MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council will extend its financial hardship policy until 31 August to help ratepayers hit hard by the coronavirus. This will apply to all rateable properties – not just primary residences – and is for debtors seeking relief. No interest will be charged on any outstanding balances until after that date. The council does not propose writing off any debts owing outside of requests for the waiving of interest. Debt will still be due and payable, but with greater flexibility offered on repayments. The council adopted the revised hardship policy moved by Cr Antonella Celi and seconded by…
Day: June 9, 2020
IT was just like old times at Dromana Drive-In last week, with cars lining up at the gate and the movies ready to roll. The outdoor screens were back in business after emerging from the 10-week COVID-19 shutdown. Owner Paul Whitaker said six movies were scheduled on the three screens over the two sessions of the Thursday 4 June opening night. “It’s a really good feeling to be opening again,” he said after being closed since the last weekend in March. “We will open Thursday to Sunday as normal but, if demand is high, we could go to seven days…
THIRTEEN drivers were each fined $289 for driving past a police vehicle with flashing lights at more than 40kph, Thursday 28 May. Somerville Highway Patrol officers conducted Operation Safe-Mate as a result of being “thoroughly fed up with motorists whizzing past at speed while [we are] standing on the side of the road”. They say the issue was highlighted by the quadruple police fatality on the Eastern Freeway in April. Officers patrolled the Mornington Peninsula Freeway between Moorooduc and Rosebud, targeting speeding and general traffic offences while enforcing the passing emergency vehicle at 40kph rule which was introduced in July…
A MAN who allegedly drove at a police officer in Mornington was later pepper sprayed and arrested in dramatic fashion at Mount Martha. Police said they saw a car driving on the wrong side of the road and through the roundabout at the intersection of Main and Barkly streets, Monday night, 1 June. They pulled the driver over but when they approached his car he “took off again with one officer only just avoiding being struck”. The 50-year-old was intercepted by another police unit at Mount Martha but he allegedly refused to turn off his car’s engine. Police said they…
THE Planning Minister Richard Wynne says the exhibition of power company AGL’s environmental effects statement on its proposed gas import terminal at Crib Point will last 40 days, 10 days longer than usual. He says the extra time will ensure the exhibition and inquiry is conducted fairly during the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Wynne’s directive was dated 1 June. After the exhibition, a public inquiry will be held to consider the project and its environmental effects. If required, the inquiry’s proceedings may take place by videoconference. Community group Save Westernport said Mr Wynne’s decision was “inconsistent with state government extensions of…
PRIVATE pool and spa owners on the Mornington Peninsula now have until 1 November to register them with council. The five-month extension from the original 1 June deadline has been granted because of the impacts of coronavirus on families and council staff workloads. The safety measures are being introduced to reduce the number of drownings of children under five. Over the past 20 years 27 youngsters have drowned in private pools and spas in Victoria. The coroner reportedly found that, in at least 20 of these cases, a non-compliant safety barrier was likely to have played a role in their…
By Barry Morris THE leader of the Willum Warrain Aboriginal Gathering Place in Hastings has spoken out against Aboriginal deaths in custody following the death of African American man George Floyd in Minneapolis, US. “Black lives matter here too,” Willum Warrain’s executive officer Peter Aldenhoven said. The shocking vision of George Floyd’s death that precipitated race riots across America paralleled that of the Aboriginal teenager slammed face first by a policeman into a Sydney footpath last Tuesday, Mr Aldenhoven said. Aboriginal people did not need reminding that 432 Indigenous Australians had died in custody since the Royal Commission into Deaths…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire services will gradually reopen during June with further easing of coronavirus restrictions. The shire is following state government guidance by taking a staged approach with “necessary modifications … to keep our community safe and the pandemic curve flat”. Services will operate with shorter opening hours and limits on numbers and time spent at the service. The shire says its priority is to keep the community safe, and only services that can maintain physical distancing guidelines and numbers limits will open “at this stage”. Updates about further changes to shire services will follow the state government’s announcement of…
By Stephen Taylor and Keith Platt POLICE intend to shut down the Rosebud camping ground being used by homeless people. Evictions began last week, with Mornington Peninsula Shire sending a truck and bobcat to clear rubbish from campsites. While the arrival of homeless people at the camping ground is an annual occurrence, the COVID-19 pandemic is being blamed for the number of campers being higher than normal. The mayor, Cr Sam Hearn says although the shire is trying to find alternative accommodation for the campers, it was a state government issue. He said the government was able to avoid responsibility…
A MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council investigations officer is compiling evidence to present to the police over a savage dog attack at Rye last week. Environment protection manager John Rankine said police could decide to issue a summons to the owner of the attacking dog and “determine which charges will be put to them”. “A decision regarding the future of the attacking dog will be made once the outcome of the prosecution is known,” Mr Rankine said. The move follows the savage attack on a boxer by what was described as an “American staffie” near the Rye pier, 10am, Sunday 31…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Sam Hearn said seven homeless people were given permission last month to use the camping ground at Rosebud. The shire had been “trying to find places for them to stay” when a second group of four to six people arrived. Cr Hearn said the allotted area did not have the capacity to accommodate such large numbers and if allowed to continue could lead to a shanty town. Cr Hearn said homeless people had “year after year” used camping ground over summer with several always “staying on” after the end of the camping season. “It gets…
IT can be viewed as a sad commentary on humanity that children happily play where lives were brutally lost. Or perhaps the apparent incongruity of such a scene is testament to the human spirit of survival. Artist William Kelly describes Guernica in northern Spain as “a lovely city with children playing in parks”. But looming large in Kelly’s mindset is also the horror and brutality depicted in Pablo Picasso’s 1937 oil painting, Guernica. An optimist, Kelly’s own art is designed to create dialogue, peace talk, if you like. Kelly, who lives in Cheltenham, is known for his sweeping statement “art…
PENINSULA virtual pub has teamed up with the Mornington Peninsula music network to present the Soda virtual festival, a Facebook live stream event, Sunday 14 June. Peninsula virtual pub has been running Friday night live music since April to raise awareness and money for the peninsula’s live music community. Publican Garry Gosling said the industry needed “more help than ever as it continued to face hardship and struggles due to limited event capacities surrounding COVID-19”. He said Soda – to stream from 2pm – aimed to support live music and those whose livelihoods depended on the industry. It will present…
A WOMAN who trained as a nurse and a school teacher is the new minister at Mornington Uniting Church. The Reverend Joy Blamires arrived in early May after 15 months of the interim ministry of the Rev Chris Cohen. The St Marks posting is her first ministry. Ordained only two months ago she is the first woman to lead the church in Barkly Street which was established as a Presbyterian church in 1867. The Rev Blamires began her theological studies in 2014 while teaching English as a second language. She took up full time university study in 2018, adding that…
MCCRAE Lighthouse will receive $1 million for urgent conservation works under the state government’s Living Heritage Program. The landmark, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register, needs repairs as a result of its age and the harsh conditions it has endured over the past 137 years. The works will repair or replace the lighthouse’s gutters, windows, balcony and copper dome and will also include sandblasting and repainting of the riveted iron structure. Reportedly the state’s tallest at 31 metres and an essential Port Phillip navigation aid, McCrae Lighthouse was built in Birmingham in 1874 and shipped to McCrae in 1883.…
STAFF and doctors at The Bays Hospital in Mornington wore their crazy socks “loudly and proudly” on Friday 5 June. The aim of the colourful display was to bring attention to the challenges faced by doctors and the disproportionately high suicide rates in the medical profession. Cardiologist Dr Geoffrey Toogood, a long-time advocate for mental health, came up with the idea of Crazy Socks 4 Docs Day to raise awareness of mental health problems among health professionals. Dr Mark Savage, of the hospital’s intensive care unit, said: “As members of a caring profession, healthcare professionals strive to provide the very…
SOCCER FOOTBALL Victoria has put a million dollar proposal on the table to slash fees and entice clubs to participate in the 2020 season. FV’s fee relief package was announced in stages last week starting with NPL1 then NPL2 and NPL3 followed by an offer to State League clubs. The official announcement stated, in part: “The packages are aimed at supporting the safe return of football at all levels and ensuring the viability of our 355 clubs and the game in Victoria more broadly.” As an NPL2 club Langwarrin received confirmation that promotion was still in play but relegation had…
THE 2020 MPNFL season hangs in the balance, with its future set to be evaluated later this month. AFL South East head Richard Black, AFL South East CEO Shaun Connell, and officials from each of the 22 MPNFL clubs all met on 3 June to discuss the 2020 season. It was decided that a further evaluation would be held after an update from Premier Daniel Andrews, expected on 21 June. Senior leagues across Victoria have begun cancelling their seasons in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Northern Football Netball League and Southern Football Netball League will both not proceed…
HORSE RACING MORNINGTON-based apprentice jockey Campbell Rawiller landed his first metropolitan winner at Sandown on Wednesday 3 June. Rawiller partnered the Matthew Williams-trained Brilliant Concept to take out the seventh race on the card and made it back-to-back victories for the combination. Having scored a dominant benchmark 64 victory at Ballarat at their prior start, Rawiller took the four-year-old gelding to the rear of the field before slowly creeping forward in the run. By the top of the straight Rawiller had Brilliant Concept within two lengths of the leader and pounced in the straight to land a half-of-a-length victory in…
MR and Mrs Adderly of Langwarrin suffered a sad bereavement in the loss of their daughter, Erica, aged 12 years, whose death took place on the 21st May in Melbourne, where she had been taking the day previously for expert treatment. Death was due to Bright’s disease. The funeral, which took place on Monday, at the Frankston cemetery, was attended by her late schoolmates from Langwarrin State school. Much sympathy is felt for the parents and family in this, their great loss. *** Football. Frankston V. Balnarring The Frankston-Balnarring match played at Frankston was, except for the opening term, very…