Month: August 2019

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s immunisation service has returned to Somerville with the first session in three years held at the new Somerville Recreation Centre, Wednesday 14 August. The service is free with no bookings required and a range of session times are available across the peninsula. Immunisations are available for infants and children aged up to 10, as well as for students in years 7-10 as part of the secondary school immunisation program. Those who have missed immunisations at school can attend any community immunisation session on the timetable which is available online. Some of the Rye sessions have been changed…

PENINSULA Aero Club is working to get its 2020 air show off the ground despite delays caused by a dispute over a permit with Mornington Peninsula Shire. A last-minute settlement with the shire has sent club members metaphorically scrambling to get the show together on time. Club president Jack Vevers late on Sunday predicted all the necessary paperwork would be completed this week and confirmed the show would go ahead as originally planned. “We’re in the process of resurrecting it all,” Mr Vevers said of the air show which, earlier this month, he announced was cancelled. The shire issued a…

DIVISION ONE FRANKSTON YCW have gone crashing out of finals in week one after falling to Bonbeach on Sunday. Bonbeach got off to a stunning start at RJ Rowley Reserve. They booted nine goals to zero in the first quarter and held a whopping 57 point lead by quarter time. The Stonecats were better in the second quarter but by then the damage was already done. They couldn’t get close to the Sharks, and ended up falling to defeat 10.14 (74) to 20.9 (129). Shane McDonald’s five goal haul saw him named best on ground for the day. At Olympic…

DIVISION TWO A MAMMOTH 11 goal haul from star forward Marc Holt helped Karingal to a win over Somerville on Sunday. It was do or die for both sides, with the winner advancing to next week’s preliminary final and the loser being eliminated from premiership contention. Karingal got off to a red hot start, booting seven goals to two in the first term to race out to an early lead. Somerville were a little better in the second quarter, but were still down by 25 at half time. In the third quarter, Somerville started to make Karingal feel a little…

SOCCER SOMERVILLE should clinch the State 5 South title by defeating third-bottom Bunyip District on Saturday. The local outfit enjoyed an 11-goal romp against bottom side Hampton Park United last weekend while Old Mentonians continued to drop the baton in the championship chase by drawing 2-2 with Rosebud at Olympic Village. Old Mentonians got off to a dream start when Chris Gibson put them in front after three minutes but goals to Cory Osorio and Chris Hatzikonstantinos had the home side ahead at half-time. Old Mentonians’ leading scorer Rannesh Krishnan had started on the bench but he came on early…

HORSE RACING THE Matt Laurie-trained Algadon Miss announced herself as a potential Stakes contender in the Spring by scoring back-to-back victories at Moonee Valley on Saturday 24 August. The pint-sized speedster settled in behind the leaders before kicking strongly around the bend to run away with the benchmark 84 victory over the Busuttin/Young-trained Angelic Spirit and Danny O’Brien-trained, Fabric. Not only was the performance impressive to the eye, but the mare also clocked the quickest time of all four 1200m contests on the day. The victory bought up Algadons Miss’ fifth victory from eight career starts and continued her unbeaten…

PERFORMING at the Frankston Arts Centre on Friday 20 September and Sunday 27 October,  the Imperial Russian Ballet Company return to Australia with Swan Lake…the most loved classical ballet of them all. This masterpiece ballet is presented in two acts and follows the original storyline. Subtle revisions and variations have been introduced by Gediminas Taranda, Artistic Director of the Imperial Russian Ballet Company. Swan Lake crosses the world of magic and mystical creatures with that of the real world. It is a story where the virtues of love and forgiveness in the end conquer evil and betrayal. The Imperial Russian…

PLANS are well underway for this year’s 6.7 kilometre fun run or walk Arthurs Seat Challenge, from Rosebud to Seawinds Gardens at the top of Arthurs Seat. This event promotes and raise money for the Fit to Drive road safety program provided free to Mornington Peninsula and Frankston secondary schools. Fit to Drive focuses on personal safety, responsibility, and strategies to make young people use the roads safely. Running since 2001, the Fit to Drive program has been aimed to reducing road trauma by changing attitudes and behaviours of young drivers and passengers. BlueScope Western Port has supported the Arthurs…

JUST over the white cliffs of Dover, on the landward side, is a picture of an aeroplane cut in the centre of a green meadow. It marks as a remembrance the spot where Mr. Rolls landed when he made the first flight across the English Channel from Calais to Dover. That flight was made barely ten years ago, and when it was made all the world wondered. It is but 22 miles as the crow flies between Calais and Dover, and Mr. Rolls’ flight was made under carefully selected and favourable weather conditions. Shortly after his successful flight across a…

A PROJECT to improve the Roger Penman Reserve Community Playground at Blairgowrie is making great strides. Volunteers’ coordinator Kate Coker said Mornington Peninsula Shire Council had given $15,000 towards the $50,000 needed for new playground equipment at the reserve behind the shopping precinct in Wilson Road. “The play equipment was last updated in 2003 and is understandably in need of an upgrade,” Ms Coker said. “We have an enthusiastic group of parents who are currently volunteering their time to the project, and we have had a huge amount of support from the Blairgowrie community. “The Sorrento Community Centre is backing…

A PROPOSED bike path linking Mornington Tourist Railway at Moorooduc with Civic Reserve at Mornington would be ideal for walking and running as well as cycling – all healthy pastimes in an increasingly frenetic world. Backers of the aptly named Mornington Safelink want support for their project which they say is “shovel ready”. “Most of the work has been done – it just requires lots of public encouragement to get up and going,” proponent Graeme Rocke said. Backers of the path see it is a logical extension of the PenLink trail that now ends at Moorooduc. The aim is to…

A SHOW of hands at a public meeting in Mt Eliza to discuss the introduction of 5G telecommunications services on the Mornington Peninsula showed that those attending did not want the rollout to proceed in its proposed form. This would include positioning small cell antennas near buildings and at the ends of streets using untested millimetre waves, they were told. Organiser Judy O’Donnell said the meeting at Norwood House, Wednesday 14 August, went “really well”. “Over 70 people attended and showed much interest in the presentations, which will be available to view on 3RPP video channel. (“Call to stall 5G…

TWO Mt Eliza men have been arrested and interviewed as part of an investigation into “suspicious betting activity” in an esports league, 23 August. Police allege video game players were “arranging to throw matches and subsequently placing bets on those matches”. The matches were part of a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament, a popular multiplayer first-person shooter video game. The Mt Eliza men were among six people arrested as part of the ongoing investigation. Police believe five matches were affected, with more than 20 bets placed on those matches by Australian punters. Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit detectives also arrested two 20-year-old…

A RISING tide of anger has greeted the announcement that no action will be taken to ensure sand remains at Mt Martha Beach North. However, the anger and political backlash is being aimed at recommendations made by engineers and scientists who say any physical efforts to save the beach would transfer the problem elsewhere. Flinders MP Greg Hunt and Mornington MP David Morris, who is also the state opposition’s environment, climate change and bay protection spokesperson, accuse the state government of abandoning the beach and its beach boxes. The state government has paid for large boulders to be placed behind…

A MAN’S body was found inside a burned out Mornington house last week. About 20 firefighters and five appliances fought the blaze in Carramar Street just after midnight, Friday 23 August. Thick smoke was visible from the Mornington Peninsula Freeway. The Arson Squad will investigate the blaze which spread to a neighbouring house and damaged the garage. The occupants of that house were safely evacuated. Neighbour Sam Maxwell said he was working in his garage about 11.30pm when he heard – and felt – a loud “whomp” followed by a series of pops and bangs, like bursting aerosol cans. “At…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council wants residents to back its hard line against jet skiers on Port Phillip beaches. It is urging them to speak up in a Maritime Safety Victoria survey on a proposed rule change aimed at prohibiting irregular riding – such as wave jumping and freestyling – of jet skis in shared zones. The rule would also require jet skis riders to steer a direct course offshore so other water users to better predict their course. The proposed rule follows the shire losing its bid to reign in dangerous behaviour by jet skiers near bathers. The shire sees…

INCREASING money for free legal services could help improve the early detection of family violence on the Mornington Peninsula and in Frankston. The Peninsula Community Legal Centre, which has offices in Frankston, Rosebud and Cranbourne, says increasing the financing of “health justice partnerships” is a key to improving the early detection of family violence. In a submission to Victoria’s mental health royal commission, the legal centre says “specialist pathways” are needed to connect patients who are victims of domestic violence to lawyers experienced in psychosocial health and family violence. These pathways must come from both the public and private health…

BARRY Goldsmith has warned that this could be an “early year” for snakes. A wildlife controller, snake catcher and wildlife rescuer on the Mornington Peninsula for “close to four decades”, there’s not much about snake catching Mr Goldsmith doesn’t know. “Every year is different,” he said last week. “Some years, the season will start early and the heavy rain we had in August has meant lots of vegetation growth as well as healthy populations of lizards, frogs and rodents [which snakes like to eat]. “I just want people to be aware in the garden and around the home as we…

THE frequent use of drugs by drivers on Mornington Peninsula roads was highlighted during Somerville Highway Patrol’s Operation Drive-Thru last week. Drivers exiting fast-food outlet drive-throughs in the Frankston Council area were tested to see if they had the munchies as a result of drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Over the Friday and Saturday nights 16-17 August 78 vehicles were intercepted with 21 drivers testing positive to drugs and being over the alcohol limit. A 21-year-old, of Frankston South, blew 0.164 per cent after being clocked at 200kph in a 100kph zone on the Frankston Freeway. Police issued six vehicle…

TWO mates heading home after a big night out at Mornington’s pubs and clubs took the wrong option, Saturday 17 August. Instead of splitting a taxi fare, calling a sober friend or walking the three kilometres home they decided to drive instead. If life’s a lottery then the 20-year-old Mornington man lost: The p-plater was picked up driving his mate’s manual 4WD on his automatic-only licence. After being clocked at 97kph in an 80kph zone on Nepean Highway he blew 0.126 per cent and lost his licence for 12 months. His mate’s 4WD was impounded for 30 days. “If you…

A FAMILY asleep upstairs at a house on Old Mornington Road, Mt Eliza, awoke to the sound of breaking glass, 4.30am Sunday 18 August. Venturing downstairs they found glass all over the floor and a handbag missing. The offenders had fled but credit cards from the bag were used twice before being cancelled. Investigations are ongoing into the burglary. Anyone with information is urged to call Acting Senior Sergeant Jason Hocking, of Somerville CIU, 5978 1300 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 27 August 2019

SOMERVILLE detectives are reviewing CCTV footage to help identify a man who threw a Molotov cocktail at an ATM in Eramosa Road East last week. Detective Senior Sergeant Eddie Logonder said the National Australia Bank’s ATM was destroyed and the bank facade damaged in the incident, 11.50pm, Tuesday 20 August. Somerville CFA fire crews contained the fire to the front of the building. No other shops were damaged. Anyone with information is urged to call Somerville CIU 5978 1300 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 27 August 2019

AN air of excitement builds around at Eastbourne Primary School during book week as students from all levels dress up as characters from books. Principal Stephen Wilkinson said learning specialist Carli Hunter and her team “provided many stimulating, inquiry based activities to engage all the students”. “The Reading for Life theme is important. It enables students to realise reading is part of everything we involve ourselves with whether it be numeracy, interpreting rules for sport or observing road signs and directions,” Ms Hunter said. “At Eastbourne Primary we have very good data in reading across the board because of the…

AN exhibition opening in Mornington later this month will show the Mornington Peninsula as seen through the eyes of 58 artists. The artists will explore the beauty of the region for the Southern Buoy Studios’ 2019 Landscape Prize through their works on show from Saturday 31 August to Saturday 28 September. “Our aim is to showcase a variety of well-known and emerging artists,” the studio’s program and marketing manager Rachel Doyle said. “The familiar becomes new through paint; narratives and recollections are projected to create a dialogue with the viewer. Works immerse us in the experience of the Mornington Peninsula…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council ruled out chemical “fogging” to kill mosquitoes in the fight against the Buruli ulcer. The decision follows community alarm over the uncharted environmental impacts of non-targeted insecticide spraying in mosquito prone areas of the peninsula. (“Be very concerned: mayor cautions about Buruli study” The News 22/7/19). At that time the mayor Cr David Gill – a bee enthusiast who gives talks on native bees – said he was “devastated by the possibility of widespread spraying.” “All insects will be affected and, consequently, the rest of the food chain, including birds and fish. The public has the…

Police will prepare a report for the coroner after a person was located deceased following a fire in Mornington this morning. Emergency services responded to the Carramar Street blaze about 12am. The fire spread to a neighbouring residence and caused damage to the garage. The occupants from second home were safely evacuated. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be established and the investigation remains ongoing.

By Lance Hodgins Part Three The members of the 1913 “Greatest Team Ever” JACK CAMPBELL was the 1913 captain and, at 38 years of age, a football veteran. He grew up in Bendigo, where he captained the strong Bendigo FC before moving to Tasmania to play in the tough mining competition at Queenstown. In 1912 he came to Hastings to join his brother in the family general and hardware store (near today’s Shire Offices) and played in the premiership team that year. He captained again in 1915 and served as a club administrator after the war years. He settled in…

ADMITTING he “didn’t have a clue” about garden care or even being a franchisee didn’t deter Hastings resident Richard Harrison from taking up the first Jim’s Mowing franchise in the UK in 2005. For Harrison, the goal was to make enough money to pay for his and his former wife’s European holiday. “I thought, how hard can it be?” the recently published author said. Looking back all these years later he has written a light-hearted memoir, The Export Gardener, about a clumsy optimist who travels to England and decides that affluent Sevenoaks in Kent is the ideal place to launch…

A SHARED passion for skating has allowed Hastings dad and skateboarding coach Craig Mitchell to spend quality time with his three children – Riley, 13, Kobe, 10, and Indy, 6. Fort the past five years they have been regulars at the YMCA skate parks on the Mornington Peninsula. “We’re a skating family and the YMCA and its skate facilities have given me and my kids a place to have fun, keep active and create lasting memories,” Mr Mitchell said. “I’m also heavily involved with the Y’s skateboarding programs and coach around 100 kids a week from all over the state.…

NEXT year’s scheduled Tyabb air show has been cleared for take-off. Peninsula Aero Club president Jack Vevers late Monday afternoon said he had signed a permit for the air show with Mornington Peninsula Shire. Agreement for the permit followed a week of “intense negotiations” between the club and the shire. The permit drawn up by the shire was delivered to Mr Vevers by shire CEO John Baker on Friday, just days after the club announced cancellation of the Sunday 8 March 2020 air show. On Monday morning, Mr Vevers said the club had been “talking all weekend [about signing the…