Month: November 2019

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives have charged a man following a fatal collision in Somerville on 25 February. It is alleged a utility collided with a motorcycle on Tyabb-Tooradin Road about 4.25pm. A motorcyclist aged in his 50s died at the scene. The 22-year-old was charged with culpable driving causing death and appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates court yesterday. The Warneet man was bailed to the Melbourne Magistrates court on 24 January.

TAKING part in the Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities competition was a “really positive experience” for students at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Crib Point. The awards aim to “encourage, motivate and celebrate sustainability achievements of rural and regional communities across Australia”. Each year regional and state winners are announced between August and October. The school’s grade 3/4s Sea is my Best Friend project was a finalist in the Active Schools category. It aimed to teach and connect them to the local environment, Jacks and Woolleys Beaches and nature reserves. Students learned about Western Port Bay being a Ramsar site and…

SOMERVILLE Primary School students have been busily knitting during Thursday lunch times for a special project. The students, along with family members and staff, have been making woollen squares which are being crocheted together by colleague Judy Bray to make colourful blankets to donate to The Salvation Army. They will then go towards making cold nights more bearable for the homeless. “The children are loving being involved, and it has been wonderful to see them developing their knitting skills, making new friends and raising their sense of pride in contributing to a team project that is helping others,” school chaplain…

SEVERAL hundred people marched through Hastings last Friday (22 November) to show their disgust of family violence. The fifth Taking a Stand Against Family Violence march organised by Westernport Respectful Relationships Group was formerly known as the White Ribbon March. The annual march raises community awareness about family violence and “helps the community to unite and take a stand together”, Cr Kate Roper said. Speakers at the march included Cr Roper, Hastings Senior Sergeant Andrew Horscroft, family violence survivor Melissa, who shared her own story, and shire staff member Mandy Roche, who gave an overview of the shire’s Gender Equality…

PENINSULA A BRILLIANT performance from Moorooduc has seen them claim an outright win over Pearcedale at home. Pearcedale were bowled out for just 110 in their first innings, which Moorooduc chased down with pace. Moorooduc ended up being bowled out for 222 off just 41 overs, allowing them another opportunity to take on Pearcedale’s batsmen. Pathum De Mel was Moorooduc’s best, smashing 7 sixes on his way to an entertaining total of 70. Pearcedale’s innings got off to a horror start when they lost their opening batsman for a duck off a run out. Things didn’t get much better for…

SOCCER NEWLY promoted Somerville Eagles has been rocked by the resignations of senior coach Scott Morrison, assistant Stan Packer and goalkeeping coach Stuart Mitchell. All three resigned last week due to a difference of opinion with director of football Zach Peddersen over Somerville’s refusal to participate in the 2020 Steve Wallace Memorial Cup. The tournament commemorates the late Langwarrin president who was an icon of the sport in the local area. Peddersen claimed that his club had previously been snubbed by Wallace Cup organisers. “We have never been invited in years and the committee has never received any information or…

THE Arthurs Seat Challenge 6.7km fun run + walk was held on Sunday 10 November. The Challenge is held annually to promote the profile of the Fit to Drive road safety program and to raise funds to enable the continuation of this invaluable program at no cost to the secondary schools on the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston region. The overall male winner was Liam Ryan-Nicholls with a time of 25:53.217, which came extremely close to being a course record, and the overall Female winner was Sarah Klein in 28:09.383. The largest school entry was won by Bayside Christian College and…

HORSE RACING MORNINGTON-based racehorse trainer Shane Nichols took out the opening race on Ballarat Cup day with his speedy mare, Tahitian Dancer, on Saturday 23 November. The talented four-year-old daughter of Dawn Approach was looking to make amends after being held up at her previous start at Flemington. Ridden by two kilogram claiming apprentice jockey, Teo Nugent, the speedster drifted to the rear of the field and rounded the corner in last position before letting down strongly in the straight. Storming down the centre of the track, Tahitian Dancer quickly ran past her rivals before being eased down near the…

PERHAPS no community in the State has suffered greater inconvenience, and annoyance through inadequate lighting than the town of Frankston. The grievance is one of long standing and although repeated assurances have been given that cause for complaint would be remedied the users of electric light are still minus a satisfactory service. The experience at Capt Bruce’s meeting in the Frankston Hall last Tuesday night was not one calculated to reflect credit on the town. When the candidate was about half way through his speech the electric light suddenly failed and the hall was plunged into absolute darkness. Capt Bruce,…

MOUNT Martha resident Judi is calling for public assistance to locate five rings, believed lost. And while not one hundred percent sure where they went missing, she has a hunch they fell from her bag while at a café in Mount Eliza. “We were sitting having lunch in a Mount Eliza café on 4 November; the day before Melbourne Cup Day,” said Judi. “I recall reaching into my handbag to get something and I believed they may have fallen out.” The five rings were in a small, bright red, Asian-style purse. Of the five rings, one was an engagement ring,…

NEW signs, blocking tracks and revegetation are the latest moves being made to stop cliff jumpers at The Pillars, Mt Martha. Police and local laws officers will also be keeping a close eye on illegal parking, booking misbehaving motorists where possible. But there will be no return of the fence that last year cost Mornington Peninsula Shire ratepayers about $200,000 and saw police refusing to climb over it to enforce alcohol bans. Last Wednesday (20 November) saw no shortage of thrill seekers jumping off the cliffs, with boats and jet skis anchored close by.” The shire’s coastal planner Laura Crilly…

RESCUING a swimmer struggling in rough water under Frankston pier was all in a day’s work for policewoman and Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Julie Morris. The senior constable (pictured) and her sergeant responded to a distress call on the pier during Thursday 21 November’s strong north winds and 40-degree temperatures. A young man taking a dip before work was unable to climb back onto the pier and wedged himself between pylons and the pier’s roof at about 11.30am. Waves crashing through the pylons were knocking him around and he was barely able to hang on and was forced to hold…

WITH that festive time of the year fast approaching, Santa is planning a return to Mornington Railway. Mornington Railway Preservation Society says its Santa Specials will return on Sundays 1, 8, 15 and 22 December, with two special afternoon departures on Saturdays 14 and 21 December. The rides give children and families the chance to enjoy some Christmas spirit while also experiencing the delights of the heritage railway which opened in 1889. The vintage steam locomotive K163, built in 1941, will be doing the hauling on the one hour return ride. Other activities to keep families entertained include a jumping…

ELEVEN years after it was first suggested, Mt Martha seems set to have its own skatepark. Mornington Peninsula Shire is inviting public comment on plans to build the skatepark as part of a revamp of the playground opposite Mt Martha Primary School, in Glenisla Drive. A public meeting was held on Monday night to discuss the plans and online comments will be accepted up until 5 January next year. The $500,000 plans outlined to councillors at their 22 October meeting describe the Eco Park playground as an active recreation hub that will include a skate and scooter bowl with pockets,…

A GROUP of nine women who have grown up together over the past 75 years enjoy nothing better than getting together fortnightly on the Mornington Peninsula. Elaine and Anne Madill, Elaine Haynes, Lorraine Scott, Judith Tindale, Rose Martin, Thelma Morgan, June Hill and Dorothy Evans wouldn’t miss their “girls’ day” lunches for the world. Last week they celebrated 60 years of meeting for lunch at the home of one of their friends’ daughters, Sue Fontana, at Mt Eliza. Two of the women started prep together, and five met up at primary school before joining the Highett Ladies Basketball Club and…

BONEO Primary School teachers Liz Dewar and Ryan Jellie are joint winners of the $10,000 Outstanding Primary Teacher Choose Maths Awards announced at the 2019 Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute Awards. They and the school received an extra $1000 each for finishing in the top 10 meaning they will share $6000 and the school $6000. After discovering that student outcomes in mathematics were on a downward trend, the passionate educators set about transforming the way students and teachers viewed the learning and teaching of maths in their school. They developed a plan to transform maths instruction and improve student engagement through…

A SOMERVILLE drink-driver ploughed through an NBN junction box in his ute in Inglenook Crescent, Karingal, and severed the cable 7pm, Friday night 15 November. Police said the ute, above, was seen “driving erratically” in McClelland Drive around that time. After the collision the ute was stuck and the driver reportedly ran from the scene. Somerville Highway Patrol tracked him down about two hours later and took him to Frankston police station where he blew 0.082. He was issued with infringement notices for drink-and-careless driving totalling $893. His licence was cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for six months.…

BURGLARS entered a Mt Eliza house through an unlocked garage door and stole keys to two BMWs in the garage, overnight 16-17 November. They drove off in a white 125i model, registration number 1DK5PY, and a blue 320i (ZOA069) from the Manna Hill Court property while the owners were asleep. The total value of the cars is $55,000. The haul was among a series of thefts in Mt Eliza over the weekend. A set of speakers was stolen from the garage of a house in Buloke Close after thieves found a remote control in an unlocked car. The owners heard…

HOWLING winds blew down a section of the screen at Dromana drive-in last week. Owner Paul Whitaker, pictured, said a wind shift to the south mid-afternoon Thursday 21 November ripped off a plywood panel three metres high and 1.5 metres wide from the 30 metre-wide screen. “It’s happened before and it’s easy to fix with a bit of planning,” he said. The screening of Last Christmas and The Terminator were not affected. “We had to angle the projector slightly to the left but everything turned out OK,” Mr Whitaker said. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 26 November…

TWO dogs blamed for the mauling and killing of chooks and a lamb at Bittern last week remain in Mornington Peninsula Shire’s pound “pending the outcome of investigations”. “The investigation is still underway. Once concluded, all evidence and information will be sent on to the prosecutor,” environment protection manager John Rankine said. The two kelpies believed to be from Crib Point were seized by rangers after attacking the livestock at three properties, Wednesday 13 November. (“Dogs seized after deadly attacks” The News 20/11/19). Grieving pet owners were devastated by the ferocity of the attacks with one, Chris Phobe, saying his…

RYE’S Beach Clean Boards aim to help rid Mornington Peninsula beaches of marine litter and plastic pollution “two minutes at a time”. Based on the #2minute beach clean boards in the UK, organisers place A-frames along the foreshore near bins encouraging beachgoers to collect litter and then record what they’ve picked up with a #hashtag connected to a social media campaign. “This project aims to increase awareness of the dangers of litter, especially plastics, to the marine environment, as well as reducing litter on the beach and greater care of our local beaches,” Rye Community House’s Sarah Race said. “We’re…

VICROADS is fixing hundreds of cracks in the retaining wall at the northern end of the Marine Drive underpass at Safety Beach. The wall and underpass were built and paid for by the developer of the Martha Cove marina and housing development before being handed over to VicRoads and the Martha Cove owners’ corporation. VicRoads says sealing the cracks will “minimise the risk of corrosion of steel in the walls”. The owners’ corporation says a “cathodic protection system designed to check condition and ensure corrosion of concrete reinforcing steel is minimised” will be installed in the underpass. Mornington-based Watsons, described…

NEPEAN MP Chris Brayne has lost his licence for three months after being caught by police driving at 108kph in an 80kph zone. Mr Brayne had just turned 25 when he became the state’s youngest serving MP when elected last November. His win was hailed as a major victory for Labor which gained a valuable foothold on the Liberal-dominated Mornington Peninsula. Nepean had been held for 14 years by former minister Martin Dixon, whose former office manager Russell Joseph was expected to easily win the seat. Sportsbet offered $16 for a Labor win and $1.01 for the Liberals. The loss…

VICROADS may be a major barrier to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s calls to trial 80kph speed limits on roads throughout the peninsula. The roads authority says it prefers to tackle speed issues on a case-by-case basis. VicRoads last week said it “regularly explores safety upgrades, including speed limit changes, in consultation with the community and our road safety partners including Victoria Police and the TAC”. “Speed limits on all Victorian roads are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but we always welcome feedback from the community on how we can continue to make our roads safer,” a VicRoads spokesperson told The…

DAVID Gill sees the influence Mornington Peninsula Shire had on the May 2018 federal election as one of council’s main achievements during his time as mayor. He says “advocacy” by the shire during the election campaign led to the “winning party” making “project promises” of $175 million. Cr Gill, pictured, credits the shire with achieving “the largest number of project promises ever secured in a local government campaign”. The seat of Flinders was won for the Liberal Party by Greg Hunt, who has held the seat since being first elected in 2001. Cr Gill made his comments at the shire’s…

A TRIAL of Plastic Free Places will be held at Mt Martha from this month. The trial over summer will put Mt Martha alongside Byron Bay, Noosa, Adelaide and Perth in what organisers say is a national program to reduce single-use plastic waste, especially on the foreshore. Villages such as Mt Martha, with its hub of cafes, restaurants and small businesses directly across from Port Phillip unintentionally contributes to the quantity of litter finding its way onto the beaches and into the bay, organisers say. The most common “culprits” include take-away food containers and cups, straws, plastic packaging and cigarette…

DESPITE its lack of surf, Rye pier in Port Phillip was the beach of choice on Saturday for a board-based protest against plans by Norwegian oil-giant Equinor’s to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight. One of the Mornington Peninsula’s organisers, Asha Bainbridge, estimated about 350 people were at Rye for the Fight for the Bight protest, one of 40 being held around Australia. Markus Tschech, of the Surfrider Foundation, said protesters were concerned about the irreversible consequences of an oil spill “not just on Australia’s southern coastline, but on the peninsula”. “Equinor’s own worst-case spill modelling shows a…

MEMBERS of Crib Point CFA were on the march last week, from their former fire station at 137 Disney Street to a brand new one at 191 Disney Street. The address may not be very different, but the move has the advantage of having two high-ceilinged truck bays for bigger tankers, a breathing apparatus repair room, and more space for offices and firefighters. The move to the new $1.5 million building has been five years in the making so a march accompanied by Navy drummers was warranted. The building was opened by Victoria’s environmental sustainability commissioner and CFA board member,…

An 18-year-old Bulleen man had more in mind than jumping off The Pillars and having a glass of pinot noir on his recent visit to the Mornington Peninsula. He was pulled over by police on Peninsula Link about 9.30pm on Saturday night, and a search of his car resulted in police allegedly finding a large amount of ecstasy tablets, cocaine and an amount of cash. A warrant executed at the man’s Bulleen home on Sunday resulted in investigators allegedly locating two kg of rock ecstasy and one kg of ecstasy tablets, an imitation firearm and over $40,000 in cash. The…

A man has died following a collision in Hastings last night. Police and emergency services were called to Hodgins Road following reports of a collision between a vehicle and motorcycle about 10.25pm. The yet to be formally identified male motorcycle rider died at the scene. The driver of a vehicle sustained non-life threatening injuries and is being transported to hospital for treatment. The exact cause of the collision is yet to be determined at this stage. Anyone who witnessed or with any dashcam footage is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report…