SOCCER FRANKSTON Pines and Somerville Eagles were the only local teams to start the 2018 State League season on a winning note. Pines head coach Paul Williams gave starts to Mitch Landers, Naseer Mohammed, Aaryn Rix and CJ Hodgson and used their pace and ability to transition quickly to hurt home team Heatherton United on Saturday eventually running out a 2-0 winner in their State 2 South-East contest. Heatherton was caught on the break half a dozen times with former Pines’ keeper Alfonso Cardinale making a fine save to deny Landers from converting Pines’ best first-half chance. It took a…
Year: 2018
SUB-DISTRICT By Mr & Mrs IT Gully TEN overs could mean the difference between a win and a loss, even in local cricket. At stumps on day one of the sub-district grand final between Dromana and Carrum, Dromana was in total command with the score at 5/140 after pushing through 70 overs on the rain-affected first day. For the Lions, several players got starts with the bat, but none of them pushed on to make a significant dent on the scoreboard. The bonus for the Lions was that they resumed day two with Jake D’Atri and Dylan Stead not out…
DISTRICT By Mr & Mrs IT Gully TORRENTIAL rain may not have affected first XI matches in all other divisional grand finals, but all roads will lead to Skye this Saturday afternoon when Baden Powell and Heatherhill finish their grand final battle. The run-ups were unplayable and despite best efforts to at least start the match, both captains agreed to start the grand final fresh on Sunday. At tea on the second day (Sunday) Baden Powell who won the toss and elected to bat, were 2/68 with Rhys Elmi ticking the scoreboard over nicely. Baden Powell legend John Harrison made…
PENINSULA By Mr & Mrs IT Gully THERE have been many teams over the journey who have had nightmares in local cricket. Unfortunately for Main Ridge skipper Nick Jewell, that nightmare has become a habit. Looking for a change of luck, Jewell crossed to Main Ridge after losing a couple of grand finals at Sorrento. Despite the unquestionable talent the bad luck continued to follow him. Jewell’s Main Ridge finished day one after 57.3 overs on 8/74. Shaun Foster top scored with 36 (Foster’s old team Carrum was defending 7/200 against Dromana who were 3/57 at tea on day 2).…
PROVINCIAL By Mr & Mrs IT Gully LANGWARRIN has been crowned Mornington Peninsula Association Provincial Champions after beating Mt Eliza. The Kangas, defending 180, had Mt Eliza reeling at 5/47 at tea on day two after 22 overs, with Lyle House and Justin Grant back in the sheds. Langwarrin skipper Travis Campbell, who’s no stranger to premierships at Edithvale, was on fire for the Kangas snaring 4/25 off 12 overs at the tea break. At the other end, arguably the best all rounder on the Peninsula, Matt Prosser was tweaking some magic of his own, bowling seven overs for a…
ONE day last week Mr T. Reeves, Frankston, received word from the Defence Departement to the effect that his son, Gunner C. Reeves, had been admitted to Sutton Veny Military Hospital, England, on 23/1/18, suffering from gastritis. We trust that Mr and Mrs Reeves will hear better news of their young soldier son, who although only a lad of seventeen, has been fighting nobly; has been badly wounded, and gone back to fight again. *** A MEETING of residents of Frankston was held at the Mechanics on Tuesday to take steps to erect a memorial at Frankston to the memory…
HONOURING a father’s memory is on the mind of the family of a former manager at Frankston’s Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre. Ex-PARC building and asset leader Sam Newman, a Skye father of five, passed away last April after a long and difficult fight against leukaemia. Two of his sons Deagan, 6, and Kaden, 8, joined pa Michael Tinetti at the swim and sports centre on Friday 16 March to participate in the World’s Greatest Shave to raise money for The Leukaemia Foundation. Mr Tinetti plans to take part in the charity event each year and about $3500 was raised from…
THIEVES ransacked 14 cars outside houses in Mt Martha, overnight Sunday 18 March. Detective Sergeant Alan Paxton, of Somerville CIU, said items including tools, coins and phones were stolen from “mainly unlocked cars” parked in Stanley and Paramount crescents, and on Bruce, Ponyara, and Bradford roads. Thieves hit cars in Sorrento the next night, taking similar items from cars parked in Labuan Street, as well as Coppin, Bowan and Melbourne roads. Many of the cars were said to be unlocked. A car in Point Nepean Road had its number plates stolen. “People are still leaving valuables, such as phones, wallets,…
A NEW police unit will tackle the scourge of drug dealing and trafficking across the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula region. The newly merged unit of Frankston and peninsula-based officers will be based at Mornington Police Station and will share information about dealers to crack down on drug-related crime. Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Lamb will lead the unit and has a simple message for drug traffickers. “If you’re a drug dealer rest assured we’re coming for you,” he said. Detective Lamb, also the Liberal Party preferred candidate for Frankston at November’s state election, said merging resources between Frankston and the peninsula…
A MOTORBIKE rider came a cropper while fleeing coppers after clipping the wheel of a 4 wheel drive on Frankston-Flinders Road near Balnarring on Tuesday 20 March. The 33-year-old Bittern rider decided to avoid a police roadside testing operation at Hodgins Road and “booted it” on a Harley Davidson bike. His bike crossed the road line and clipped the 4WD travelling in the opposite direction along Frankston-Flinders Road. The rider, believed to be unlicensed, was airlifted to The Alfred hospital with a broken arm and leg and facial injuries. The driver of the 4WD was unharmed. First published in the…
A MAN was treated for the after effects of smoke inhalation in the wake of a fire at Volitans Avenue, Mt Eliza on Tuesday 20 March. The 47-year-old heard “a crackling noise” and discovered the rear deck and fence on fire. CFA firefighters brought the blaze, described by police as “potentially suspicious” under control, and the fire caused about $20,000 worth of damage to the deck, fence, BBQ and deck furniture. Anyone with any information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at crimestoppersvic.com.au online. First published in the Mornington News – 27 March…
SIXTEEN graduates from the African Children’s Choir will sing in Mt Martha next month. As members of Ubuntu Africa they will spend a week on the Mornington Peninsula as part of a “grass roots cultural exchange” arranged by Mornington Church of Christ, Two Bays Choir and Mornington Community Singers. “Watching participants from both sides learn about each other’s cultures is one of the highlights of the tour,” Kwaya Australia president and founder Marsha Gusti said. The singers will eat at an Aussie barbecue, eat fish and chips at the beach, visit The Briars and shop at the Wednesday Mornington market.…
By Barry Morris IT was a windy day with reptiles slithering, veggies growing, insects, bugs and spiders crawling, poo composting, water and plastic recycling and the sounds of frogs croaking. But there was nothing to fear or complain about as it was all part of the 35th Mornington Peninsula Schools Environment Week at The Briars historic property, Mt Martha. Teachers and volunteers over the week (19-22 March) were instilling in more than 2000 schoolchildren the belief that they can make a difference to the world by living a sustainable life. Indigenous leaders taught children about Victorian Aboriginal culture and the…
A QUARREL with their telephone provider reached crisis-point for long-established Mornington fishermen Neville and Dalton Hutchins late last year when their phone was cut off. The brothers – who can trace their commercial fishing roots off Mornington and Mt Martha beaches back to 1855 – admittedly “let things get away a bit” when approached by NBN technicians and their service provider to buy modems and adaptors to reconnect to the new service in September. “The whole thing sort of scared me,” Neville admitted. “I’m not a tech-head, I’m a fisherman, and I suppose I let things drift a bit. To…
EASTER and the school holidays are fast approaching, making this a timely reminder to take care on the roads. “Obey the road rules and don’t endanger yourself, your passengers or other road users,” Acting Sergeant Julia Starkey, of Rosebud police, said. On 20 December last year, an 18-year-old Caulfield East man who had held a red-Ps probationary licence for only four months was involved in a single vehicle collision on Browns Road, Rye. His damaged car ended up in trees on the centre median strip. Police estimate the man was travelling at 130kph in a 60kph zone. He has been…
THE 1ST TOOTGAROOK scouts group used Clean Up Australia Day to spread the message on reducing beach litter – and in the process won a photo competition beating scouts from all over Australia. The 24 children in the group cleaned one kilometre of foreshore over three hours, collecting 32kg of rubbish. They chose 555 pieces to create a colourful map of Australia which won them a digital camera. Joey scout leader Noel Bangs received an email from Clean Up Australia praised the photograph for its “presentation of the wide range of items collected, and the creativity and effort involved”. The…
THE federal government is partnering with Moon lit Sanctuary, Pearcedale to build an aviary for young orange-bellied parrots to survive their first winter. Research has shown that a high proportion of the endangered parrots born in the wild fail to survive their first migration across Bass Strait to Tasmania. “With only 50 adults left in the wild, and around 350 adult birds in captivity, we need to increase the breeding population – every bird matters here,” Flinders MP Greg Hunt said. “Using this technique, known as ranching, the birds will be released back into the wild population in Tasmania next…
THE Easter weekend is starting indoors for a group of Mornington Peninsula artists who like to paint outdoors. Members of Peninsula Plein Air Painters begin their holiday weekend early with their annual exhibition opening on Thursday, March 29. Artist Miodrag Jankovic will officially open the exhibition being held at the Sorrento Activity Centre daily until Easter Monday. Members of the group can be seen on any Thursday at such scenic places as Mothers Beach, Mornington, Millionaires Walk, Portsea, Arthurs Seat or Cape Schanck. Plein air painting originated through the French impressionists and notable Australian plein air landscape artists include McCubbin,…
A WESTERN Port fisherman whose kayak started taking water before sinking last week told rescuers he feared not making it home to see his newborn baby and two other children. The 35-year-old, of Noble Park, had been shark fishing. He said he cut his lines when he noticed water rising inside his kayak and paddled as fast as he could towards shore until it sank – taking his wallet, keys and phone with it. He was left floundering for an hour in deep water about three kilometres off Balnarring, 2.30pm, Thursday 22 March. The man told his rescuers he was…
A FLEET of classic cars and motorcycles will travel across the Mornington Peninsula next month in support of children suffering from cancer. The first Ruby’s Ride ‘n’ Roll was held last year by Rachael Ford and Shane McGuinness, who started their own charity – Ruby-Rose Rainbow Fund – to raise money for children with cancer. “We lost our daughter to cancer two years ago, She had acute myeloid leukaemia, which is a very aggressive type of blood cancer. We’re fundraising for clinical trials, particularly for this type of leukaemia which one in three children will not survive,” Ms Ford said.…
GIFTS over the past three years to Mornington Peninsula Shire staff revealed in the much debated and now public gifts register range from a $1200 trip to Sydney to items valued at $2. Ten pages of the register from 4 September 2015 to 19 December 2017 show 69 gifts, three of which were declined. The register identifies the positions but not the names of staff declaring gifts or receiving offers of gifts. The $1200 “gift” was made by the US-owned Dell EMC information technology company for the shire’s chief information officer to attend an August 2017 forum in Sydney. The…
RED balloons floated on 11-metre-long strings above Capel Sound last week to show how high the state government allows houses to go on the Mornington Peninsula without a permit. Mornington Peninsula Shire says the contentious rules imposed last year “without consultation” already apply to 24,000 housing sites on the peninsula. The figure represents a quarter of the peninsula’s housing stock. The shire says the rules will lead to the proliferation of “three storey McMansions”. The mayor Cr Bryan Payne said Thursday’s balloon demonstration aimed to “alert the Victorian community to the threats to coastal villages posed by future inappropriate development”.…
A GROUP of Dromana men are working to save Dromana pier from rotting away into the sea while ensuring the community retains “a valuable asset”. The group – part of Association for Building Community in Dromana – believes the 185 metre concrete structure, built in 1959 to replace a timber jetty built in the 1860s, is estimated to have about 10 years’ useful life left. Following an “extensive community survey” of residents’ views the group says a new pier needs to be longer so as to reach deep water to allow ferries to berth, and wider to allow space for…
A BID to revamp the Woolworth’s supermarket at Rye, as well as put up new shade sails, cut trees and reshuffle car parking areas, has been given the go ahead, while a proposal to “swap” land at its sister store at Mornington has been refused. Other works approved at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s Monday 19 March planning committee meeting for the Rye supermarket, on the corner of Point Nepean Road and Hygeia Street, include an eight-metre-high street sign; reducing car parking spaces; adding more rubbish and recycling bins; and installing charging outlets for electric vehicles. The shire’s statutory planning team…
An elderly man has died in hospital following a collision in McCrae earlier this month. The 91-year-old McCrae man was struck by a turning vehicle in the car park of a Point Nepean Road shopping centre shortly before 9am on 16 March. He was taken to hospital, where he died last night. Police will prepare a report for the coroner. The driver, a 61-year-old Rosebud man, has assisted police with their enquiries. Somerville Highway Patrol members are investigating the collision and are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a…
A BOMB scare this morning (Tuesday 20 March) saw part of Fletcher Road near Frankston Magistrates’ Court cordoned off between about 8am and 10am. Police gave the “all clear” and reopened the road after the bomb squad was called in to investigate using a robot to get close to “suspicious devices” outside the courthouse building. Eyewitnesses said it appeared a fuel container had been wired and taped up to look like an incendiary device in what seemed to be “a hoax”. Anyone with information about the incident should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime…
NAVAL police combined forces with a Victoria Police highway patrol to carry out a road safety operation at HMAS Cerberus, Crib Point. Operation Adiona — named for the Roman goddess of travel and safe return — saw military police and civilian police conduct roadside breath testing and mobile drug testing of both defence members and civilians entering the base as well as registration and roadworthiness checks. Warrant Officer Darren Lonergan said the operation strengthened the relationship between the military and civilian police “in many practical ways and will be followed by more joint operations”. “Working alongside our colleagues from the…
AN exciting new residential project in Hastings was officially launched on Tuesday 13 March by award-winning developer Defence Housing Australia (DHA). The 3.78-hectare site will comprise 68 land lots, including 30 new homes for Defence members and their families, supporting the local Navy base, HMAS Cerberus. Ten medium density lots are already under offer to a prominent local builder for private development with another 12 lots in stage one selling out in six weeks. DHA Chairman, the Hon J.A.L. (Sandy) Macdonald, said the new $16 million development would create a sustainable residential community while making a significant contribution to the…
RARE and classic cars dating back to the early 1900s will be on show at the Flinders Motoring Heritage show, 10am-4pm, Sunday 1 April (Easter Sunday). Around 100 vehicles are registered to appear, including those carrying such badges as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Triumph, Jaguar, Holden, Ford, Porsche, Austin Healey, Daimler, Bentley, Mercedes Benz, Renault, Tesla, Vauxhall and Cadillac. The verhicles will displayed at the corner of Cook and Norman streets, Flinders, as well as in the park on Cook Street. Trophies will be awarded to the best vehicle in each category. The $5 entry includes a ticket in the raffle.…
THE councillor who successfully moved to limit spending on the proposed Rosebud Aquatic Centre at $43.57 million admits his hand would have been only “halfway up” without the cap. Cr David Gill told last week’s meeting at the Rosebud Memorial Hall, which adopted the larger pool option, that he was “putting my hand up for a 50-metre pool. Yes I want a 50-metre pool”. But, he said later, he was concerned the shire was neglecting other issues, such as pressing social needs in Somerville and Hastings, low cost housing, halls in disrepair and “community houses going bankrupt”, such as Mornington…