Author: Liz Bell

THE end of year typically signals partying for many young people, but for the mother of a young man killed by a one-punch attack in Rye, holiday celebrations are also a chilling reminder of the dangers of aggressive, alcohol and social violence. Caterina Politi’s 22-year-old son David Cassai was attacked in an unprovoked street fight in 2012, while out enjoying himself with friends on 20 December. The apprentice landscape gardener fell and hit his head after being punched by 18-year-old Dylan Closter, from Launching Place, who then danced over him as he lay helpless, like a boxer in a show…

RECENT storms and widespread flooding across the Mornington Peninsula have prompted calls for more SES volunteers, after emergency services were stretched to the limit in the most recent flooding event of Sunday 13 November. As the control agency for flooding in Victoria, VICSES volunteers from Hastings, Sorrento, Chelsea and Frankston jumped into action last week when the peninsula was hit by wild weather on the weekend, particularly overnight Sunday. SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said there were 397 calls on the peninsula related to flooding, 253 for fallen trees, 98 for building damage and 36 flood rescues. Wiebusch said…

A PROGRAM to rid the Mornington Peninsula of single-use plastics is gathering momentum ahead of the state government ban coming into effect in February 2023. Non-profit Boomerang Alliance, which is focussed on reducing and eliminating waste, is running the program on the peninsula, providing free advice and encouragement to help businesses phase out single-use plastics and reduce waste. The alliance is working directly with food, retail and hospitality venues to drive change by targeting the use of straws, coffee cups and lids, takeaway containers and lids, food ware, cutlery, plates, cups water bottles and bags. The peninsula program’s roll out…

A PEACEFUL reflection and meditation trail on the one-hectare grounds of Mount Martha Uniting Church is opening to the public with an early Christmas focus. Workers and church volunteers have spent 12 months getting the reflection trail ready for visitors, following a Mornington Peninsula Shire grant that paid for revegetation works and infrastructure. Church executive Peter Hough said the improvements were supported by community planting days and the creation of five places of seated reflection, contemplation and recreation along the trail. “We are delighted to have the trail accessible by the wider community as an offering of tranquility, peace and…

MORNINGTON Shire Council is considering its options to continue outdoor trading in the lead up to the end of the Covid-related parklet and outdoor dining program on 15 December. But that won’t be before dozens of businesses will be forced to pull down and dismantle dining area parklets over what were car parks, due to the ending of the state government’s emergency powers. Tony Kafrouni of Vinnies’ Boys Pizza, Mount Eliza wants the council to allow the parklet trade to continue as other councils have done. Kafrouni said the livelihood of Mount Eliza Village had increased due to the parklet…

THERE’S no doubt staff are hard to find on the Mornington Peninsula these days, but one business owner says he can’t even open his new business. Barber shop owner David Serra wants to open his new business in Main Street, Mornington next week, but not without workers to cut hair. “I’ve advertised for weeks on many places but not one applicant, and we are even willing to offer above award wages,” he said. “We also run a barber shop in Mount Eliza, and the story is the same, although at least we can open that one. “I don’t know where…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is facing a massive clean-up and repair bill after recent heavy rain caused landslips, flooded properties and destroyed made and unmade roads across the peninsula. The mayor Steve Holland said there had been landslips at Shoreham Beach, Beleura cliff, Mornington and Drum Drum Alloc Creek, as well as McCrae, where eight homes were evacuated when land gave way on View Point Road. The Beleura cliff path, which has been earmarked for repairs since several landslips last month, is now closed after sections of it fell away on Monday. Holland said repairs were already underway on dozens…

RYE Community House is again holding an art and craft show from 18 – 20 November, showcasing paintings, mosaics, sculptures and other works by people associated with the house. The works will be for sale and any profits will go towards an upgrade of the Rye Community Childcare space. House manager Marg D’Arcy said the art and craft show was an example of true community collaboration, with funding support from Bendigo Bank, Community Bank Southern Peninsula, and artwork and entertainment from the students at Rye Primary School and the Rye Pre School. There will be a raffle with prizes donated…

MEMBERS of Safety Beach Dromana Men’s Shed have been keeping busy during the COVID years, getting involved in some community projects that make a difference. A replica chateau is now being raffled to raise money for an extension of the Pier Street, Dromana shed. Secretary Denis McKeegan said the model (pictured right) was based on the Hotel Chateau Du Grand-Luce in the south of France, which was built in 1760, and was a classic example of the architecture of the era. Most of the model is made from 3mm MDF, with some intricate details that also include curves and steps.…

HIGH profile, local and internationally renowned performers – including Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s associate principal flute Wendy Clarke – will perform at Mount Martha to raise money for disadvantaged Mornington Peninsula families. The event is being run by the Mornington Peninsula Foundation, a place-based philanthropic organisation whose mission is to support peninsula communities to break the cycle of disadvantage. MPF executive director Stephanie Exton said the foundation – which is independently financed by the George Hicks Foundation – started in 2017 after ABS statistics revealed people being severely disadvantaged despite the perception that it was a wealthy region. The data showed…

EVERY year since 2002, COVID aside, the residents of Mornington Peninsula have put their running shoes on for the 6.7 kilometre Arthur’s Seat Challenge. In recognition that people are still trying to stay COVID-safe, the Arthur’s Seat Challenge is being run virtually from 1 to 30 November. The charity set up to support the Fit to Drive Foundation, started in 2001 by a group of Mornington High School principals following a series of road deaths of young students. One of the Fit to Drive founders and principal, John Keysers, said that in 1999 road trauma involving the loss of young…

POLICE will be out in force patrolling known party hot spots as young people are expected to converge on the Mornington Peninsula for schoolies celebrations. Most activity is expected around Rosebud and Rye, which have been the focus in previous years of out-of-control schoolies parties that have turned violent. In a shocking incident last year at Rosebud a policeman was king hit by a reveller after a party involving up to 300 schoolies on Rosebud pier. Fifteen people were arrested, and a 15-year-old Rosebud teen was later charged with assaulting an emergency worker, reckless conduct likely to cause serious injury,…

THINK book club, and think literary discovery, conversation, friendship and the odd glass of wine. But why should the adults have all the fun, says a new generation of avid readers and critical thinkers. Mornington mum Danielle Binks is facilitator to a different kind of book club, where a group of grade five students – including her daughter Liliana – get together on the weekend to read books. For fun. There’s no wine, but there’s always snacks, toasted sangers and plenty of in-depth analysis. Binks says she has been impressed by the level of intellectual discourse, where the St Macartans…

RESULTS of the state election may decide the fate of two parcels of Mount Eliza land that are both the subjects of environmental concerns. South Eastern Centre for Sustainability president Steve Karakitsos, who has led the fight to protect a 2.8-hectare site at 57 Kunyung Road, said it was an important area of habitat and habitat corridors, and the only site in Mount Eliza where frogs regenerate, according to the Melbourne Water frog census. Karakitsos said development of the former South East Water reservoir would lead to a local extinction of frogs but threaten other significant species identified in the…

PEARCEDALE visual artist Janice Mills says transposing the colours, shapes and images of what she sees and loves onto canvas has always been an important element of her landscape painting. So, when she learned several years ago that her eyesight was fading, she was confronted by a range of fears, insecurities and self-doubts that only people who had trodden that dark road of imperfection will know. “I’ve been painting since I was a child, it’s something I took to naturally and something that became a huge part of who I was,” Mills said. “So, to start to lose my sight…

INTEREST in a lane in Mount Martha has prompted moves to block further acquisition of unconstructed lanes and road reserves dotted throughout the Mornington Peninsula. Many lane and road reserves marked on 19th century subdivisions are now potentially valuable parcels of land. The lanes or road reserves in contention usually run through a subdivision, with houses backing onto them from both sides. Earlier this year a 152 square metre section of unconstructed road between Kilburn Grove and Glenisla Drive, Mount Martha was acquired by a Kilburn Road property owner under adverse possession laws, sparking fears that other residents could lose…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is pushing ahead with its plan to amend the planning scheme to protect the peninsula from inappropriate development. The council’s proposed Amendment C270morn, if passed by planning minister Lizzie Blandthorn, will ensure nine parcels of special use’ zoned land better align with its council and wellbeing plan’s theme of healthy natural environment and well-planned townships that are “resilient to the climate emergency and development”. Under the amendment four sites – including the home of the former Melbourne Business School in Kunyung Road Mount Eliza – will be rezoned green wedge, two to public park and recreation…

THE “witch of Rye” didn’t disappoint this Halloween, entertaining dozens of families in Rye with her theatrical antics and best efforts to look scary. District nurse Karen Fleming has drawn on her theatre experience and love of acting to make 31 October a special occasion in Felecia Street for years, putting on performances in her front yard for trick or treaters, or anyone who likes a bit of neighbourly fun. Son-in-law Brad Harris said Fleming loved the show as much as the audience and stays in character from the moment the night starts at 6pm on Halloween until it’s time…

THE Port of Hastings is the preferred port to be used to support offshore wind power generation projects. The state government’s Navigating our Port Futures – Victorian Commercial Ports Strategy identifies land at Hastings suited to support the industry. The government is providing early investment in the redevelopment of the Port of Hastings to support the establishment of the offshore wind sector, with Hastings offering the potential for construction, manufacturing and research firms to co-locate on land already zoned for these purposes. On its website the Port of Hastings Corporation says the port has land available adjacent to naturally deep…

ELDERLY residents living in retirement centres four kilometres from Main Street, Mornington are being offered easy access to buses if the Liberal Party wins the 26 November state election. The Liberals have made a pre-election commitment to bring buses to four new bus stops at Beleura Village, Peninsula Grange Retirement Village, St Macartan’s Parish Primary School and Mornington Gardens Holiday Village. Residents of both retirement villages have for years been calling on the state government to bring buses to existing bus shoulders on Bungower Road. Liberal candidate for Mornington Chis Crewther and deputy Liberal Leader David Southwick said last week…

MORNINGTON mother of three Jane Ting is using literature to change the way young people think about plastics and the environment. Through her picture book Soft Plastics to Things Fantastic: Zac’s Happy Planet, Ting hopes to help children understand the environmental benefits of recycling plastics, and the impact that making the effort to recycle can have. “I have young children and I realise how important it is for them to know that they can make a difference to protect the planet,” she said. Ting said her book addresses how to recycle soft plastics responsibly. “In the first year of COVID…

PLANS to complete the much-lauded Peninsula Trail have hit a snag, with environment groups saying some sections could destroy vital habitat and pristine environments. Friends of the Mornington Railway Reserve’s Jeanette Miller said the 2.5-kilometre section of the path along the railway reserve from Bungower Road to Wooralla Drive would threaten rare species already at risk. “Apart from frogs, birds, insects, reptiles and small mammals, the railway reserve is one of the few local grassy woodland sites still in pristine condition,” she said. The friends’ group wants a meeting with Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio to discuss its “deep concerns” regarding…

PERSONAL stories of homelessness and a discussion of policy and planning options around affordable housing will be the focus of the second forum on homelessness presented by Peninsula Voice. Mornington Community Information and Support Centre CEO Ben Smith said the forum would aim to shift the housing agenda to the Mornington Peninsula and provide an advocacy platform around homelessness and housing affordability in the lead up to this month’s state election. The forum will discuss the factors contributing to a lack of affordable housing, including the impact of the short-term rental market, the rapid increase in property values, the impact…

SWIMMING at beaches on the Mornington Peninsula is off limits until further notice after heavy rain has caused poor water quality. The Environment Protection Authority says all Port Phillip beaches are currently unsuitable for swimming, fishing or other recreational activity. Meanwhile, signs remain in place warning against any contact with the water at Gunnamatta. The signs erected by Melbourne Water two weeks ago say, “local water has been impacted by a recent incident” and people and pets should avoid any contact until the signs are removed (“Signing up to save environment” The News 18/10/22). Satellite images from 17 October show…

A VIRTUAL fencing trial on Browns Road and Jetty Road in Boneo is potentially reducing the number of animal deaths in a section of road by around 50 per cent, according to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. The virtual fence, which consists of solar-powered units attached to roadside posts, operates at night and is triggered by the headlights of approaching vehicles. Once triggered, the units emit a sound and light stimulus that deters nearby kangaroos and wallabies from crossing the road. Infrastructure manager Tom Haines-Sutherland said the virtual fencing was not expected to reduce not prevent all collisions. “We are still…

A BUSINESSMAN who spearheaded plastic recycling in Victoria is hoping to turn a tip on the Mornington Peninsula into a multi-million dollar “recycling park incubator”. Urban Mining Industries managing director Edward Meysztowicz said his idea came from seeing the need for a circular economy, jobs creation and sustainability, and realising that the recycling industry could address all three issues. Meysztowicz says his idea will create jobs for the future on the peninsula and support the development of the hydrogen economy by converting waste plastic into hydrogen. The proposal includes relocating Melbourne-based food, plastics and tyre recycling plants to the Tyabb…

STUDENTS from St Mary’s Primary School, Hastings are taking a hands-on approach to creating a healthy environmental with the help of the wider community. The school is creating an outdoor learning space and permaculture garden that will include a community garden, wetlands and a labyrinth to give students a chance to be “stewards of creation and responsible learning”. Permaculture leader Marissa Egan said the school is hoping to get as many businesses and companies as possible to partner with them to create an award winning “one-of-a-kind garden” unlike anything the peninsula has seen before. “This project supports the development of…

THE pre-Christmas reopening of the popular Beleura cliff path in Mornington is under a cloud following at least two more landslips in the past two weeks. The 750-metre path, which extends from the Mornington cliffs to Mills Beach, was closed by council workers in mid-September and barriers erected following a landslip and concerns over public safety. But after complaints from residents, walkers and the Beleura Cliff Friends Group, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council agreed to implement remediation “options” to reopen the path as soon as possible and engage consultants to undertake a more comprehensive risk assessment. Landslips of on 7 and…

THE Crittenden family celebrated 40 years of wine making on the Mornington Peninsula on October 18, taking time to reflect on the successes and dedication of founders Garry and Margaret Crittenden. The pioneering couple started the winery in the early 1980s, after horticulturalist Garry decided to combine his love of growing things with his penchant for good wine and bought a greenfield site in Dromana, at the foot of Arthurs Seat. With the help of friends, the Crittendens embarked on their grape growing venture with gusto, planting five acres (2.02 hectares) of grapes in the second weekend of September 1982…

THE continuing loss of trees on the Mornington Peninsula has prompted calls for the council to adopt a strategy to halt “tree recession”. Cr Steve Holland wants a tree canopy (urban forest) strategy presented to council for adoption before 1 August 2023, but with an initial timeline, budget and implementation report presented to council before 1 January. The strategy would apply to all areas on the peninsula within the urban growth boundary, with the aim of substantially increasing canopy cover across residential and commercial areas by a yet to be determined percentage and date. Holland said tree removal and loss…