Month: October 2019

A DEVICE that reduces the risk of a spark from a powerline causing a fire is being installed at a Dromana electricity substation. The rapid earth fault current limiter is expected to be ready in time for summer. This is the third device to be installed in the United Energy network area. The first system was used to lessen the risk of bushfires at Frankston South as part of a 2009 trial and the second was installed at Mornington in November. The devices have so far automatically activated more than 530 times on the Mornington Peninsula, which is one of…

RATEPAYERS can get rid of green waste for free at Mornington Peninsula Shire’s no charge green waste event, 25, 26 and 27 October. The event is for Mornington Peninsula Shire residents or ratepayers only, with green waste to be dropped off only from residential vehicles and trailers. No commercial vehicles or commercial green waste will be accepted. Proof of residency is required, such as driver’s licence with current address or a current rates notice. Green waste includes all types of garden waste and untreated timber. Expect delays at the resource recovery centres, particularly at the beginning and end of each…

A MORNINGTON girl, 15, has been charged with intentionally causing injury, affray and unlawful assault at Mornington beach, Tuesday 8 October. The girl is alleged to have assaulted a 15-year-old Mt Martha girl on the foreshore near The Esplanade and Schnapper Point Drive about 6pm. Police said the victim received cuts and bruises. The girls are know each other. Vision of the assault was posted on to social media. The Mornington girl has been bailed to appear at a children’s court at a later date. First published in the Mornington News – 15 October 2019

By Patricia MacLeod IT’S easy to let the grass grow under your feet, but Mt Martha residents are being encouraged to nip weed infestations in the bud. Environmental groups BERG MM and Sunshine Reserve Conservation and Fireguard Group recently held the annual Weedbusters stall at the Mt Martha shops to provide information on the damage caused by and offer advice on combating infestations. BERG MM volunteer Sue Betheras said it was an opportunity to raise awareness of weeds “growing furiously at this time of year”. “People stop to look at the display of common weeds and ask questions. Volunteers give…

MORE than 850 artworks, including landscapes and seascapes by Hans Fickler and Gary Laird, will be on show and on sale at the 48th annual Mornington Art Show. Art show judge Regina Hona will also exhibit some of her work. Works coming from throughout Australia as well as the Mornington Peninsula will include photography, glassware by Bobby Easton and wind sculptures by Rudi Jass. Held by Mornington Rotary Club, the art show will run for 10 days from the opening night on Thursday 16 January to Australia Day, Sunday 26 January. “We aim to maintain the tradition of presenting a…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council says it has “developed robust policies” to prevent corruption when buying goods and services. CEO John baker says the shire Places the “highest importance” on managing services it provides with “public money”. Mr Baker’s assurances follow the investigation of corruption and kickbacks at Darebin and Ballarat councils by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). As a result of its investigations IBAC has recommended Local Government Victoria consider developing a code of conduct for local government suppliers. The code would outline standards expected of suppliers, including in relation to reporting suspected misconduct or corrupt conduct on the…

ORGANISERS of events on the Mornington Peninsula may eventually be told to stop using any items made from single use plastics. Single use plastics facing a ban include balloons, water or beverage containers, coffee cups and lids, straws, bags, plates and cutlery, takeaway food containers and promotional items. Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors have given the go ahead for $165,000 to be spent on the first stage of a program designed to wipe out single use plastic items. Waste services team leader Daniel Hinson suggested phasing out single use plastics at shire events within one to two years and externally managed…

A WIN in this year’s Science Talent Search run by the Science Teachers’ Association of Victoria shows Hayley Dawn is on the right track to achieving her dream of becoming a doctor. Hayley, 8, a year 2 student at Peninsula Grammar, won a major bursary award with a model of a human heart in a life-sized mannequin. The plastic and rubber mannequin has organs made of stockings and heart chambers of foam rubber, which show oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood as blue and red water. By squeezing the heart, “blood” can be pumped around the model. The judges praised Hayley’s high…

THREE of the contestants from this year’s Australian Ninja Warriors contest have now swung their training towards scaling Arthurs Seat. Charlie Robbins, who won the grand final of the latest Channel 9 series, and fellow “warriors” Zak Stolz and Troy Cullen have been named as ambassadors for this year’s Arthurs Seat Challenge. All three coach gymnastics in Rosebud and are training at The Compound at Tuerong as part of their preparations for the next Ninja series. “With the roads being such a dangerous place, we need to help improve knowledge and attitudes, especially with phones,” Robbins said when asked about…

ALL was calm in Port Phillip and the view from HMAS Choules as it lay at anchor off Safety Beach last week. Signs of life on the land would have been unremarkable for those aboard the Choules at night – vehicles travelling along bayside roads, house lights ablaze on the sides of Mt Martha and Arthurs Seat. The only visible military equipment on Wednesday night was a helicopter and the aft deck, with no sign of a disaster or threat in sight. One of the Royal Australian Navy’s landing ships that are deployed for military support or to supply humanitarian…

YANNI Dellaportas is more often than not carrying a camera. Known throughout the Mornington Peninsula as a professional photographer Yanni (as he prefers to be known) works with flashes and available light. As a photographer with The News, he attends organised events, festivals and meetings, anything that can be classed as news. Unknown to many of his subjects, Yanni has for more than three decades had a private project: photographing lightning. He happily acknowledges being a stormchaser. While his days of keeping an eye out for incoming storms are not about to end soon (if ever), Yanni has published a…

Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has hit back at claims it is making a rates “cash grab” from smaller properties within the green wedge. “When one sector of ratepayers has a change of rate burden, in this case an increase, others receive a decrease; it causes no overall increase in rate income,” the mayor Cr David Gill said. The claims come as the shire faces protests over its levying of a 20 per cent rates hike on the owners of 724 green wedge properties of two hectares in size or less (“Irate at green wedge rate increase” The News 24/9/19). Paul…

TEN enthusiastic volunteers got together to clean up sections of the Esplanade, Mt Martha, after the Around the Bay in a Day ride, Sunday 6 October. Over two-and-a-half hours between Ellerina and Bradford roads the group ran out of bags in collecting 362 cans, 155 plastic bottles, 419 glass bottles and 936 CDs weighing 246kg. The volunteers included Cathy Mitchell, Sarah Joyce, Amy Westnedge, Andy Quin, Jessica Schubert-Hoban, Andrew Sparkinson, Gary Robertson, Cathy Norman, Simon Hodgson and environmentalist Josie Jones. “We encouraged the riders along The Esplanade and they thanked us as we scrambled through 280 metres of roadside,” Ms…

A 45-year-old woman was detected drink driving in Hastings last night (8 October) following a single vehicle crash. A member of the public alerted police after the car crashed into a ditch near the corner of Hodgins and Henderson’s Roads about 9.30pm. On police arrival the driver returned a positive preliminary breath test and was taken to Hastings Police Station. At the police station it is alleged the Hastings woman returned an evidentiary breath test of .333. Her vehicle was immediately impounded and she will be charged on summons with various traffic related offences. Victoria Police News – 9 October…

BUSINESSES and the community will come together at this year’s Balnarring Sustainability Fair to present workshops, stalls and activities aimed at securing a more sustainable future. The 4-7pm, Saturday 12 October event will be headlined by Josie Jones, whose active commitment to protecting Port Phillip by reducing waste earned her this year’s Mornington Peninsula Shire Citizen of the Year award. A series of workshops will include the team from Talking Hens, Merricks, discussing the best ways of keeping backyard chickens, while bee enthusiast Nick Harrison will discuss making homemade beeswax candles. The Balnarring Primary School fundraiser will open with a…

THE creative results from attending courses at Hastings U3A were on show at the “university’s” Community Art and Craft Show. Held in the Hastings Community Hall over two days, the show gave members of the public a chance to find out more about the activities and courses run by Hastings U3A (university of the third age). The name U3A derives from the number three signifying a lifetime of three segments: childhood independence; employment, parental responsibility; and the third age of being over 45 and retired or semi-retired. The not-for-profit organisation provide opportunities for its members to share knowledge and skills.…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is putting buses ahead of trains in its efforts to improve public transport on the peninsula. While politicians and lobby groups continue to talk up the benefits of electrifying the rail line from Frankston to Baxter and beyond, the shire’s Better Buses campaign is aiming for a more realistic outcome, at least in the short term. The mayor Cr David Gill said although he and CEO John Baker had had “an extremely productive meeting” with Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne, “the harsh reality is that the shire is not getting its fair share of public transport funding…

PENINSULA RED Hill have started their 2019/2020 season with a bang after a thrilling win over Long Island. Long Island chose to bat first and set a tough target of 175 runs for Red Hill to chase down. Opener Nick Jewell impressed for Long Island with 59 runs before he was caught and bowled. In response, Red Hill looked shaky and found themselves struggling at 2/22. A stunning 97 run third wicket partnership got their run chase back on track, but after their middle order were removed the tail began to struggle. With just one wicket in hand, Red Hill…

SOCCER KEVIN “Squizzy” Taylor and Doug Hodgson are locked in a battle to win the services of well-respected technical director Stephen Fisher. They were joined in the contest to lure Fisher by Bentleigh Greens but this was always going to be between Pines and the Doves. Fisher’s son Dylan, a promising teenage player, is at the centre of a tug of war between Taylor and Hodgson who reasoned that the winner would also secure the services of his father, who recently stepped down as Langwarrin TD. Taylor is senior coach at Frankston Pines and Hodgson is the new under-18s coach…

HORSE RACING THE Anthony Freedman stable has unveiled a potential Victorian Derby candidate after the dominant display of Warning at Flemington on Saturday 5 October. Having drawn a good gate in the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m), Freedman passed up on taking the three-year-old son of Declaration of War to an 1850m maiden race at Kyneton on the Friday and instead lined up in the key lead-up race towards the Derby. The decision paid dividends for the Pinecliff, Mt Eliza-based trainer as the maiden galloper raced clear in the straight to score a comfortable two length victory over the Lindsay…

AT the Council meeting last week particulars in connection with the Frankston Gas and Electric Supply Coy were laid on the table. The Order-in-Council granting the Company its concessions was made on the 18th April 1916. Under the provision of the order the electric light was to be extended throughout the Frankston Riding 18 month after the date named, and 12 months after that was to be available in Somerville and Hastings. Cr Mason – It should have been in Hastings long ago. Cr Murray said the war probably was partly responsible for the delay. Cr Mason said the company…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is being urged to be a “small business friendly council” by joining 18 municipalities that have signed a charter with the Victorian Small Business Commission (VSBC). Agreeing to sign the charter and would see the shire partner with the VSBC to “provide small businesses with the support they need to run their businesses”. The suggestion for the shire to sign up comes from the business-backed Committee for Mornington Peninsula (C4MP), which is also lobbying for the shire to be recognised by governments as “regional” rather than “metropolitan” (“Call to reclassify peninsula” The News 5/8/19). “Small businesses are…

A TOILET block, playground, boardwalk and more picnic facilities may be included in a new foreshore precinct around the Truemans Road beach car park. The features are being assessed by the Capel Sound foreshore management committee as it seeks community input into its plans for the area. An open session will be held 9-11am, Saturday 19 October, at the car park, with committee members and the landscape architect available to answer questions. Digital copies of the plans and a QR code are available on the Capel Sound Foreshore Committee of Management webpage. The site accepts feedback from those unable to…

TEMPORARY replacement portable toilets at Capel Sound Foreshore Reserve are “horrendous” and don’t compensate campers and visitors for the loss of the old concrete block, a resident says. Chris Major, who complained about the closure of the rundown 1950s block last year, says the “port-a-loos” are an inadequate replacement. “We’ve been waiting since January for a new toilet block and now with the summer onslaught approaching it looks like we’ll have to go through it all again,” she said. “Hundreds of people won’t use them and just go and pee in the bushes.” Ms Major said dance and yoga clubs…

THE man behind Mana Youth Project says it “seeks to build bridges over our past regrets and challenges, instead of building walls around us that prohibit personal growth in every aspect of our lives”. Rick Boland, of Rosebud, says his service focuses 12 to 25 year olds at risk of becoming disengaged with life and who see mostly negatives in their school and home environments. Through chat sessions, school and family involvement he aims to reinforce in disillusioned young people a positive approach to their lives and how they see themselves and others. The name Mana comes from the Polynesian…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire, neighbouring Frankston and municipalities across the state have been warned to watch out for corruption when buying goods and services. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) says corruption and kickbacks uncovered at Darebin and Ballarat councils “are likely to be faced by most, if not all, councils in Victoria”. “Allegations of corruption associated with council procurement practices and processes are a recurring theme in the complaints received and investigated by IBAC,” IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich QC said. In a special report to parliament IBAC warns that councils need to consider the way they manage procurement to reduce…

By Barry Morris IN keeping with a worrying Australia-wide trend, loneliness is seeping across the Mornington Peninsula, fuelled by the growing number of elderly people living on their own. It is probably a greater problem on the peninsula because it has a higher-than-average proportion of older people when compared with other Victorian regions. The peninsula also has more single or lone-person households. The Mornington-based social awareness group Peninsula Voice, says the peninsula is undergoing an epidemic of loneliness. While recognising the work of such organisations as Beyond Blue, Black Dog Institute and the Men’s Shed Association, Peninsula Voice is organising…

IF there is truth in the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words”, visitors to an exhibition by Amanda Stuart will be well informed. The nine subjects of Stuart’s photographic portraits have been reproduced on posters along with their autobiographical anecdotes along with personal photos. Stuart says her intention was to produce posters that “explored, through words and images, the significant events that shaped the lives of nine very different men”. “I have done a portrait of each man, which is separate from the poster. Not a photoshopped portrait, but a photo of them as I see them for…

MORNINGTON Peninsula artists have organised two major events during October and November. The annual Peninsula Studio Trail art exhibition runs 11-23 October at Southern Buoy Studios, Mornington followed by two open studio weekends in November. There are now 20 artists in the peninsula art group, many have won awards and are known on the peninsula and internationally. They offer work in many mediums and across genres, including painting (traditional and contemporary), drawings, ceramics, sustainable sculpture from recycled materials, jewellery, metal art and printmaking. During this month’s 13-day exhibition at Mornington, several of the artists will be on hand all day…

A MAN in his 30s was taken to Frankston Hospital with back injuries on Saturday afternoon (5 October) after his paraglider spiralled and then crashed into the ground at Flinders. It is understood the man was holidaying in Australia from the Unites States and was making one of his first flights in this country. Emergency crews took about two hours to rescue the man from bushes at the base of a cliff near Flinders pier. The man reportedly took off from the car park above the pier before crashing at about 2.30pm. First published in the Southern Peninsula News -…