AFTER playing catch up to Padua Secondary College at the Southern Independent Schools swimming carnivals for the past 28 years, Flinders Christian College finally emerged victorious in Division A last week. “It was a fantastic achievement and our swimming squad has worked so hard for this great achievement,” marketing head Monica Wulff said. Placings and overall points were: Flinders 739.5, Padua 714, St Francis Xavier 610, Woodleigh 568.5, Cornish 533 and Berwick 251. Flinders College staff and coaches couldn’t hide their excitement at the win, jumping and cartwheeling into the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre pool – and spreading their…
Year: 2018
CONCERNS about the spread of the debilitating skin infection Buruli ulcer on the Mornington Peninsula are rising with reports of infections reportedly up about 400 per cent in four years with 275 patients infected last year. Disease expert Barwon Health Associate Professor Daniel O’Brien, who treats patients at a monthly clinic at Sorrento, says the community is facing a “worsening epidemic without knowing how to prevent it”. He is calling for “much more money to fund research into the causes to help stem the spread of the disease”. Professor O’Brien has used the pages of this month’s Medical Journal of…
A SORRENTO author says her first novel has received more than 70,000 e-book downloads. The Bay of Shadows, by Samantha Wood, is set in a rambling house in a small Australian beach town where Elena Jameson is recovering from her recent divorce. To her delight, she is offered the opportunity to foster a little boy, Daniel, whose mother is dead and whose violent father is in rehab. Elena and Daniel explore the beautiful bay and wild bushland, and form a strong bond. But, in what the author describes as a “gothic tale of love and loss, bravery and hope”, Daniel’s…
A fourth person has been charged following the fatal shooting of a man in Rosebud last year. Detectives from the Homicide Squad yesterday arrested and charged a 46-year-old Rosebud man with one count of murder. He will appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today. On Tuesday a 25-year-old-man and a 31-year-old woman were arrested in Smithfield, New South Wales in relation to the matter. The man has been charged with murder while the woman has been charged with being an accessory to murder. They were subsequently extradited to Victoria and remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date.…
THE launch of a book about long-time Flinders identity Christie Johnstone will be a feature of local RSL activities in the lead-up to Anzac Day (25 April) at Flinders. The 98-year-old farmer was born in the cottage Mantonville, built circa 1870, which still stands in a crumbled form behind his current house. He is a descendant of the Tuck family, who were some of the original settlers in the area. Mr Johnstone was a stretcher bearer in War World II, most notably in the Battle of Alamein, and later in New Guinea. Each year he takes part in the Flinders…
POWER supplier AGL expects to apply this month for regulatory approvals to moor a floating gas import terminal at Crib Point. If given the go ahead, the company would bring the first gas ashore in about two years – in time for winter 2020. AGL last week said environmental studies were “almost finalised” and it was “well advanced” in the process to lease an FSRU (floating storage and regasification unit) and source gas. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) would be shipped to Western Port and then heated to turn it into gas before being fed into a pipeline for the…
SOCCER SOMERVILLE Eagles continued their winning ways in State 5 South with a 3-1 win over Aspendale at Tyabb Central Recreation Reserve on Saturday. Eagles’ player-coach Dave Greening refuses to discuss the club’s promotion chances but his side is doing its talking out on the pitch and now boasts a perfect start to the season. Somerville flew out of the blocks and dominated the first half-hour before a superb ball down the line from Sam Beadle found Greening. The ace striker twisted and turned past two opponents before firing a shot at goal which was parried to Louis Griffiths who…
DIVISION TWO TYABB conceded the final six goals of the game to lose in a nail biter against Hastings in round two of MPNFL Division Two football on Saturday. Tyabb was cruising to victory against premiership fancy Hastings, leading at three quarter time 8.8 (56) to 3.3 (22). Nothing looked like stopping the Yabbies at that stage of the game. Hastings on the other hand had self-belief. They also had the advantage of the wind. Taylor Stratton got the ball rolling for the Blues at the seven minute mark of the last quarter before a mini avalanche from the 20…
DIVISION ONE FRANKSTON YCW sits alone at the top of the MPNFL Division One ladder after beating Bonbeach in miserable conditions, 6.11 (47) to 4.8 (32), at the John Coburn Oval on Saturday. The Stonecats took full advantage of the wind conditions in the opening quarter, booting 3.2 (20) to 1.0 (6), before holding off Bonbeach in the last quarter, restricting the Sharks to one goal only. The game was played in typical YCW vs Bonbeach fashion, leaving no room for players who fail to put their head over the footy. Jai Coglan and Paul Minchington for the Stonecats while…
WHAT starts as just another boring day for George quickly turns into a marvellous experiment of epic proportions! Cleverly adapted from the much-loved book by Roald Dahl, George’s Marvellous Medicine bounds off the page in a spectacular live show for the whole family. On a good day, George can’t stand his Grandma. She complains all the time, she’s mean and she smells funny. On this particular day, Grandma is much more annoying than usual and George has had enough. “George – make me a cup of tea! George – rub my feet! George – stop growing!” Ugh. Wanting to put…
WE deeply regret to announce the death while on active service of Private C. R. Wilson, who was killed in France on April 3rd. Before enlisting he was a constant visitor to Frankston and was a captain of the Kooyong Club. *** THERE are twenty one candidates for the Nationalist nomination in the Flinders Election. The following is the list stated in alphabetical order. John Abbott, R M. Anderson, Captain S. Bruce, M.C, Croix de Guerre; F. Buckley, F Russell Coldham, W. B. Grouse, Lieutenant Colonel J. J. Hanby, J. Henty, William Home, Reginald Kelly, Jeffrey Macpherson, E. F. Mitchell,…
FINDING a car park in Mt Eliza’s shopping centre is about to become more difficult with the loss of at least five per cent of the village’s 1017 parking spaces. The busy centre will lose 30 car parks after redevelopment of John Butler Reserve, and 15 spaces after expansion of Eliza Square shopping centre with its lead tenant Woolworths and liquor outlet BWS. The Committee for Greater Frankston – an independent group formed last year to advocate for a better deal in the region, including Mt Eliza – is calling on Mornington Peninsula Shire to increase not decrease the number…
DOGS of all ages, breeds, shapes and sizes will be the centre of attention at Mt Eliza Rotary Club’s third Bark in the Park Dog Expo on Sunday 22 April. This event will be held 10am-2pm in John Butler Reserve, Mt Eliza Way, Mt Eliza. A series of “fun” competitions will follow the official opening by Cr Rosie Clark. The 16 competitions include best trick, “waggiest” tail, best dog hair style, most alike dog and owner and best golden oldie. Dogs can be entered into more than one competition. The expo will also include market stalls specialising in pet products,…
A NURSING home planned at Mt Martha would help avoid trauma and problems caused when elderly people are forced to move away from their families and community. “In many cases elderly couples are separated by quite some distance when one spouse requires nursing home care offsite while the remaining spouse resides at home within [the adjacent] Koorootang or Martha’s Point [retirement villages]”, Angela Pollard said when speaking on behalf of the family which owns the land on which the nursing home is planned. “It will provide a pathway to those residents requiring the next level of care and ensure that…
SUPERMARKET shoppers are beginning a speedy transition towards a plastic-bag-free shopping environment. Major players Coles and Woolworths in Mornington will phase out single use plastic bags from 20 June. Customers who don’t bring their own bags will be able to buy alternatives, including thicker reusable plastic bags for 15 cents, canvas bags for 99 cents or chiller bags for $2.49. The move affects customers at Coles and Woollies’ supermarkets, liquor stores, petrol stations and mini-marts. The companies announced the move 12 months ago. It will especially please environmentalists, such as the various beach cleaning groups, who say the bags are…
A DEDICATION ceremony on Anzac Day in Hastings will honour the life and service of a man who fought in both world wars. Lieutenant George Mawby (or Morby) Ingram was a carpenter before joining the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force in World War I and saw service in New Guinea. During World War II, he served with the Royal Australian Engineers, was appointed captain and went on to receive the Victoria Cross, Military Medal, service medals for the two world wars, and coronation medals for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. After the war, he worked as a…
THE Port of Hastings is being seen as an integral link in supplying liquid hydrogen to Japan. The hydrogen, produced from brown coal in the Latrobe Valley, will go overseas while the CO2 released in the process is planned to be stored under the Gippsland Basin using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. Details of a $496 million four-year pilot project announced last Thursday (12 April) have been hailed by both the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Premier Daniel Andrews. However, even if the pilot is successful, full scale exports of hydrogen will not start until sometime after 2030. The…
BATTLING his demons since he was 12 years old Nik Shepheard has used public speaking and kiteboarding to lift him past his dark times and now wants to help others do the same. Shepheard is hoping to raise $1 million for the beyond blue depression and anxiety support service by circumnavigating Australia on a kiteboard and will launch his venture on Saturday 21 April at the Mt Martha Lifesaving Club. Shepheard said he has been living and breathing kiteboarding for 18 years and has spent the past five years preparing for his circumnavigation attempt. “The idea has come about through…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s new communications executive manager Randal Mathieson has a background in marketing and promotion. During his time at the Australian Broadcasting Commission Mr Mathieson also “led a major organisational change project … as the head of change management, stakeholder liaison and communications”, according to information compiled and distributed by the shire. Mr Mathieson sits on several boards in the not-for-profit sector (The Big Issue and its offshoot Homes for Homes) and is involved in the arts, co-founding and co-chairing the Southbank Arts Precinct Group. His profile on the online jobs networking site LinkedIn begins with his four years…
A FINGAL woman preparing to move house after 15 years is offering $1500 for the return of family heirlooms she mistakenly gave to opportunity shops in Rosebud. “The reward is a lot more than the items are worth but, to me, they’re everything,” Ann Robb said. Ms Robb said about eight weeks ago she filled the family utility with black garbage bags full of clothes and other unwanted items and took them to the Rotary and Lions op shops, opposite the Plaza. Four days later she realised that at least two of the bags contained her precious items. “We are…
PARKS Victoria is inviting feedback on three designs versions of “eco sleeper pods” being displayed at Point Nepean National Park. The pods are seen as being suitable for overnight or short-stay accommodation. Parks wants visitors to comment on the design, amenity, accessibility and visual impact of the pods. The pilot pods include styles with and without kitchens and bathrooms, as well as fully self-sufficient “off grid” models with electricity and water. The pods will be at Point Nepean until July and can be seen from 10.30am – 2.30pm Thursday to Monday until 30 April. The pods have been designed by…
UNION lawyers were last week looking over documents to be lodged with the Fair Work Commission following a breakdown in negotiations aimed at saving the jobs of rangers and their supervisors at Mornington Peninsula Shire. Australian Services Union organiser Ty Lockwood said the shire was offering redundancy packages to 13 employees in its compliance unit who had been told they could then reapply for their jobs (“Union moves to protect jobs at shire” The News 3/4/18). He said the shire could face a $1 million payout. “We want a Fair Work hearing – conciliation is the first part – as…
HUNDREDS of thousands of giant spider crabs are about to begin their annual migration into the sandy shallows at Rye and Blairgowrie. The armada of orange crabs arrives as the bay’s waters begin to cool in May and stays until July. Marine biologist Sheree Marris said that, as the name suggests, these crabs are massive, with long spindly legs and bodies up to 17cm wide. “They move in organised chaos on eight long legs,” she said. “Their weapons are swollen claws and their mission is to seek shelter in the safety of the shallows, moult and, in some cases, mate.”…
MELBOURNE Water is tight-lipped about any future sales of land alongside the pipeline from its Eastern Treatment Plant at Bangholme to the ocean outfall at Gunnamatta. Speculation surrounds the possible sale of many blocks of various sizes – probably for residential purposes – as the authority seeks to make money from land reserved for the pipeline. Concerns have been raised about the “piecemeal” sale of blocks which will reduce the land now being used as public reserves for playgrounds, walking and riding trails, and open space. Other concerns are that Melbourne Water is using “speculative land sales” as a revenue…
WRITER and actor Kate Mulvany has written a play based on a book that takes its readers out of this world. Mulvany attributes the award-winning Masquerade by Kit Williams with helping her recover from a bout of childhood sickness. “Within a few words my mind exploded, my imagination went crazy be-cause I was on that adventure with Jack on his way across the universe, and I think that book helped me get better,” Mulvany says. “I always kept the book Masquerade by my side, my entire life. Then a few years ago I decided I wanted to turn that book…
A man and woman were arrested last night over the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man in Rosebud last year. The shooting allegedly occurred on Eastbourne Road on 3 September, 2017. A Mount Waverley man was found in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a gun-shot wound to his head about 8pm. He was taken to hospital but died the following night. A 25-year-old-man and a 31-year-old woman were arrested in Smithfield, New South Wales about 7.15pm last night. The man has been charged with murder while the woman has been charged with being an accessory to murder. An…
The Mornington Peninsula has suffered a deluge of rain and damaging winds today as a cold front moved across Victoria. A deep low pressure system will move to the south of Tasmania and direct a series of active cold fronts across Victoria over the next few days. The strongest of these cold fronts will continue to affect the peninsula and other areas during the afternoon. Damaging winds are set to continue during the afternoon and thunderstorms are possible during the day and could produce damaging wind gusts above 90 km/h. The Bureau of Meteorology’s radar loop shows very heavy rain…
POLICE are searching for a woman following a series of deceptions at Hastings on Saturday 16 December. At about 2.50pm, the woman used an allegedly stolen credit card to buy several bottles of alcohol at a Church Street liquor store. The stolen card was later used at two other businesses, mainly to buy cigarettes – with three purchases totalling $138 made within 10 minutes. The woman is described as being Caucasian, about 20 years old, with a slim build and straight long brown hair. She was wearing a burgundy t-shirt, dark blue pants and slip-on shoes. Anyone with information can…
MODEL aircraft of all types, sizes and styles will take off in the Western Port Model Aircraft Club’s Wings over Western Port open day, Sunday 15 April. The club’s inaugural open day is the airfield at 360 The Esplanade, Crib Point. Gates will be open to the public 10am-4pm. Members fly model helicopters, jets, civilian and military type aircraft “all based on the real thing and sounding just as good”, secretary Stephen Gray said. The club, founded in the early 1990s, has a membership of about 100 and a diverse range of age groups and experience levels – with some…
THE Peninsula Sharks have officially become affiliated with Gridiron Victoria after a year and a half of pushing for a gridiron team on the Mornington Peninsula. The Sharks were awarded their chance to join the league on Wednesday 21 March and are set to take up the opportunity with their Men’s senior side when the season kicks off in June. Peninsula Sharks president Garry Smith said the club was ecstatic when they heard the news and are excited to get underway. “I have always been upfront with everyone at the club and everyone knew that there was the possibility that…