Day: April 1, 2019

DIVISION TWO MPNFL football is underway for 2019 after Rye and Pearcedale kicked off the season with a thriller. The division two season opener saw Rye face off against Pearcedale in difficult conditions at RJ Rowley Reserve on Saturday. Rye got off to a brilliant start in front of their home crowd, skipping away to a two goal lead going into quarter time. The second quarter saw momentum swing Pearcedale’s way, but they could not capitalise. In the windy conditions they kicked 0.5 for the quarter. The Demons put just one behind on the scoreboard in the second quarter, which…

DIVISION ONE DIVISION One football will kick off on Saturday in the MPNFL, with a clash of the titans between Frankston YCW and Sorrento the headline act. The two powerhouses will do battle at John Coburn Oval, with the Stonecats looking to make amends for a 2018 season that ended in unexpected disappointment. YCW were ravaged by injuries last season, and will welcome the chance to start afresh. For Sorrento, they will be looking to bounce back after suffering the most devastating of losses against Pines in last year’s grand final. When the final sinal blew in the final game…

SOCCER LATE goals and a Mark Pagliarulo master class highlighted last weekend’s round of league games. Langwarrin had to wait until the 88th minute to break through against Box Hill United, goals in the 88th and 90th minutes salvaged a point for Frankston Pines while “Pags” scored four goals and set up one in an impressive Somerville romp. Both Langy and Box Hill had chances to break the deadlock at Lawton Park on Saturday but the decisive moment was engineered by a Damir Stoilovic corner to the near post and a Luke Burgess header. That was Langy’s fourth win of…

JUST one month after claiming the $1.5 million Group One Blue Diamond Stakes with Lyre, Pinecliff-based trainer Anthony Freedman has unveiled yet another two talented two-year-old’s. Coming off a Mornington jump out on Wednesday 13 March, the Freedman-trained youngsters Chenier and Super Seth, who respectively finished first and second in their heat, have come out and scorched the track at their debuts. Chenier, one of five Godolphin owned two-year-old’s that Freedman trains, was heavily supported on debut at Sandown the following Wednesday 20 March and duly saluted with a dominant five-and-half length win. Super Seth then reinforced their potential with…

THE sum outstanding in the Shire of Frankston and Hastings for arrears of rates totals something like £800. At last Thursday’s Council meeting it was decided to get this amount in without further loss of time. Defaulters are given 14 days in which to pay up, failing which legal proceedings will be instituted. Ratepayers, who through carelessness or oversight have neglected to pay their rates, would do well to communicate with the shire secretary immediately. *** ATTENTION is directed to the advertisement of Mr M. L. Goulding appearing in another column. Mr Goulding, who saw active service with the 58th.…

Hundreds of Mornington Peninsula schoolchildren were last week taking in the environment message as relayed by such presenters as Lionel Lauch, above right. Ivy, Lily and Jaeda, bottom left, from Osborne Primary School, showed their “bug hotels”, while Kyren, above left, had his hands full with worms. Jackson, Grace, Max, Jay, Cioper, Kaylah from Benton Junior College, Mornington, were busy discovering how big things can grow from a seedling.Pictures: Yanni ENVIRONMENT Week at The Briars historic property, Mt Martha included activities and half-day programs for students in years 1-6. Schools could choose Engaging with Nature, Indigenous Connection to Country, Homestead…

A MORNINGTON aged care worker’s role in improving dying residents’ quality of life has been recognised with an excellence in age services award. Clinical care coordinator Ryan Rodrigues’ End of Life Trajectory Planning tool has been so successful at Craig Care, Mornington that it helped him win the 2019 individual award at leading age services Australia. It now features in all seven of the aged care providers’ centres. While Mr Rodrigues’ core work duties are similar to others in his role – such as managing the aged care accreditation process and legislative requirements for clinical compliance, best practice in clinical…

Cancer patients could be treated in Mornington within two years. The federal government has allocated $10 million in this week’s budget for a cancer treatment centre to be built at The Bays Hospital. The hospital’s CEO Elena Allen on Friday was “fully optimistic” the new centre could up and running in 18 months to two years if the hospital could raise another $10 million. “I’m thrilled about members of the Mornington Peninsula being able to be treated close to home,” she said. In 2016, 17,470 people living in the Frankston and on the peninsula were treated for a cancer or…

The popularity of The Pillars, a cliff jumping spot at Mt Martha, has led to the banning of alcohol, restricted car parking, dire warnings of death or injury and “the wall” – a fence to try and stop entry. Mornington Peninsula Shire, which has used its officers to book errant motorists and drones to count the number of people on the cliffs as well as paying for the hire of the fence, has called a public meeting for Wednesday 10 April to discuss a “permanent solution” to the problematic tourist attraction. The Pillars has also become a political issue with…

By Barry Morris Two men are waging war against Indian myna birds, sometimes called flying rats and cane toads of the sky, which they say are a scourge on the Australian landscape. Peter Wiltshire, senior ranger at Darebin Parklands where he has spent 33 years, and Michael Mann, a volunteer and a member of the parkland’s friends group, are dedicated to spreading the message of the harm the bird is causing. They have spent years trying to rid Darebin Parklands of the Indian myna which drove the eastern rosella from the urban park. Mr Mann now lives at Hastings. His…

More than 40 artists have donated original works of art to support Peninsula Home Hospice. Their “traditional to contemporary” works will be sold through a silent auction art show, Unframed-Art. The auction will be attended by the artists and held 5pm Saturday 13 April, at Southern Bouys Studios, Mornington. The auction is a fundraising event for Peninsula Home Hospice, a not-for-profit, community palliative care organisation that provides free palliative care and practical support to people living at home with a life threatening illness. The home hospice care team includes specialist palliative care nurses, counsellor-case workers, palliative medical consultants, a spiritual…

THE Future Health Hub partnership between Peninsula Health and Monash University has received a shot in the arm from the federal government, with Dunkley MP Chris Crewther and Health Minister Greg Hunt jointly announcing $32 million for the aged care and mental health project. The budget boost for the partnership was announced alongside a $10 million injection into the paediatric emergency centre at Frankston Hospital. The Health Futures Hub project has received bipartisan support from both major federal parties. Mr Hunt said “this funding will help deliver new research and treatment programs for our elderly and those with addiction and…

AN industry expert will be brought in to help manage the lead up, as well as after, the opening of the Rosebud Aquatic Centre. The five-year fee-for-service management model adopted by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council at is meeting on Tuesday 12 March includes up to 12 months’ pre-opening planning for the $41 million pool complex which is expected to open in September 2020. Under the model the council will retain control of business functions, such as asset management, utilities, maintenance, fees and charges, while the centre manager will provide input on key decisions and oversee the pool’s day-to-day operations. The…

A DONATION of three iPads to nonverbal students at Mornington Special Development School is allowing them to communicate with their families, teachers, carers and friends – some for the first time. The students are learning how to use the devices through an app. “Students benefit from instant feedback and communication programs on their new iPads and they have fun while doing it,” Principal David Newport said. “The school struggles financially to provide up-to-date technology. This is a great start. These kids will have a better opportunity to improve their communication skills.” The iPads are part of an $80,000 donation of…

A YOUNG Mornington woman who “always wanted to help people” is the first to enter a traineeship program at Mornington Peninsula CIU. Victoria Police launched the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school-based traineeships in 2017 and the program is said to have “made great strides” since then. The program is designed for students completing years 10, 11 or 12 who are interested in a career with Victoria Police and is available at several police stations around the state. Ashcka Woods, 18, a Year 12 student at Mornington Secondary College, is completing the program as part of her Certificate III in…

Recycled material collected by Mornington Peninsula Shire is set to resume being “processed” instead of being taken to landfill. Bans on the shire’s recycling processor SKM were lifted late last month and infrastructure services executive manager Jessica Wingad was late last week hoping to have “an update and timeframe for when our recycling will start to be processed again in the coming days”. “Once our recycling processing resumes, the shire will be able to confirm the total quantity of recyclable material sent to landfill as a result of the shutdown,” she said. The recycling processor was unable to take waste…

Five of the Mornington Peninsula’s Port Phillip beaches are ranked in the top 10 for water quality by Environment Protection Authority Victoria. Top of the 36-beach list for having the best water quality over summer was Santa Casa, followed closely by Easter, The Dell and Portarlington – all beaches on the Bellarine peninsula. Portsea and Rosebud came in at equal five, up from eight the previous summer. Overall, water quality at the bay’s beaches was rated good throughout summer, except after large rain events which produced days when swimming should not take place. Brighton came in as the worst of…

Rye Tennis Club is opening up the courts to offer a Free Tennis Day  to the public. The club will be welcoming people of all ages who have never played before through to tennis regulars to the club on Sunday April 7th between 11am and 2pm to enjoy free activities including: ANZ junior HotshotsCardiotennisSpeed serveHit the Target competitionCoachingFree Social playFree sausage sizzlePrizes and more This promises to be a lot of fun and you don’t need to know how to play tennis to come along and join in. We encourage everyone to pick up a racquet, have a hit and…

The roar of engines in the dead of night was deafening, and the commotion the largest Tyabb has ever seen. But by sunrise, the only sign of the previous night’s strange activity was a familiar light blue 747 parked off the runway at Tyabb’s airport. Yes, Trump had touched down, and he was a man on a mission. He had endured a partial government shut-down to get it, but he finally had the cash to build his wall and, quite frankly, it was burning a hole in his pocket. Back in Washington, Trump’s lightning visit was top of the discussion…