Author: Liz Bell

WHEN Crib Point RSL vice-president Chris Morrissey reflects on Anzac Day, he feels a mix of respect, sadness and pride towards the selfless commitments of all veterans. The Royal Australian Navy veteran who has travelled to seven war zones says Anzac Day just “makes a lot of sense” and ensures that anybody who has served is recognised for the efforts and sacrifices they made. “It makes me proud when I see the community come together, especially the children, to pay their respects to people have served,” he said. “For some it’s a time a great sadness, as there are definitely…

THE Dunton brothers from McCrae embody the endless summer dream of pursuing the ultimate wave, the ultimate experience and the ultimate connection with nature. The brothers have just been selected among four surfers to represent Australia in the 2023 ISA World Longboard Championships in El Salvador starting on 7 May. The Australian team of two women and two men will compete under the name The Irukandjis Deadly in the Water, adopted by the national team in 2021. An irukandjis is a small, but deadly jellyfish. The Duntons, Sam, 34, and Tas, 31, were selected through their results in the 2022…

ANYONE who thought the Mornington Peninsula was full of tourists over the summer months was not mistaken. Recent data shows the peninsula is officially one of the most popular tourism spots in Victoria to open a tourism business, with operators benefitting from its proximity to Melbourne, and mix of cafes and restaurants, sand, surf and rolling green hills. The Business Victoria data shows the peninsula has more tourism businesses (3932) in regional Victoria (it is classified metropolitan by the state government) than the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges (3916) and Murray (3880) regions. Despite the growth in the number of…

CHILDREN are ready to file back into class at Balcombe Preschool, in Bay Road, Mount Martha after some quick work by the school community and repairs to the buildings. In January, just four days out from the start of the new year, the school received notification that due to some issues being found within its buildings the programs would have to be cancelled. School council president Dan Steele said the preschool was told the “best-case scenario” was that it would not be able to open for the whole of term one, with the potential for it to be further affected.…

EXPERTS say the state government’s plan to build an estimated 34 new homes on the Mornington Peninsula over the next few years will fail to fix the affordable housing crisis. The state government is spending more than $11.5 million in housing on the peninsula – with 21 new properties completed and a further 13 underway, and “more to come in the area” according to the Department of Housing, Families and Fairness, But recent data shows that will not be enough, with the Reserve Bank of Australia predicting a shortage of more than 100,000 homes across the country within the next…

EASTER services on the popular Mornington tourist train were unexpectedly cancelled on Saturday (8 April) after the old “red rattler” heritage train came off its tracks close to the Watt Road station. The train was on a training run from Moorooduc to Mornington with a driver and supervisor on board. Nobody was injured and the train was not carrying passengers. Mornington Railway Preservation Society president Andrew Swaine said the cause of the derailing was unknown and the train would not be back in service until investigations were completed. The train runs on part of the former Victorian Railways’ Baxter to…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire residents are being driven barking mad because of noisy dogs. The shire, home to around 30,000 registered dogs, has received 325 complaints about barking dogs in the past nine months, an average 36 a month. One Somerville resident says barking dogs are destroying his peace and affecting his health but that the council is not acting fast enough on noise complaints. Harry Harris says he lives in a once-quiet suburban street that has become a battle ground for residents because of barking dogs. Harris said two dogs in his street bark for hours every day, particularly early…

ALEXANDRA Hunt decided to change careers at 30, and says a paid traineeship allowed her to follow her dreams as a mature age student. Hunt, of Rosebud, who recently completed her Certificate III in Individual Support (CHC33015) traineeship at the Village Aged Care Residence in Capel Sound, secured a permanent part-time position at the village, which allowed her to be paid while being trained. After working as a cleaner for private houses, Hunt says she was ready for a change when she landed the opportunity to return to study. “I had been cleaning private homes on the Mornington Peninsula for…

AN UNPOPULAR plan to allow taller buildings and smaller setbacks for the Sorrento commercial precinct has been put on hold after Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors voted unanimously to consider more community feedback. The council’s planning scheme proposes to apply permanent, mandatory building design controls “to protect and enhance the valued character, heritage, and amenity of the area”. However, some residents say the proposals will ruin the coastal village feel of Sorrento. Russell Norton-Old told the council that the main problem with the proposal involved the “east sub precinct” on the beach side entrance to the town, which he described as…

RSPCA Peninsula has opened a cat and small animal centre at Pearcedale to increase its capacity to care for cats and small animals and reduce the time they take to adopt. The new centre, which opened on Sunday 2 April, was financed by donors, including gifts from the estates of the late RSPCA Victoria president Dr Hugh Wirth AM – who led the organisation for almost 50 years, and long-time supporter Margaret Johnson. The centre has “cat cabins” with concealed spaces, an isolation wing, long-stay facilities, and an adoption wing with “meet and greet” rooms. RSPCA Victoria CEO Dr Liz…

A COLLABORATION between Boon Wurrung elder N’Arwee’t Professor Carolyn Briggs AM and Balnarring Pre-School has resulted in a third self-published book to honour and celebrate First Peoples culture. The Time of Chaos was launched on Saturday 25 March at the Womin Djeka Balnarring Ngargee, a community-run family festival that honours and celebrates First Peoples cultures. Professor Briggs has been working with teachers and children at the pre-school for almost 10 years, and in 2018 asked the children to illustrate her stories. The following year the Bundjil Creation story was published, followed in 2020 by Barraeemal Story. The Time of Chaos…

A BELOVED dog at the centre of a stand-off between Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and its owner has died. Mount Martha dog Bella became a symbol of the fight against bureaucracy in 2021 when owner David Ball was fined $248 for having a dog at large. Ball said Bella, just out of surgery after the removal of a cyst on her left back leg and several infected teeth, may have passed him on her way out to the garden which – like the neighbours – has no front fence. A grass easement abuts the made road. He said the shire…

HISTORIC Beleura house, Mornington will open its garden to fairies and other magical creatures for the school holidays, and children are invited to enjoy the fun. The 40-minute Pirate-Fairy-Dinosaur-Rainbow Magic Show will be on Tuesday 18 April and Thursday 20 April over two sessions (10am and 1pm) and is suitable for children three to seven. General manager of Beleura, Martin Green, said he was delighted to invite families to the house and let magician Jo Clyne “create an experience that welcomes younger peninsula residents and their families to the beautiful grounds of Beleura”. “The show is called the Pirate-Fairy-Dinosaur-Rainbow Magic…

NATIONAL youth mental health foundation headspace is encouraging 16 to 25 year olds with their own experience of mental ill-health to contact the headspace Youth National Reference Group (hY NRG). Every year headspace provides early intervention care to more than 100,000 young people who need support for their mental health, physical health, work and study goals and use of alcohol and other drugs. Psychology student Hugh Flanagan, 23, of Arthurs Seat, is one of 20 hY NRG members who has spent the past two years advocating for the mental health and wellbeing needs of young Australians. “A key part of…

PUBLIC swimming pools on the Mornington Peninsula will not be closing or changing opening times in line with cost-cutting measures adopted by some municipalities due to crippling energy prices. Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Steve Holland said that although power prices were rising steeply “at this stage” the council was not planning any changes to the operation of aquatic and recreation centres. Aquatic centres use up to 15 times more energy per floor area compared to an average commercial office building. Some Victorian councils have reportedly reduced pool temperatures in a bid to cut costs, while others have cut operating…

A ROSEBUD grandmother has delivered an 18,000-signature petition to the federal parliament calling for taxes to be introduced on plastic packaging. On Thursday 30 March Pam Pitt took her petition to Canberra to hand it to David McElrea, chief of staff to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. Pitt is the treasurer on the board of Citizens’ Climate Lobby Australia, a grassroots environmental group working to influence climate policy. She says that as a grandmother, she is committed to leaving a better world for future generations and was pushed into action after the collapse of plastic recycling company REDcycle which had claimed…

HOMELESS support services are calling on the state government to build crisis accommodation on the Mornington Peninsula as more than 1000 people search for somewhere safe to sleep every night. Community Information Support Victoria – which has support centres in Rosebud, Mornington and Hastings – called crisis talks on Friday (31 March), with centres facing unprecedented demand and workers worried about the health and safety of clients coming into colder weather. Southern Peninsula Community Support CEO Jeremy Maxwell said the need for accommodation and support services had increased by 25 per cent in the past 12 months. He said that…

POTHOLES are upsetting drivers across the Mornington Peninsula, but road subsidence is an issue for those using one Mount Martha street. Residents are calling for urgent repairs to Lempriere Avenue due to a deep depression spreading across the road and making it dangerous and unstable. Ian Easterby, who drives along the road almost every day, says he reported his concerns to the Department of Transport on 10 and 14 March that the indentation initially resulted from flooding in November, but no action was taken. The subsidence has now caused the indentation to grow from two metres in length to eight…

SILVA Mcleod describes herself as an “island girl”, a nickname that is suggestive of the now 61-year-old’s idyllic and simple teenage years growing up in a small community in Tonga. Mcleod’s book, Island girl to airline pilot, tells a very different story of ambition, determination and achievement against the odds as the first Tongan woman to become an airline pilot. The book, to be released in April and launched on the Mornington Peninsula on 5 May, is part love story, inspirational message, tragedy and feel-good memoir as Mcleod tells of her first meeting more than 40 years ago with Australian…

IN recent times Jack Meaden, Theo Fatouros and Bob Riley have become a playing group in Portsea Golf Club’s Saturday competition, defying their ages with their energy and enthusiasm. Meaden is 95 and lives in Melbourne but has a house in Sorrento and has been a PGC member for 42 years. He was previously a keen sailor and played social golf with his wife Lois but, due to her recent poor health, has joined his mates. A few weeks ago the nonagenarian shot 89 off the stick, breaking his age by six shots. He plays off 26, meaning that he…

WALLARA – which supports more than 500 people with an intellectual disability across 20 sites – has relaunched its Sages Cottage Farm and Cafe at Baxter with extra experiences that include a nature playground, extended hours and a liquor licence, a “biofilta” field, and an “ops shed”. Wallara CEO Phil Hayes-Brown said the farm and cafe was one of Wallara’s most important social enterprises and was run by 100 adult clients (mostly 18-27 years old) and around 20 support and job coaches. The farm employs 10 of its young clients in hospitality, farm management and land management services. The property…

A SERIOUSLY injured koala found close to death in Tyabb last month is on the road to recovery thanks to the efforts of wildlife rescuers, rehabilitators and local police. The injured marsupial was seen clinging to a tree overhanging busy Tyabb-Tooradin Road on 10 February, one ear missing and open wounds all over its body. Canons Creek wildlife rescuer Nigel Williamson was called and used his well-honed tree climbing skills to retrieve the ill animal, helped by police officers who were able to redirect traffic while he undertook the risky rescue. Once safely down the koala’s injuries became obvious, including…

PENINSULA Transport Assist board member Clare Harwood has seen the significant difference transport assistance can make to the lives of people who have poor mobility or do not drive. “I have always felt that people who go into aged care probably feel that all their outside interests now need to cease,” she said. “However, we have one client in particular – Ralph Parker – who has proved this to be incorrect. Ralph resides at Mecwacare in Mornington, and he uses PTA’s service to get out and about. He uses a wheelie walker and does not drive. “Personally, I have taken…

MORNINGTON Peninsula’s bright lifesaving future was displayed in the state championship over the long weekend. The Mornington Life Saving Club finished in Life Saving Victoria’s biggest event on the summer sporting calendar, the Victorian Junior Championships, in third place after three days of competition at Warrnambool Surf Life Saving Club. The Mornington Peninsula club ended up on 234 points at the end of the long weekend, edging out Kingston club Mentone LSC in fourth place with 228 points, with Mordialloc LSC and Point Leo SLSC also finishing in the top ten, on 144 and 139 points respectively. LSV senior manager…

SOME of the Mornington Peninsula’s most sand-degraded beaches are being replenished after being degraded by erosion. Dredging has begun at Mothers Beach in Mornington under the state-government mandate for councils to provide safe access for recreational and commercial water users in the bay, and will also be carried out shortly at Shire Hall Beach. Part of this includes sand movement or dredging to ensure boating and watercraft areas are safe and accessible. The works have begun and will continue until early April 2023. Dredging is starting after consultation with the Mornington Yacht Club and aims to reduce impacts on beach…

SOMERS-based Sam Goode has a philosophy of “giving back” and his actions certainly match his words. The carpenter/building company owner recently took his apprentice Josh McCabe and his tools to Lismore to give some non-gratis help to flood victims and get their homes back in working order. One year on from record flooding events many residents were still unable to fully move back into their homes due to lack of essential plumbing, including running water. To help get the repairs happening, Resilient Lismore partnered with the Reece Foundation to bring volunteer tradies to the community to restore essential plumbing in…

FORMER Mornington resident Damien Mander and his charity, the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, are continuing to make headway in the fight against wildlife poaching in Africa. Now, the self-confessed Mornington schoolboy “ratbag” has joined with Sydney philanthropist and businesswoman Judith Neilson to make a big impact on the global stage. Mander, a former Australian Royal Navy Clearance Diver and special operations military sniper who joined the Australian Defence Force at 19 and spent three years in Iraq, started the IAPF in 2009, focusing on training rangers in the tactics of modern warfare used by skilled elite special forces. In Mornington recently…

THE incredible rescue of an elderly man found floating face down in the water at Mornington has highlighted the need for more people to be trained in rescue and resuscitation techniques. The drama began around 6pm on Friday 10 March, when 12-year-old Harry Pascoe noticed a body in the water near the boat ramp at Schnapper Point. After raising the alarm, another bystander and mother-of-four Leah Wernert jumped into the water fully clothed to pull the unconscious man out of the water onto the slip ramp. Two other bystanders, Harry’s mum Maryann, a personal trainer, and beach walker Chris Monnier,…

RESIDENTS and environmental groups have joined Mornington Peninsula Shire Council in calling for more protection from development for green wedge zoned areas. Home owners living near a rare semi-rural pocket of Rosebud are concerned that a remaining slice of undeveloped land abutting a residential subdivision on one side and state park on the other could one day be sold and developed, despite being important wildlife habitat. Merete Crofts, who lives on the Carrington Park subdivision next to the land, said she and neighbours were told in 2016 that the land at 12 Angley Rise would never be developed, and would be…

MORNINGTON Peninsula wildlife activists and residents concerned about the state’s weak wildlife protection laws used a protest at state parliament two weeks ago to highlight concerns about peninsula kangaroos. The Animal Justice Party-organised protest in Melbourne drew attention to the mass slaughter of kangaroos under the government’s controversial harvesting program, which often results in target animals and their joeys left maimed and suffering. Rosebud resident and wildlife protection council member Craig Thomson said the protest highlighted widespread community anger about the commercial kangaroo meat industry, and highlighted flaws and gaps in the state’s wildlife protection laws. He said the problem…