Police were at the scene of a car crash in Mornington that has claimed the life of a woman this morning. It’s believed a vehicle was travelling south along the Moorooduc Highway when the driver lost control on a bend and crashed into a tree in the centre medium strip about 11.30am. The male driver was taken to The Alfred by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries. A female passenger, aged in her 80s, died at the scene and is yet to be formally identified. A male passenger, aged in his 90s, was airlifted to The Alfred with critical injuries. Anyone with information is…
Year: 2015
REVISED Arthurs Seat Skylift gondola plans received a reluctant green light from shire councillors last Wednesday night, but with some suggested changes – a new colour for the gondolas and reservations about the location of heritage objects, which Skylift initially proposed to house inside the summit station. The matters may be negotiated with the applicant. Other changes Skylift wants appear likely to reduce costs. They included removing a toilet block from the bottom station – and thus off the Skylift budget – on to public land and deletion of several original design features. After the meeting, several members of the…
THE scenic possibilities are endless and the choice of “natural landscape” entirely up to the photographer for a competition being run to show the best views of Mt Martha. Creators of the 13 top shots chosen for a 2016 calendar being planned by Mt Martha Community Bank will all receive a monetary prize (conveniently paid into a Bendigo Bank deposit account) ranging from $200 for the overall winner, $100 for the best junior entry and $50 for the remaining 11. Photographers must focus their lenses on the area bounded by the coast from Martha Cove to Bentons Rd and across…
The Anzac ceremony at Mornington Memorial Park was a big event for a seven-year-old Girl Guide. Not only did she lay a wreath, but she was wearing a family brooch with great sentimental value. After the wreath laying, and moving among the crowd, the brooch that was pinned to her sash came loose and fell onto the ground. A frantic search was made to find the brooch, but to no avail. Now the Mornington Tadpole Unit Guide Leader, Michelle Dawson, is asking for anyone at the service to recall if they may have seen the brooch, or possibly picked it…
A man has died after being hit by a car in Dromana last night. Police have been told the man stepped onto the outside north bound lane of the Peninsula Freeway just before 8.50pm. He was struck by a Toyota Corolla, before being struck by at least one other vehicle. The man died at the scene. A 41-year-old Mornington woman is currently assisting police with their enquiries. Anyone with any information about the collision is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at crimestoppersvic.com.au
LONG before the extensive and frightening casualty lists monopolized the Melbourne papers in the years 1914 – 1918, there were occasional casualties which occurred in a training context. The town of Hastings was saddened by two of these. Both occurred long before the Gallipoli landings and both were the consequences of the perceived threat of invasion of the Mornington Peninsula. The Hastings Battery The threat of invasion by the Russians and/or French, whether real or imaginary, sparked a flurry of activity in various parts of the Peninsula in the 1880’s. Tensions rose when a Russian trawler paid a visit to…
LATE in 2014 Keith Stevens, DFM, a long-time resident of the Village Glen at Rosebud, was informed that the President of the Republic of France had awarded him the highest level of chevalier (or knight) of the French Legion of Honour. The award is recognition for “..risking your life for the liberation of our country 70 years ago.” This latest honour adds to those previously received: the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM), which was presented by the King at Buckingham Palace, and some 20 others from UK, French, Polish, and Australian governments. Created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, Keith’s Legion of…
MONTAGUE Romeo was born in Hastings to Charles and Katherine (nee Howard) Romeo in 1894. He first enlisted in Hastings on 11th September, 1914 but was discharged on 5th October, 1914 as being “unlikely to become an efficient soldier.” No reason was given in the official records for this assessment although his medical inspection noted “lower teeth deficient.” Moreover his height was only 5 feet 2 ¾ inches and in 1914 the army was seeking men of a minimum of 5 feet 8 inches. After several more unsuccessful attempts to enlist, Montague Romeo was finally accepted on 28th September, 1916.…
1. BULLECOURT – Arnold Roy Bartram, KIA 13th May, 1917. BULLECOURT was the scene of two costly battles for the AIF, the first beginning in the bitterly cold dawn of 11th April, 1917 when, after a night lying in the snow, Australians of the 4th Division were ordered to attack the main German defensive position, the Hindenberg Line. They were supposed to be backed up by British tanks and military, but neither of these eventuated. Although tanks had been used in the Battle of the Somme six months earlier, they were relatively untested. However the “mastermind” of the First Battle…
Frankston’s Avenue of Honour In her book “Echoes from the Front”, Val Latimer tells how as early as 1917 a committee was formed to honour all those from the Frankston District who served in World War One. This was to take the form of an Avenue of Honour along Melbourne Road, now the Nepean Highway. Trees were planted and brass plates were fixed to posts in front of each tree. By 1957 work was underway for the construction of a new six lane highway: the trees were removed and the plates placed in storage. Of the original 216 name plates…
THE Gallipoli Campaign has long been regarded as being the birth of our nation; the moment the newly Federated Australia proved itself worthy to stand on its own two feet in the dominion of the British Empire. The campaign is also noted for its military blundering; for bad decision making by British generals, sending our troops often to certain death facing insurmountable odds. Indeed, the campaign’s military miscalculations began well before the first Australian soldier set foot on the beaches of Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Turkey, part of the once great but now weakened Ottoman Empire, had been a…
IT was billed as the match of the round – Somerville versus Red Hill. The Eagles at home and with their well-documented list of recruits, playing in their fifth game together (including three practice matches). Red Hill, a finals team in 2014 with a list on paper that had improved with the likes of Michael Chaplin and Matt Vagg joining them in recent weeks. At quarter time, it appeared as though the Hillmen were going to have too much cohesion, willingness for the contest and team polish for their opponent. At the first change, Red Hill was 4.2 (26) and…
AN after the siren goal from Liam McKay saw Edithvale draw with Langwarrin in the second round of Peninsula Division Football. For the first three quarters of the match, Langwarrin dominated general play and had the upper hand against the home side. Ricky Johnson was continuing his outstanding form, doing the job on Jarrod Garth; Mark Meehan was being kept quiet by Nick Hammill; Matt Naughton was winning in the ruck, despite doing the bulk of it on his own, and Gerard Brown was completely dominating up forward. Brown took at least 20 marks in a dominant display in attack,…
MasterChef 2014 winner, Brent Owens, talks to MINT Magazine about life as a MasterChef, book writing, travel, and a gig he’s doing at Daveys Hotel in Frankston. 1. HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING ON MASTERCHEF FOR YOU? Being on MasterChef was amazing. It was intense and extremely stressful but equally rewarding. It’s not something you ever think you’ll be a part of let alone winning so I can’t take that for granted. 2. WHAT WAS THE HARDEST AND BEST PART OF BEING ON THE SHOW? It was hard, I’m not going to lie. Being away from your family and…
The Frankston Visitor Information Centre has again taken out top honours at the QANTAS Australian Tourism Awards held 2015. Frankston Visitor Information Centre is the first one of its kind to be inducted into the national tourism hall of fame. The visitor centre based near Frankston pier has won the Australian Tourism Awards gold award for visitor information and services for the third year in a row. The induction in Adelaide on Friday 10 April followed the Frankston centre entering the Victorian hall of fame after three consecutive wins in the state awards. The wins mean that the centre can no longer…
TENDERS are called in this issue for additions and alterations to the Frankston Mechanics’ Institute. *** THE treasurer of the collecting committee of the Frankston Belgian Relief Fund acknowledges with thanks the receipt from Mrs Hay of 14s 4d, the proceeds of raffle of an accordion. The winning number is 69, Miss Smith. *** A GENERAL meeting of members and friends of the Somerville Red Cross Society will be held in the Horticultural Hall at Somerville on Thursday next, to which all are made welcome. The evening will be spent in amusement. Refreshments will also be provided. *** THE long…
HASTINGS made a statement to the rest of the Nepean League competition on Saturday when it dominated all afternoon to beat glamour side Rye. The Blues showed aggression and intent from the outset and stamped itself as a genuine threat for the 2015 title, winning 15.12 (102) to 10.11 (71). Whilst some at the Hastings FC were jumping up and down about the perceived lack of respect for the work done in the off-season at the club, coach Brendan Dunne was ‘more than happy’ with the low profile of the club leading into the first game. Dunne was ecstatic after…
Footy’s back! Pines season off to a flyer with win over Langwarrin. Pic: Gary Bradshaw MT ELIZA proved that opposition teams weren’t simply making up the numbers after knocking over reigning premier Frankston YCW on Saturday. The Redlegs led by as much as 50 points in the third quarter before the Stonecats hit back in the last to give the scoreboard some respectability. There had been plenty of talk about the Stonecats leading into the opening round and many believed that they were head and shoulders above everyone else. After all, the Stonecats had added Dromana premiership players Daniel Waddell,…
BALNARRING cricketers Lachlan Barton and Jackson Hannah are gearing up for the trip of a lifetime: they have been selected to play in the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association under-15s touring England in June. They are among 28 players in two squads nominated by clubs from all over the peninsula and chosen at an MPCA carnival in December. The trip costs around $7800 each – an amount some of the players’ parents find difficult to afford. “We’ve had a garage sale to raise some money, and I’ve been putting away some more from my part-time job training the Hastings Football Club…
THE Mornington Peninsula Tennis International at the Civic Reserve, Mornington, was a big success. Held from 21 March-5 April the tournament included the women’s US$15,000 ITF Futures event and the men’s US$15,000 ITF Challenger event. The men’s winner was Jose Statham, a member of the New Zealand Davis Cup Team, who beat fifth seed Matthew Barton, of NSW, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. This is Statham’s first singles victory since May 2013. He ended Barton’s 17-consecutive-match-winning streak – a run that included two previous titles. Barton also fell just short in the men’s doubles final with partner Peter Torebko, of Germany. They…
A STATE government plan to bring more sand to Rosebud Beach near the pier is a waste of time and resources as it will disappear like it did five years ago, says Port Phillip Conservation Council. The so-called “beach renourishment” has been proposed by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (formerly DPI and before that DSE) and it is inviting residents to an information session later this month. Kelly Crosthwaite, DELWP’s regional director Port Phillip, says the beach has “depleted over time and will be widened between the pier and cluster of stormwater drains about 170 metres west…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire CEO Carl Cowie has appointed his first senior executive – a chief financial officer. The hiring of Matthew Hubbard follows the laying off of 12 senior and middle managers on Friday 13 March including Bruce Rendall, the shire’s director of sustainable organisation, former CEO Michael Kennedy’s name for a chief financial officer. The title of Mr Hubbard’s job is a clue that Mr Cowie will ditch the Kennedy era names of the four directors, which all contained the word “sustainable”. Mr Cowie announced the hiring last Thursday, stating Mr Hubbard would be “interim chief financial officer, effective…
LIBERAL MPs have been accused of wrongly blaming the state government for not giving public access to the soon-to-be-opened Somerville police station. Police Minister Wade Noonan last week said Hastings MP Neale Burgess and Opposition police spokesman Edward O’Donohue are “conveniently misleading the community on this issue “. Mr Noonan decisions about police numbers and public access were made by the Chief Commissioner, not the government. “Under the Napthine government, changes were made that enshrined in law the independence of the Chief Commissioner to make determinations over the deployment of police to specific locations,” Mr Noon said. “This includes determining…
FRANKSTON and Mornington Peninsula residents will have the chance to have their say on planned changes to the state’s ambulance service at a community forum later this month. The state government released an interim report last month which found ambulance response times have “fallen dramatically over recent years”. The Ambulance Performance and Policy Consultative Committee heard first-hand from paramedics about their experiences on the job. The committee reported the dispatching of an ambulance to a Code 1 emergency in metropolitan Melbourne takes, on average, 1 minute longer than six years ago. While demand for emergency services has risen 5 per…
MT MARTHA resident Sue Smith has returned home after four years in the Solomon Islands as a self-funded volunteer helping small villages. “Life for people in these communities is very hard in so many respects,” she said. “There is no electricity, no refrigeration, few comforts and the burdensome daily task of water collection is often tedious and demanding.” The hazards of island life were highlighted last week when a 7.7 magnitude earthquake raised the risk of tsunami waves in the region. Luckily, the danger passed. Ms Smith’s main role was helping train local people in hospitality and tourism, small business…
FRENCH Islanders may have to wait more than two years before their complaints about the ferry service are tackled by the state government. Public Transport Victoria says it is considering re-tendering the ferry service, but not until the current contract expires in June 2017. The ferry which goes to Stony Point and Phillip Island services the island’s 123 permanent residents, although breakdowns and rough weather have led to claims of businesses losing money and schoolchildren being stranded on the mainland. Residents say they have been cut off from reliable access to Stony Point and Phillip Island “for more than two…
PASSENGER services on the Stony Point rail line will not return for at least two months after being suspended since 30 March. Metro Trains has told The News engineers continue to investigate technical problems that led to boom gates not closing when trains approached level crossings on two occasions last month (‘Rail line shut down’, The News 7/4/15). Metro spokeswoman Larisa Tait said axle counters along the Stony Point line will be installed to ensure boom gates are triggered to close in all instances. “We are working as quickly as possible to source and install axle counters along the line…
MORNINGTON Environment Association is opposing Mornington Yacht Club’s move to renew its lease with the shire council. The club wants to sign a new lease with the shire three years earlier than required (‘Yachties want lease before due date’, The News 31/3/14). It has asked for a 21-year lease, the same period as the one signed in 1997, which was varied to allow expansion in 2000 and creation of The Rocks restaurant as well as installation of a mobile phone tower, which is leased to Telstra. Environment association spokeswoman Jan Oliver said the group was concerned about the lack of…
THE controversial sculpture “I Am” by Flinders artist Andrew Rogers was unveiled on a roundabout in Flinders on Saturday by Australian National Gallery director Gerard Vaughan in front of more than 300 people. The 3.7-metre high silicon, bronze and stainless steel work on a 60-centimetre base divided the small coastal community when it was publicly proposed by Flinders Community Association as one way to mark the town’s 150th anniversary in 2014. Many residents were unhappy with the process of choosing the sculptor as well as its location. A security man guarded the work for several nights before Saturday following rumours…
THE popular T’Gallant restaurant in Main Ridge is for sale as part of owner Treasury Wine Estates’ cost-cutting plan. Up for grabs is the restaurant and the T’Gallant’s winery interests. About eight hectares of grapes are grown at the 16-hectare Mornington-Flinders Rd property but wine is no longer made there. Grapes from all over southeastern Australia are marketed under the T’Gallant label. The vineyard–restaurant has had a chequered career over the past decade or so, having been fined for permit breaches when owned by Foster’s Brewing Group. Mornington Peninsula Shire never collected the fine after Foster’s challenged it. The shire ignored…