RYE Community Centre’s Betty Jennings shows off her painting of Oosterschelde, one of the tall ships to enter Port Phillip. The paintings is one of many at the centre’s annual art and craft fair this Saturday 13 September 10am-3pm. Everyone is invited. Entry is by gold coin donation. The fair showcases and celebrates the creative achievements of participants. Social art is on Mondays 12.30-3.30pm, patchwork on Tuesdays 9.30am-11.30am, social drawing group Tuedays 1-3pm, craft group on Wednesdays 9-11am and watercolours Thursdays 9.15am-noon or 12.30-3pm.
Year: 2014
A NINE-year-old Rosebud girl has told police a man driving a white Toyota utility tried to grab her by the arm as she was walking to school on Friday morning. Detective Sergeant John Coburn, of Rosebud CIU, said the incident occurred on the northern side of Besgrove St, next to the soccer fields, at 8.50am. The vehicle, being driven on the wrong side of the road travelling west, stopped next to girl. The driver – the only occupant – said “come here kid” but the girl refused. The man then allegedly attempted to grab her from the driver’s seat. The girl says she…
Council meeting Monday 25 August, Rye Civic Hall. Presentation on Point Nepean development proposal, a fine dinner, council meeting highlighted by the swearing-in of new Red Hill ward councillor Tim Wood. THIS was The Moment, especially for residents of Red Hill ward. Effectively disenfranchised since former councillor Frank Martin fell ill in December 2013, we hinterland wardies were keen to see new man Tim Wood, declared byelection winner on Saturday, sworn in and taking his seat at the council table. Word was that the induction was not to occur until 8 September, but councillor-elect Wood is a man in a…
WHILE every author draws on life experiences to form a narrative, not every author has such a rich and at times dark background as Klaas Kalma. His upbringing within a dysfunctional family in war torn Holland, journeying to Australia and learning how to speak English among strangers provides a rich lode to be mined and woven into the fabric of his first novel, Creeping Shadows. Written at the urging of a close friend, the self-published book has sold more than 10,000 copies online and, according to a librarian, has no time to gather dust on the shelves at the lending…
CRIME across the Mornington Peninsula jumped 10.9 per cent over the past 12 months – much higher than the 3.7 per cent increase for Victoria as a whole – with drug offences, robbery and thefts from vehicles leading the way. Victoria Police statistics released last week for the year 2013-14 to 30 June reveal drug offences were up 8.3 per cent compared to the previous year, from 377 to 412 incidents. Percentage changes are calculated as a rate per 100,000 people to give a uniform snapshot of crime across all regions. Thefts from vehicles surged 20.2 per cent, to 1188…
MORNINGTON Toy Library is celebrating a big birthday next week – 25 years of lending funny, colourful, interesting and creative toys to boys and girls from its Albert St premises. Staff members are planning an open day on Saturday 6 September to mark the occasion. Councillors Bev Columb, Anne Shaw and Andrew Dixon will be there from 9.30-11.30am, with speeches and a “cutting of the cake” at 11. There will be balloons, giveaways and activities for the children. The toy library began in 1982 and operated from the Community Contact House in Albert St and then from the children’s section…
THE shire council is calling on peninsula residents to have their say on the preferred design for the $34 million Southern Peninsula Aquatic Centre. The aquatic centre is planned for the Rosebud foreshore and will feature a 25 metre pool, warm water program pool, leisure pools, aqua play area, sauna, gym, and café. The SPA centre will also incorporate Rosebud Memorial Hall’s community meeting spaces. The mayor, Cr Antonella Celi, said four architects had been selected to work on a council design brief for the aquatic centre, with each concept reflecting the council’s “commitment to design excellence, innovation and environmental…
Police were left powerless to move on a loitering visitor, on account of it weighing over 30 tonnes. The members were called to a whale sighting off the coast of Mornington to ensure the safety of the whale, little did they realise how close they would come. It’s believed the whale was migrating north for the mating season, however it seems it may have taken a fancy for the water police boat on the way. “Our members stopped a few hundred metres away as to not disturb the whale. They turned their engines off to minimise noise and vibrations and that is…
Police are investigating a spate of armed robberies which occurred in Melbourne’s southern suburbs this month. Officers believe that three men are responsible for at least five separate armed robberies at service stations. Detectives believe the crime spree started at a service station on Thompsons Road in Patterson Lakes on Sunday 3 August just after 8.30pm. Two men entered the premises and threatened the attendant with a knife before demanding cash and cigarettes. The pair then fled the scene with cash and cigarettes. Investigators believe that the same trio committed a further four service station armed robberies at – •…
Newly elected Red Hill ward councillor Tim Wood may not be able to begin his duties until 8 September, despite Local Government Minister Tim Bull advising there was “no impediment” to him being sworn in on Monday 25 August and beginning work at that evening’s council meeting. Red Hill ward has effectively been unrepresented since last December, when former ward councillor Frank Martin fell ill and took extended sick leave. He resigned in May. According to Cr Hugh Fraser, “Management has fixed the taking of the Oath by the person declared elected for Red Hill Ward as an item of…
TIM Wood, navy commander, Queens Counsel, retired County Court judge, has won the Red Hill ward byelection. When counting ended on Saturday night Mr Wood had nearly 55 per cent of eligible votes after preferences were distributed from the record 17 candidates seeking a seat on Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. On Sunday he told The News he wanted to hear the views and represent all community groups within the ward – “I’ve identified more than 20 already”. Mr Wood said he was ready to begin duties as a councillor this week, despite indications that the shire “management” wanted him first…
Shire CEO Michael Kennedy will apply to get his job back after councillors decided Monday last week in a shock decision to advertise his position rather than to reappoint him. In an email to staff the day after the councillors’ decision, Dr Kennedy wrote: “I firmly believe that I am the very best person for the role of shire CEO.” Councillors made their decision after what is believed to have been a long and at times bitter meeting. Sources say that only three of the 10 councillors at the meeting voted to reappoint Dr Kennedy for another term. He has…
DRAMATIC scenes followed the attempted arrest by police of a 14-year-old Hastings boy on Sunday for riding an unregistered “monkey bike” along a public road. As Beau Howroyd was being marched towards a police car in Derwent Court about 3pm a family friend – Shawn Lyndon – intervened and began a tug of war with the arresting officer. It was a case of “Let him go,” “No you let go,” as the men pushed and shoved. Mr Lyndon and his young friend then managed to run away. A crowd had gathered in the street to watch the incident and it…
Police are appealing for the public’s help following recent hair-raising burglaries targeting factories in Somerville and Carrum Downs. The bearded burglar has had a few close shaves and was captured on CCTV at three separate industrial areas where CCTV cameras were damaged. The first two incidents occurred at a factory area on Simcock Street in Somerville where a CCTV camera was damaged at 5am on 20 May and then on 17 July a camera was also damaged. The most recent incident occurred on 1 August at a factory area on Access Way in Carrum Downs when a CCTV camera was…
Compiled by Cameron McCullough THE War. At the last meeting of the Frankston and Hastings shire council, the acting president (Cr Plowman) on the suggestion of Cr Ritchie, spoke with reference to the great crisis in Europe. He said most people recognised the extreme gravity of the situation. The crisis was most grave, and at the present juncture one did not know what might occur. In land battles there could be some sort of prediction, and if a serious disaster occurred to the British fleet, we may have war at our very doors. It behoved them all to be resolute,…
SHIPWRECK recovery experts are increasingly confident they will be able to locate the shell fired from a Fort Nepean artillery gun in 1914 marking the first shot of the British Empire in World War I thanks to the emergence of previously unknown details from the historic event. While the mission to locate the shell from the murky depths of Port Phillip has been dubbed Project Longshot in reference to the “needle-in-a-haystack” nature of the challenge, dive experts say more precise details from the day the shot was fired one hundred years ago has helped them narrow down the search area.…
FRANKSTON basketballers David Andersen and Ryan Broekhoff have been selected to play in the 12-man Australian team at the FIBA World Cup in Spain. The players were farewelled last Monday before heading off on the Boomers’ pre-tournament tour of Europe. The team was announced on 28 July and will compete from 30 August to 14 September. Their selection followed a week of internal trialling at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra where both Andersen, 34, and Broekhoff, 23, trained as teenagers. The talented pair began as five-year-olds with Frankston Basketball in introductory programs then played in the domestic competition.…
CHINA versus New Zealand in Aussie Rules footy? What next! It seems the game really has gone international. The teams will meet at Seaford on Wednesday as competitors in the AFL’s International Cup series hosted by the Linen House Centre. It will be the first International Cup game to be played away from Royal Park. “We enjoy state of the art facilities at Linen House Centre and I think the New Zealand team will feel right at home here when they come to play,” St Kilda’s New Zealand ambassador Shane Savage said. “AFL is a sport that brings people of…
FOR the best part of a century, few but the most studious of history buffs were aware of the momentous role an artillery crew stationed at the southern tip of the Mornington Peninsula played in the chronology of events rapidly unfolding following Great Britain’s declaration of war against Germany in 1914. History records the shot they fired across the bow of a fleeing German merchant ship, SS Pfalz, as the first shot of the British Empire in World War I. But it took the arrival of the one hundred year anniversary of the outbreak of that war, and the approach…
A 73-year-old man was found dead in the water at Mt Martha on Friday, on the same day a funeral service was held for a Mount Martha father of three who died in a surfing mishap less than a week earlier. The body of John O’Brien was located by a Mornington Volunteer Marine Rescue vessel in the waters off Mt Martha following an extensive search mission. The alarm was raised by Mr O’Brien’s wife when he failed to turn up for work at 3pm after he had set off earlier in the afternoon from Fishermans Beach to go fishing in…
PENINSULA LEAGUE By Toe Punt FRANKSTON YCW humiliated Mornington in front of their own crowd to win by more than ten goals in the Peninsula League match of the round on Saturday. Inaccuracy saved Mornington from further humiliation, the Stonecats dominating from the first bounce to have 35 scoring shots to just 11. The Stonecats had an even spread of contributors, which went a long way to the 14.21 (105) to 6.5 (41) victory. Frankston YCW coach Scott Mathers said when his side got their hands on the footy and started to win it, they were able to gain control…
MORE than half of the 17 candidates in the keenly contested Red Hill ward byelection have been denied the chance to meet representatives of six ward residents’ associations and a shire-wide “post office” organisation. Only those candidates with an address in the ward – which takes in some 45 per cent of the Mornington Peninsula – were invited to put their views to a meeting last Thursday of the Red Hill Ward Consultative Group. One “local” candidate, Barbara Porter, did not receive an invitation as it was considered she does not spend much time in the ward. The groups that…
NEPEAN LEAGUE IN an extraordinary tale of events, Rosebud is a realistic chance to play finals this year after beating Red Hill on Saturday. Despite losing four games by less than a goal this season and being struck down by injury to some key players, the Buds are now just a game outside of the top five with two matches to play. The Buds (111.77 per cent), sit in sixth position and have a superior percentage over Rye (106.37), who currently hold down fifth position. Rosebud face Tyabb this weekend, before finishing the season with a match against Devon Meadows…
By Cr David Gibb DAVID Harrison continues to talk hogwash. Unfortunately readers, just because you read it in the paper, it doesn’t make it true. He talks about a 6:5 split with me in the imaginary six. And yet how is it that a few amendments to motions that I have put up recently have been defeated, or motions that I’ve moved have been supported by councillors in his imaginary five? Tim Rogers and I have always voted together on the issue of dwellings in the green wedge. Voting was all over the place on the controversial freeway service centre,…
THE Labor Party is promising a detailed economic study to determine the best site for Melbourne’s next major port if it wins the November election. “Hastings requires substantial investment in road and rail funding to get goods in and out, and without that additional investment the Nepean Highway and Dandenong Rail corridor will be flooded with trucks and trains 24 hours a day,” the party’s ports spokesperson Natalie Hutchins said. Ms Hutchins’ comments were included in a statement issued last week after being briefed on the container port being planned by the Port of Hastings Development Authority. Port Minister David…
WORK on a new $1.6 million sports pavilion at Fruitgrowers Reserve in Somerville will begin in August following announcement the construction contract has been awarded to Melbourne builder 4 Dimensions. Building works, which are slated for completion by May 2015, will triple the size of existing facilities from 157 square metres to 446 square metres. Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors voted to approve 4 Dimensions Building Contractors of Mulgrave following a tender process in which four bids were lodged. The new pavilion, which will be occupied by Somerville Junior Football Club and Somerville Cricket Club, will include multipurpose change rooms for…
RED Hill ward voters will have a shire record 17 candidates to choose from when they cast their ballots for a new councillor on 23 August. The long list of names on the ballot paper is seen as a major win for the democratic process which in 2008 saw candidates in six of the then 11 single-councillor shire wards returned uncontested. Former Red Hill councillor Frank Martin entered council unopposed that year. He faced two opponents in 2012, one of whom is standing again this time. He resigned recently because of ill health. This election’s huge field is a disparate…
THIEVES stole up to $300,000 worth of gold chains, watches, coins, rings and bangles from the Red Hill Greek Orthodox Church on Wednesday afternoon. An iconic framed image of the Virgin Mary was left behind. The robbery occurred when The Reverend Father Eleftherios Tatsis was farewelling visitors at the church’s front gate. The thieves are believed to have entered a side door and broken a sealed glass box to steal the items. Detective Senior Sergeant John Coburn, of Rosebud crime investigation unit, said police were appealing for public assistance to retrieve the items which had been donated to the church,…
HUNDREDS of mourners attended a memorial service on Sunday for Frankie and Liam Davison, who lost their lives in the MH17 plane disaster. Crowds flocked to Toorak College to pay tribute to the Mt Eliza couple. Mrs Davison, 54, was an English teacher at the school for 28 years. Husband Liam, 56, was an award-winning novelist and taught creative writing courses at Frankston’s Chisholm TAFE Institute for several years until 2007. The commercial airliner the Davisons were passengers on was downed over battle-torn east Ukraine in the early hours of Friday 19 July. A surface-to-air missile is believed to have…
THE spectre of homelessness in old age weighs heavily on those lacking the job prospects and mobility of someone younger. This is especially so for older renters. Adding to the threats posed by rising property prices, insufficient superannuation, or joblessness come other worries: unexpected eviction, unaffordable rents or increasingly unsuitable accommodation exacerbated by advancing years. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that from 2006-2011 there was a 40 per cent increase in the number of people aged over 55 renting privately on the Mornington Peninsula. That is up from 1028 to 1413 tenants. The figures taken from the…