PENINSULA LEAGUE MT ELIZA has set up a second semi-final showdown with Frankston YCW after beating Pines by 10 goals in the qualifying final on Saturday at Frankston Park. The highly fancied Redlegs booted the first nine goals of the game before Pines kicked its first major. Pines managed to go toe-to-toe with the Redlegs from the five minute mark of the third term, booting eight goals to nine in that period, eventually going down 18.8 (116) to 8.7 (55). While some of the higher profile players for the Redlegs were a little quiet, the likes of Robbie Turnbull, Jordan Capkin…
Year: 2016
Following their sell-out 2015 performances of Swan Lake, the Imperial Russian Ballet Company return to perform the ageless tale of bravery and dreams that is The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is famous for Tchaikovsky’s music. The genius of Tchaikovsky created one of the most recognisable and enduring music scores ever written. The illustrious cast of the Imperial Russian Ballet Company enjoy performing The Nutcracker more than any other ballet from their extensive repertoire, especially when they are joined by children from local ballet schools in the cities that they perform in around the world. The Imperial Russian Ballet Company was formed…
A MAGISTERIAL inquiry touching the death of a woman named Elizabeth Bullock, whose body was found at Mornington Junction, on Friday afternoon last, was held on Monday, at the Frankston Mechanics’ Hall, before Mr W. J. Oates, J P., when the following evidence was adduced:—Roydon Ross deposed that he was a butcher residing at Somers. On the 25th inst he was travelling round Mornington Junction in the butcher’s cart, and about one o’clock he stopped to feed his horse at a blind road. There was a watercourse where the horse was feeding. He walked into the ti-tree to cut a stick,…
A beautiful baby lamb has been stolen from a Moorooduc animal park in an early morning break-in which has left police and its owners bleating mad. Detectives have been told a man entered the Mornington-Tyabb Road animal park, The Big Goose, in the early hours of Sunday morning sometime between 1-3am. In what is believed to have been a targeted attack the offender/s broke into one of the sheds on the property and made off with Ralph and nothing else. Ralph, who was recently named following a competition run by the park, is only four weeks old and must be…
TWO significant manna gums previously protected because they were on public land have been chopped down as part of development works in King St, Hastings. After thriving for 80-100 years the remnant gums were destroyed in a few hours, Thursday 18 August. The alarm was first sounded when the Mornington Peninsula Shire-owned land was listed for sale in March. It had previously been used as a walkway between two streets and as an informal carpark for a nearby supermarket. The trees were regarded as an attractive feature of the landscape. Such large specimens, in good health and with no visible…
‘Thirty days has September/April, June, and November/All the rest have thirty-one/Except February alone/Which has twenty-eight days clear/Twenty-nine in each leap year.’ So goes the rhyme, although there are variants, taught to children to remember how many days are in any specific month in any given year, but it was seemingly forgotten at Mornington Peninsula Shire council which added an extra day to next year’s calendar. Rates notices posted out to peninsula property owners show the third instalment should be paid before a ‘29/02/2017’ deadline. The date 29 February 2017 does not exist as, unlike 2016, it is not a leap…
HASTINGS FNC SUNDAY saw the Hastings Football/Netball Club come up against our nemesis in 2016, the Red Hill FNC, in the elimination final played at Rosebud. On a slightly overcast day our boys certainly came to play. You could tell even before the opening bounce they seemed very focused on the job at hand. In the first quarter Red Hill got out to a two goal advantage before our boys kicked a couple into the wind to be down at the quarter time break by only a few points. It was shaping up as one of the toughest games of…
RETIRED racehorse Tarawera enjoyed being put through his paces by triequithon participant Seumas Marwood at Coolart Farm, Tuerong, on Wednesday. The 11-year-old racer was formerly trained by Fran Houlahan and Brian Johnston at Mornington Racecourse until they retired last month. His wins included the Australian and Crisp steeplechases. Now in retirement, Tarawera has transitioned as an equestrian eventer, which combines dressage, cross country and show jumping. His next race is in Racing Victoria’s Off the Track Triequithon, Caulfield, Saturday 27 August. The event aims to “shine a light on life after racing” for older racehorses, and gives aspiring and well-heeled…
SECRECY and factions are being raised as major issues in the October Mornington Peninsula Shire Council elections. Although nominations do not close until midday Tuesday 20 September, “Melbourne Cup fields” are being predicted in at least the Watson and Red Hill wards and at least half a dozen candidates each in Seawinds and Briars. Meanwhile, a Facebook page and an email account have been opened specifically to receive tips about the council, especially anything about “infringements to our rights to freedom of information”. David Gill, a Balnarring resident and former councillor and shire president with the Shire of Mornington, sees…
TWO recent events encouraged people to sleep out for a night to help raise awareness about homelessness. The sleep-in-your-car event, Saturday 6 August at Mornington Park, was organised by Fusion Mornington Peninsula. The event was one of several similar events across Australia aiming to raise awareness and funding to address homelessness. “It is shocking to think that on any given night in Australia there are more than 100,000 people without a home or a safe place to sleep,” the mayor Cr Graham Pittock said at the sleep-out. At the second event, on Tuesday 9 August at the Salvation Army’s premises…
HMAS Cerberus teamed up with Crib Point Primary, St Joseph’s Primary and Perseverance Primary, French Island, on Friday to give 300 pupils a practical insight into flight as part of Science Week. The pupils inspected the Navy Bell 429 helicopter and met its crew at Cyril Fox Reserve, Crib Point – directly behind St Joseph’s. School competitions all week, and the screening of the movie Paper Planes, added to the excitement of learning and discovery. The Navy 723 Squadron operates Bell 429 Global Rangers and AS-350BA Squirrel helicopters for air-crew training, all-round duties and to support air capable ships. “The…
Somerville Highway Patrol impounded a p-platers car in Sorrento Saturday afternoon (20 August) after he was caught driving with too many passengers. Police intercepted the black Ford sedan travelling west on Point Nepean Road as it appeared to be overloaded about 1.45pm. The P1 driver, who had only had his licence for about two months, explained to police he was taking his friends to Sorrento. The teen was carrying a passenger in the front seat and four passengers in the rear seat which was only fitted with three seat belts. The driver, who was not carrying his licence at the time,…
PORTSEA Life Saving Club members are “absolutely thrilled” with a $1 million grant from Mornington Peninsula Shire towards their proposed new clubhouse. The money brings them closer to a planned $7.36 million rebuild of the 50-year-old club house and sub-structure works on the popular back beach. Club president Stuart Rayner said the money to be paid over three years “moves us closer to our funding requirement” alongside a state government contribution of $1.5 million and the club’s own fundraising of $3 million. Members will set out to raise another $1 million over the next six months. “We’ll be hitting the…
STUDENTS and community groups are facing higher rental charges following a rise in prices to use Mornington Peninsula Shire’s community halls and meeting rooms. Regular hirers were invited to information sessions in November to update them on changes to conditions of hire, booking procedures and payment requirements. They were then asked to confirm their dates of hire for the next 18 months ( July 2017) but no mention was made of proposed rate increases during that time. Billy Lids Theatre Company proprietor Annette Precht said existing hall hirers would have been entitled to assume that there would be no rate…
MORNINGTON’S is set to light up with a big list of stars set to attend Mornington Racing Club on Saturday 3 September in aid for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Brendan Fevola, Archie Thompson, Danny Frawley, Brian Taylor, Shane Warne, Joe and Tony Hachem, Heath Scotland, Campbell Brown, Marc Murphy Mark Harvey, Anthony Koutoufides and Robert DiPierdomenico will be the headline players at the Mornington All In For Charity’s event, with tickets selling fast at $150. It promises to be a night full of glitz and glamour at the newly $5 million renovated Mornington Racing club, with some big surprises…
ART imitating life or art imitating art? Michael Leeworthy manages to mix ‘n’ mangle the time worn adage in his latest publication “So you want to be an artist? You had better read this first ”. It was Oscar Wilde who famously made the seemingly innocuous statement that “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life” in his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying. Decades later the truth of his position remains a debating point. Leeworthy, a Red Hill-based artist and gallery owner has gone a step further by publishing a small book of cartoons depicting himself and those…
MARINE authorities are investigating the grounding of an oil tanker last Friday afternoon on a sandbar off Rosebud. The 115 metre Bow Singapore is believed to have hit the sandbar on the edge of the shipping channel west of Hovell Pile about 4pm. Just after 11 that night as the tide rose the tug Hastings took about 20 minutes to free the ship which was believed to have been turning towards Geelong when it hit the bottom. The tanker is capable of carrying 6219 tonnes of oil or chemical products, but authorities were reported as saying there had been no…
CATERING company Wise Choice is on the move after being based for 18 years at Mornington Racecourse. “Unfortunately for us, Melbourne Racing Club [which runs Mornington Racecourse] has decided not to renew our contract, which means the end to a fabulous era at the track,” Tony Carter, one of the three partners of Wise Choice said. “Best we get on with business and get on with what we do best, serving the local people,” Cheryl Carter said. She said Wise Choice “started with the three boys who call themselves brothers”. “Although Tony is an in-law, they have shared a special…
PARENTS who think “healthy” foods are better for their children’s health and behaviour should learn more about food labels, warns additive campaigner and researcher Sue Dengate. Ms Dengate is speaking at Mornington Secondary College, 7-9pm, Monday 29 August, at the request of Mt Martha dietitian and nutritionist Joey De Backer, who is happy to share her experiences and that of her daughter Isla in the struggle against allergies. “My daughter was a colicky baby, waking every hour overnight, often crying inconsolably and kicking her legs, and then she developed eczema when we introduced solids and always had rosy red, scabby,…
A ROW is brewing over a proposed high-density housing estate in Mt Martha in which 47 units and townhouses will be crammed onto one big block. The 180 Bentons Rd site with its existing large, old homestead on five acres could be transformed into high-density living with up to 28 single storey units and 26 two-storey townhouses. Bentons Blossom Pty Ltd previously asked for 52 units in the $45 million project but reduced this to 47 in the hope of winning approval. The company propose blocking off access to busy Bentons Rd and, instead, linking three narrow internal roads with…
SAGES Cottage Farm, Baxter, has been bought by not-for-profit service Wallara Australia to expand its training services for adults with different abilities. The not-for-profit organisation had been leasing the 38-acre property for the past three years from Menzies, a support service for disadvantaged youth. It aims to carry forward its vision for the farm and support some of the most vulnerable people in the community. “We’ve already engaged with Rotary, Frankston RSL, Brockhoff Foundation, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and a number of corporates, all of whom are assisting us with the development of the site and the innovative programs and…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has agreed to change land use definitions, increase building heights and the number of dwellings at the Martha Cove residential and marina development at Safety Beach. Amendments to the planning permit approved by the shire last month give the green light for buildings apartments and shops in the area designated Martha Cove Village Centre. The number of dwellings allowed at Martha Cove is now 1167, an increase of 114. The original Martha Cove permit was issued in 1999 and in 2002 City Pacific estimated the project at $650 million, including 900 residences. The latest successful application to…
MUNICIPAL officers have been accused of blunders and mistakes that have seen councillors across the state fail to fulfil a state government directive to adopt a new code of conduct. The government last week was forced to take urgent legislative action to avoid sacking 13 councils and standing down nine individual councillors after a report from the Local Governance Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate. The report listed Frankston as one of the councils that failed to meet the signing deadline and Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Hugh Fraser faced being stood down for adding “signed under protest” to his signature. “I signed…
THERE can never be a reunion of The Beatles but the closest modern fans of the most influential band of the 1960s and beyond can see the next best thing in Frankston early next month. The Bootleg Beatles, widely regarded by fans and music critics as the best Beatles tribute band in the world, will play the Frankston Arts Centre on Sunday 4 September and ‘Paul McCartney’, also known as Steve White, is looking forward to the show. The 47-year-old joined The Bootleg Beatles about five years ago replacing original Paul who retired after two decades on the road. Right-handed…
A CFA career firefighter is riding across Victoria to raise awareness of mental health as a result of his experience with depression. Wangaratta-based operations officer Terry Heafield stopped off at Mornington fire station on Friday for morning tea and to speak of his experiences. His told firefighters to seek help and not be ashamed if they were depressed. He said depression should be seen as an ailment, not a weakness. The Mornington stopover was part of the Frankston to Rosebud leg of the trip which will take him 2500km through country towns and ending at Geelong where his brothers are…
THERE were no photos of girls attending Frankston area schools on a website targeting Australian schoolgirls as part of a vile trade of nude snaps of women without their knowledge. The overseas-hosted site where people publicly swapped images of nude women was reportedly set up in December and taken offline Friday (19 August) amid fears underage girls’ private photos sent to friends or boyfriends were subsequently exposed to the online world. While a person posting on the site last week specifically sought nude photos of students from two Frankston area schools The News understands none were ever uploaded to the…
PENINSULA LEAGUE EDITHVALE-ASPENDALE pulled off one of the most amazing results in memory on Saturday when it held on to draw against Frankston YCW and subsequently, snatch a last gasp spot in the top five. The Eagles broke a four game losing streak to pull off the draw, a result that was a long way from anyone’s wildest imagination prior to the match. Edithvale-Aspendale had struggled with injuries and lost its place in the top bracket at the hands of Seaford. Having to beat top of the table YCW was remote and although Seaford was odds-on to lose to Mt…
NEPEAN LEAGUE ROSEBUD made it nine wins in succession against Somerville in the qualifying final on Saturday, withstanding a last quarter surge to win by seven points. For three and a half quarters at Red Hill Recreation Reserve, Rosebud completely dominated the Eagles. However, trailing by five goals at three quarter time, the Eagles changed things around in the last term, won the ball on the outside and outscored Rosebud 4.6 to 1.1 to almost steal the match. The momentum swung in the game when Rosebud gave away two free kicks in the goal square, resulting in two goals before…
A TOMATO bottle was picked up on the beach a few days ago by Mr E. McComb, containing the following words. From the date on the note it has evidently been drifting about for a long time: “The finder would be doing a great service to me if he tell my mother (Mrs Sarratt, Claremont Avenue, Malvern) that all is well—Trooper Jas Sarratt, Albany, 29/10/14.” *** EX-COUNCILLOR G. Keast notifies in another column his reasons for not seeking re-election at the hands of the Centre Riding ratepayers. This advertisement was inadvertently omitted in our last issue. *** MR Marcus McBrodie…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s footpath construction scheme is in disarray, with 13 projects being deferred and two others awaiting appeals. An emphatic rejection of the shire’s footpath construction plans by ratepayers has led to money being reallocated to fix footpaths at Hastings, Somerville and Bittern. The highest support recorded in a survey of property owners due to be billed for part of nine footpath schemes was just 28 per cent. In one case, the shire’s plan to build a footpath was rejected by 100 per cent of property owners. The rejection of the nine schemes has seen the team behind the…