AWAITING the judges’ nod was not as nerve wracking this year as last year for Mornington restaurateur Jill Henderson at the Restaurant and Catering Association’s 2016 Awards for Excellence presentations. And her decision to avoid any stress paid off as her Winey Cow Restaurant in Main St won two awards – best regional cafe and cafe of the year – at a function at the Melbourne Function Centre last month. Cafe of the year is open to cafes and restaurants all over Victoria and Tasmania. “We entered the awards last year for the first time and, I must admit, I…
Year: 2016
CARJACKINGS and home invasions were the focus of new legislation introduced into state parliament last week. The Crimes Act 1958 will be amended to create new offences of carjacking, aggravated carjacking, home invasion and aggravated home invasion. The legislated offences will attract harsher penalties and give police the “laws they need to keep the community safe”. The legislation, developed in consultation with Victoria Police, will include statutory minimum sentences for aggravated carjacking and aggravated home invasion. And, to combat the rise of youth gangs, the legislation’s show-cause provisions will apply regardless of the age of the offender. Southern Metro Region…
THE many friends of Mr and Mrs G. Shepherd, of Somerville will regret to hear of the death of their eldest daughter, Mrs Orsino, which occurred at Somerville on Monday last. The deceased has been in ill health for some considerable time. *** CR A. J. Allen, was elected President of the Shire of Frankston and Hastings at their meeting held on Thursday last. *** MESSRS Brody and Mason will hold their monthly sale at Somerville, on Wednesday next, when they expect a good yarding. *** THE friends of Major Stuart Balmain, of Coolart, Balnarring, will be interested to hear that…
WIRE sculptor Annie Glass is patiently bending and winding galvanised steel wire around her first scarecrow as a tribute to the classic children’s movie the Wizard of Oz. “I’ve always wanted an opportunity to do something artistic based around my favourite movie,” Glass said. Her larger-than-life scarecrow will have an Australian flavour with a cocky flying around him, a crow on his arm and Dorothy’s dog Toto nipping at his heels. Glass is building her scarecrow for the inaugural Artist’s Permanent Sculpture category in the Hinterland Scarecrow Festival Trail, 16 September-3 October. For the first time, there’s a $2000 prize…
THE Mornington Peninsula branch of the Greens says it will be fielding five candidates in the October Mornington Peninsula Shire elections. Political parties usually run shy of endorsing specific candidates but the Greens last week issued a news release announcing a “team … [that] understand the priorities of their diverse wards, and are committed to genuinely listening to and delivering for their communities”. The outspokenness of the Greens comes a week after seven of the shire’s 10 remaining councillors told The News they were yet to decide on whether to seek re-election. Only Crs Hugh Fraser (Nepean ward), Antonella Celi…
THE new cable car ride at Arthurs Seat has been officially named Eagle. Known as Skylift throughout relatively short but controversial history, the gondola ride to and from the summit is set to begin carrying passengers in early December. The name Eagle was announced at a “brand launch” on Monday, along with the message that passengers will be provided with a bird’s eye view of parts of the Mornington Peninsula and Melbourne. Total cost of the project started in October 2015 is now being put at more than $20 million. The ride’s 24 Swiss made gondolas can each hold eight…
RALPH the lamb is back! Defying “million-to-one odds” the black-faced lamb made it home to the Big Goose children’s farm on Friday morning, much to the delight of owner Justin Orr. The five-week-old bottle-fed cutie survived 13 nights out in the wild after allegedly being stolen from the Mornington-Tyabb Rd animal park, overnight Sunday 21 August. An overjoyed Mr Orr said Ralph ran up to road workers putting up road signs in Tyabb about 7km from where he was allegedly dumped by thieves. They recognised him from media reports and contacted the farm. The lamb has distinctive markings with a…
A MAN has been charged over the alleged theft of a baby lamb from a Moorooduc animal park late last month. Detectives have been told a man entered the Mornington-Tyabb Rd animal park, The Big Goose, early on Sunday 21 August. It is believed he broke into one of the sheds and made off with Ralph and a baby goat which escaped and was found next morning. Ralph was named following a competition run by the park. He is four weeks old and must be fed by bottle to survive. A 21-year-old Moorooduc man was arrested Wednesday afternoon and has…
A SOMERVILLE man has been remanded in custody after appearing at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court last week following an investigation by Taskforce Regarder. The man, 23, was arrested Thursday afternoon on charges of reckless conduct endangering serious injury, prohibited person possessing firearm, trafficking drug of dependence and possessing a drug of dependence. The taskforce was established in November in response to the growing number of hoon gatherings across metropolitan Melbourne. It has since made more than 50 arrests. Acting Inspector Mike Daly, of Dandenong CIU, said the man’s arrest was “significant”. He said police would be alleging that he was one…
THE Crib 208 Arts Studio in Crib Point will host art royalty when renowned maritime artist, Richard Linton, comes in for a discussion at 4pm on Tuesday 13 September The free event will discuss Linton’s many works including “On The River Min”, which depicts British Tea Clippers loading tea at the Pagoda Anchorage in Foochow, China. Visitors to the studio will also be able to view a print of Linton’s “The Founding of Melbourne” which depicts the landing of the Enterprize in 1835 on the section of the Yarra where Melbourne now stands. Linton is one of the few artists…
THE state government appears to be getting ready to take over the day-to-day running of the Port of Hastings. The 20-year contract with port manager Patrick Ports Hastings ends next June and the government is awaiting a report on management options from the Port of Hastings Development Authority. The authority now has a staff of eight, far fewer than the 61 – including 31 contractors – it employed just two years ago when the previous Liberal National coalition government was proceeding with plans for a container terminal at Hastings. Those plans ended abruptly with the election of the Daniel Andrews-led…
THIEVES may have used a doggie door to enter a Somerville house last week to steal two sets of war medals, jewellery, a laptop computer, childhood memorabilia and even rosary beads. The theft from the Whitneys Rd house has shocked the owner, Marc Burton-Walter, because the items have mostly sentimental value. They include his grandfather’s WWII medals – the 1939-1945 Star, the Africa Star, War Medal and Defence Medal (all original), and his New Zealand-born great uncle’s WWI replica medals – 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. “They will probably end up in a bin because they are…
HASTINGS FNC SATURDAY saw Hastings Football/Netball Club take on Western Port rival Somerville Football/Netball Club in the first semi-final played at Devon Meadows. With a real sense of finals football in the air on a beautiful day and with the ground looking in peak condition the Hastings side were coming up against last year’s grand final winner and favourites. Our boys came out and played some fabulous team oriented football to set the game up with a five goal quarter with our forwards playing in front and marking everything that came there way, they moved into the 2nd quarter with…
MORNINGTON Tennis Club’s long-time life member Sylvia Pingiaro has written a history of the club, which turned 125 in April. Mrs Pingiaro started collecting newspaper clippings about the club soon after she joined it in 1943 as a teenager, little knowing she would one day write a book. The first-time author started playing tennis when she attended Frankston High School, and joined Mornington’s club soon after, playing on asphalt courts built in 1891 on the corner of Queen and Vancouver streets where the library now stands. The book had its genesis in early 2006 when the idea lobbed at a…
TOOTGAROOK Senior Citizens put on a special afternoon tea for long-serving members Edna Arnot and Joyce Milne last week to mark their 100th birthdays. Ms Milne and others had been having meetings in their homes before the club was built in November 1967, president Sheila Manser said. “She joined in August 1969 and, as a foundation member, she and others worked hard to get things for the club by collecting newspapers, bottle drives and endless cake stalls. “Once they moved into the hall they had the trading table which brought in more money which went to putting on the new…
BIKERS are getting ready to test their riding skills on the newly-opened Red Hill Bike Park track. Construction of the $65,000 track began in May, with Mornington Peninhsula Shire working alongside Red Hill Riders Mountain Bike Club to develop a park that will test and improve the confidence, control and safety of riders of varying skill levels. Red Hill Riders president Mark Gardner said mountain biking was one of the fastest growing sports in the world. “New trail centres and riding experiences are attracting riders from all over the country, and mountain biking on the Mornington Peninsula is no different,” he…
IT’S a baking hot day and it seems all the home air-conditioners on the Mornington Peninsula are switched on and guzzling power at the same time. This surge in seasonal demand, spurred on by holiday makers, leads to an unsustainable peak and then crash, the system fails and there’s a blackout. That’s the sort of scenario underpinning the Community Grids project – described as a “landmark” demand response and energy storage project, about to be rolled out on the southern peninsula. Community Grids aims to improve the reliability of the area’s electricity supply without the need for costly infrastructure upgrades.…
THE story of our lives is often more interesting than any work of fiction. And it provides the inspiration for Rosebud Secondary College’s Living Library, where the “books” are people and the “reading” consists of conversation. “Each year, as part of Book Week, we invite people to come in as living ‘books’, which the students ‘borrow’ for a short time, to hear their story and ask them questions,” head librarian Nicolle Brigden said. “These conversations allow our students to interact with people they may never otherwise meet, which, in turn, challenges and inspires their thinking.” Last week, students were able…
THE Rye tip will continue to operate until new technologies are adopted to cope with waste on the Mornington Peninsula. Mornington Peninsula Shire last week agreed to extend the life of the tip beyond 2018 and join other municipalities in finding a site and method to dispose of their waste. Cr David Gibb said it would be cheaper to use Rye rather than trucking the peninsula’s waste elsewhere. The shire’s plan could also see land in McKirdys Rd, Tyabb, used as a waste reduction and disposal site by several municipalities. The plan revolves around the use of alternative waste technology…
By Debra Mar – RPPFM Like it or not – we are all getting older – and so is the Mornington Peninsula’s population. So starting Thursday, September 1st at 11am, RPP FM will broadcast the Age Stage – a new 50 minute weekly magazine style program designed to explore the issues associated with our ageing. The Age Stage is aimed at anyone with an interest in the over 50 age group and will focus on all aspects of life from retirement, retirement lifestyles and aged care to health, finances, exercise, food, medical and technological change, entertainment, travel and our homes.…
THE St Kilda Football Club’s welcome back to Moorabbin Reserve, and impending exit from Seaford, is official after Kingston Council voted to approve a 50-year lease at Linton St for the AFL club. Kingston councillors voted at a public council meeting last Monday evening (22 August) to give the Saints a 25-year lease with an option for a further 25 years despite some community concern about a $420,000 rates discount over the first decade of the lease. An 84 per cent reduction on building rent means the football club will pay $80,000 rather than $500,000 in building rent over the…
THE life stories of migrants who call Frankston home will be aired on community television C31 next month. The four-part Faces of Frankston TV series, produced by Mornington filmmakers Whitewater Documentaries, will feature 30-minute interviews with Frank Cannizzo (Italy), Rosalindo Cerda (Chile), Grace Edwards (Philippines) and Anastasia Kipouropoulos (Greece) who recount outsiders’ tales of escaping conflict in their countries of origin, in some cases, before becoming Frankston insiders through community work. Frankston Multicultural Community Network commissioned the documentary series. “We sometimes don’t think of Frankston as a culturally diverse place, but 10 per cent of people living in the municipality…
MENTAL health workers walked off the job for two hours on Tuesday 9 August in protest over “violent incidents and increasing demand” at Peninsula Community Mental Health Service at Frankston Hospital. The Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) said extra staffing and safety for staff should be a top priority and is demanding a new enterprise bargaining agreement “to improve service delivery, staffing levels and safety for workers and consumers”. “We need a system that meets the demand, we need to attract, retain and value the work of mental health workers in order to meet this demand,” HSU representative Paul…
MOST Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors are keeping quiet about whether they will seek re-election in October. Three of the 10 councillors, Hugh Fraser (Nepean ward), Antonella Celi (Seawinds) and David Garnock (Cerberus) say they will stand while two others, Bev Colomb (Briars) and her ward colleague Anne Shaw are saying they have not made up their minds. Another two councillors, David Gibb (Seawinds) and Andrew Dixon (Briars) are reported to have told public meetings they will be standing but have not confirmed this with The News. “I don’t have a comment,” Cr Gibb said on Friday after being asked to…
ABOUT 50 primary school “marine ambassadors” last week had a close look at trapped pollutants at Narambi Reserve, Mornington. The experience was part of the Dolphin Research Institute’s ‘i sea, i care’ school ambassador program, a partnership with Mornington Peninsula Shire. Pupils saw and smelt rotting waste being emptied from a gross pollution trap which stops stormwater pollutants washed from streets reaching Port Phillip. Emptying the trap came just weeks after a significant algal bloom was seen in Mornington harbour. The ambassadors, trained as peer educators, will go back to their schools and share their experiences. Their goal is to…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors were on Monday poised to give themselves the right to spend an extra $14,000 over their four-year terms, bringing the total to $30,000. The success of the latest bid to define their entitlements could depend on one councillor agreeing to being paid travelling expenses of 76 cents a kilometre. A move to set new four-year spending limits – $16,000 for conferences and seminars; $10,000 education and training; and $1000 a year entertainment – missed out on being adopted on Monday 22 August by one vote. If voting patterns stayed the same on Monday this week, Cr…
AN Aboriginal campsite on the clifftop overlooking Port Phillip Bay was the perfect place for the introduction of lawn bowls to the Mornington Peninsula on 1 June 1917. Mornington Bowling Club was established on that date and now has 188 members. Of these, 167 are full bowling members and 13 are social members. Guests at the season opening on Thursday included Jack Missen and Vera Cornwell. The 90 year olds were given the honour of “rolling the jack” as the club’s eldest members who still bowl on a regular basis. A third nonagenarian member, Bobby Churcher, is the eldest of…
AN application to open a tavern with an extended liquor licence in Main St, Mornington should be “called in” by Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors, according to Mornington MP David Morris. The term refers to the occasional government practice where a minister “calls in” a project or proposal being considered by a council and makes the decision for it, thereby overriding the normal planning process. Mr Morris wants to ensure councillors and not council officers decide if Mornington should get a tavern. “I don’t normally stick my nose in, but I am concerned that the community is not aware of what…
SOCCER By Craig MacKenzie FRANKSTON Pines looks doomed to relegation from State 1 South-East while Langwarrin dented Malvern City’s championship aspirations in last weekend’s catch-up round. Pines slumped to a 4-1 loss at home to fellow struggler Berwick City on Saturday and is anchored to the foot of the table while Langwarrin dealt a body blow to Malvern City with a 1-0 victory at Lawton Park. A pivotal moment in the Pines contest came in the 16th minute when the referee overruled the linesman who had flagged for offside and was ignored initially. After Dejan Radojicic struck home a firm…
NEPEAN LEAGUE FRANKSTON Bombers went straight through to the 2016 Nepean Division Grand Final on Saturday after dishing out a football lesson to reigning premier Rosebud at Rye’s RJ Rowley Reserve. The loss for the reigning premier has set up a preliminary final showdown between Rosebud and Hastings after the Blues smashed Somerville in the last quarter on Sunday. Despite kicking the first goal of the game, Rosebud chased tail for the large majority of the afternoon, threatening only twice during the match. The Bombers shot out to a four goal lead in the second quarter after leading by nine…