A VILLAGE Glen resident farewelled at Rosebud Funerals recently was the 13th Victorian police woman and one of the first five to be permitted to take part in police mobile patrols. Joyce McCallum, 97, who died at Rosebud West last month, was born on 12 February 1918. She left a lasting legacy – one that’s influencing police women today. Mrs McCallum – nee Johnson – joined the force in 1946 at a time when policing was a man’s job and women were allocated administrative and driver duties, keeping them out of harm’s way. “She was proud of her time there…
Year: 2015
DISTRICT SEAFORD Tigers has put itself in a strong position to pick up the 12 points after taming the Pearcedale Panthers in District cricket on Saturday. The newly promoted Panthers have started the 2015-16 season in sensational fashion, winning their first two matches, however they did stumble against the Tigers on Saturday. It was only a few seasons ago that these sides were playing against each other in Sub District. The Panthers batted first and were rolled for just 128. Shane Maggs (34) and Shayne Gillings (40) were the only batsmen to offer any resistance, while Brad Trotter did open…
PROVINCIAL IT was a tough day for batsmen in ordinary conditions on Saturday in MPCA Provincial cricket. The result was 16 wickets falling in the match between top teams Mt Eliza and Baxter. Mt Eliza won the toss and elected to bat in the round three match at Emil Madsden Reserve but things went pear–shaped after the openers in Tim Clarke (30) and Chris Whisbey (16) went out. Other than Brendan Jovic at 11, the Mt Eliza batsmen failed to get into double figures. The likes of Justin Grant (4), Tim Stickland (5) and Keith Briggs (4) all failed with…
Everybody has heard of “That Sugar Film” right? …. it is the highest grossing Australian Documentary of all time and has played in Cinemas all over the world. Well this year, as a special guest of PSFF, we are delighted to announce that Damon Gameau, the film`s Writer, Director and Star will be joining us on our judging panel. Damon has also appeared in Underbelly, Balibo, Charlies Country and Love my way. Festival Director Steve Bastoni said 2016 is going to be a bumper year. “We have an awesome judging panel lined up. We’re thrilled to have Damon Gameau join…
THE annual meeting of the Tyabb Annual Picnic will be held on Monday evening next at 8 o’clock. *** THE “Wattles” Club are holding one of their popular dances tonight (Saturday) when a good time is expected. One shilling will be charged for admission, and a good supper will be provided. *** WORD has been received at the Frankston Post Office, that on and after the 1st November mails will be due at Frankston at 2.39 p.m. daily, in lieu of 6.11 p.m. as formerly. *** WE have received some schedules and entry forms, relating to the Moorabin Show which…
EVOCCA College is refusing to reveal graduation rates at its Frankston campus in the wake of a damning Senate inquiry into the funding and management of vocational education and training (VET) providers. The Queensland based college, which has more than 40 campuses nationwide, was one of several registered training organisations offering short diploma courses criticised in the report over its marketing to students (‘College’s marketing to students slammed’, The News 27/10/15). The Senate committee heard allegations vulnerable students with little or no chance of completing courses are enrolled by some private sector operators to boost enrolment numbers and rake in…
SONGS and music cut across all boundaries and a concert being held in Mornington this month is being held to help young people take up education rather than crime. Run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the RESET program helps students fit back into mainstream classes at Monterey Secondary College, Frankston. Concert organisers say lyrics of the song Street Angel sung by Colleen Hewitt about the plight of street kids best expresses their thoughts: “The soul of our nation shines through the eyes of her children.” The RESET – (Re-engaging Early Secondary Education and Training) – project is designed for…
THE News Mornington Art Show has established itself as the biggest and best quality art show on the Mornington Peninsula and one of the best in Victoria, according to the comments of various show judges. Next year’s 44th annual Mornington Art show will run for six days, Thursday 21 January-Tuesday 26 January. In a change from recent years, opening night will be on the Thursday before the Australia Day weekend and will have a party atmosphere. Gourmet finger food will be served by waitresses and waiters and refreshments will be available from the bar. There will be music and the…
THE state government is warning Victorians about a coming spike in the number of dodgy door-to-door tradespeople trying to rip off people. Consumer affairs minister Jane Garrett said summer was the peak time for con men offering cheap “today only” cash deals on jobs such as painting, roof and driveway repairs. In 2014-15, Consumer Affairs Victoria received 486 reports of travelling con men, with reported losses totalling $1.35 million. Reports spike between January and March. Ms Garrett said con men often ask for cash payments up front, then take the money and run. They leave behind unfinished or poor quality…
CONSTRUCTION of the long-promised skate park at Mt Martha is on hold while Heritage Victoria assesses a master plan for the historic parade grounds near Mt Martha House. The plan drawn up by Mornington Peninsula Shire includes the skate park, “additional pathways, a barbecue shelter, nature-based play space, bins, bike racks and other minor landscaping”, according to chief operating officer, Alison Leighton. Ms Leighton said more than 20 comments had been received about the skate park’s “preferred concept design”. At least one of those submitted comments criticises the skate park plan as being out of date. “We have been looking…
MELBOURNE needs two new ports – one at Hastings and one on the western side of Port Phillip – Captain Richard Cox told the Port of Melbourne Select Committee hearing in Hastings last week. The committee is gathering information about the Labor government’s proposed long-term lease of the Port of Melbourne to commercial interests, and came to the peninsula for the first time to hear submissions from individuals, councils including Mornington Peninsula Shire and Frankston, and conservation groups. Captain Cox, a Tyabb resident and former Port of Hastings harbourmaster, told the committee that bulk trade required waterfront space for silos…
A CARAVAN parked on the Rosebud foreshore and later found to be stolen was a holding pen for property stolen from residential and holiday homes from Carrum Downs to Rosebud. Inside the caravan and in a stolen Ford Econovan police found an Aladdin’s Cave of missing items valued at thousands of dollars. The light-fingered “owner” of the vehicles, of Frankston North, was last week charged with 13 counts of burglary, theft, car and caravan stealing, and obtaining property by deception. He was remanded at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Friday 23 October to reappear at a date to be fixed. Detective…
SOUTH East Water says sewage that leaked from its pumping station in Pentecost Rd, Mornington, in August did not enter Tanti Creek. The government authority’s general manager of network services, Mark McCormack, refuted a report in The News (“Delays to sewage station repairs”, 27/1015) and said the leak was contained before it entered the waterway. “The leak at the Pentecost Rd pumping station … was due to infiltration of stormwater and groundwater into the old abandoned sewer rising main [pipe] at the lowest point adjacent to the pumping station,” he said. He said fixing this problem cost about $30,000, not…
CUTS to funding by the federal government have encouraged Mornington Community Information and Support Centre to “get creative”. “We were challenged to find another source of income to support our most vulnerable residents,” manager Lisa Elliott said. “The funding cuts have come at a time when many people are suffering even more financially due to the high costs of living.” So, the centre, based in Main St at the corner of Elizabeth St, is opening its own op-shop at 1/10 Main St on Friday 13 November. Beach End Op-shop is a women’s boutique style second hand shop which will stock…
A WOMAN reportedly received two broken legs when she stepped in front of a passing car in Racecourse Rd, between Wensleydale Dr and Serenity Way, Mornington, 10.30am, Tuesday. She had been waiting for a bus. The 25-year-old was described as “conscious and breathing with non-life threatening injuries” by Mornington police who comforted her as she lay on the road after the accident. Sergeant Dennis Ramsay said the driver of the vehicle stopped at the scene and no charges were laid. Paramedics assessed the woman for spinal and leg injuries before the air ambulance took her to The Alfred hospital from…
A COLLEGE with a campus in Frankston has been criticised over its marketing practices in a Senate inquiry into the funding and management of vocational education and training (VET) providers and by an education sector regulator. The Senate inquiry report released this month named Evocca College as one of several registered training organisations (RTOs) across Australia to face accusations of targeting vulnerable students with little or no chance of completing courses to boost enrolment numbers and hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of profits. Evocca denied the allegations in submissions to the inquiry. The inquiry found evidence of “rampant abuse”…
MEMBERS of a Somers yoga class are hoping to convince Environment Minister and Flinders MP Greg Hunt to overturn his decision to approve a massive coal mine in central Queensland. On Monday they joined the list of groups and organisations that have used Mr Hunt’s office as a focus for their protests against the federal government and, in particular, its environmental policies. Last week it was protesters dressed as angels climbing onto the roof of the office and before that deliveries of bags of coal. In May, police arrested leaders of a group of Christians occupying Mr Hunt’s offices in protest at…
THE search is on again for the next Miss Western Port. The pageant is open to young women aged 15-28 in the Western Port area wanting to gain self-confidence and become actively involved in the community to make a difference to the lives of others. At this stage there are six contesting the 2016 crown – and all have sponsors from local businesses. Preliminary judging will be held in January and the winner will be crowned on the main stage at the Western Port Festival, Saturday 20 February. Candidates are judged on their community involvement, confidence, poise and grace. This…
THE former Annie Sage centre in Blacks Camp Rd, Somerville, will be refurbished as the new home of Somerville Community House. This follows a $270,000 grant from the state government’s Interface Growth Fund. The mayor Cr Bev Colomb said the Mornington Peninsula Shire was thrilled to receive funding for the project that will help create a real community hub for the town. “Mornington Peninsula Shire Council appreciates the state government’s funding support,” she said. “The Interface Growth Fund is supporting real contributions to communities of interface councils – councils like the Mornington Peninsula that are just on the outside of…
FIVE fire brigades, Sorrento SES and Ambulance Victoria paramedics combined for the complex rescue of a stranded paraglider at Flinders on Sunday last week. Rescue services were called to the cliff face at Flinders Golf Course about 5.20pm after a man in his early 50s became entangled in a dead tree. He was initially supported by other paragliders near the popular jumping-off point before Flinders CFA members arrived. They were followed by fireys from Shoreham, Rosebud and Dandenong brigades, including the latter’s “high angle rescue team”, and the SES and paramedics. It took almost three hours to stabilise the man…
GUNNAMATTA Surf Life Saving Club members celebrate 50 years of “saving lives and serving the community” this summer. The long stretch of beach they patrol at the southern end of Truemans Rd, Rosebud, faces Bass Strait between Portsea and Cape Schanck. Before the club was established in 1966 many battles were fought between the former Shire of Flinders and the community about whether this area of the coast should even be open to the public as it was regarded as too dangerous for swimming. There were calls for the council to “close 30 kilometres of coast to avoid drownings” –…
THE Crichton family reunion being held at Boneo Cricket Ground, Sunday 1 November, will bring together the six children of pioneer landowner David Maynard Crichton who moved to the area after World War I. And, with them, will come dozens of their children, their sons and daughters, aunts and uncles and other relatives and family friends of a man who carved out a big slice of life for himself on the southern peninsula. Mr Crichton was known and active in community affairs as a shire councillor, shire president and foundation president of the Rosebud RSL. As a soldier he served…
FORGET the Chinese Year of the Sheep or Goat, in terms of snakes in the Mornington Peninsula, Frankston and southeast region, it’s the year of the copperhead snake. Peninsula licensed wildlife controller Barry Goldsmith says the copperhead is the dominant type of snake appearing as the weather warms, displacing last year’s “year of the tiger snake”. “I’ve been removing on average two a day since the warm weather kicked in,” he said. Mr Goldsmith scotched the myth that there are more snakes around this year as animal hospitals and vets report a sharp increase in pets being bitten by snakes…
THE skipper of a boat which accidentally backed over a passenger causing his death in December, 2013, has been placed on an 18-month community correction order, which includes performing 200 hours of unpaid community work. Justice Croucher made the order in the Supreme Court, Friday. Tori Mackinnon, 31, who had pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a vessel in a dangerous manner causing death, was told her profound remorse, previous good character, excellent prospects of rehabilitation, guilty plea, and the fact prison could worsen her fragile mental state, had influenced his decision. Paul McVeigh, 60, was killed when he…
THE razing of popular Sorrento restaurant and function venue The Baths has devastated wedding couples. But steps have been taken to minimise their loss with a list of alternative peninsula venues posted on social media. “The Melbourne wedding industry prides itself on being incredibly supportive in times of need, so if there is anything we can do to assist brides and grooms at this time, please do not hesitate to contact us,” the post by owner-managers James and Helene Gibson says. That positivity helped them relocate the three weddings booked for last weekend to the Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club,…
PLAYING in a cricket match with his father, two brothers and brother-in-law is a career highlight of Mornington Cricket Club 300-gamer Michael Voss. Padding up for his first game in the 1987/88 season at age 12, Voss played his 300th senior game against Delacombe Park in B2 grade on the weekend. This makes him only the seventh club member to play 300 games in its 152 year history. Others include George Keys, Jeff Calder, Paul Brown, Stephen Voss, Terry O’Keefe and one other. His best batting performance is 63no and his best bowling figures are 5/31. Another highlight was a…
DISTRICT RED HILL, Seaford, Pearcedale and Baden Powell hold the top four positions on the MPCA District ladder after just two rounds. Pearcedale could be considered the surprise packet of the quartet, given the Panthers are the new kids on the block in District ranks. However, when you pull-in a recruit such as Shane Maggs, who has been playing District cricket for more than 10 years, your fortunes are going to change considerably. On Saturday, Maggs snared 3/12 and 4/49 as Pearcedale destroyed Boneo. Defending a whopping 288, the Panthers then rolled the Pandas for 72 with Maggs taking three…
PROVINCIAL BAXTER rocketed from the bottom of the MPCA Provincial ladder to the top four on Saturday after a demolition on Rye that resulted in an outright win. After scoring a very modest 205 with just three batsmen making double figures, the Baxter bowlers then went to work and knocked over 18 wickets on the second day. Rye resumed at 2/12 on Saturday and added just six runs before the wickets started to tumble again. Andrew Hitchener (17) and Dean Collins (12) were the only Demons to get into double figures. Rye was dismissed the first time around in the…
SUB-DISTRICT DROMANA is in a very unfamiliar position after two rounds of the MPCA Sub District season – on top of the ladder. The Hoppers made light work of Hastings on Saturday, rolling the visitings for just 102. Recruit Aaron Kaddatz once again proved he is going to destroy this competition after claiming 5/21, while Jeff Bluhm bowled 18 overs and snared 4/41. Nathan Hunt top scored for the Blues with 32, while skipper Timmy Birch did all that he could with an unbeaten 28. Tootgarook went for the outright win against Tyabb, falling six wickets short. The Yabbies made…
GOTYE has gone back to The Basics and the band is dropping in on Mornington as part of their national tour in support of their latest The Age of Entitlement album. Guitarist Tim Heath says The Basics drummer Wally De Backer, known as the solo artist Gotye, is heading back to Australia from the US where he is recording the follow-up to his commercially successful Making Mirrors album which spawned the global smash Somebody That I Used To Know. Heath says November’s Mornington gig, the last in the tour, will be “pretty energetic and perhaps emotional” amid hints The Basics…