Nathan Lesslie, pictured, has been named as the Australian Greens candidate for the seat of Flinders in the May federal election. Mr Lesslie stood for the seat of Hastings in last November’s state election which was won by Liberal Neale Burgess. In his bid to become a federal MP Mr Lesslie is standing against long time Flinders MP, Liberal Greg Hunt, Labor’s Josh Sinclair and former Liberal and now independent Julia banks. Mr Lesslie, 32, married with two children, has been working as a social worker for the past 10 years. He says seeing the barriers faced by the families…
Month: March 2019
A SWORD was thrust through the security door of a Mornington house during a dispute, 10.10pm, Wednesday 6 March. Detective Acting Sergeant Peter Drake, of Somerville CIU, said a resident of the house in Coimadai Close, aged 30, heard a noise outside. He opened the front door to investigate – leaving the security door locked. On the porch a man, carrying a sword, and a woman, demanded he hand over “property”. The resident refused. As the man tried to force open the security door the sword was thrust through the wire mesh. Two women, aged 30 and 48, were also…
A HASTINGS man was severely injured in a dispute with another man while riding his bike in Hastings, 11.20am, Tuesday 5 March. The details are unclear, but Detective Acting Sergeant Peter Drake, of Somerville CIU, said the 19-year-old victim went to a Hastings house where he was involved in an argument with the occupant. When the teenager fled on his bike the other man allegedly drove after him and may have struck him from behind at the entrance to the walkway between Mary Grove and High Street. Detective Drake said the silver coloured VW Jetta got stuck in a barrier…
PLANS by a Mt Eliza couple for a lifestyle change have been shattered by the finding of a woman’s body found floating in the water at Martha Cove marina, 9.30am, Thursday 7 March. Senior Sergeant Kirby Tonkin, of Rosebud police, said the woman, 60, who was fully dressed, may have fallen and hit her head before toppling overboard from the boat overnight. Her husband raised the alarm after noticing she was missing in the morning. He found her body in the water near Martha Cove Boulevard with their pug dog nearby. It was taken to the vet suffering hypothermia. It…
MANY people living with dementia, as well as their carers, are reluctant to use in-home support services even when they find out how easy it is to get them. And that’s placing a strain on those looking after family members and friends affected by the disease responsible for the second highest number of deaths in Australia after heart disease. “There are a number of reasons for their reluctance,” said Kylie Knoble, a care manager and dementia consultant based at Mornington. “They might fear that a request for help will be seen as an admission that they are not coping, or…
A 25-hour theatrical performance at Rosebud has proved that absurd ideas can have rewarding outcomes. In November, cast and crew from the Southern Peninsula Players (SPP) and Rosebud Astral Theatre Society performed the “classic absurdist play”, The bald Soprano. Their efforts raised more than $1000 for housing and support service, SalvoCare Eastern Rosebud, and have led to the merging of the two companies into the Rosebud Theatre Group. “We performed an absurdist play, for an absurd length of time, with a cast and crew who ended up absurdly tired, but even after all that, it is still less absurd than…
WHAT’S been good for women should also be good for men, right? That rationale has led to the creation of a purpose-designed “much-more-than-just-clothing” outlet at Rosebud Central opened last week. Not-for-profit group Clothes4U, which has been providing quality clothing, accessories and toiletries to disadvantaged women on the Mornington Peninsula for five years, will now do the same for men in similar circumstances. The service is free and clients get to keep all the items they are given. “Over that time we have been providing women and girls with clothing for everything from everyday wear, to outfits for job interviews, court…
Fishing charter boat operator Charlie Micallef, who knows a thing or two about catching gummy sharks, believes their numbers are dropping in Port Phillip. The Victorian Fisheries Authority oversees regulations that set bag limits at two sharks (minimum 48 centimetres long) a person for recreational anglers and total commercial operations at 1700 tonnes a year. The authority rates the gummy shark population of Port Phillip as “sustainable”, but warns “sea level rise and changes in sea temperature associated with climate change are of potential concern to gummy shark biological stocks, since the habitats they use as nursery and feeding grounds…
WHEN the Birds Come In is a multimedia retrospective of stories shared by women living on the Mornington Peninsula. Curated and crafted by Carole Patullo, Jane Bayly and Melanie Beddie, audiences will travel through several created environments and spaces. Performers from three generations, including young actors from Dreamhouse Theatre Company, Rosebud Secondary College, SPARK Productions and The Music Industry will work alongside professional actors to reimagine stories and songs collected through the festival, A Woman’s Place. “There is something very special about storytelling; and when those stories come from lived experiences and transformed into theatre, the response from communities is…
A man has died in Port Philip Bay off Mount Eliza this afternoon. Police were called to Daveys Bay, Pelican Point about 12.50pm. A male snorkeler, who is yet to be formally identified, was located unresponsive in the water by a friend. Paramedics attended the scene but the man unfortunately died. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
After the huge success of last year’s annual event, we are seeking to make this year’s Somerville Family Day even better. We estimate around 20,000 people attend the day where we provide loads of free entertainment and over 80 market stalls. There will be plenty of delicious food vans on site, rides for the children, Scouts activities, free activities for the kids, D.J., storm troopers and lots, lots, more…. A record number of sponsors came on board this year, without which we simply cannot run the event. So we are hoping to get everyone back again plus any new local…
Police want to remind the community to enjoy themselves responsibly across the Mornington Peninsula area over the Labour Day long weekend. As part of Operation Unity there will be a highly visible police presence proactively patrolling the Mt Martha, Safety Beach, Dromana and Rye foreshores to ensure everyone can enjoy the weekend safely. There will be a strong focus on detecting offences relating to anti-social behaviour, drinking in a public place and dangerous use of Personal Water Craft (PWCs) which includes jet-skis. Local Area Commander Inspector Janene Denton said this time of the year was one of the busiest times…
WILDLIFE rescuers have been stunned by the hundreds of native animals killed during last weekend’s searing heat. Australian Wildlife Protection Council secretary Eve Kelly said wildlife shelter volunteers, vets and residents did the best they could to ease the animals’ suffering. However, they were powerless to prevent the “terrible suffering of ringtail possums as they struggled to cope with the relentless temperatures” over four days of high temperatures. “Many possums simply dropped out of their nests, unable to survive the scorching heat; others made their way into the sea trying desperately to cool down,” Ms Kelly said. “Mass deaths were…
IT was close, but there was no cigar for Harlem Nelson, of Hastings, who thought she had caught a one kilogram whiting at last weekend’s Western Port Angling Club competition. The 52cm fish was close to the magical one kilo mark but, at 0.934kg, was just under. “They came back in at 8.30am on the Saturday thinking they had caught the biggest whiting, but it was just shy so out they went again for another go,” organiser Don Newman said. As it turned out, no one managed to land a one kilogram whiting. Mr Newman said the most recent catch…
PENINSULA CRIB Point have fallen just short of Moorooduc in day two of a hotly contested clash at Crib Point Rec Reserve on Saturday. Chasing 185 for the win, Moorooduc got off on the wrong foot and lost a series of early wickets. The bowling efforts of Moorooduc’s Reece Cordeux helped his side greatly, as posted figures of 4/39. Crib Point ended up all out for 168, just 18 runs short of a win. At Ditterich Reserve, Main Ridge got the better of Pines in another tight affair. Batting first Pines scored quickly but lost wickets quickly as well. They…
SOCCER SKYE United’s FFA Cup journey took a dramatic twist on Saturday when it came from two goals down to beat Monbulk Rangers 4-3 at Centenary Park. Monbulk had beaten Skye in the promotion race from State 3 last season and came into the clash as a firm favourite. But things didn’t go Monbulk’s way when injury forced Declan McAleese to be replaced by Cameron Poynter after just 14 minutes. Four minutes later Daniel Walsh’s lethargy in pushing up from defence allowed Poynter to beat the offside trap and hammer the ball past Skye keeper Jonathan Crook for the opener.…
SOUTHERN Peninsula Sharks players Jaz Shelley and Olivia Pollerd will join the under-19s Australian squad in preparation for the under-19s World Championships in Bangkok in July. The two Sharks’ players were selected to be apart of the World Championship team camp two weeks ago. The girls will join some of Australia’s best junior basketball talent for a weekend long camp in May. Southern Peninsula Sharks basketball operations manager Lucas Allen said they were both incredibly excited to join the squad. “For Jaz, she’s been to two World Championships already including the under-19s as a double bottom age. She’s been to…
ANTHONY Freedman’s stable stars Santa Ana Lane and Shoals stepped out in a handy jumpout at Balnarring on Wednesday 27 February. The talented pair, who have recorded seven Group 1 victories and just shy of $6 million between them, finished first and second in the second heat of the morning and look right on track for their return to the races. Santa Ana Lane was allowed to find his feet at the back of the small field before working home powerfully to finish two lengths off his stablemate Shoals, who led from start to finish, in the 1000-metre gallop. Pinecliff-based…
FOR many visitors to Mornington and for many of its residents, Alexandra Park is the place at the top of Main Street to play footy, cricket and netball. Most people drive past Alexandra Park on the way to sampling the delights of “the street”, or to drop off the kids for their weekend sport. Few, if any, give a second thought about the history that permeates every sod, every blade of grass, every brick and every plank that make up the community space. For those lucky enough to remember before World War I, Alexandra Park would mean more than bristling…
‘IN the valley’ is an exhibition that highlights the beauty and fragility of our natural environment. Observing and documenting the changing landscape of significant areas of the Mornington Peninsula, artists Rosie Weiss, Jean Langley, Merryn Lloyd, Christine Lloyd, Michael Favaloro and Siri Hayes reveal their personal connections to the landscape and the strong links to place that exists across generations. The ‘In the valley’ exhibition coincides with the Mornington Peninsula Shire moving towards zero net carbon emissions across all its operations by 2021 and supporting long-term climate change resilience across the community. The exhibition is presented as part of ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE…
ERIC Clapton’s career has spanned over 6 decades. Lauded as being the greatest guitarist of all time, his roots are firmly & obviously embedded in the blues tradition of which he remains both a student & visionary. In his unforgettable ‘Unplugged’ Concert, Clapton paid homage & respect to his roots & those fellow legends that influenced his playing so significantly. The music was minimalist, alternating between his reworked pop songs such as Layla, the traditional blues of Robert Johnson & Bo Diddley, and new songs , including Tears in Heaven, that were an outpouring & expression of a very difficult…
FROM Daddy Cool to Mondo Rock and as a solo artist with no less than 26 ARIA Top 40 hits to his credit as a singer, songwriter and producer, Ross Wilson is one of Australia’s most awarded, respected and well-known artists! From the legendary band Daddy Cool whose number one anthem Eagle Rock smashed all previous sales records in Australia, to the 1977 formation of Mondo Rock, delivering 80’s hits ‘Cool World’, ‘State of The Heart’, ‘Chemistry’, ‘No Time’, and ‘Come Said The Boy’ and into the 21st century as a solo performer, Wilson has never been out of the…
LAST week Mr R. W. B. McKenzie of Melbourne Road had the pleasure of welcoming home his soldier son, Lieutenant McKenzie, who as a member of the Flying Corps saw service in Egypy, Gallipoli and France. *** MR A. K. T. Sambell, C.E., having secured an extended lease of “Balnawartha,’ in Frankston, intends establishing his home here at an early date. *** AN old identity passed away on Sunday in the person of Mrs Henderson, of Cranbourne Road, Frankston. The funeral took place on Monday. *** THEIR many friends were pleased to welcome Privates Bob. Dean and Roger Burton who…
TROY Thornton, the former officer-in-charge at Mornington Fire Station who chose to end his life in a Swiss euthanasia clinic last week, left behind a loving family, many friends and a message to legislators. Mr Thornton, 54, who suffered from multiple system atrophy, said in an interview with website Starts at 60: “The Victorian euthanasia legislation needs to be modified to enable people like me with a chronic degenerative disease to have access to the law, not only those defined as ‘terminal’. “As a first-responder I have seen too many traumatic suicides and suicide attempts. An assisted suicide in Australia…
RESIDENTS in the Dalsten Grove area of Mt Eliza are concerned about the safety of mainly elderly pedestrians near Canadian Bay Road as they approach the shopping precinct. They are “desperate for council traffic management action” on the roads which they say are lined with cars of shop staff who “park on both sides of the road all day plus other vehicles entering and exiting Dalsten Grove”. Complaints from residents in Dalsten Grove, Woodland Close and Mews and Clarkestown Avenue, led to the deputy mayor Cr Rosie Clark and Cr Bev Colomb to hold a public meeting also attended by…
PROTESTERS against the Kaufland “mega store” being built on the Bata Shoes site in Nepean Highway, Mornington are taking to the streets, with John and Lorraine Smythe spelling out their opposition in signs near Oakbank Road last week. “We are organising local residents, traders and other interested parties to join our campaign,” their neighbour and fellow Oakbank Road resident Janet Street said. “We hold an information table on Wednesdays at the Main Street market and will be organising large crowds to be outside each hearing day in Mornington to protest against Kaufland. “The proposal includes a 430 vehicle car park…
Murray Mandel has taken his talents to the road in a bid to raise money for Lifeline. The 65-year-old classical guitarist is two years into a three-year journey on behalf of the national 24-hour crisis support phone service. Lifeline volunteers provide suicide prevention services, mental health support and emotional assistance, either by phone, face-to-face and online. Mendel, pictured, who lives in Sydney, began his travelling troubadour lifestyle from Canberra in March 2016 with hopes of being back there by 9 March 2020. He has a 75-song repertoire of classical pieces, some of which he’ll be playing at Bentons Square shopping…
IT’S getting hot and crowded on the stairs at Birdrock Beach, Mt Martha. While some visitors are happy to enjoy the scenery and tranquillity, others seem more concerned about beating their personal best times as they rush up and down. Regular stair walker Rob Dawson, of Mt Martha, says barbs are often exchanged between the groups and admits his occasional comments have drawn return fire. To lighten the mood, Mr Dawson has penned light-hearted poems which he thinks encapsulate the method – and the madness – of the bustling scene. He places them along the fence near the stairs along…
AN animal welfare body offering subsidised cat desexing on the Mornington Peninsula has been kept busy. The Humane Society for Animal Welfare launched the pilot project Thursday 20 February as a “trial to be evaluated past the initial response”. Save Mornington Pound Animals organiser Rosy Fischer, who is assisting the group, said 70 vouchers were requested by residents in the first week. The service will target cats in the Rosebud and Hastings areas, which Ms Fischer says are “the worst areas for all pets with most of the impounded pets coming from these areas”. Ms Fischer…
Mornington Peninsula Shire is lining up to congratulate a Dromana supermarket for winning several in-house industry awards. Ritchies Supa IGA Dromana was last month named IGA International Retailer of the Year. The award was presented to CEO Fred Harrison and Jarrod Swaine at the international IGA conference in San Diego, US. Not to be outdone by the hype, shire councillors are arranging some publicity around the store’s awards. In a flurry of emails between councillors, the mayor Cr David Gill said he supported “the idea of official shire recognition for IGA”. “Great news indeed for Ritchies Supa IGA Dromana to…