Month: May 2018

Frankston & Mornington Peninsula Divisional Response Unit officers, assisted by the Critical Incident Response Team and Clandestine Laboratory Squad arrested three men and allegedly located drugs, weapons and a firearm yesterday (Tues 29 May). The three men were arrested in a Rosebud car park, on Point Nepean Road about 10.15am. Shortly afterwards a search warrant was executed at the Dromana home of one of the men. During the search of the house police allegedly located quantities of ice, cocaine and prescription medications, a loaded shotgun, ammunition, daggers, machetes and a taser. A 45-year-old Dromana man has been remanded to appear…

IN the end, it took just one cut with the scissors for the beach at Point Leo to be more accessible to the public. The ribbon cutting by former Disabled Surfers Association Mornington Peninsula president Jenny Angliss-Goodall signalling the official opening last Saturday of a new boardwalk, viewing platform and ramp to the beach was the completion of a project started more than three years ago. The viewing platform enables sightseers and lifesavers, for the first time, to stand on a level surface to see from one end of the beach to the other. The 82 metre long “boardwalk” is…

A FREE range egg farm being developed in Somerville is more than a commercial proposition: it’s a healing space for family and friends to come together and grieve the death of a loved one. Lil’s Yolky Dokey Farm came about after Lily Grace Lanarus, 20, died in a four-wheel-drive accident in northern Victoria earlier this year. On May 13 – Mother’s Day – she would have been celebrating her 21st birthday with mother Jacqui Lanarus and her partner Gab Banay and friends. In the long, grief-stricken days after her death, the Frankston family developed a vision that would keep their…

A CAR was set alight in Flinders and destroyed, Saturday night 26 May. Detective Senior Sergeant Alan Paxton, of Mornington Peninsula CIU, said the 2004 Mercedes coupe was driven into a barrier near the car park at the southern end of King Street, 10.50pm. A man was seen lighting the fire using some sort of accelerant and then calmly walking away.  The car was totally destroyed. No description of the man is available and it had not been established yesterday (Monday 28 May) if the car was stolen as the owners are believed to be away. Anyone with information is…

A GIRL’S 18th birthday party at Hastings Community Hall, Saturday night 26 May, was ruined by a wild brawl among guests. Police used capsicum spray to disperse the brawlers after a fight broke out in the toilets and spread into the main hall where 150 guests were assembled. It then spilled outside, 10.30pm. Detective Senior Sergeant Alan Paxton, of Mornington Peninsula CIU, said the front door and some windows in the hall, in High Street, were damaged in the brawl involving “numerous youths” swinging punches and wrestling on the floor. Later reports said police car windows were smashed and the…

TYABB artist Jeanne Rachelle White has been invited to exhibit at the International Naive Art Festival in Katowice, Poland, next month. She is one of 30 Australian artists exhibiting works at the long-running festival which this year has Australia as the country in focus. The festival brings together about 300 self-taught naïve artists from around the world whose works were viewed by 30,000 visitors last year. The former industrial city has transformed over the past 20 years into an arts destination with one of the world’s largest international festivals of naïve art. Festival organisers praise White’s work for “colourfully celebrating…

A PETITION presented to Hastings MP Neale Burgess on Friday – which he will present to state parliament – opposes power company AGL’s proposal for a floating gas plant at Crib Point to process liquid natural gas. Mr Burgess says he has consistently supported the Crib Point community’s opposition to new port developments. “I made a commitment to this community while in government that there would be no industrial development south of Hastings,” he said. “It’s time the wishes of Crib Point residents came first.” The gas plant, or floating storage regasification unit (FSRU), is a 290-metre vessel planned to…

BASKETBALL DIVISION One was full of nail-biters in week nine of the Big V, with every game from the Bayside clubs resulting in one-point victories. Chelsea Gulls notched up two of those wins as they clutched one-point victories over Geelong Supercats (88-87) and Whittlesea Pacers (96-97). The Gulls survived an overtime scare at home to pip the Supercats, with Corey Standerfer’s (15pts, 11rbs, 11ast) free throw proving pivotal in the side’s success. Matt Brasser (22pts) and Mitch Riggs (22pts) also delivered for the Gulls, while the visitors managed 16 points out of Lewis Varley. The Gulls backed it up on…

AFL New Zealand has recorded their first win on Australian soil after defeating a Mornington Peninsula interleague team on Friday 11 May. In a close encounter, New Zealand’s under-18 boy’s side (6.9.45) saluted by five points over the Mornington Peninsula Junior Football League boys (5.10.40) at Bluescope Oval, Hastings. After a spine-tingling Haka, New Zealand were first on the scoreboard as Quinn Pocock snapped the opening goal for the visitors. New Zealand looked to narrowly contain the lead throughout the match, but the home side didn’t cave in and continued to chip away at a 15-point margin heading into the…

SOCCER SEAFORD United has appointed star midfielder Matt Morris-Thomas as senior coach after Paulo Pinheiro’s resignation last week. Pinheiro fell on his sword with his side staring at a second successive relegation following a nightmare start to the 2018 State 3 South-East season. Morris-Thomas, 28, will be assisted by former Seaford player and reserves coach Stuart Mitchell and faces a monumental task to avoid the drop. He has decided to step down as a player which caught most observers by surprise given the lack of quality in the senior squad. “This is my first senior coaching job and I didn’t…

DIVISION TWO IT was a weekend of vastly contrasting games in MPNFL Division Two action, as two matches were decided by a solitary point while two matches were decided by margins of over 80. At Ballam Park, Karingal suffered an almighty scare as Red Hill battled hard to nearly upset their second placed opponents. The lead swung back and forth throughout the match, and going into three-quarter time it looked as if an upset was on the cards as Red Hill held a seven point lead away from home. In a nail biting finish, Karingal were able to just gain…

DIVISION ONE AFTER interleague action saw MPNFL football take a break last weekend, Division One football returned with a bang on Saturday in a day of shocking results. The biggest turn up of the round came from Olympic Oval, where Rosebud took on a normally dependable Frankston YCW at home. Frankston YCW were coming off their first loss of the season last round against Pines, and would have been keen to stamp their authority with a dominant performance against lowly ninth placed Rosebud. Despite that, Rosebud did well to hang in the game with their stronger opponents, only trailing by…

THE Queen’s Birthday weekend will see the sixth year of the Mornington Winter Music Festival, held both in venues and outdoors along sections of Main Street. Treat yourself to some of the ticketed or free awesome events from Friday 8th to Monday 10th June. Main Street Mornington is renowned for it’s great choice of dinning venues and during the festival, National and local bands will descend on Mornington to deliver superb entertainment which goes hand in hand with delicious food and wine! Saturday June 9th, Main Street will come alive with 6 FREE street Music Zones from DOC Mornington up…

MESSRS F. H. Goodwin and L. Watt both of Hastings have enlisted and will enter camp shortly. The best wishes of all residents go with these two young men who are going to “do their bit” for the Empire. Empire Day celebrations passed very successfully here. A report of the proceedings will appear next issue. *** IN the 405th Casualty List, published on Thursday the following names appear under the heading of wounded: Pte. C. W. Beard, Balnarring; Pte. H. S. Sawyer, Moorooduc (gas); Sgt. S. Vialls, Carrum; and Driver T. Tulloch, Carrum. *** A PICTURE night will be given…

THE days of local councils having responsibility only for roads, rates and rubbish are long gone. Last week, Mornington Peninsula Shire joined with Hussey and Co and the Sustainable Melbourne Fund to finance the installation of a 505 kilowatt solar system at the salad growers’ farm at Somerville. The $935,000 system will save $86,000 or 754 tonnes C02 equivalent a year, which is equal to taking 161 cars off the road for a year. The money comes through an environmental upgrade agreement administered by the fund and the shire. The solar project, assisted by Environmental Upgrade Finance, is the largest…

A SAFETY Beach family which has looked after 25 foster children over the past five years says more carers are urgently needed on the Mornington Peninsula. Linda Perrin and husband Tony are care ambassadors for OzChild with Ms Perrin also a fulltime foster carer. “With more and more children going into care due to mental health, drug addiction and mental health, there are just not enough carers to go around,” she said. “There are a lot of myths about Foster care, but the reality is that you do not have to be a fulltime married stay-at-home parent. You can work…

A SURVEY of baby snapper in Port Phillip has recorded the highest count in 26 years, surpassing previous peaks in 2001 and 2004. Victorian Fisheries Authority boss Travis Dowling said the baby snapper boom would herald an “unprecedented influx” of small snapper in 2022 and bigger snapper – over 40cm – in 2025. “Our fisheries scientists have never seen baby snapper numbers as good as this in all the years they have been conducting the surveys,” Mr Dowling said. “Port Phillip is the most important spawning area for snapper in central and western Victoria so this is very good news…

A BAG of jewellery found at the bus stop outside Balcombe Grammar, Mt Martha, in February, has Rosebud police baffled. The jewellery includes rings, a watch, a pair of earrings and a gold coloured wedding band inscribed with a message of love, a name and date. No one has come forward to claim it. Property officer Tony Paterson said the items may have been inadvertently left behind at the bus stop by an elderly person, or may have been stolen in small lots and dropped there by mistake. He said anyone who had lost jewellery or had some stolen around…

OPERATION Nemesis, run by Somerville Highway Patrol members at various Mornington Peninsula hot spots on Friday and Saturday nights, uses several patrol cars to detect drug-affected drivers. Police focus on specific locations and times which they believe provides the best chance of success. On the weekend of 18-21 May police breath tested 61drivers and found one driver over the limit and one who refused to be breath-tested. Of the 22 drivers given preliminary oral fluid tests for drugs, nine were positive and one refused to be tested. Three drivers were found to be unlicensed, suspended or disqualified from driving and…

A SPORTING group criticised by federal Dunkley Liberal MP Chris Crewther in Parliament earlier this year wants electorate boundaries changed in a move that would put the seat within reach of a Labor Party win at the next federal election. The Frankston & District Basketball Association (FDBA) wrote to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 14 May to support a proposed Dunkley electorate boundaries redistribution that would see Dunkley lose Mornington and the north of Baxter in the south to the Flinders electorate but gain Sandhurst in the north from the Isaacs electorate. The FDBA’s stadium is located at council-owned…

A TALK to Mornington U3A members by Vision Australia seeing eye dog volunteer of 20 years, Kate Harry, opened their eyes to the marvels of the role played by dogs. Ms Harry discussed how the well-trained dogs had transformed the lives of countless people with vision-impairment by enhancing their independence and mobility. She outlined the history of the guide dogs and chatted about her personal experience in caring for 21 puppies over the same number of years. The illustrated talk came about through Mornington U3A ‘That was Then’ history coordinator Gus van der Heyde with the help of U3A member…

MT MARTHA artist Eric Shepherd has been commissioned to do a painting of a WWI battlefield for an “exhibition of premium art by the best Victorian artists”. His oil on canvas work Battle of the Somme will feature in the Holt Armistice 100 year art exhibition at Narre Warren Mechanics Institute Hall in October. The exhibition will be attended by ambassadors or representatives of the embassies of the countries involved in the conflict. Afterwards the artists’ works will travel around the major cities in Australia. Mr Shepherd, 83, said he put a lot of effort into researching details behind his…

MEMBERS of the Australian Wildlife Protection Council are today (Tuesday 29 May) planning to visit the site of proposed vegetation clearing by VicRoads on the Mornington Peninsula Freeway. The inspection follows a meeting between the groups over treatment of animals displaced by the contentious median-strip clearing which had conservationists and animal carers up in arms (“Plea to end ‘cruel’ freeway clearing” The News 14/5/18). VicRoads and the wildlife protection council are at odds over the methods used to remove the vegetation and the capabilities of the tree removalists and animal habitat managers contracted for the work, which is expected to…

A SECTION of Defence Road in Point Nepean National Park will be closed for the next nine weeks. Parks Victoria says the roadworks are part of the state government’s $3.7 million “commitment towards activating the Point Nepean master plan”. However, the announcement by Parks Victoria has not gone unnoticed by Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Hugh Fraser who says the money being used to pay for the road is not “new money”. “The $3.7 million announced by the minister at the quarantine station Point Nepean on 21 January this year with a great fanfare as if it were new state government…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has watered down its demands to electrify the railway line between Frankston and Hastings. An “advocacy paper” released by the shire earlier this month stated that electrifying the railway to Baxter offered “minimal benefits” to peninsula residents and meant extending the town’s urban area into the green wedge. But councillors last week changed course, accepting Baxter as “phase one” of the railway line’s electrification and Hastings as “phase two”. In a late addition to the 22 May council meeting agenda, “team leader – peninsula wide” Rosa Zouzoulas submitted a report that identified two pieces of shire-owned vacant…

COUNCILLORS and mayors who seriously misbehave could be suspended for up to a year under new provisions in an amended Local Government Act introduced by the state government. Victorian Local Government Minister Marlene Kairouz introduced a bill into Parliament last Wednesday (23 May) to replace the Local Government Act 1989 in a move the Labor state government says “will modernise” councils across the state. “Clearly defining” sexual harassment has been included in a revised councillors’ code of conduct included in the new Local Government Act. The inclusion of the clause follows a high-profile investigation of former Melbourne lord mayor Robert…

THE Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has endorsed Mornington Peninsula Shire’s plans for a $1.2 million fourth boat ramp and jetty and renew three existing boat ramps at Rye. The VCAT approval gives the go-ahead to the contentious Rye Recreational Boating Precinct Plan, adopted in principle by the shire Council in November 2013, which recommended an upgrade to the Rye boat ramp precinct as a “short-term priority”. Finance is coming from a Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning grant of $588,000 with the shire adding $648,000 from its 2016-17 budget. It is believed a condition of the DEWLP grant…

THE $1.5 million 270 metre long Dorothy Houghton Walk was officially opened earlier this month. The path, above, was paid for by Mornington Peninsula Shire and provides access between Camerons Bight Beach and Sullivan Bay. In 1980, as Flinders shire president, Dorothy Houghton was instrumental in the state government buying land along the Sorrento foreshore, including Sullivan Bay, the Eastern and Western Sisters and part of Camerons Bight. “Mrs Houghton worked hard to protect public land along the Sorrento foreshore,” Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Bryan Payne said. “This [path] is a welcoming tribute to her legacy and will be…

A YEAR of intense training paid off earlier this month when Michael Cole and Laura Skvor cooked their way into the final of the Bocuse d’Or, billed as “the most prestigious gastronomic competition in the world”. Cole, head chef and Skvor commis chef at the Flinders Hotel, were members of the Australian team which came fourth out of 11 countries in the Asia Pacific division of Bocuse d’Or in China. Skvor won Best Commis Chef (food preparation and basic cooking under the supervision of a head chef) in the Asia Pacific division. The final of the Bocuse d’Or is being…

THE Merricks North family of a WWI soldier who went missing in Cairo and was labelled a deserter by the army in Egypt in 1916 is overjoyed that his reputation has been restored. Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans Affairs Darren Chester confirmed prior to Anzac Day that Private Edward ‘Ned’ Attfield, who disappeared in Egypt and who had previously been incorrectly recorded as an illegal absentee, had in fact been strangled and his unidentified body buried in the Old Cairo War Cemetery. No one linked him with the unidentified body at the time and it was the Army’s acceptance…