A Somerville man had his tow truck impounded for a month after he was caught driving while disqualified in Balnarring this morning. Somerville Highway Patrol members spotted the yellow tow truck travelling along Balnarring Road with false plates fitted about 8am. Police stopped the unregistered Ford tow truck and the driver underwent a roadside oral fluid test which indicated the presence of illicit drugs. During a search of the truck police discovered rounds of live ammunition and drug paraphernalia. The 25-year-old driver was found to be a disqualified driver. His truck was impounded for 30 days and he will have…
Year: 2016
Ft. Queenie, Katie Breheny and CJ Fortuna CJ Fortuna “Smart, energetic and surprising!” The Age With five Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows under his belt, including a Moosehead Award in 2000 for his comedy musical Rockothello, CJ has firmly entrenched himself in the Australian comedy scene. CJ made his television debut in 1997 playing a nerdy ventriloquist on Neighbours. Since then he has worked on a variety of short films, TV commercials regular guest roles on Blue Heelers and Stingers most recently writing and performing on channel seven’s Hamish and Andy. In Melbourne, his dry wit has featured on local commercial…
A FACEBOOK group dedicated to hunting down feral and stray cats has denied it encourages the killing of domestic pets. The Cat Busters page on Facebook sprang to prominence on Friday (15 July) thanks to a flyer posted in letterboxes in the Frankston area urging cat owners to keep pets indoors since Cat Busters “is in your area”. “Domestic cats kill millions of native birds, reptiles and mammals every year in Australia,” the flyer stated. “Cat Busters catches cats. In suburban areas this includes the use of cage and leg-hold traps.” The flyer warned cats “may be shot on sight”…
BITTERN Primary School celebrated its 100th anniversary last week with 100 former pupils and staff members watching as current pupils dressed up and paraded in old-fashioned clothes. Guests included former pupils Rodney Hayne, now a policeman, professional boxer Kane Watts and former principal Colin Stevens. Two other principals attended as well as some pupils from the 1940s. Some were surprised to see the old shelter shed still standing. Afterwards guests enjoyed a sausage sizzle while they walked down memory lane with a photo display showing Bittern through the decades. A former staff member brought a replica of the old school…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is advertising an application to store light aircraft in a shed on land beside Tyabb airfield – even though the shed was built without a planning permit. The decision to exhibit the planning scheme amendment follows a 2014 shire ruling that any decision on use of the site – 62 Stuart Rd, Tyabb – must wait until completion of the Tyabb Airfield Precinct Plan which is expected to begin in September. Objectors claim the move gives the applicant, Peninsula Aero Club member Ken Ingersoll, “backdoor approval for the hangar in spite of the still-valid 2004 reasons for…
FLINDERS MP Greg Hunt has been appointed Industry, Innovation and Science Minister in the ministerial reshuffle announced today by the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Mr Hunt replaces Christopher Pyne who has been given the new role of Minister for Defence Industry. Josh Frydenberg replaces Mr Hunt, taking an expanded environment and energy portfolio. All three remain members of the Cabinet. As Environment Minister Mr Hunt was the target of many protests throughout Australia and particularly outside his Hastings office. “I am delighted to have been appointed to the position of Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science,” Mr Hunt said in…
SOUTHERN Metropolitan Region Crime Team Investigators have charged an 18-year-old Langwarrin man following two aggravated burglaries and a burglary in Rosebud in which a Kia car was stolen. They occurred at houses in Eighth Av and Tarwarri Av, 8 July. Police arrested the man at 7.40am Wednesday. He was charged with numerous offences, including aggravated burglary, intentionally causing injury, assault, theft and burglary. He was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on a later date. The Kia was recovered at Langwarrin Football Club the following day. Sergeant Anthoula Moutis, of the media unit, said the police has escalated their…
HEARING of children being frightened by masked youths banging on walls and peering through windows at a Rye children’s holiday camp struck a chord with Southern Metro Region police inspector Karen Nyholm. “I’ve got kids myself,” she said. “I heard the kids were frightened and I understand and appreciate the concerns of the carers. “I know I’d hate to see my kids frightened.” Worried carers at the Camp Australia program at Rye Primary School mid-month reportedly placed crying children under tables to comfort them during the incident before calling 000. Some mothers are said to have criticised police for taking…
A PLAN to sell a section of tree reserve to the owner of an adjoining property for $83,000 has been knocked back by Mornington Peninsula Shire after claims it was “under valued” by more than $200,000. The 275 square metre strip of land at 2A Langford Rd, Sorrento, was transferred to council ownership in 1978 from VicRoads (then the Country Roads Board) as part of a subdivision of the surrounding land. But recent plans to remove the tree reserve status and sell the land to its neighbour for $77,000 plus costs have failed, after councillors voted to seek a valuation…
THE final financial steps are in place for a viewing platform and beach access ramp to be built overlooking the beach at Point Leo. A project of the Disabled Surfers Association Mornington Peninsula branch, the platform will be at the end of a boardwalk running from the lifesaving club to the beach. The six metre square viewing deck will be open to the public and also provide lifesavers with uninterrupted views along the beach. Steps and a wheelchair access ramp will run from the deck to the sand, making Point Leo the first surf beach on the peninsula to have…
CAR thefts on the Mornington Peninsula shot up to 356 in the year to March – compared with 265 last year and 290 in 2014. At the same time there were 318 reports of malicious damage to cars on the peninsula – up from 260 last year and 244 in 2014. Despite this increase, claims by RACV insurance policy holders on the peninsula for stolen cars have dropped over the past year, according to acting general manager Insurance Mark Geraghty. The insurance provider said it had received 10 claims for stolen cars and 20 claims for deliberately damaged vehicles. Mr…
A PENINSULA production company, Peninsula Film Office, has won Best Short Film Screenplay at the Amsterdam Film Festival for their film – The Gift. Written and directed by Peninsula Film Office director, Steve Bastoni, The Gift is about isolation and re-connection and how a small act of kindness, like a ripple, can have far reaching and profound affects. The Gift was made in association with Mental Health Australia and premiered at this year’s Peninsula Short Film Fest in February. Director, Steve Bastoni said he felt honoured to be recognised for the film. “It is a terrific accolade and it’s…
STORM damage has forced the closure of a section of Mornington’s newly restored pier. East Port Phillip and Western Port area chief ranger Reece Taranto said nine concrete wave screen panels and handrails facing the bay were dislodged during last Tuesday’s (12 July) storms. The outer section of the pier is closed, but the public can still access the inner section, including the lower landing, as these areas were not damaged. “Once the pier has been properly assessed, we will reopen the areas that are safe to use,” Mr Taranto said. “Until the project engineers have had a chance to…
WHALE watchers are recording the “busiest season on record” as sightings pour in from Western Port and Port Phillip. “The 2016 whale season has turned into a record breaker around our bays. We’ve just had our busiest weekend of sightings ever,” said Dolphin Research Institute, research officer David Donnelly said on Wednesday. “Winter in our bays and surrounding coastal waters has become something of a busy time for keen whale watchers. Large whales are now so regular in our waters that sightings have become an expectation rather than a novelty.” Mr Donnelly said although “hunted to the edge of extinction…
AN absorbable heart stent was inserted in a Peninsula Health patient. This breakthrough for the health service was achieved by Associate Professor Jamie Layland, one of a few cardiologists in the world who has inserted this new absorbable stent. He and fellow cardiologist Robert Lew, also of Peninsula Health, are part of a worldwide team investigating the use of absorbable stents in patients with heart disease. A stent is a small mesh tube used to treat narrow arteries in the heart. Traditionally, a metal-based stent is placed in an artery of patients undergoing a coronary angioplasty – a procedure which…
TWO Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors who attended a United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris late last year have fulfilled their requirements to report on the trip and itemise their expenses. Councillors Hugh Fraser and the mayor Graeme Pittock spent 10 days in Paris and attended several other sessions, including the climate summit for local leaders and seminars on renewable energy, smart cities, waste, urban agriculture, low carbon development and water and climate finance. At the Monday 11 July council meeting, Cr Pittock said it was worth noting that there had been no conference fees, no public transport costs, and…
ROB Lippiat is reviving the days when paddle steamers regularly circumnavigated Port Phillip. But he’s not about to embark on a voyage of the bay, it’s more about looking at the past in scale, about 100 to one. Lippiat is building model replicas of the boats and admits to doing things by halves. His wooden boats and split down the middle and mounted on mirrors. “I used to make them complete, but this way they can fit in with any decor,” Lippiat says while sitting at his workbench in Mt Martha. “That was more than 14 years ago when I…
INVESTORS snapping up prime Mornington Peninsula land for apartments and townhouses are facing opposition from a council divided over development amid claims of electioneering. After lengthy debate at the Monday 11 July council meeting, councillors voted to overturn officer recommendations to support proposals for 14 townhouses in Bentons Rd, Mt Martha, and two separate applications for six two-storey townhouses and 14 townhouses, both in Green Island Av, Mt Martha. Residents applauded as Briars Ward councillors told the meeting they had a duty to protect the neighbourhood character of the peninsula’s towns. However, their celebrations might be premature, with council officers…
NEPEAN LEAGUE THE Devon Meadows Football Club was a super proud club on Saturday night. But it had little to do with the 13.10 (88) to 10.11 (71) victory against finals aspirants Rye. It was more about how the Meadows went about the entire day after star player, two-time league medal winner and favourite son Beau Miller lost his fight with cancer. After being diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer a couple of months ago, Beau lost his fight last Thursday, leaving behind wife Stephanie, two young sons and a football community that adored him both on and off the…
PENINSULA LEAGUE PINES bounced back from a shock defeat last week to inflict a savage loss on Bonbeach in MPNFL Peninsula Division football on Saturday. Pines coach Patty Swayne scoffed at suggestions pre-match that there was daylight between Bonbeach and the top three sides after the Sharks had won seven of its past eight games. However, Bonbeach coach Steve Hughes might have been right after the Sharks were made to look second rate by the Pythons, going down 4.12 (36) to 17.6 (108). Pines’ loss last week to Edithvale had a little to do with the fact that full back…
SOCCER By Craig MacKenzie ROSEBUD Heart is the only senior team throughout Victoria’s State Leagues with a perfect record. While the fledgling club has achieved a rare feat in only its second year of competition the mood among local clubs was one of gloom as tribute was paid at last weekend’s matches to former Skye United president and FFV Chief Financial Officer Chris Attard, 52, who died last week. Skye drew 0-0 away to Harrisfield Hurricanes on Saturday but the club remains a genuine title contender in State League 4 South. Heart’s relentless push towards promotion from State League 5…
BY the death of Mr J. F. Hodgkinson, the district loses an old and highly esteemed resident. He possessed many natural talents besides being good with the brush and pencil, he was also a fine etcher. A lover of good poetry, he was an original thinker and a keen student of nature. His life exemplified two well known sayings “Talent is developed in solitude” and “They whom the Gods love, die young” for he passed away at the early age of 45 years. He will be greatly missed by the residents of the adjoining properties. His practical advice…
A WOMAN was found burnt to death in Rye this morning (Monday). A passer-by found the woman on fire near the intersection of Peter and Betty streets and extinguished the flames around 7am. Police spokesperson Natalie Webster said the matter was being treated as non-suspicious. Emergency services were called to the scene about 7.15am. The woman’s identity has not been released and the exact circumstances are yet to be determined. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to submit confidential report at crimestoppersvic.com.au If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline on…
Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate Lisa Johnson. The 22-year-old is wanted by police in relation to failing to appear at court in relation to weapons matters. Investigators have released an image of Johnson in the hope someone may recognise her or have information on her current whereabouts. She is known to frequent the Rosebud area. Anyone who sees Johnson is urged to contact Rosebud Police Station on 5986 0444. Source: Victoria Police
Southern Metropolitan Region Crime Team Investigators have charged an 18-year-old man following an investigation into two aggravated burglaries and a burglary in Rosebud in July. The alleged aggravated burglaries occurred at Eighth Avenue and Tarwarri Avenue on 8 July 2016. Investigators arrested the man at a Langwarrin address about 7.40am yesterday. The Langwarrin man was charged with numerous offences including aggravated burglary, intentionally cause injury, assault, theft and burglary. He was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this morning. Victoria Police has escalated its response to aggravated burglaries and carjackings across the state. At the start of May they rolled…
HASTINGS FNC SATURDAY saw the Hastings Football/Netball Club come up against Red Hill Football/Netball club in what loomed as a massive test for all sides. But unfortunately not all sides did not come away with a win on Saturday. The club came up against very determined Red Hill sides which was very disappointing but the that’s sport. We now have next week to get ready for. Next week also looms as another huge test with the club heading to Rosebud Football/Netball Club in what shapes as a season defining game for our senior footballers. They played some scintillating football in…
IN July, 2008 the The News printed a short obituary on Des Duguid who had passed away at the age of 76. Des was a courteous, quietly spoked gentleman who resided for many years at Eldon Park in Graydens Road where he filled the role of fitness trainer and helped around the farm. But Des was a man of diverse talents: he was a gifted singer and actor and, in his younger days, was a more than capable boxer. He won a bronze medal in the light welterweight division at the 1954 British Empire (later Commonwealth) Games at Vancouver. Six years later…
A DINING table and other items of furniture have been returned to Coolart Homestead, near Somers, after almost 80 years. The original 16-seat table arrived at Coolart in 1937, where it was converted into an extension table by Gerturde Luxton, who also crafted the original tapestries for the chairs. Mrs Loxton is the wife of Tom Luxton, who bought the 1895 property from the Grimwade family in 1937 and declared it a sanctuary for native wildlife. He embarked upon a program of habitat development. Peter Roffey, a descendant of the Luxton family, made the donation along with eight chairs and…
SECONDARY students from Western Port, Mt Eliza, Mornington, Dromana and Rosebud participated a three-day youth leadership camp at The Portsea Camp, 19-21 June. The camp – for 32 Year 10 students – was organised by the Mornington Peninsula Partnership Forum, made up of the eight Bendigo and Community Bank branches on the peninsula, and Mornington Peninsula Shire. The forum aims to bring together possible sources of funding for strategic projects on the peninsula. “As this was the first camp, there was a great sense of anticipation and excitement about its potential to provide real opportunities for those attending,” Bendigo Bank…
VICROADS was “totally aware” of the problems caused by the deteriorating surface of sections of Frankston-Flinders Rd, Somerville, a spokesman said Friday. By mid-week, loose stones had damaged five windscreens, chipped car panels and generated countless verbal complaints about the quality of the work in the relaid section between Hawkins Rd and Scott Grove. “Who knows how many windscreens have been hit by now,” VicRoads media advisor Jarryd Stokes said. A temporary 60kph speed limit is in place on the two kilometre section of road which was resurfaced in April, with the new seal deteriorating in the recent heavy rains.…