Day: September 26, 2016

ENVIRONMENTALIST Steve Karakitsos says the sale of the Melbourne Business School in Mt Eliza will worsen the area’s dwindling natural environment and lead to species loss. President of the South Eastern Centre for Sustainability, Mr Karakitsos, said the redevelopment of the site will contribute to the loss of “precious” habitat, which was a recognised factor in species loss. The 8.9 ha property in Kunyung Rd has been bought by Ryman  Healthcare for $40 million and will be redeveloped into a luxury retirement living centre with independent living apartments, pools,  cafes, care hospital and theatre. The site is opposite the Kunyung…

PERFORMING arts are used as a platform for young people’s health, sense of inclusion and feelings of wellbeing by members of Artzmartz, based at Mornington. The group is part of Smart Communities which believes in creating communities where children and young people are valued, respected and heard. It fosters projects designed by and for young people, which provide a platform for community connection and skill development, feelings of belonging and sense of purpose and control in life. “Our young people have enormous potential and, as an organisation, we hope to provide many opportunities for them to hold onto their optimism…

FOOTPATHS, foreshores … and frogs. There is seemingly no end – and some cases no relation – to the variety of issues and concerns listed by the 50 candidates for the 11 seats on Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. Easily added to the three mentioned above are “over development”, waste disposal, planning for coastal “villages” and, certainly an elephant in the room, how much councillors should be allowed to spend above their $29,000 a year stipend ($92,000 for the mayor). The candidates’ buzz word for this election is community. Although not a definable issue, community will be a frequent persuader used…

THE RSPCA is investigating a “horrific” case of cruelty in Rye after a young brushtail possum was caught in a steel-jawed trap tied to a wooden trellis. It is unknown how many hours the distressed animal was forced to hang by its crushed paw at the vacant holiday house before a nearby resident saw it and reported it to a peninsula wildlife shelter. Brenda Marmion, of the Crystal Ocean wildlife shelter, Rye, said the trap was a shocking example of disregard for native wildlife. The possum was barely alive when its plight was discovered and it had to be euthanised…

CAMP Manyung, Mt Eliza, is running programs to encourage seniors to get active in the outdoors. The YMCA camp’s outdoor adventure program includes sea-kayaking, archery, high ropes and bike riding will launch on Friday 7 October at 25/35 Sunnyside Rd, Mt Eliza, and then run every month until April. The program will include challenges based on group members’ interests, as well as the weather. “We’re excited to be launching something that can make a difference to our community’s health and bring people together,” manager Maree Feutrill said. “Research shows that, as people get older, their participation in sports and recreation…

HEAVEN knows how a cannonball lay undetected on Shire Hall beach for the past 120 years – until Peter and Fairlie Pirouc stumbled upon it last week with their metal detector. The Croydon couple often use their detectors to search for valuables, but never before had they been to the Mornington beach where the three kilogram ball was found only four or five centimetres under the sand. “We heard yesterday that it may have been from an old ship that came in,” Ms Pirouc said. “Or perhaps it came from the fort at Queenscliff with all the dredging? It’s one…

ON Saturday, at 6.30pm, Henry Woodward, about 11 years of age, was drowned at Carrum, and Mr C. Gill, the local dairyman, had a narrow escape from a similar fate. The boy, wanting to see the flood, had persuaded Mr Gill to take him with him in his cart on the way to Well’s road. To reach his destination he had to drive through the flooded portion. Suddenly the horse was carried off its feet, the cart went under, and both man and boy were swept into the water. Gill got the boy on his back and made a desperate…

PENINSULA LEAGUE IT was six premierships in seven years for Frankston YCW last Sunday. What an unbelievable achievement from a lot of dedicated off-field people and a committed on-field group. Question now is, will this continue? A competition-wide salary cap of $150,000 per year is expected to effect the Stonecats. How do they keep the list together? Do the players take a significant pay cut to stay together? Or, as some would have you believe, after so many flags, now is the time to explore other opportunities. With absolute respect to Frankston YCW (they absolutely deserve to have achieved the…

NEPEAN LEAGUE THE 2016 Nepean Division season may have come to a conclusion with Hastings winning the flag, however, the silly season is about to begin as teams prepare to challenge in 2017. For footy clubs, the season never finishes – one season just rolls into another. Who’s going to take us to the next level? Where did we fall short? These are the questions that coaching groups and committees discuss at the conclusion of every season. It’s the catalyst for hundreds of phone calls being made between now and the first bounce of 2017. So what would be the…

SOCCER By Craig MacKenzie ROSEBUD Heart cemented its claim as Victoria’s team of the year by clinching the State 5 grand final in a penalty shootout last Saturday at Murphy Reserve in Port Melbourne. The season finale presented Heart with the opportunity to continue its perfect record having won every league game in State 5 South and becoming only the third senior team in the past 54 years to achieve such a feat. Heart went into this clash with State 5 North champion RMIT as a firm favourite but the large group of travelling Heart fans soon found out that…

CENTRAL Mornington will again be the setting for art, culture, food and wine during the 21st Main Street Mornington Festival on Sunday 16 October. There will be entertainment for all ages from up-and-coming artists and well-seasoned performers, including pop, jazz, blues, and retro, to folk, country, acoustic and indie.    Seasonal produce, food and a selection of wine will be available. This family-friendly event runs 11am-5pm and is organised by the volunteers of Northern Mornington Peninsula Tourism. The program is available at mainstreetfestival.com.au or on Facebook at MainStreetMorningtonFestival. First published in the Mornington News – 27 September 2016

SAVE the Dromana Pier campaigners are buoyed by Mornington Peninsula Shire’s support for their cause, even though any decision on its future ultimately rests with Parks Victoria. Councillors voted at Monday night’s Special Council meeting – the last before the shire goes into caretaker mode – to advocate for the redevelopment of the pier to ensure its long-term survival. The group’s secretary Ray Barnard-Brown said the shire’s backing was a much-needed “shot in the arm” for their campaign. “It gives us added legitimacy,” he said. It also reinforces community approval for the 1862 pier – extended in 1873 and rebuilt…

TWO Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors have been accused of misleading the state government which gave $588,000 towards extending the Rye boat ramp. Nepean MP and Rye resident Martin Dixon, who has announced his intention not to run at the next election, told parliament that It was “misleading of the council” to advise the Andrews Labor government that there was community support in Rye to add a fourth lane to the three-lane ramp. The Liberal MP said the grant was based on the council’s assurance to the government that the project had broad community support. But the community was, in fact,…

ROSEBUD carpenter Hamish Hardeman is well on his way to taking on the world in the increasingly popular sport of GT3 car racing. The quietly-spoken 23-year-old won the Porsche CT3 cup challenge at Philip Island after a six-round contest against participants from all over the country. Hardeman, who has been racing for about six years, developed a passion for the sport as a child when he followed his father – who raced an MX5 – to the tracks at Sandown, Winton and Philip Island. While he started off racing motor bikes, by the time he was in secondary school Hardeman…