CRIMES by youths across Melbourne and its suburbs mean people increasingly feel unsafe in their own homes according to state Liberal opposition leader Matthew Guy. Mr Guy visited Seaford and said it is unacceptable that young offenders are released on bail, especially for violent crimes including home invasions and carjackings. Some of those released show no respect for the law and reoffend upon release. “We need to get tougher on law and order in this state by changing the bail laws, particularly for juvenile offenders who can’t now be held,” he told The News. “You don’t give a second chance…
Day: August 8, 2016
HOW to make a scarecrow? That was one class especially enjoyable for grade 5 pupils at Eastbourne Primary School. Red Hill artist Michael Leeworthy was at the Rosebud West school as part of the Mornington Peninsula Hinterland Scarecrow Festival and Trail. “Scarecrow making takes pupils away from the digital world into craft making and gets them to use their imaginations and work with others,” he said. Leeworthy is visiting eight peninsula schools and kindergartens as part of an artist-in-residence program. Showing the pupils two ways of making a scarecrow he sensibly kept the details simple. In his kit was a…
CREWS from three volunteer rescue organisations joined forces off Safety Beach last week for coordinated water training exercises. The Water Police took an active role and oversaw the exercises on Sunday 31 July. About 40 volunteers from Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad, Mornington Volunteer Marine Rescue, and Safety Beach and Queenscliff Coast Guards, manned six boats to practise man overboard drills and search and rescue operations at sea. Crews reported that the sight of the rescue vessels all lined up in Martha Cove was “impressive”. The aim of the exercises was to simulate the demands and dangers of real life rescues,…
INCREASING pressure from developers to build bulky multi-storey apartment towers along Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento, has prompted Mornington Peninsula Shire to amend the planning scheme. Some of their planning applications – for buildings five storeys above ground level – are at odds with the low-scale character of the historic town. Senior planner James Bryan, in a report to the shire’s 25 July meeting, said that “without clearer development controls, the out of character developments will erode the valued historical character and built-form aesthetics of the village”. Amendments C203 and C204 aim to protect properties in the Sorrento activity centre, along…
A DOG was killed and two other dogs injured, one seriously, when a car they were riding in crashed into a pole at Rosebud, Thursday (4 August) night. The driver of the car, a 55-year-old Safety Beach man, was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The accident occurred at 6.40pm at the intersection of Point Nepean Rd and First Av. Sergeant David Collins, of Mornington Peninsula Highway Patrol, said the dead dog was on the front seat and hit the windscreen and the others were in the rear. He said marks on the rear of the front…
SAND trucked at great expense to Mt Martha Beach North has again “disappeared” after a series of storms. The sand loss has exposed the seeming flimsy supports on which many of the beach’s 90 bathing boxes sit. Some of the supports have been wedged with recently cut squares of timber while others teeter precariously on concrete pads. Many of the spindly frames have been pushed back towards the cliff by either wind or waves or, probably, both. Bolts are bent and timbers cracked. One bathing box leans backwards while another, set on a level earthen bank, is being undermined and…
IT’S not unusual for a mum to be proud of her son – that’s what mums are like. But the obvious joy and encouragement shown by Mornington’s Anita Duesterhaus for her 18-month-old bundle of joy is enchanting. Malakye was born without a right forearm and hand. In the great scheme of things, such an omission should hardly be noticed, so Ms Duesterhaus’s defence of her progeny, even while he was in her womb, is unsurprising. “I was offered a termination at 34 weeks,” she said last week. “There was nothing wrong with my son other than he never grew his…
THE federal election may be over, but the activist group GetUp! is still pursuing one of its regular targets, Flinders MP Greg Hunt. Mr Hunt lost some of his winning margin from the previous poll but retained his seat with a margin that would be the envy of most other politicians. GetUp!, which describes itself as “an independent movement to build a progressive Australia and bring participation back into our democracy” is running a survey to find out “your vision for Australia, for Flinders, for your neighbourhood and street?”. GetUp! claims to have had “a huge impact on the election…
MORNINGTON Racecourse is “putting the peninsula on a plate” with a new food and beverage regime that supports local businesses, farms and workers. Under a five-year program with Chisholm Institute 50 trainees each year will gain on-the-job experience working across race days and events. As well as new management and staff, the racecourse is working with 30 businesses – from wineries, fruit and vegetable farms to meat and smallgoods suppliers – to ensure that what’s served up on the plate represents the produce available on the peninsula. Under the guidance of the new head of food and beverage operations, Paul…
PENINSULA LEAGUE SEAFORD is in the top five after beating Karingal at Miles Reserve in MPNFL Peninsula Division on Saturday. The Tigers crept into the top bracket after Edithvale were beaten by Mornington, however, the chances of Seaford maintaining that spot is questionable given they don’t play this weekend and Edithvale play Karingal. Seaford played its round 17 game against Pines on the Queen’s Birthday weekend and went down by more than 10 goals. Karingal won’t be a lay down opposition for Edithvale at Ballam Park this weekend but given the Eagles have a place in the finals at stake,…
THE Briars homestead has been blessed with its second French connection. The first was a family link to Napoleon Bonaparte, who was a house guest of William Balcombe (1779-1829) at his house The Briars, on the island of St Helena, while he was in exile in the early 1800s. Balcombe’s son, Alexander (1811-77), went on to establish the Mt Martha property with a land grant in 1840. He and his wife built a rough-hewn slab house – also called The Briars, in 1842 – making it one of the oldest pastoral properties on the peninsula. Now, six French teenagers –…
NEPEAN LEAGUE SOMERVILLE has locked in a top three place on the MPNFL Nepean Division ladder following a strong fighting win against Red Hill on Saturday. The Eagles once again withstood a relentless opposition that refused to concede defeat, despite the fact that the Eagles appeared to put the Hillmen away a couple of times in the second half, winning 12.14 (86) to 10.9 (69). After a solid performance against Hastings last week, where they withstood a late charge from the Blues, it was always going to be interesting to see how Somerville backed up. The home side booted the…
Local Frankston band and teen sensations X MINUS took out the prestigious Frankston Freeza Fresh Start Battle of the Bands held at the Frankston Mechanics Hall on Saturday the 30th of July. All members hail from the Frankston area with only Bailey the drummer out of the area from South Yarra. Ben Gorman is the guitarist for X MINUS and he is modest about the bands early success “We are amazed and grateful for the comments we’ve been receiving. There were so many great bands on the night and we’re just happy we played tight on the night and the…
Direct from London, THE BOOTLEG BEATLES, the world’s first and finest homage to the Fab Four will be performing at the Frankston Arts Centre on Sunday September 4. Now in their 36th year, THE BOOTLEG BEATLES have performed over 5,000 shows worldwide. Their stunning authenticity coupled with their musical credibility has seen them perform at some of the world’s best-known venues such as Wembley Stadium, the Royal Albert Hall, Knebworth, Glastonbury Festival and the Budokan Stadium in Tokyo, where The Beatles originally played. They also performed on “The Graham Norton Show” in London. The legendary English Record Producer/Arranger/Composer Sir George…
FRANKSTON was privileged to be chosen once more for an afternoon’s outing for returned wounded and sick soldiers, on Wednesday last, and the lads evidently enjoyed the fun and the efforts made to entertain them. A wire was received Monday afternoon by the secretary of the “Wattles” Club (Miss Gray) asking if it would be possible to entertain 150 overseas soldiers, who were to arrive in Melbourne on Tuesday morning. So there was no time to be lost before making preparations. However, no difficulty whatever was experienced in providing the boys with the very best Frankston could produce. The Wattles…