Month: March 2018

SHEY Osborne “still doesn’t have words” to describe her emotions after searching for, and finally meeting, her father Michael Thorne for the first time on Sunday 25 February. The joys of that day at a Sorrento cafe continued into the next week she was introduced to all her new found aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. It has been a long but fruitful search for the 31-year-old hairdresser who began looking for her “lost” dad 11 years ago after being told about him by her mother. Mr Thorne had had a relationship with Ms Osborne’s mother in Sorrento all those…

MORNINGTON Peninsula residents are being asked their views on future uses of land within the green wedge zone. The zone accounts for 70 per cent of the Mornington Peninsula and, according to the mayor Cr Bryan Payne, is “one of Melbourne’s most important long-term assets”. Although it has a green wedge management plan – now under review – the state government and its planning minister can overrule the shire. The green wedge includes many properties that are not large enough to be run as profit-making farms but can be economical if used for other commercial activities. Land within the green…

A TOOTGAROOK mother with a sick daughter is training for a gruelling 120 kilometre walk to raise money for the charity Ronald McDonald House. Barb Hilder, coincidentally of Ronald Street, will take part in the five-day El Camino Trek for the Kids, Spain, 10-19 May, in support of the service which provides emergency accommodation for seriously ill children and their families. Ms Hilder’s daughter Katelyn, 17 next week, was unwell from birth. “At five weeks we had a call to say she had cystic fibrosis – an incurable, life shortening chronic disease. “We lived at Kyabram and had to attend…

Police are investigating after their van was rammed by a vehicle in Hastings earlier this morning. Officers attempted to intercept a black Holden Commodore after it failed to obey a stop sign on Hodgins Road about 2.30am. The vehicle pulled over a short distance in front of police on Curacoa Drive, before reversing into the van and fleeing the scene. It then continued travelling along Curacoa Drive. No injuries were sustained by police officers. The car was later located abandoned on Ovens Court and no arrests have yet been made. Police are appealing for anyone with information or who witnessed…

A teenage girl has died in hospital following a crash in Carrum Downs on Friday. It is believed a car crashed into a stationary truck on Boundary Road just after 7.30am. The 19-year-old Clyde woman, who was a passenger in the car, was taken to hospital in a critical condition however died this morning. The 50-year-old male driver and a second 19-year-old female passenger, both from Clyde, were not injured. The truck driver, a 24-year-old Epping man, was also not injured. Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are investigating the crash. Anyone with information, who witnessed the crash or has dash…

Homicide Squad detectives have charged a 41-year-old woman following the death of a child in Tootgarook yesterday (8 March). Police attended an Alma Street address and located the eight-year-old boy’s body shortly after 1.30pm. A 41-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and has been charged with one count of murder. She appeared at an out of sessions court hearing last night and has been remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today (9 March).

Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the death of an 8-year-old boy in Tootgarook this afternoon. Police attended the Alma Street address and located the boy’s body shortly after 1.30pm. A 41-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and is currently assisting police with their enquiries. It is believed that both parties were known to each other. Homicide Squad detectives are en route to the scene. Police are yet to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the death however it is being treated as suspicious at this stage. Investigators are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident. Anyone with…

Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate missing Rosebud woman Alanna Johnstone. The 20-year-old was last seen at a Mount Martha address on 13 February but hasn’t made contact with anyone since. Police and family members hold concerns for Alanna’s welfare due to a medical condition. She is described as having a medium build and short dark brown hair. Police have released an image of Alanna in the hope someone recognises her and can provide information on her current whereabouts. Alanna is known to frequent the Frankston and Melbourne areas. Anyone with information is urged to contact Rosebud…

THE metal sculpture, pictured, representing the nest of Bundjil, the creator of the Boon Wurrung people, can now be seen as the incubator for knowledge about Aboriginal culture. The growth of interest in learning about the history and lives of the Boon Wurrung can be traced back to 2015 when teachers from Balnarring Pre-school, Balnarring Primary school and Balnarring early learning centre recognised the importance of the children learning about first peoples’ culture. “In the first year of the project a metal sculpture was created that represents Bundjil’s nest,” Karen Anderson of Balnarring Pre-School said. “The children spent time with…

PLANNING is underway to link the existing Red Hill Rail Trail to a new trail running through Merricks, Balnarring and Bittern. Three concept designs have been drawn for a walkers, cyclists and horse riders to share a path between Bittern station and Merricks Station Reserve connecting with the existing seven-kilometre track. Mornington Peninsula Shire is holding an “interactive drop in session” to gather community feedback on the proposed route and design of the trail, including signs, pedestrian crossings, furniture, planting and materials. The mayor Cr Bryan Payne said council is committed to “developing a connected and mobile community through council’s…

MUSICIANS, comedians and circus performers will perform at The Briars historic property, Mt Martha at the end of March in the second annual Peninsula Buskers Festival. “We had about 20,000 people come through last year over three days, probably around 40 performers, 25 food trucks, kids amusements and an outdoor cinema,” organiser Scott Hollow said. “This year we’re looking to have more than 100 performers, with those same outdoor cinemas and kids amusements.” Hollow expects at least 25,000 people will come along to watch the shows. “The Briars is really an untapped resource when it comes to events and we…

There will be no love lost between these two brothers after one allegedly tried to impersonate the other after being caught drink driving in Frankston South Friday 2 March. Frankston police intercepted the 23-year-old driver on Frankston Flinders Road after the vehicle he was driving was found to be unregistered about 5pm. Upon inspection, the vehicle was found to be unroadworthy and the driver was unlicensed. During the intercept, the driver initially tried to convince police that he was actually his brother. The Hastings man provided a positive roadside breath test but refused to accompany police to gauge just how…

MORNINGTON Pirates women’s baseball team is hoping to add some wind to their sails this season under the guidance of new head coach Jo Schutt (pictured right). Schutt, who returned last year after taking several years off to take care of her children, is urging other mothers to come and join the newly-formed side which enters its second season. Schutt said that a lot of women, like herself, tend to stop playing the sport to focus solely on their children but after returning last year, is hoping to attract some of those players back. “Women will put themselves last and…

Don’t miss Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges USA on his Australian blues “Hold On A little Bit Longer’ Tour. This masterful Memphis Blues performer pays homage to his blues roots and the likes of Sam Cooke & BB King in his one off Mornington show! Eugene ‘Hideaway Bridges’ returns to Australia this year to perform Bluesfest for the eighth time. With a brand new album, Hold On A Little Bit Longer and already nominated for two W.C. Handy awards, Eugene’s tour also marks his fiftieth anniversary as a performer – he started playing at the age of three with his father, bluesman…

SOMETHING should be done at once by “our city fathers” with reference to the state of some of the drains in Frankston. The present state of affairs is disgraceful, and constitutes a serious menace to the health of the people of Frankston. In the right-of-way leading from Bay street into Thompson street, drainage from a number of houses flows, and although a drain of sorts has been made, there does not appear to be enough fall to enable the drainage to reach the drain in Thompson street. At present the drain is just a series of stagnant evil-smelling pools, and…

HE coaches of Frankston YCW and Sorrento football clubs, Wayne Capp and Tony Blackford, presented the inaugural Toe Punt Shield to Andrew ‘Toe Punt’ Kelly this week. The shield will be awarded to the winner of the clash between the two sides in the opening round of the season. Andrew, who is currently in hospital undergoing treatment for cancer, will also have a medal named in his honour for the best player on the ground. Frankston YCW president Michael Lamb, with the support of his committee, came up with the idea of playing the annual blockbuster, starting this season with…

SOCCER PENINSULA Strikers and Frankston City Council are at loggerheads over the dire state of the club’s home ground at Centenary Park. Strikers claim that their plea to council in January to water the ground fell on deaf ears. The main pitch is now unplayable and council has ordered the club not to use it. Strikers president Trevor Johnston fears that it won’t be repaired in time for the start of the league season on 24 March. “I’m having an onsite meeting with council on Monday (today) to see what can be done but I can’t see how it will…

SUB-DISTRICT By Mr & Mrs IT Gully FRANKSTON YCW, Carrum Downs and Boneo will be fighting it out for a spot in the Sub District finals this weekend in the final home and away game of the year. The Stonecats tackle Balnarring at Balnarring this Saturday, a one-dayer. The Saints will be looking to make a statement this weekend. Boneo and Carrum Downs have destiny in their own hands, playing each other at Thompson Oval. There will be no excuses for either side. Fourth-placed Boneo could have sealed their fate on Saturday against Balnarring, however, fell agonisingly short, losing by…

DISTRICT By Mr & Mrs IT Gully THE top four looks set heading into the final round of MPCA District cricket. Fourth-placed Mt Martha is currently 16 points clear of Seaford Tigers and Rosebud are a further four points clear of Hastings. Bottom of the table Rye is four points behind the Buds and the Blues. The Demons take on top of the table Baden Powell in the final game. Mt Martha host Rosebud and a simple win here for them will ensure a place in the finals. Seaford despite losing in the first innings were able to pull off…

PENINSULA By Mr & Mrs IT Gully SOMERVILLE has swooped into the top four in MPCA Peninsula cricket after beating reigning premier Red Hill outright on Saturday. At the beginning of day two Somerville was just 34 runs short of a first innings victory. The Eagles, clearly looking for an outright win, declared their innings at 9/109 giving them a first innings lead of 11 runs. Eagles skipper Jayde Herrick then went to town on the Hills snaring 6/38 of 17 overs to roll the Hills for just 83. Brent Martin top scored for the Hills with 41. Needing just…

By Mr & Mrs IT Gully AS predicted a number of rounds ago, Baxter looks set to miss the finals after being touched up by top of the table Langwarrin on Saturday in MPCA Provincial cricket. Defending just 135 Langwarrin started the second day on top as Baxter resumed at 4/31, with Chris Brittain, Justin Bridgeman and Dale Irving still to bat. Between the three of them they scored 16 runs. This was as a result of the onslaught from Langwarrin skipper Travis Campbell with the ball snaring 6/38 off 18.4 overs. Playing against his old side Leigh Paterson took…

CHAMPION boxer Johnny Famechon is finding a newfound appreciation of his sporting achievements among younger generations in the wake of the unveiling of a sculpture in his likeness and honour at Frankston’s Ballam Park. The 72-year-old former boxer visited the Mt Eliza Boxing Centre late last month after the statue’s official unveiling and was greeted with lots of questions from children about his boxing heyday in the late 1960s when Famechon was a champion of the world. The longtime Frankston resident has inspired and mentored young people since retiring from boxing in 1970, the year after taking out the World…

FRANKSTON’S Bayside Shopping Centre has been earmarked for one of 12 new police “shopfronts” if the Liberal Nationals coalition wins the November state election. The $7.2 million plan to put police inside some of the state’s main shopping centres is described as a “new approach to policing and community engagement providing a more visible police presence to deter crime”. Bayside’s executive general manager Justin Mills said the opposition’s proposal was “another way we can build on our longstanding partnership with Victoria Police, to engage our communities, and make our centres destinations people love to visit and connect with.” The shopfronts…

A NEW writers’ festival is set to make its debut in Mornington. The Mornington Peninsula Writers Festival will be hosted by the Frankston Writers and Poets Society at the Peninsula Community Theatre on Saturday (10 March). Several established writers including Andrew Rule (co-author of the Underbelly and Chopper books), Paul Kennedy (ABC journalist and author of books including Fifteen Young Men about the tragic 1892 drowning of Mornington Football Club players), Garry Disher (author of several crime novels set on the peninsula), The Age scribe and author Anson Cameron and Nicky Johnson (author and illustrator of several children’s books including…

PETER Lillie has a problem with customers not being able to park their vehicles alongside his retail outlet. While that may not sound too strange to some shopping strip retailers, Mr Lillie doesn’t have a run of the mill shop. His wares are harvested from under the sea and his selling space is the back of a boat anchored at Mornington pier. Mr Lillie has a 90-hectare mussel farm off Mt Martha and while most of his annual harvest goes to wholesalers, he’s being encouraged to sell the shellfish from the back of his boat. “We’re encouraged by Parks Victoria…

PARENTS of children who attend child care and playgroups at Mornington Community Contact House were in limbo on Friday after liquidators moved in and closed the centre. Parents were only told the night before or Friday morning that the Albert Street centre was insolvent. Some had already paid for the year and were unsure whether they would get the money back. They also had no idea where they will take their children this week. Georgie Beck, of Mt Eliza, and Keli Wallace, who runs Daytripper Tours in Mornington, said they had both paid nearly $2000 for four terms of three-year-old…

RAIN didn’t deter more than 3500 movie buffs from attending the Cobs Peninsula Film Festival at Rosebud, Saturday 10 February. The festival has been held at the Rosebud Village Green since 2011 and receives $40,000 from the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Arts and Culture team. Festival director Steve Bastoni said he was thrilled with its success. “Once again the support of the shire, and the local community engagement, [has been] a critical factor in delivering a successful event,” he said. “We are pleased to see the event gaining national exposure and attracting punters from interstate.” This year’s winners were Shot Clock…

THE 16-year Sailability program at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron has long benefitted from backing by private individuals, the community organisations and state and federal governments. The most recent grants totalling $12,000 came from the Department of Social Services, Sorrento Rotary Club, Southern Peninsula Community Support Fund and Camerons Bight Boat Club. The money from Rotary has been used for maintenance and extra fenders for the waiting area on the landing in the marina. The club has added safety railings near where Sailability participants will assemble and board the 303 yachts. The federal money has been used to replace an aluminium hull.…

THE desire to do things a “little differently” has prompted Our Lady of Fatima Primary School, Rosebud to provide a centrally located resource centre named The Hub. The design – which includes a floor-to-ceiling glass wall – is complemented by furnishings and dividers to create designated working zones for individuals, small groups and classes.    The Hub provides alternative learning spaces and approaches to meet a wide range of educational and social-emotional needs among its students. It has six zones and features pedal desks, foot-and-hand cycles, bouncy bands, sensory wall, varied furnishings, fiddle toys, punching bags, timers and a range…

AN 18-year-old Mornington woman has been remanded to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 14 March charged with robbery, carjacking, criminal damage by fire and theft of a motor vehicle. A 15-year-old Rosebud boy appeared at Frankston Children’s Court on Friday charged with similar offences from the same incident. A third man is still at large. The charges follow an alleged road-rage attack at Rosebud early Thursday (1 March) in which two teenagers say they were rammed by a four-wheel-drive and robbed. The pair, aged 18 and 17, told police a maroon 1999 Toyota four-wheel-drive was “deliberately” driven into their…