AN incentive program at Mornington Park Primary School in which students earn points towards owning a new – restored – bike is both insightful and productive. The Wheeling It Forward program run by physical education and sport coordinator Tim Fitzpatrick encourages the students to “do the right thing” and, in this way, earn points from a teacher towards reaching the magical 100 points target. They are then able to choose a bike rebirthed and repaired by New Peninsula Mt Martha Men’s Shed members as their reward. The students build up points, called tokens, for good behaviour, such as displaying school…
Month: September 2019
POLICE are searching for a man who left a service station without paying for petrol, around 1.30pm 26 August. The man filled up a white VR/VS Holden commodore with stolen plates with about $64 worth of fuel. The man then left the Baxter petrol station without attempting to pay. An image (above) has been released of a man police wish to speak to. 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 Mornington News – 1 October 2019
THE Mt Martha branch of the Bendigo bank is the drop-off point for plastic bread tags which are part of the Bread Tags for Wheelchairs campaign. Created in South Africa in 2006, Bread Tags for Wheelchairs sells used bread tags to plastic companies and uses the proceeds to buy wheelchairs for disadvantaged South Africans with disabilities. The plastic company then recycles the tags into seedling trays and doorknobs. The volunteer run organisation collects 500kg of bread tags each month in South Africa, contributing to two to three wheelchairs. Retired nurse Mary Honeybun started the program after realising how important it…
A Mt Eliza Man has been fined $500 after he pleaded guilty to keeping an illegal and high-risk invasive snake. The 20-year-old, who exchanged a PlayStation for a milk snake on Facebook last year, was fined without conviction at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 17 September. The maximum penalty for importing, keeping or selling a controlled pest animal in Victoria is $39,652. “We are very concerned when we get a call about an exotic species being found in Victoria because of the enormous potential to threaten our native species and agriculture,” chief conservation regulator, Kate Gavens said. “Our investigators received…
IF there is anything a golden retriever likes more than a swim it’s food. And when your owner decides to sit on a bench during Mornington’s Wednesday street market you can be sure there’s food involved. Last Wednesday was the first week of the school holidays and the sun was shining as shoppers roamed Main Street during the regular market. But while stallholders and their customers strived to provide and buy such things as food, art items and clothing, few would have known it was the market’s 40th anniversary. The longest running street market in Victoria began on Wednesday 26…
A LIMESTONE cottage in Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento, and cargo shed have jointly won the Creative Reuse of a Heritage Place category in this year’s Mornington Peninsula Heritage Awards. The 1905 limestone cottage Carmel was originally run as a boarding house by two women and is now used as a reception area for holiday accommodation at the rear of the building. Women are running the venture these days, too – Philippa Chalkitis and Allison Manning – which is continuing the tradition in both senses. The cottage has two rooms for community use and sits in front of extensive accommodation areas…
RECREATIONAL divers are being urged to join a citizen science dragon hunt. The call to join in the research is not associated with any mythical creature, but the weedy seadragon. Although the weedy seadragon is the state’s marine emblem, little is known about how many of them reside in Port Phillip. “Weedy seadragon numbers in some locations in Australia have declined, however the population in our own backyard, Port Phillip Bay, has rarely been studied and we do not know if they are suffering the same fate” Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) ReefWatch coordinator Kade Mills said. “The first step…
SHARKS were seen eating a dead whale before it was washed ashore at Boags Rocks, between Gunnamatta and St Andrews beaches. The 11-metre humpback carcass bore the marks of bites from large sharks and was covered in crustaceans as it lay high and dry on rocks, Monday 23 September. “We could see the sharks lunging and spray coming off them, their fins rising up out of the water – it was pretty full on to watch,” said environmental advocate Josie Jones who first saw the whale drifting in on the Sunday night. DELWP incident spokesperson Kylie Hyland said: “The beach…
THE Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is repairing the sandbag seawall at Portsea front beach. Sandbags were installed at the beach in 2010 to try to prevent further erosion. The pre-summer repair work will not affect pedestrian access to the pier except when trucks are using the pier access lane. “The sandbag wall was established in 2010 and has since helped protect the Portsea foreshore against the impacts of storm surges, waves, tides and wind,” DELWP Port Phillip regional director Stephen Chapple said. “The outer layer of the wall is in poor condition, as a result of…
TWO men were charged late last week over a series of burglaries and thefts in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula in the past three weeks. A Rosebud man, 23, and a Port Arlington man, 32, were arrested at a Mornington McDonald’s car park by members of the Somerville Highway Patrol and Mornington police, 11.30pm, Thursday 26 September. The allegedly stolen car they were driving had been seen earlier at Mt Martha and again in the restaurant car park. The Rosebud man is facing 15 charges, including aggravated carjacking, firearms offences, theft of a vehicle and handling stolen goods. The…
PLANNING and regulatory authorities are running two separate investigations into the demolition and rebuilding of private jetties on a public beach at Sorrento. Work has been stopped on a replacement for a demolished jetty while inquiries are conducted by Heritage Victoria and Mornington Peninsula Shire. The shire says it is awaiting a planning permit application for a new jetty and is investigating the construction of two new jetties in Sullivan Bay. Heritage Victoria, the state government agency which administers the Heritage Act, says it has “initiated enforcement proceedings” over the works at Iluka, on the historic Collins Settlement site. A…
FIVE diesel-powered generators are being installed this month to help avoid summer power shortages or blackouts across the Mornington Peninsula. The temporary power sources will be installed by energy generation and distribution company GreenSync at Rye, Boneo and Dromana and removed when demand drops in April. While batteries or “renewables and demand response technologies” may eventually replace the generators, metering devices, a switchboard, concrete foundations and underground cabling will be permanent. When approving the generators at their 16 September planning services committee meeting Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors agreed to keep pressuring the federal and state governments to pay for “plug-in…
DEVELOPERS may eventually find it more expensive to build apartments on the Mornington Peninsula than in municipalities closer to Melbourne. Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors want apartments on the peninsula built with materials that protect towns’ “valued character”. They say apartments designed for inner suburbs may not be suited to the peninsula. Changes to existing apartment guidelines proposed by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) recommend using “low maintenance and durable” materials. However, shire councillors want developers to use “coastal” materials, such as stone and wood. While being more expensive and not regarded as being low maintenance, stone…
Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate missing 12-year-old Hastings boy Kayil Blundell. Kayil left his Penshurst Avenue home about 7pm last night. He has not been seen since and has not been in touch with his family. Police and family have concerns for Kayil’s welfare due to his age. Kayil is described as Caucasian with freckles, red hair, green eyes, 165cm tall and a solid build. Investigators have released a photo of Kayil in the hope someone may recognise him and be able to provide information on his whereabouts. Anyone with information is urged to contact Hastings…
CRIB Point RSL ran a sausage sizzle recently with all proceeds going to a worthy cause – the Western Port Support Group which assists those in need on the peninsula. The event did well with RSL social club members rounding off the amount raised to $2000. The money is for a good cause: Western Port Community Support – established 40 years – is the largest provider of emergency relief in the Western Port region. The not for profit volunteer organisation provides emergency relief, such as food and fuel vouchers, fruit and vegetables, medication, basic essentials and personal support to those…
TENSIONS are rising between those for and against the Tyabb airfield expansion, with one long-time Tyabb resident, who did not wish to be named, saying the town has “never been so divided – it’s getting very ugly”. While tensions have been simmering on and off for years, the issue has reached a new peak with vandals destroying, and in one case burning, signs opposing any expansion of the airfield. Up to 100 blue and white signs opposing any expansion of the airfield were erected throughout the Tyabb area, most on private property. Two weeks ago airfield supporters printed and distributed…
A DEAD humpback washed up onto the beach at St Andrews over the weekend had been a meal for sharks as it floated in to shore. The 11-metre whale was gouged by large bite marks and covered in crustaceans. Environmental advocate Josie Jones spotted the whale out in the water on Sunday night. “We could see the sharks lunging and spray coming off them, their fins rising up out of the water – it was pretty full on to watch,” she said. Cetacean scientist Sue Mason said the whale must have died only recently as the carcass had not begun…
TOUGH laws aimed at protecting farmers and farm businesses against people inciting farm trespass have passed the federal parliament. The new laws mean anyone sharing farmers’ private details online to incite farm trespass will risk jail time. A similar law is also on its way through state parliament. The changes to federal law will strengthen the consequences for incitement to trespass, property damage and theft on agricultural land. Eastern Victoria Region MP Melina Bath said: “These strong new laws are a huge win for farmers, their families and regional communities not only in Victoria, but Australia-wide. “They send a clear…
DIVISION TWO SEASON WRAP WINNERS: Red Hill THE Hillmen had a game plan in 2019. They worked hard in defence all season long, and it paid off handsomely. Although it may not be the most attractive brand of football, the Hillmen found success by keeping their opposition off the scoreboard. It worked wonders, as the finished top of the ladder with just two losses to their name and nearly half as many points conceded as their next best rivals. Their toughest task was facing Karingal in the grand final. The Bulls’ firepower in their forward line might have been enough…
SOCCER PENINSULA Strikers announced the lowest junior fees in NPL Victoria history last week and threw down the gauntlet to local rivals Langwarrin and Mornington. Strikers and Mornington recently were granted NPL junior licences and had to stump up $20,000 each for the privilege. Most NPL clubs charge the maximum junior player fee of $2200 for a season. That is the case with Langwarrin while Mornington has set its player fee at $1800. But Strikers have outdone their rivals by charging junior players $1090 to play for the club in the under-13, under-14, under-15 and under-16 elite NPL competition next…
HORSE RACING ASTUTE Mornington trackwork clocker Les Obriem passed away on Sunday 15 September after spending more than four decades applying his trade. The old-school clocker, who also wrote under the nom de plume Craftsman, passed away aged 74 due to health issues. Throughout his time Obriem worked for various media outlets including the Sportsman, the Sporting Globe, The Herald, The Truth and the Winning Post as well as being heard on radio stations, 3UZ with Bert Bryant and 3DB with Bill Collins. In recent years, Les had a passion for going to Sandown and then Werribee to clock and…
IT is with deep regret that we announce the death of an old and respected pioneer, in the person of Mr. Joseph Haddock of Forest Lodge, Hastings at the age of 75 years. Deceased was a man of indomitable will, and always accomplished, however difficult, anything he undertook to carry out. He was born at Mount Prospect, in New South Wales, in 1844. Losing his parents during childhood, he had to battle for himself at an early age. After working in parts of New South Wales for a few years, he finally settled in Victoria, coming to Hastings forty-eight years…
IN what is hoped to be the first of many games, years 8 and 9 boys from Mornington Secondary College hosted boys from the Clontarf Foundation at Alexandra Park last week. The Clontarf team is made up of Indigenous boys from across Victoria in Mornington for a sports camp. The foundation is set up to improve the education, discipline, self-esteem, life skills and employment prospects of young Indigenous men. “The game was played in fantastic spirit as the two groups combined together to create two very even and well-skilled teams,” the college’s sport and community engagement teacher Ben Hall said.…
MORNINGTON police say the 500 students, parents and grandparents who rallied at Mornington Park last Friday (20 September) demanding positive action on global warming were well behaved and got their message across in a constructive way. Theirs was one of more than 100 school strikes for climate occurring around Australia. The rallies were coordinated through the student-run School Strike 4 Climate website and followed strikes in March at which 150,000 people marched in Australia and 1.5 million took part worldwide. Students came from Rye, Mornington Park, Balnarring, St Macartans and Mornington primary schools; Balcombe and Dromana colleges and Woodleigh, Peninsula,…
THE driver of a Black Toyota Hilux being driven dangerously on the Mornington Peninsula Freeway later blew 0.249 per cent – or just under five times the legal limit, 1.15pm, Monday 16 September. Rosebud Police spotted the vehicle after it exited Mornington Peninsula Freeway onto Boneo Road. The car was being driven in an “atrocious manner” before being intercepted, police said. The painter, 46, from St Albans, who was on his way to work, had his licence suspended and his car impounded. He will be summonsed to appear at Dromana Magistrates’ Court at a later date. Police would like to…
BURGLARS stole two cars and a motorbike from a Dromana property, overnight, Friday 13 September. Detective Senior Sergeant Miro Majstorovic, of Somerville CIU, said a 47-year-old man was asleep at the Jamieson Street house when “at least three” offenders removed tiles from the garage roof and entered his house. They took car keys from inside before stealing the cars – a 2013 grey Mazda CX5 and a 2015 maroon Mazda Neo and a 2001 Yamaha motorbike. 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…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol police relieved one confused driver of four bags of cannabis he had allegedly left on the passenger seat, overnight Tuesday 17 September. He was among 29 drivers issued with summonses to appear at court at a later date. Police also impounded seven vehicles. Among 24 drug drivers intercepted was one suspended female driver who police allege “quickly turned down a side street and did a quick switch-a-roo with their passenger”. The woman then allegedly refused to undergo a drug test stating she wasn’t the driver, despite number plate and video cameras showing her in the driver’s seat…
THE sale of the heritage listed Continental Hotel at Sorrento has fallen through. Despite believing he had sold the four-storey limestone hotel earlier this month vendor Julian Gerner told The News last week that contracted purchaser LBA Capital was “unable to meet their obligations under the contract of sale”. This is a blow to the experienced hotelier who had been thrilled to pass on the 1875 landmark with plans and permits for apartments and retail after a two-month sales campaign by Colliers International. (“‘Conti’ in new hands – again” The News 9/9/19). The sale price was rumoured to be about…
JOCKEY Michelle Payne weathered a few handicaps before winning the 2015 Melbourne Cup on Prince of Penzance. The film Ride Like a Girl, which traces the 24 year old’s life before the track as well as her victories, is being screened at Sorrento on Friday (27 September) to raise money for Sorrento/Portsea/Rye unit of the Red Cross. Former Australian of the Year, businessman and philanthropist Simon McKeon will open the screening which starts at 6pm with fish and chips and a glass of wine. Ride Like a Girl – directed by Rachel Griffiths and starring Sam Neill (Paddy Payne), Teresa…
THE executive chef at RACV Cape Schanck Resort, Joshua Pelham, will represent Australia in next year’s international Bocuse d’Or culinary contest. He will be joined in the Bocuse d’Or Asia Pacific qualifier by RACV City Club apprentice chef Harrison Caruana. The pair will be trained by head coach Scott Pickett and a panel of senior chefs. Pelham says he has has dreamed of competing in the elite event ever since he watched Pickett training for Bocuse d’Or 2005. “At the time I was an apprentice at Matteo’s with Scott’s commis chef Cate Robertson,” he said. “She invited me to watch…