A MT ELIZA man alerted by a silent alarm was able to watch on his phone from another location as two men wearing balaclavas tried to force the front door of his house, 5.33am, Saturday 27 July. Detective Senior Sergeant Al Paxton, of Somerville CIU, said the man called police who rushed to the Fulton Road house as the men sped off towards Nepean Highway in a grey 2000 Ford sedan. They were not able to apprehend them. Police canvassed houses in the street and found a neighbour had been robbed of cash and jewellery, another neighbour’s garage had been…
Month: July 2019
A MURAL depicting the firefighting water tank at Main Ridge was unveiled by members of the Dromana & District Historical Society last week. It was painted by artist Michael Leeworthy, pictured, with help from students at Red Hill Consolidated School. The mural is on Arthurs Seat Road, near Bellingham Road, Main Ridge. At the unveiling are, from left, Main Ridge CFA president Graeme Flockart, Red Hill CFA firefighter Barry Johns, Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor David Gill and artist Michael Leeworthy. First published in the Western Port Times – 31 July 2019
A man has died after his car struck a tree at Tyabb this evening. A member of the public has come across the crash scene on Mckirdys Road shortly after 8pm. The good Samaritan has pulled the driver from the wreckage and attempted to revive him. Despite the best efforts of the passerby and emergency services, the male driver died at the scene. Police will prepare a report for the coroner. Victoria Police News – Monday, 29 July 2019
AS a result of a fire which swept through his property on February 15th, Wiliam Pike, orchardist, of Tyabb, claimed £488 from Thomas Unthank, orchardist, Tyabb, in the County Court, before Judge Wasley and special jury, on July 21st, on the ground that Unthank started the fire without taking sufficient precautions to prevent it spreading. After a short retirement, the jury returned a verdict for plaintiff, with £145 damages and costs to be taxed. *** DONALD McDonald, writing to the “Australasian” says: The death of Mr P. L. C. O’Shannassey, of the Victorian police, is deeply regretted by all who…
SOCCER MILLA Jowett of Southern United flew out of Melbourne on Friday to start a two-year scholarship at Sussex County Community College in New Jersey. The US college announced recently that it had signed the 19-year-old defender who is expected to make an immediate impact in the starting 11 for Sussex Skylanders. Coaches Frank Vernacchio and Michael Rath have been touting Jowett as one of a number of key recruits who they hope can propel the college’s women’s soccer program all the way to the NJCAA National Championship Tournament. Jowett is a former Peninsula Strikers player who has been coaching…
DIVISION TWO KARINGAL have suffered their second loss for the year after a shock defeat against Langwarrin. The ladder leading Bulls were put on the back foot early by the Kangaroos. A strong first half performance saw Langwarrin hop out to a 17 point lead by half time. Karingal maintained pressure in the third quarter, but couldn’t close the gap enough to threaten Langwarrin. The Kangaroos were impressive all day and eventually secured a much deserved win. Langwarrin messed with the Bulls, and took them by the horns. The final score read Langwarrin 14.16 (100) to Karingal 10.8 (68). Marc…
DIVISION ONE PINES have let top spot on the ladder slip out of their grasp after a defeat to Frankston YCW on Saturday. The Stonecats hosted the Pythons, and came into the contest desperate for a win. The powerhouse club has suffered all year with inconsistent form, and needed a victory to stay in the mix for a finals berth. Pines got off to the better start, and went into the half time break in the box seat. Up by 21 points at half time, the reigning premiers looked in a good position to go on and claim a win.…
THE Sleep in Your Car event at Mornington Park, Saturday 3 August, will show those participating what it’s like to be homeless. Fusion Mornington Peninsula is running the event during Homelessness Week. Recent census data shows those the number of homelessness rose 13.7 per cent in the past four years. Of the 116,427 people known to be experiencing homelessness, 42 per cent are under 25. The Sleep in Your Car event is open to those dropping in for dinner or staying the night. They can gather friends and family and sleep in their car or sleep rough in designated areas.…
ANGRY traders and their customers in the Mt Martha shopping strip were reeling on Thursday after United Energy cut the power from 8am-5pm. The power cut was necessary for the removal of one wooden power poles and to put power lines underground. The pole, now replaced by one metal silver lamppost, were taken out to improve views across Port Phillip from a house being built alongside the heritage-listed Green Gables near the Dominion Road corner. Most of the village’s 41 businesses were forced to close their doors or restrict staff hours on what would normally be a busy trading day.…
FORMER Balnarring resident David Wisken thought he was seeing double when visiting The Sir John Monash Centre at Villers-Bretonneux, France, in April. Touring the museum and interpretative centre on Anzac Day he turned a corner only to come face to face with the Balnarring honour board. It looked exactly the same as the one he recalled hanging up in the old Balnarring Mechanics Institute back home. This new board – a painstaking constructed replica of the original now hanging at Balnarring hall – includes the names of the young men from the district who fought overseas in World War I.…
TABLE tennis player Charlie Hollow, pictured, is on top of the world after winning the Australian under-11 boys’ doubles championship. Charlie, of Mt Martha, teamed with Oscar Savige, of Queensland, to win the title at Wollongong earlier this month (“Juniors focus on national success” The News 1/7/19). His sister, Georgia, 8, also played in the championships. Charlie, 10, also came fifth in the singles and fifth in the doubles. In September he will head to New Zealand to play for Australia. The children, who live in Mt Martha and attend Mt Martha Primary, train at the Mornington Table Tennis Club…
RESIDENTS concerned about any proposed widening of Bungower Road for use by heavy vehicles are supporting Somerville resident Chris Bakewell. They have backed his stand against a Port of Hastings 2018 Port Development Strategy which confirms that “key transport routes [including Bungower Road] have been earmarked for upgrading by VicRoads”. The residents fear the road is unsuitable for industrial traffic and, although nothing is planned for several years, Mr Bakewell said a “lack of consultation and clarity with residents” was worrying. His submission reads: “We, the local residents of Somerville and Tyabb, request that common sense and respect for the…
THE Saints came marching in last week to wish Benetas’ Corowa Court resident Rewa Pederson many happy returns on her 100th birthday. Players Luke Dunstan, Blake Acres, Nathan Brown, Nick Coffield and Jake Carlise came all the way from Moorabbin for the birthday afternoon tea at the Royal Hotel, Tuesday 23 July. Granddaughter Natalie Pederson said Ms Pederson, a passionate and lifelong St Kilda supporter, was thrilled by the attention and had a memorable birthday. “Footballers are extremely busy so it’s incredible that they could take the time out to be here for this amazing milestone,” she said. “The Saints…
THE oldest house on the Mornington Peninsula is being used as a base from which to teach schoolchildren about the contrasting lives of early European settlers and Aboriginals. A traditional Bunurong dwelling, or willum, will be built alongside McCrae Homestead. The willum and remnant camp site complete with traditional Indigenous tools will serve as an interpretive installation alongside the wood drop slab hut built in 1844 by lawyer Andrew McCrae and his two eldest sons. The National Trust-owned McCrae Homestead, in Beverly Road, McCrae – one of the oldest homes in Victoria and the oldest owned by the trust –…
A CARRUM Downs man riding without a licence had his motorbike impounded with a release fee of more than $1000, Friday 19 July. The bike was also found to be unroadworthy and unregistered. To “put the icing on the cake” the man, 33, was also found to be in possession of a bag of methyl-amphetamine while on bail for possession of the drug, Senior Constable Greg Wolfe said. “A tough night got worse when the rider tested positive to “meth”. He was remanded in custody at Frankston police station. Acting Sergeant Anthony Deason said: “Numerous people have been intercepted for…
A SEAFORD woman who did an illegal U-turn in front of police on Frankston-Dandenong Road was later found to be driving an unregistered car with a blood alcohol reading of 0.1 per cent, Sunday 21 July. The 38-year-old lost her licence for 10 months and the car was impounded for 30 days. After demanding police give her a ride home, she was told she “may as well start getting used to calling a taxi”. The woman’s arrest was on the final night of the police’s Operation Armada. It involved 29 mobile units patrolling Frankston, Seaford, Carrum Downs, Langwarrin and Mornington…
TWO Somerville Highway Patrol police members impounded three cars being driven by unauthorised drivers in two hours, Tuesday 23 July. At 10.38am on Peninsula Link at Baxter a 64-year-old Rosebud woman was found driving while suspended. Her VW Golf was impounded for 30 days with a release fee of $1075. At 11.54am on Frankston-Dandenong Road, Frankston North, a Frankston man, 52, was also found to be driving while suspended. His Hyundai iMax van was impounded with a release fee $1042. At 12.39pm on Fingal Drive, Frankston, a Glenorchy woman, 39, was found to be driving her Frankston mate’s unregistered car…
A WOMAN who allegedly abused Somerville Highway Patrol members after being pulled over for allegedly driving at 137kph in an 80kph zone on Frankston-Dandenong Road will be summonsed on a range of driving offences. The 32-year-old, with passenger on board, was pulled over near Forest Drive and given a preliminary breath test. When asked to come back to the station for another breath test she “became extremely abusive and walked off”, Senior Constable Greg Wolfe, said. “Her Commodore was in the process of being impounded for excessive speed – with a release fee $1042 – when she returned and continued…
A MAN who died when his car left the road and crashed into a tree at Tyabb, Thursday 24 July, was in the process of moving into a new house at Hastings. The man, in his 70s, was travelling along Frankston-Flinders Road about 2.30pm when he lost control of the car he had bought only an hour before. The man’s wife, who was following a few cars behind, reportedly did not see the incident, 200-metres south of the entrance to Padua College. Acting Sergeant Anthony Deason, of Somerville Highway Patrol, said police at the scene comforted the woman while relatives…
LOOTERS have stolen irreplaceable items from a shipwreck lying 80 metres under the sea about 10 kilometres south of Cape Schanck. The loss in 1893 of 16 of the SS Alert’s crew is one of the worst shipwrecks in Victoria’s maritime history. A 500-metre radius around the wreck was declared a Commonwealth Protected Zone within weeks of the discovery of the Alert on 3 July 2007. But thieves have now invaded the fragile archaeological site, stealing such things as navigation lights, bottles, plates and a lamp shade. The theft was discovered by specialist divers undertaking a routine inspection of the…
SLOWLY but surely, single use plastic is being phased out on the Mornington Peninsula. In what’s being called a “fitting nod to the end of plastic free July”, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council last week committed to reducing single use plastics and set itself the goal of eliminating their use in council-controlled environments. The mayor Cr David Gill said the policy would impact council events, the use of council land and facilities and shire business, such as tenders, leases and contracts. “As a council we’re acting on the concerns of our community by raising this important environmental issue,” he said. “A…
FEARS over the environmental effects of using chemicals to kill mosquitos have raised questions about the methods being used on the Mornington Peninsula to investigate the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer. The Beating Buruli in Victoria: Mosquito Control Study was launched on the back of a $2.4 million federal government grant announced by Flinders MP and Health Minister Greg Hunt in September 2017 to “get to the bottom” of the causes of the ulcer. Increasing numbers of Buruli ulcer cases are being reported, mainly on the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas, but also extending as far north along the coast of Port Phillip…
TUERONG rider Georgia Connolly will saddle up for a run in the women-only Magnolia Cup at Goodwood in Britain on 1 August. She is the first Australian to compete in the race for Wellbeing of Women, Britain’s leading women’s reproductive and gynaecological health charity. Connolly will turn amateur jockey for the race, held on Ladies’ Day during the Qatar Goodwood Festival. Other competitors are high-profile women from the worlds of business, sport, fashion and the media, including Olympic gold medallist Victoria Pendleton, British model Rosie Tapner and Irish television personality Vogue Williams. The jockeys are reportedly on tough training programs…
ANGRY traders in the Mt Martha shopping strip were reeling on Thursday after United Energy cut the power from 8am-5pm. Most of the 41 businesses were forced to close their doors and restrict staff hours on what would normally be a busy trading day. United Energy said the outage affected 224 customers – most residential – and turned the shopping centre into a ghost town. Mr Curtis Cafe proprietor Lyndal Barnes, who met with 25 aggrieved traders on Tuesday night, said the “fact-finding session was all about where we could go from here”. “They [United Energy] have been dismissive of…
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal collision which occurred in Tyabb this afternoon. Investigators have been told a car was travelling along the Frankston-Flinders Road about 2.30pm when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The car left the road and crashed into a tree. Emergency services attended the scene but were unable to save the driver of the car, believed to be a man in his 70s. There are currently traffic diversions in place. Anyone who witnessed the collision or anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
CRIB Point Football Netball Club players got into the spirit of things on Saturday night by shaving their heads and raising more than $12,000 for the fight against leukaemia. The money will go to the Leukaemia Foundation to support affected families and research into lymphoma, leukaemia and myeloma. Two months ago senior football vice-captain Ethan Smith began the World’s Greatest Shave fundraising campaign with the aim of raising $10,000. He encouraged 20 players to shed their locks, then created a poster featuring six as part of a social media campaign. Players, staff and club members were encouraged to share a…
SOMERVILLE residents are worried that widening Bungower Road is designed to increase its use by heavy vehicles. They are backing a submission by Chris Bakewell against a 2018 Port of Hastings development strategy which lists key transport routes, including Bungower Road, for future upgrading by VicRoads. The works would also benefit a proposed 600-hectare industrial development stretching from Hastings to Yaringa boat harbour and inland almost to Coolart Road. Although nothing is planned for several years, Mr Bakewell said a “lack of consultation and clarity with residents” was worrying. He has forwarded his submission to the Port of Hastings Authority,…
FOR weeks the universal cry in this district has been “How long O Lord how long” are we to suffer from the disadvantages of the atrocious and well-nigh impassable roads which are a distinct strain on ones religion. For miles, channels have been prepared for laying water-mains and these are now full of water and beginning to cave in. The resultant earth from the excavations is lying on main roads and the wheels of vehicles which are compelled to traverse these tracks (roads is a misnomer) resemble the wheels of a gun carriage. Apparently the whole work will have to…
SOCCER A STUNNING performance from Seaford striker Dylan Waugh highlighted last weekend’s round of matches. The gun forward scored all of Seaford’s goals in a 5-1 trouncing of FC Noble Hurricanes at North Seaford Reserve on Saturday. Harry McCartney reports that the Waugh onslaught started after just five minutes when he won a 50/50 challenge with the last Hurricanes defender then easily sidefooted the ball home. Seaford dominated the first half but had to wait until the 39th minute to gain reward for its efforts when Waugh pounced on a bouncing ball and delicately tapped it over the head of…
DIVISION TWO HASTINGS have fallen short in an important matchup at home against Rye on Saturday. The game looked to be a good chance for Hastings to get a win and keep touch with a finals spot. Rye came into the game below Hastings on the ladder. Hastings looked the better side in a scrappy first half. They led at both quarter-time and half time, but not by enough to be comfortable. Rye looked a much improved side after half time, and held Hastings to just two goals in the second half. The Demons rose from the dead to take…