DIVISION ONE SORRENTO have edged out Mt Eliza in a thriller at David Macfarlane Reserve to back up their impressive victory over the Stonecats last week. The Sharks were once again made to fight back from behind, after a five goal to zero second term had the Redlegs 29 points up at the main break. After not making much progress chipping away the deficit in the third term, Sorrento required a massive final quarter to win. A six goals to zip surge in the last quarter saw the Sharks drag themselves over the line in a hard fought 11.13 (79)…
Year: 2019
DIVISION TWO TYABB brought out the big guns on Saturday with AFL premiership winning forward Travis Cloke running out for a one-off appearance, but their Somerville opponents were out to spoil the party. For the Yabbies it was a day of wasted chances, as they struggled to hit the scoreboard and convert their opportunities into goals. Somerville flexed their own forward line muscles away from home, with Paul Fermanis and Ryan Gillis both booting four. Despite the help from their former Collingwood star, Tyabb fell to defeat 11.16 (82) to 14.18 (102). Cloke kicked two for the day. Karingal’s superstar…
SOCCER SOMERVILLE Eagles have secured significant grants from Mornington Peninsula Shire council. The promotion-chasing State 5 club understands that the council will spend $500,000 on clubrooms at Tyabb Central Reserve while also allocating $50,000 for a feasibility study which it hopes will identify a permanent home for the Eagles. “It’s not official yet but we understand that we’ve been granted the money which is great news for our club,” president Luke Mulder said. The Tyabb Cricket Club shares the reserve and will also benefit from a clubroom upgrade. The feasibility study will centre on Clarendon Reserve in Somerville and will…
MORNINGTON-based jockey Clayton Douglas landed his maiden victory at Caulfield on Saturday 13 April. Having had previously ridden at the track four times, the prominent jumps and flat jockey steered the Anthony Freedman-trained hot-pot Super Seth to a last-to-first victory in the opening race. After a six-length debut win, Super Seth overcame a muddling a tempo and an awkward position before ultimately pulling away for a comfortable one-length victory over the Leon and Troy Corstens-trained Stand To Attention. Jockey, Clayton Douglas, said he rode the two-year-old son of Dundeel as if he was the best horse in the field. “From…
ONE of Australia’s favourite performers, Jonathan Biggins, is Paul Keating – visionary, reformer and rabble-rouser – in a highly anticipated new comedy, The Gospel According to Paul. Full of intelligence and wit, The Gospel According to Paul is a funny, insightful and occasionally poignant portrait of Paul Keating, the man that – as he tells it – single-handedly shaped contemporary Australia. Jonathan Biggins’ performance as Paul Keating is well known from the long-running Sydney Theatre Company success story, The Wharf Revue. Beyond the canny impersonation, Jonathan, like so many Australians, has long been fascinated by Keating and what Keating means…
AT the last meeting of the committee of the Ragged Boys’ Home it was reported that 40 boys were in residence at the Frankston Home, and it was agreed that a new wing be added to the home. Mr. J. Menzies, M.L.A. the chairman, announced that a donation of £100 had been promised for this work. Mr. William Brown was elected a member of the committee, and Mr Rushberry was appointed assistant secretary. *** THE date of the next meeting of the Frankston Progress Association has been moved forward a week to avoid the Easter holidays. *** FRANKSTON Repatriation Committee.…
THE new owners of the former Mt Eliza hospital site in Jacksons Road last week described it as a “blank canvas offering unique opportunities”. Melbourne-based property developer Hengyi Pacific bought the 3.4 hectare site for just over $17 million earlier this year and is “currently working closely with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to determine the … best use for the site that respects the surrounding street character”. General Manager Simon Manley said he was “very excited with our latest acquisition and are looking forward to transforming the unused parcel into something special”. The developer is “working with council to determine…
A SMALL holiday house perched on a cliff above Ranelagh Beach at Mt Eliza will be open to the public later this month for the first time in its 82-year history. Small it may be, but Ramsay House, built in 1937, is big in architecture, heritage and history circles. It is considered to be an influential example of the work of famous Melbourne architect Roy Grounds (later Sir Roy), who designed the house for Betty Ramsay, wife of Thomas Ramsay (later Sir Thomas), chairman of the famous Australian company Kiwi Boot Polish. The house has been restored over several years…
The fence along the Esplanade at Mt Martha designed to cut off access to The Pillars cliff-jumping site will be pulled down after Easter. Although not entirely effective, the fence did lead to a large drop in numbers of people gathering on the cliffs, but it also saw police refusing to cross it in pursuit of anyone drinking alcohol in breach of the shire’s local laws. Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors will decide whether the fence is reinstalled in time for next summer after receiving a report from council officers. The 400-metre long fence effectively blocked a walking track along the…
Mornington Peninsula and Frankston councils want to meet with the Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan to discuss extending the electric train service to Hastings. The two councils have written to the state government “clarifying their combined support for the electrification of the existing rail line from the Frankston city centre to Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula”, according to a news release from the municipalities. Frankston mayor Cr Michael O’Reilly said the councils would support “Frankston-Langwarrin as stage one and Langwarrin-Hastings as stage two”. While acknowledging “the complex consideration for the future metropolitan…
Parks Victoria is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) to operate the hop on hop off visitor shuttle service within the 560 hectare Point Nepean National Park. The shuttle is part of the state government’s master plan for the park and the latest chance for a private operator to run the shuttle comes 16 years after the John Howard-led federal government first announced plans for 90 hectares of the former Defence land to be subdivided and sold for housing. The announcement that the prime coastal land near Portsea could pass from public to private hands sparked a wave of protests that…
CAMPAIGNING for the Saturday 18 May federal election has begun in Flinders with a backward look at still unresolved issues. Despite the drip-feed of “good news” from the incumbent, Liberal Greg Hunt, whose health portfolio provides a seemingly endless supply, it’s his time as environment minister that is being targeted by his opponents. The federal government’s approval last week of the massive Adani coal mine in Queensland revived memories, and criticism, of Mr Hunt’s role the first time the Indian company received the all-clear from the government. Mr Hunt approved Adani’s plans for its Carmichael mine one month after he…
A 21-year-old Rye man has been charged with one count of culpable driving causing death and two counts of negligently causing serious injury after a fatal crash in Tootgarook early Friday 12 April. Seventeen-year-old Timothy Hocking died and four others were injured when a Mazda CX3 with five young people on board struck a tree near the intersection of Marshall and Field streets about 1.15am. Timothy Hocking, a student at Rosebud Secondary College and resident of McCrae, died at the scene, while another 17-year-old from Capel Sound was taken to hospital in a critical condition. A 17-year-old from McCrae was…
A BOX Hill South man is facing serious assault charges after a gatecrasher was allegedly assaulted outside a party in Frankston-Flinders Road, Hastings, early Sunday 7 April. The 36-year-old is alleged to have hit a Bittern man, 21, over the head with a bag of stubbies causing serious facial injuries, including having his jaw broken in a number of places and several teeth broken. His injuries will require significant ongoing medical treatment. The Box Hill man appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 10 April charged with intentionally causing serious injury and recklessly causing serious injury. He will reappear at…
ESTABLISHED and emerging artists are being invited to share their interpretation of the Mornington Peninsula’s “precious green wedge”. It’s all part of the shire’s Green Wedge Paint Outs and Exhibition returning to the peninsula this year as part of the council’s efforts to protect areas of national, state and local conservation significance and habitat value. Artists are invited to submit a green wedge-inspired artwork to be considered for exhibition across the peninsula with displays at the council chamber at Rosebud, as well as at Oak Hill Gallery and Merricks House Art Gallery at Merricks General Wine Store. There’s incentive, too,…
A PUBLIC meeting in Mornington late last month to discuss the “tightening of controls to better protect Melbourne’s green wedges against overdevelopment” may have had more sinister overtones, according to a Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor. The meeting, held at Currawong Community Hall, Currawong Street, on 28 March, and attended by 66 people, was promoted by Planning Minister Richard Wynne and Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes as being part of strategic review of future land use. Those invited to attend were residents, councillors, farmers and representatives of agricultural industries. The context of the meeting – one of five held in regional areas…
A PERSISTENT fuel leak from a drain is discolouring sand and polluting the water at Dromana. The smell is so powerful that towels used to dry bathers stink for days and oil-slicked water sticks to hands and bodies long after they leave the beach. Safety Beach resident Rob Debernardi became aware of the leak while bathing opposite the junction of Marine Drive and Pt Nepean Road, about 20 metres from the nearest bathing box. “I was swimming two weeks ago and the drain was flowing strongly after a downpour of rain and I smelled diesel fumes,” he said. “I scooped…
JET-ski zones are likely to be in place on several Mornington Beaches next summer. The zones will confine jet skis to strict speed limits within a narrow corridor until they are 500 metres offshore. This tougher line on the noisy water craft follows discussions between Mornington Peninsula Shire, Maritime Safety Victoria, Water Police and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Shire local laws officers are being trained to enforce the tougher approach for the coming summer season after the inappropriate use of jet skis inflamed tensions at Safety Beach and especially Rye over summer. The mayor Cr David…
Members of the Mornington Peninsula Group of the Country Women’s Association of Victoria compete in the 48th Creative Arts Exhibition this weekend with their scones, their knitting and their ongoing push for social change. Mornington Peninsula Group President, Marnie Turner, said it was always exciting to see the 10 local branches go head-to-head in what’s always a tight competition. “The last weekend in April will see our Mornington Peninsula ladies come together for our annual Creative Arts Exhibition,” Ms Turner said. “The ladies get quite competitive, but what’s even more exciting is our young members learning new skills and being supported…
Police have located a body during the search for a missing kayaker in waters off Somers. It is believed a man was paddling with a friend at South Beach when he fell from his kayak and disappeared shortly before 11am. Police located the man’s kayak and paddle and later located a body about 3.30pm not far from where the kayaker went missing. The man is yet to be formally identified and police will prepare a report for the coroner.
Why use all of a runway, when you can take off and land using as little of it as possible? In recent years, short take off and landing (STOL) competitions have become more popular across the world, as a test of a pilot’s skill and the aircraft’s agility. The spectacle attracts large crowds overseas. The inaugural Australian STOL Championships has been organised by Peninsula Aero Club at Tyabb and Paul Bennet Airshows, and will be held on Sunday 14 April. Pilots are coming from across Australia to try and fly a circuit with the shortest possible ground run followed by…
Members of the Western Port Model Aircraft Club are gearing for their second open day at the airfield at 360 The Esplanade, Crib Point, Sunday 21 April. Model aircraft of all types, sizes and styles: from helicopters, jets, civilian and military type aircraft all based on the real thing and sounding just as good are flown from the airfield. The club’s 100 members have varying ages and experience levels, some holding world records and one, a junior, is a world champion in pylon F3D racing. They will be assisted by members of model aircraft clubs from around the state. As…
The right-wing political lobby group Advance Australia will be trying to influence the outcome of the Flinders electorate in the lead-up to the May federal election. Held by Liberal MP Greg Hunt since 2001, Flinders is also being contested by his former Liberal colleague Julia Banks, now the independent MP for Chisholm; Labor’s Josh Sinclair; The Greens Nathan Lesslie; and independent Susie Beveridge, a former Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor. Advance Australia says a members’ survey showed Flinders as being one of the seats chosen as in need of the organisation’s “attention”. “We’ll be talking with voters about the dangers of…
Candidates for the seat of Flinders at the May federal election are being invited to state their policies and answer questions from the public at a forum in Dromana on 17 April. Robyn Coughlin said she was organising the “meet your candidates” event for residents of the Flinders electorate “to get to know their potential representatives”. Candidates who had agreed to attend by last week were sitting MP Liberal Greg Hunt, Labor’s Joshua Sinclair and independent Julia Banks. Ms Coughlin said she had also invited independent Susie Beveridge, a former Mornington Peninsula councillor. Ms Banks was elected MP for Chisholm…
A DECISION by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to insist on entries from Balnarring Road and not Brooksby Square has given fresh hopes to opponents of a planned aged care home in Balnarring. Members of the group – who spoke out against the Arcare proposal at the shire’s planning services committee meeting on 1 April – do not want traffic and parking problems clogging their quiet court. They presented a 259-signature petition to the council claiming the 75-bed residential aged care centre would be detrimental to their semi-rural street by creating extra traffic flows, random parking and exacerbating safety issues, especially…
DIVISION ONE SORRENTO have taken their first steps towards retribution for last year’s devastating grand final loss, as they defeated the Stonecats to kick start their 2019 campaign. Frankston YCW looked electrifying in the first quarter, as they shocked Sorrento with a seven goals to one start. Staring at a 40 point deficit in the face, the Sharks had a mountain to climb to get back into the contest. The Sharks chipped away and by three quarter time they held an 11 point lead. The clash between the two MPNFL heavyweights was a tough one, but in the end Sorrento…
DIVISION TWO A ONE point thriller between Somerville and Seaford was the highlight of the weekend as MPNFL football returned for round one. After dropping down from the first division last year, Seaford were looking to make amends and stamp their influence on the league early. They kicked seven goals in the first term and held a comfortable 31 point lead at the main break. Somerville chipped the Tigers back a bit before the final term, with the margin standing at 13 at three-quarter time. Despite a nine goals to four second half, Seaford were able to hold on by…
SOCCER MORNINGTON head coach Adam Jamieson expects Casey Comets midfielder Brodie Paterson to receive a lengthy ban after a violent contest at Dallas Brooks Park on Friday night. Comets came from behind to win this State 1 battle 2-1 and send the home side to a third consecutive defeat which casts major doubt over its stated ambition of winning promotion to the 2020 NPL. But it was the controversial finish to this clash which stole the limelight. The club video appears to show substitute Paterson pushing opponent Sam Catherine to the ground late in the match then falling on top…
MOUNT ELIZA-based racehorse trainer Anthony Freedman came to the fore in yet another Australian Group 1 sprint on Saturday 6 April. Ridden patiently by Mark Zahra, Freedman’s star sprinter Santa Ana Lane pounced down the straight to overrun his rivals in the $2.5 milllion T. J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick to claim his fifth Group 1 race. Santa, as he’s affectionately known, defeated a star-studded field of sprinters by 3.5 lengths and further enhanced his profile as one of Australia’s best sprinters. Freedman said he has felt that the six-year-old gelding has been a top-quality animal for some time.…
A PARTY from Frankston House had an unpleasant experience whilst out motoring one day last week. In endeavoring to pass a vehicle, which claimed a monopoly of the road, the motor car was overturned. The occupants were all more or less injured, and the driver (Mr Goulding) was severely cut with the glass from the broken wind screen. The members of the party consisted of Mrs Fossitt, of Melbourne, and her son, Private Fossitt, (who has just returned from active service in France), Miss Hay, Miss Box Miss Matters, and Miss Doughty. Fortunately Mrs Fossitt and Miss Doughty were not…