination while delaying the smallest number possible,” Ms Black said. Delays on…

TWO high-profile politicians may face off for Liberal Party preselection as candidate for the Dunkley electorate in this year’s federal election. Donna Bauer, the former Liberal state MP for Carrum, and Cr Paul Peulich, a former mayor of Kingston, could be set to contest the party nomination for the seat of Dunkley which includes the suburbs Frankston, Langwarrin, Mt Eliza, Mornington, Seaford and Skye. Labor’s Sonya Kilkenny narrowly won the Carrum contest in late 2014’s state election by a margin of just over 500 votes ahead of Ms Bauer. An electorate boundaries shift in 2013 after an Electoral Boundaries Commission…

THE launching of the Volunteer Marine Rescue’s latest vessel, Darbyshire III, at Mornington on Sunday last week, is a boost to water safety and a tragic reminder of how the service came about. The Noosa Cat 3000, a nine-metre, state-of-the-art vessel, was officially launched by Sue Darbyshire, the widow of the man who gave the boat its name. Paul Darbyshire drowned within sight of the shore in 1980, prompting a public push for better safety measures for bay users. So moved and upset were Mornington police – two were among those watching the drama from the clifftop – that they…

COFFEE has become such an integral part of our lives that many people can’t do without it. But the influx of cafes has put a lot of pressure on specialty coffee roasters, as an increasing number of consumers insist on specialty products. “The biggest issue has been finding highly trained roasters or baristas capable of meeting expectations,” Sam Keck, who runs Commonfolk Coffee Company, a wholesale coffee roaster and cafe in Mornington said. “Bizarrely, there is still no roasting or barista apprenticeship.” The absence of any formal training in the coffee arts was brought home hard to Leigh Williams who,…

A CLOSE watch is being kept on power boats and jet skis to protect seals and other animals in Port Phillip. An increase in patrols by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning along the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula coastline follows rare visit to the region from an Antarctic crab-eater seal and the return of Australian fur seal Arcto to Dromana. The crab-eater seal was only 11th of its kind spotted in Victoria since 1856 and the first since 1999, while the bull seal Arcto was back at Dromana for the third year running. With peak boating season in…

MORNINGTON’S Mikaela Lawrence has her sights set on joining the top ranks of race-winning jockeys. Already working for Mornington-based trainer Sam Pritchard-Gordon (P-G Racing), Lawrence has now joined Racing Victoria’s apprentice jockey training program. “Mikaela, 21, is the oldest of four students selected for the program’s first year class, and has fought hard to earn her position in the high performance program, having not come from a horsey background,” Racing Victoria’s media and communications officer Daniel Miles said. In announcing Lawrence’s induction into the elite jockey training program, the P-G Racing website described the 49 kilogram apprentice as “a great…

A WOMAN stuck on a cliff at the former Moorooduc quarry, Mt Eliza Regional Park, Tuesday morning (19 January), may be lucky to escape a fine for breaching “No dogs allowed” signs. A sign clearly displayed near the fall site states: “Environmentally sensitive area: No dogs, no bikes – penalties apply”. The woman and her German short-haired pointer, Mailey, had to be winched to safety after slipping 15 metres down the quarry face about 10am Tuesday. They were on a ledge for about 90 minutes. A friend alerted rescue crews who assembled up top and prepared to bring her back…

Ghost the Musical Double pass giveaway Tickets valid for Friday February 5th 2016 – 8pm show at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne Terms and Conditions These terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”) govern the relationship between you, the entrant (“you”, “yours”) and the promoter, Mornington Peninsula News Group (“Mornington Peninsula News Group”, “Promoter”, “we”, “our”, “us”) 2/1 Tyabb Road, Mornington Eligibility The Competition is open to Australian residents aged 18 years or over. 2. The following are not eligible to enter the Competition: (i) employees and independent contractors of the Promoter and/or its related party entities (i.e. parent companies and subsidiaries); (ii) immediate family members of such employees…

Photos of the aftermath of yesterdays fires at Crib Point taken by Mornington Peninsula News photographer Gary Sissons. Firefighters have stopped the spread of the bushfire in the CRIB POINT area at Crib Point, this fire is classified as being under control. Residents and motorist should take care when travelling in the area as there are still approximately 25 fire trucks and crews working and patrolling the fire area. Staying close to shelter is the safest option, in case conditions change again suddenly. Continue to stay informed and monitor conditions. [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”14″ gal_title=”Crip Point Fire – Gary”]

WHEN a local Men’s Shed member collapsed suffering a heart attack last year he could have been dead within minutes had it not been for the quick action of one of his colleagues applying CPR while waiting for an ambulance with the necessary equipment. The member survived the attack but the incident lead to a discussion with the Hastings Community Bank (Bendigo Bank branch) around the need for an on-site defibrillator. Investigation revealed a statistically higher than normal risk of heart attack at Men’s Sheds because of the ages and health issues of some members, many of whom spend considerable…

AMBULANCE Victoria had a busy Sunday (17 January), with multiple incidents and rescues reported on Mornington Peninsula beaches: At 10.30am a man in his 40s swimming at Portsea was knocked over by a wave, dislocating his shoulder. He was taken to Rosebud hospital in a stable condition. At 3.10pm a teenage girl was hit by a boogie board and then by another swimmer, also at Portsea, injuring her head and neck. She was taken to Rosebud hospital in a stable condition. At 3.39pm a woman in her 30s suffered a serious cut to her leg when she fell on a…

PENINSULA Strikers soccer club members are still in shock after thieves broke into their clubrooms on New Year’s Eve. President Mark Brandon discovered the break-in at the club’s Centenary Park headquarters on McClelland Drive. “Initially I thought that the attempted break-in had failed but, once police arrived, it became clear what had happened,” Brandon said. “Thieves got in through the roof damaging four separate ceilings, two toilets, the bar and our storeroom. They also removed a safe bolted to a wall and stole its entire contents, leaving us well short of funds for the coming season.” But the theft of…

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”13″ gal_title=”Crib Point Fire – 18-1-16″] Stay home. It’s too late to go. That emergency warning just after 4pm Monday was the first many Crib Point residents heard about their homes being under threat from a fire in scrubland to the township’s north. A blaze near the Esplanade had been brought under control about a one hour earlier, without any loss of property. That fire was almost identical to one a week earlier in the same area which police believe was deliberately lit. However, it was the fire which quickly spread across 64 hectares on land bounded by Stony Point…