Month: February 2019

Police are searching for two men following two incidents of theft and assault in Pearcedale in January and February. On 20 January at about 8pm it is believed two men have approached the victim outside his home on East Road and punched him to the face before stealing cash from his car. The victim received minor injuries. The men ran to a SUV which was driven away by a third man. On 17 February it is believed the two men returned to the same location in a silver Nissan sedan. One of the men smashed the windscreen of the same…

DETECTIVES are keen to talk to a man and woman after a dumpster was set alight at the rear of David Prosser Seafoods, Blake Street, Mornington, 1am, Saturday 16 February. Detective Shane Moodie, of Somerville CIU, said $1000 damage was caused by the blaze. Mornington fire brigade latter extinguished the fire.

By Jay McCarthy-Rivero After 48 solo art exhibitions across the world, Dutch born Mornington artist, Phillippe de Kraan, is facing his toughest assignment as an artist – exhibiting at the New York Art Expo in April. De Kraan is being represented by The Gallery Steiner, a Vienna based gallery which exhibits works at arts fairs across the world. “It is a great honour to be represented by The Gallery Steiner,” de Kraan said. “To be represented by them will help cast my art across the world stage.” In New York, he’ll be exhibiting two works, Parody of Life and There…

Tony Duboudin The historic cargo shed at Flinders pier it packs a lot of history into a small space. The eight metres by five metres shed is the only building in Flinders on the Victoria Heritage Register. Built in the 1870s, the shed has been renovated and now home to an interpretive display tracing the history of the area back to the days before European settlement. The shed and interpretive display was officially opened to the public by Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr David Gill on Thursday 21 February. The ceremony was attended by members of the Flinders District Historical…

AN estimated crows of 4000 people was in Hastings for the 50th Western Port Festival on the weekend to watch the parade, enjoy music, and participate in free activities. Organisers were “very happy with the turn-out” who took in the action on the foreshore, including Sunday’s Classic Car Show with 200 British, US and European cars, Battle of the Bands, rides and attractions, sand sculpture, competitions, amusements, community market and fireworks display. About 40 community groups marched down High Street in Saturday’s parade followed by a flash mob’s – kids from Simply Dance – unplanned dance action bringing up the…

PASSERS-BY put a stop to a potential wine theft at a Mt Martha bottle shop, Wednesday 6 February. Mornington police say a man, pictured, entered the Lochiel Avenue business about 4pm. After allegedly slipping a bottle of wine into his bag he tried to leave the store without paying but was grabbed and the bottle retrieved. The would-be thief ran off. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au First published in the Western Port News – 26 February 2019

SOMERVILLE soprano Harmony Lee, right, will perform at the 21st anniversary Opera in the Market in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market on 4 March. The 19-year-old singer, who graduated from secondary school in 2017, has made a name for herself this summer with her performance – with fellow Opera Scholars Australia students – of the appeal to Saint Seraphina from Malcolm Williamson’s Our man in Havana ahead of Beechworth’s Opera in the Alps. For the past six years Lee has paid for her singing lessons by busking with her voice and violin. She is now rehearsing with her 21 fellow scholars…

THE weather is looking good for next weekend’s Western Port Angling Club annual whiting challenge. The 2-3 March event – the club’s 30th – is expected to attract up to 300 competitors because of the many whiting being caught in the bay. Categories are senior male, senior female, teens and under-10s. Fishing identity Paul Worsteling is offering $1000 for the first 1.0 kilogram whiting weighed during the challenge. Broadcaster David Kramer will present prizes from 4pm, Sunday 3 March, at the angling club’s rooms next to the Hastings public boat ramp. Entries close 2pm Saturday 2 March. Details on the…

Police are currently on the scene of a collision that occurred about 4.30pm today (25 February) in Somerville. It is believed a man driving a white Holden utility north on Tyabb-Tooradin Road collided with a man riding a motorbike southbound. The motorcyclist, believed to be in his 50s, died at the scene. Another car, a black Holden Commodore, crashed into the utility following the initial collision. The driver of the utility and the female passenger of the Holden Commodore were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Any witnesses or anyone with dash-cam footage of the collision is urged to contact…

PENINSULA MOOROODUC have put themselves in pole position to claim a win over Crib Point with a good performance on day one of their clash at Crib Point Recreation Reserve. Having been sent in to bat first, Moorooduc got off to a shaky start when they lost two quick wickets early. A steadying innings of 42 runs from number 4 batsman Shamith Kennangara helped Moorooduc correct their course, and they eventually ended up making 185 runs before being bowled out. Things would have been worse for Crib Point if not for Matthew Blake, who posted bowling figures of 4/16 off…

SOCCER BAXTER soccer club discovered 14 heroes on Saturday and set a benchmark of commitment for the upcoming season that threatens to silence the naysayers and confound its critics. In one of the most remarkable stories of the FFA Cup the local club overcame enormous odds to record a 3-2 victory after 120 minutes of gut-busting effort. Here was a club that a few days earlier was facing the possibility of having to forfeit this fixture. Worse still rumours abounded about players leaving and forcing the committee to withdraw its senior and reserve teams from State 4 South. Senior coach…

PINECLIFF-based racehorse trainer, Anthony Freedman (Mt Eliza), has landed Godolphin’s very first victory in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday 23 February. The famous royal blue silks were carried to victory by jockey Luke Currie as the Freedman-trained Lyre surged from the second half of the field to secure Victoria’s richest juvenile race by half a length. Lyre is one of five Godolphin youngsters that the Freedman stable have under their care, and the only one that they’ve had raced. “This is a great result for our family,” Anthony Freedman said. “Our association with Godolphin…

MOUNT Martha Lifesaving Club has been crowned Victorian Masters Champions for 2019 with a victory at Lorne on Saturday 9 February. The 22-strong MMLSC Masters team finished just five points ahead of Mordialloc Lifesaving Club, with 21 of their members landing individual medals. The annual Masters’ event saw more than 30 clubs from across Victoria and more than 300 competitors enter the competition. Mount Martha Lifesaving Club president and Masters competitor, Bec Gibbs, said it was a fantastic day overall and even better to claim the Master championship. “It’s fantastic, it’s great for our club and it’s great for our…

AT the Mornington police court on Wednesday before Mr J. G. Barrett, Js’P., an elderly woman named Mary Sandles appeared to answer a charge of drunkenness. She was fined 5s, in default 5 hours imprisonment. Defendant stated she was a resident of South Melbourne and sold matches for a living. She was offered a joy ride to the sea-side by a friend and finally arrived at Mornington where she was having a jolly time when the police interferred, and cut short her merry making. The police escorted Mary out of the town during the afternoon and she is now wending…

POLICE are seeking dash-cam footage after a 71-year-old Tyabb cyclist was struck from behind on Mornington-Tyabb Road, between Jones and Frankston-Flinders roads, Tyabb, 7.30am, Wednesday 13 February. He is still in a serious condition in The Alfred hospital. The footage can be forwarded to Senior Constable Anthony Deason, Somerville Highway Patrol, call 5978 1358, or go to Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 26 February 2019

TWO men arrested at Tootgarook last week faced Frankston Magistrates’ Court charged with a range of burglary, theft and deception charges. Detective Sergeant Jason Hocking, of Somerville CIU, said the 22-year-old, of Rosebud, and the 42-year-old, of Tootgarook, were arrested in Raymond Street, 3.30am, Tuesday 19 February. They were said to have in their possession power tools, IDs and credit cards allegedly stolen from cars parked in the area overnight. Detective Hocking said CCTV showed one of the men using a stolen credit card at a Rye service station around that time. The Rosebud man appeared on six counts of…

AN alert courier driver was able to have his van stopped by remote-control after it was stolen from outside a house in Mt Eliza where he was making a delivery, Wednesday 13 February. The van was immobilised when the van was within two blocks – still giving the thieves time to transfer two dozen packages and parcels into a waiting station wagon before making their getaway. A man, 28, and woman, 27, both of the Somerville area, appeared before Frankston Magistrates’ Court, Friday 15 February, charged with more than 60 theft-related offences. (See Arrested delivery The News 19/2/19). They were…

OBITUARY Michael Owen Parkinson, 1954-2019Surfer Eat your chips first; no one’s going to take your flake. Sounds like good advice, but did it come from personal experience or have a deeper philosophical meaning? Maybe it was just something passed down as part of the Parkinson family law. The short sentence about advice given to a friend by Michael “Mick” Parkinson was just one of many entries in a memorial book left on a table of empty glasses at Sorrento back beach on Thursday 7 February. The glasses, tables with plates of sandwiches and chairs lined up in the sand facing…

THREE young Mornington Peninsula surfers have signalled they are contenders for state-level recognition following the first round of the Victorian State Junior Surfing Titles at Gunnamatta. While mainly west coast surfers dominated during the two-day contest (16, 17 February), brother and sister Sara and Lucas Hickson and Sarsha Pancic showed the peninsula’s young surfers are a growing force. Sara Hickson, of Rye, won the under-14 girls division. Her brother Lucas came second in the under-14 boys; Sarsha Pancic, of Blairgowrie, was third in the under-14 girls. While surfing her way to third place Pancic scored 9.43 for a wave, giving…

ROSEBUD’S Annalise Magee came across the Miss Universe Australia 2019 competition on Instagram and decided she’d “give it a go and see what would happen”. Then promptly forgot about it. One month later, she received an email saying she was one of 30 Victorian finalists. The pressure was on, not the least of which was her fear of being up there on stage and the centre of attention. “I’m used to being on the stage, but only for aerobics,” she said. “For me, public speaking has never been my forte and is one thing I wish to become better at…

AN inspection of hi-tech waste facilities in China in 2017 by officers and councillors was indicative of Mornington Peninsula Shire’s commitment to better waste management, it is claimed. Shire infrastructure services manager Jessica Wingad said the visit aimed to progress the use of advanced waste and resource recovery technologies to reduce the need for more landfill sites. The technology also improved resource recovery from municipal, construction and commercial residual waste, she said. “Mornington Peninsula Shire was committed to best practice waste management and resource recovery, taking an active role in transitioning the state to waste-to-energy technology,” Ms Wingad said. “We…

PERFORMERS from three generations will put on a multimedia retrospective of stories shared by women living on the Mornington Peninsula next month. When The Birds Come In, curated and crafted by Carole Patullo, Jane Bayly and Melanie Beddie, will be performed at the Southern Peninsula Arts Centre, Rosebud, 16-17 March. In what’s described as a “moving feast”, audiences will travel through various created environments and spaces offering live theatre, movement, soundscape, projection, song and installation in the show, which is being presented by A Woman’s Place and Dreamhouse Theatre. Students from Rosebud Secondary College, young people from Dreamhouse Theatre Company,…

HOPES are high that a “hyper-intelligent” eco-solar farm will be built on the outskirts of Dromana. Bunjil Energy and renewable energy developer Volt Farmer have applied for Mornington Peninsula Shire permission to create the 4MW solar farm to ramp up the southern peninsula’s electricity supply and power 1000 homes. It is hoped the pilot site will get the council’s nod mid-year. The energy company says the plant will produce clean energy as well as provide an “education experience centre and climate smart agricultural showcase” on Collins Road. Bunjil Energy founder Isaac Harrison launched the project at a gathering of industry…

ALL stops are out in the war against Buruli ulcer – especially on the Mornington Peninsula. Researchers from the Department of Health and Human Services are collecting soil and faecal samples from possums, have laid mosquito traps and conducted field surveys of properties as part of the Beating Buruli in Victoria project. On a second “front”, peninsula residents are being encouraged to get involved in a case-control study by filling out a questionnaire, looking at possible risk factors and understanding how people may become infected. They don’t need to be diagnosed with Buruli ulcer to be included. “We would encourage…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is being forced to send recyclables to landfill. The shire will continue collecting household recyclable waste, but with 130 tonnes “temporarily” stored at the Rye transfer station which has now reached capacity. Meanwhile, the shire has joined other municipalities in trying to force the state and federal governments to find a solution to the growing crisis. Shortcomings in the state’s recycling operations were exposed on 15 February when the EPA ordered processing giant SKM – which collects the peninsula’s recycled waste – to stop drops at its Coolaroo and Laverton sites over concerns the stockpiled plastic posed…

A new festival will hit Mornington in a bid to connect locals with the diverse and unique marine environment that’s right under our noses. Day By The Bay will head to Mornington Park this Saturday 23 February, celebrating Port Phillip Bay and its importance to the identity and culture of communities that live around it. The festival is free to attend, family friendly and alcohol-free, featuring food vendors, community stallholders and activities for all ages. And a stellar live music lineup from local Melbourne artists who have a strong connection with Port Phillip Bay will add to the atmosphere. More about the Day…

Members of the Save Westernport group will be marching in Saturday’s Western Port Festival parade to promote their opposition to AGL’s proposal for a floating gas import terminal at Crib Point. The group will display puppets and representations of Western Port’s wildlife. “We want to remind people about the unique and wonderful wildlife in Western Port,” group member Julia Stockigt said. “Endangered bird species like the far eastern curlew rely on Western Port during their annual migrations, and they deserve to be protected from the pressures of big industry.” Festival organisers have turned down sponsorship from AGL (“Cash-strapped festival says…

AN armed robber threatened an attendant at a Tooradin service station with a shotgun last week. The man walked into the South Gippsland Highway servo about 3.15am, Tuesday 12 February. He went to the fridge, chose a milk drink and asked the attendant for a packet of cigarettes. He then pulled out a sawn-off shotgun and forced the attendant to hand over cash and cigarettes before fleeing the store. The man is described as Caucasian, in his 30s, slim build and wearing a Furphy beanie, black zip hoodie, black T-shirt with NXP on the front and jeans. Anyone with information…

A HASTINGS resident says he is “absolutely fed up” with children riding motor bikes and trail bikes on grass areas and pedestrian paths along the foreshore. Richard Harrison, of Skinner Street, said he had seen a number of “near misses” between the so-called “monkey bikes”, pedestrians and cyclists and fears “someone, quite possibly a child, will be killed if nothing is done”. He says repeated demands for action from Hastings police have come to nothing: “I was told the police must literally catch the perpetrators in the act before they can do anything. “Yet if a perpetrator is injured in…

PENINSULA MOOROODUC have held on by a thread to claim a thrilling victory in the first innings over Somerville. Chasing 168 to win, Moorooduc kept touch mainly thanks to an entertaining innings from Rashimal Mendis, who hit his half century by smacking 3 sixes over the boundary. Moorooduc passed their target with just one wicket in hand, and their numbers 11 and 9 batsmen at the crease. At Ballam Park East, Long Island surpassed their measly target of 70 despite a monumental batting collapse against Main RIdge. The winning side had passed their target and were flying comfortably at 3/96.…