SOCCER THE combined loss of sponsorship for 12 local clubs fielding senior teams under the Football Victoria banner will top $260,000 this year. Langwarrin, Mornington, Peninsula Strikers, Skye United, Frankston Pines, Baxter, Seaford United, Somerville Eagles, Rosebud, Aspendale Stingrays and Mount Martha have lost sponsors in droves due to the economic impact of the coronavirus shutdown. Chelsea is the only local club not to suffer through lost sponsorship while many clubs have offered carryover deals for the 2021 season. The total represents the largest ever financial hit to the local game. Each club was contacted last week and provided a…
Day: May 18, 2020
HORSE RACING THE Amy and Ash Yargi racing stable have continued their successful run of late by scoring another dominant victory at Flemington on Saturday 16 May. Coming off a freshen up, their in-form mare Jamaican Hurry came from the rear of the field to notch up her third straight victory in the opening race of the day. Ridden patiently by jockey Michael Dee, Jamaican Hurry settled second last in the running before building momentum and flashing late in the race to run over the top of the James Cummings-trained Gododdin and the Lindsay Park-trained Lankan Star. The victory re-affirmed…
THE Marathon Race over the classic distance of 26 miles 385 yards, conducted by the Malvern Harriers, was held on Saturday last, the course being 8 laps on the Frankston Park Oval, thence direct by Point Nepean, Brighton and St. Kilda Roads, to the Wesley Cricket Ground, where 3 laps were run. The starters were: G. Blake (the veteran holder of several 5 and 10 mile championships), T. Sinton Hewitt (who has been selected to represent Australia at the Olympic Games in October), E. Roberts, B. V. Maher (runner-up in the South Australian championship), P. L. W. Collins, A. Heywood,…
SWIMMING pool and spa owners on the Mornington Peninsula have until Monday 1 June to register them with the council or they could be liable to fines of up to $1652. This follows the implementation of state laws to improve pool and spa safety throughout Victoria which came into effect last December. In Victoria, 27 children under five have drowned over the past 20 years – mostly in private pools and spas. The state coroner found that in at least 20 of these cases the safety barrier was non-compliant, and that this was likely to have played a role in…
THE battering ram called COVID-19 has placed enormous stress on staff at the Mount Martha-based Fusion Mornington Peninsula. Some staff are living “on-site” while others are working from home, juggling casework meetings on the phone or video platforms. Fusion centre manager Caitlin Swanton said over the past eight weeks staff had “needed to adapt to cater to young people in a way we never have before, nor did we imagine we would need to”. “It has been eight weeks since Victoria went into lock-down … since all non-essential trips out of the house were banned … since our schools closed,”…
STAFF at a Mount Eliza florist were terrified when they spied an intruder lurking in the darkness early on Mother’s Day morning. Abricot Mornington Florist manager Matilda Alievski said the unidentified man shining a torch seemed to avoid CCTV cameras behind the Mount Eliza Way shop Saturday 9 May as he made his way slowly towards the back door (pictured). He was wearing a hoodie, beanie, gloves and boots, and covering his face. “Our staff were working inside the shop trying to get our orders ready and we saw this man on our cameras and immediately panicked,” Ms Alievski said.…
EARLY financial modelling suggests Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s non-rate income could be down $6-$12 million this year depending on the duration of the COVID-19 restrictions. To help ease the shire’s financial pain, the mayor Cr Sam Hearn has opted to take a 20 per cent cut in his $90,000-plus allowance. CEO John Baker has also said he will take a pay cut. Cr Hearn said the shire was “continuing to monitor and make prudent budgetary decisions in response to the impacts” of the pandemic. “We are committed to leading from the top in managing the financial challenges of this crisis,”…
ANGLERS could not resist the lure of the bay and golfers were destined to seek their fairway to scorecard heaven when social distancing bans were eased last Wednesday (13 May). Golf courses across the Mornington Peninsula were heavily booked for the first day on the greens for weeks and boat ramps were again back in use as anglers cast off in the hope that fish had become complacent. As well as those two major activities, the brakes of the coronavirus shutdown were also eased for religious groups which were given the go ahead for meetings of 10 people provided social…
PENINSULA Grammar will stand down staff in the school’s administration, marketing and maintenance departments”. The Mount Eliza private school, which admits to being “greatly impacted by the global pandemic”, said in a statement it had “made the difficult decision to commence a staff consultation process that will potentially impact” staff numbers. The statement, attributable to a spokesman, released on Friday 15 May Sarah Coghlan, senior account executive of Civic Financial Communications, said there would be “no staff cuts to student-facing roles”. The cuts to “non-student facing roles” were being made to “ensure the school’s strong financial position is maintained”. No…
ANIMAL management breaches prompted Mornington Peninsula Shire officers to issue 587 infringements during the first three months of the year. Data contained in the shire’s Quarterly Community Report: January-March 2020, released last week, shows that officers responded to 3215 animal management matters from January to March. During that period 147 cats were impounded at the shelter in Watt Road, Mornington, with only 50 found to be registered. Of these, 30 were returned to their owners, 31 were adopted through the shire’s adoption program, 30 were re-homed by rescue groups, and 35 were euthanised. All were registered at the time of…
Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors last week held their first virtual council meeting. Like schoolchildren and businesses throughout the country, councillors and support staff have now adapted to going online to keep the shire on track. And, like schoolchildren, their online performances may count towards an end of the year judgement following the state government’s announcements late Friday that municipal elections will be held as planned on Saturday 24 October. Local Government Minister Adam said “safe and secure” postal voting would be held in all municipalities. He said the government would spend more money to achieve its aim of “gender equality…
By Barry Morris* BALCOMBE Estuary Reserves Group has warned of an “environmental disaster” if sediment continues to fill the estuary at Mount Martha. Its president Peter McMahon has accused Melbourne Water of “sitting idly by as we slowly lose this beautiful estuary to indifference, penny-pinching and demarcation issues”. Melbourne Water says it has been “consulting” with Mornington Peninsula Shire and BERG “for more than a decade” to stop the accumulation of sediment which comes from unsealed roads. The 76-hectare estuary and adjoining reserves are home to hundreds of native birds and animals and a popular recreation area for residents and…