Year: 2019

A GROUP of nine women who have grown up together over the past 75 years enjoy nothing better than getting together fortnightly on the Mornington Peninsula. Elaine and Anne Madill, Elaine Haynes, Lorraine Scott, Judith Tindale, Rose Martin, Thelma Morgan, June Hill and Dorothy Evans wouldn’t miss their “girls’ day” lunches for the world. Last week they celebrated 60 years of meeting for lunch at the home of one of their friends’ daughters, Sue Fontana, at Mt Eliza. Two of the women started prep together, and five met up at primary school before joining the Highett Ladies Basketball Club and…

BONEO Primary School teachers Liz Dewar and Ryan Jellie are joint winners of the $10,000 Outstanding Primary Teacher Choose Maths Awards announced at the 2019 Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute Awards. They and the school received an extra $1000 each for finishing in the top 10 meaning they will share $6000 and the school $6000. After discovering that student outcomes in mathematics were on a downward trend, the passionate educators set about transforming the way students and teachers viewed the learning and teaching of maths in their school. They developed a plan to transform maths instruction and improve student engagement through…

A SOMERVILLE drink-driver ploughed through an NBN junction box in his ute in Inglenook Crescent, Karingal, and severed the cable 7pm, Friday night 15 November. Police said the ute, above, was seen “driving erratically” in McClelland Drive around that time. After the collision the ute was stuck and the driver reportedly ran from the scene. Somerville Highway Patrol tracked him down about two hours later and took him to Frankston police station where he blew 0.082. He was issued with infringement notices for drink-and-careless driving totalling $893. His licence was cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for six months.…

BURGLARS entered a Mt Eliza house through an unlocked garage door and stole keys to two BMWs in the garage, overnight 16-17 November. They drove off in a white 125i model, registration number 1DK5PY, and a blue 320i (ZOA069) from the Manna Hill Court property while the owners were asleep. The total value of the cars is $55,000. The haul was among a series of thefts in Mt Eliza over the weekend. A set of speakers was stolen from the garage of a house in Buloke Close after thieves found a remote control in an unlocked car. The owners heard…

HOWLING winds blew down a section of the screen at Dromana drive-in last week. Owner Paul Whitaker, pictured, said a wind shift to the south mid-afternoon Thursday 21 November ripped off a plywood panel three metres high and 1.5 metres wide from the 30 metre-wide screen. “It’s happened before and it’s easy to fix with a bit of planning,” he said. The screening of Last Christmas and The Terminator were not affected. “We had to angle the projector slightly to the left but everything turned out OK,” Mr Whitaker said. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 26 November…

TWO dogs blamed for the mauling and killing of chooks and a lamb at Bittern last week remain in Mornington Peninsula Shire’s pound “pending the outcome of investigations”. “The investigation is still underway. Once concluded, all evidence and information will be sent on to the prosecutor,” environment protection manager John Rankine said. The two kelpies believed to be from Crib Point were seized by rangers after attacking the livestock at three properties, Wednesday 13 November. (“Dogs seized after deadly attacks” The News 20/11/19). Grieving pet owners were devastated by the ferocity of the attacks with one, Chris Phobe, saying his…

RYE’S Beach Clean Boards aim to help rid Mornington Peninsula beaches of marine litter and plastic pollution “two minutes at a time”. Based on the #2minute beach clean boards in the UK, organisers place A-frames along the foreshore near bins encouraging beachgoers to collect litter and then record what they’ve picked up with a #hashtag connected to a social media campaign. “This project aims to increase awareness of the dangers of litter, especially plastics, to the marine environment, as well as reducing litter on the beach and greater care of our local beaches,” Rye Community House’s Sarah Race said. “We’re…

VICROADS is fixing hundreds of cracks in the retaining wall at the northern end of the Marine Drive underpass at Safety Beach. The wall and underpass were built and paid for by the developer of the Martha Cove marina and housing development before being handed over to VicRoads and the Martha Cove owners’ corporation. VicRoads says sealing the cracks will “minimise the risk of corrosion of steel in the walls”. The owners’ corporation says a “cathodic protection system designed to check condition and ensure corrosion of concrete reinforcing steel is minimised” will be installed in the underpass. Mornington-based Watsons, described…

NEPEAN MP Chris Brayne has lost his licence for three months after being caught by police driving at 108kph in an 80kph zone. Mr Brayne had just turned 25 when he became the state’s youngest serving MP when elected last November. His win was hailed as a major victory for Labor which gained a valuable foothold on the Liberal-dominated Mornington Peninsula. Nepean had been held for 14 years by former minister Martin Dixon, whose former office manager Russell Joseph was expected to easily win the seat. Sportsbet offered $16 for a Labor win and $1.01 for the Liberals. The loss…

VICROADS may be a major barrier to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s calls to trial 80kph speed limits on roads throughout the peninsula. The roads authority says it prefers to tackle speed issues on a case-by-case basis. VicRoads last week said it “regularly explores safety upgrades, including speed limit changes, in consultation with the community and our road safety partners including Victoria Police and the TAC”. “Speed limits on all Victorian roads are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but we always welcome feedback from the community on how we can continue to make our roads safer,” a VicRoads spokesperson told The…

DAVID Gill sees the influence Mornington Peninsula Shire had on the May 2018 federal election as one of council’s main achievements during his time as mayor. He says “advocacy” by the shire during the election campaign led to the “winning party” making “project promises” of $175 million. Cr Gill, pictured, credits the shire with achieving “the largest number of project promises ever secured in a local government campaign”. The seat of Flinders was won for the Liberal Party by Greg Hunt, who has held the seat since being first elected in 2001. Cr Gill made his comments at the shire’s…

A TRIAL of Plastic Free Places will be held at Mt Martha from this month. The trial over summer will put Mt Martha alongside Byron Bay, Noosa, Adelaide and Perth in what organisers say is a national program to reduce single-use plastic waste, especially on the foreshore. Villages such as Mt Martha, with its hub of cafes, restaurants and small businesses directly across from Port Phillip unintentionally contributes to the quantity of litter finding its way onto the beaches and into the bay, organisers say. The most common “culprits” include take-away food containers and cups, straws, plastic packaging and cigarette…

DESPITE its lack of surf, Rye pier in Port Phillip was the beach of choice on Saturday for a board-based protest against plans by Norwegian oil-giant Equinor’s to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight. One of the Mornington Peninsula’s organisers, Asha Bainbridge, estimated about 350 people were at Rye for the Fight for the Bight protest, one of 40 being held around Australia. Markus Tschech, of the Surfrider Foundation, said protesters were concerned about the irreversible consequences of an oil spill “not just on Australia’s southern coastline, but on the peninsula”. “Equinor’s own worst-case spill modelling shows a…

MEMBERS of Crib Point CFA were on the march last week, from their former fire station at 137 Disney Street to a brand new one at 191 Disney Street. The address may not be very different, but the move has the advantage of having two high-ceilinged truck bays for bigger tankers, a breathing apparatus repair room, and more space for offices and firefighters. The move to the new $1.5 million building has been five years in the making so a march accompanied by Navy drummers was warranted. The building was opened by Victoria’s environmental sustainability commissioner and CFA board member,…

An 18-year-old Bulleen man had more in mind than jumping off The Pillars and having a glass of pinot noir on his recent visit to the Mornington Peninsula. He was pulled over by police on Peninsula Link about 9.30pm on Saturday night, and a search of his car resulted in police allegedly finding a large amount of ecstasy tablets, cocaine and an amount of cash. A warrant executed at the man’s Bulleen home on Sunday resulted in investigators allegedly locating two kg of rock ecstasy and one kg of ecstasy tablets, an imitation firearm and over $40,000 in cash. The…

A man has died following a collision in Hastings last night. Police and emergency services were called to Hodgins Road following reports of a collision between a vehicle and motorcycle about 10.25pm. The yet to be formally identified male motorcycle rider died at the scene. The driver of a vehicle sustained non-life threatening injuries and is being transported to hospital for treatment. The exact cause of the collision is yet to be determined at this stage. Anyone who witnessed or with any dashcam footage is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report…

PENINSULA MAIN RIDGE have had a tough afternoon in day one of their clash against Somerville. Main Ridge came in to bat first, and had difficulties. First drop batsman Chris Parker was their best performer with a half century, but he got no help from the rest of the top order. They ended up bowled out for 133, with 26 overs left to play for the afternoon. Jayde Herrick took seven wickets. Somerville had no trouble chasing down their target, and ended up at 1/148 at stumps, securing them the first innings win. Brenton Alp was electric with bat in…

SOCCER THANK goodness Lisa Jones likes soccer. Her husband has been immersed in the sport since childhood, their two sons are following in their father’s footsteps, their oldest daughter already has played for Victoria and the matriarch of the family is a team manager at one of this state’s elite women’s clubs. Then there is Mia, the youngest Jones sibling. She doesn’t play soccer. Writing and acting are her passions and like her brothers and sister she is talented in her chosen pursuits. It should come as no surprise that the soccer-playing Jones’ children excel at sport. They were genetically…

HORSE RACING MULTIPLE Group One winning jockey, Stephen Baster, has finished his career as a winner with his final ride aboard the Logan McGill-trained Gold Fields at Sandown on Saturday 16 November. After more than 13,000 rides across his 28-year career, the retiring 44-year-old got the most out of the last-start Sale Cup winner, Gold Fields, to score a narrow short half head victory in the Group Three Sandown Stakes. The victory brought up Baster’s 1,256th winner and topped off what has been a remarkable career in the saddle. “I was a bit overwhelmed early,” the 14-time Group One winning…

MESSRS Peebles and Strong, the local horse breakers, received from the hands of a client last week, a horse with a most unenviable reputation. They undertook to have him running in their milk cart inside a week. The equine outlaw with a Queensland record, provided lively entertainment for the first day or two but very soon he became amenable to reason, and was driven to Somerville and back on the second day. He may now be seen being driven through the streets like any other reasonable horse. Messrs Peebles and Strong fulfilled their contract. *** POLICE Court report and other…

MORNINGTON Art Show has signed up German-born sculptor Rudi Jass for its January Art show. In his Mornington Peninsula studio, Jaas designs and crafts sculptures characterised by clean-flowing lines and elegant forms. Working mostly in stainless steel, corten steel, and copper, his sculptures are often combined with accents of glass or stone. The pieces are all handmade in small or limited editions and are sought after by architects and landscape designers. Jass’s designs are displayed in small courtyards, gardens, balconies or amid modern architecture in urban and commercial developments. His kinetic sculptures move in the wind, adding movement to gardens…

CIVIC Reserve, Mornington’s new synthetic 400-metre athletics track and four-pitch soccer centre will be opened on Saturday 30 November. The ceremony will be 11-11.30am but those interested are welcome to stay to watch athletes using the sports grounds at 350 Dunns Road, Mornington. A community open day with a free sausage sizzle hosted by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council will celebrate the event and show off new facilities. The reserve’s newest member clubs: Mt Martha Soccer Club, Mornington Little Athletics Centre and Mornington Peninsula Athletics Club will make their debuts. “Let’s all get together as a community and celebrate the fantastic…

THE glamour of Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach could be felt at Moorooduc Primary School last week when veteran lifeguard “Maxi” spoke to students about water safety. Maxi – Trent Maxwell – is a veteran of 11 seasons on Channel 10’s Bondi Rescue and ranks as one of its most popular personalities. He is the youngest professional lifeguard to work at Bondi. He spoke about water and beach safety, the importance of swimming between the flags, how to identify a rip, how to safely get out of a rip, how to call emergency services and use floatation devices to rescue those…

THE devastating impact of raging bushfires, especially in NSW and Queensland, has generated discussion about the effects of climate change and the dangers Australia faces in a warming environment. Politicians, depending on their political hue, either want to dampen debate on global warming in the emergency, saying it’s “not the right time to talk about climate change”, while others are keen to use the topic as a means of pressing their point on the “new reality”. Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Cr Simon Brooks said it’s “never a wrong time to speak about climate change”. “With the year-on-year trend of native forests…

ENGRAVER Perry Fletcher says he has always had a love of the “impressionist painters”, particularly Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. While Fletcher’s most notable work, the engraving The Last Supper and Borders, took six years to complete, he has now completed 90 paintings reflecting the influence that Monet and Van Gogh had on his “direction in art”. These latest works were completed over 11 months, with Fletcher rising daily at 2.30am. The effects of Monet’s “colour” and Van Gogh’s “passion” on the Mt Martha-based Perry are being exhibited at Oak Hill Gallery until 28 November. The exhibition was opened…

A NEW way of reducing the breeding grounds of mosquitoes, such as in stagnant water, is being trialled in the fight against the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer on the Mornington Peninsula. The “source reduction method” is an alternative tactic to those proposed as part of the study aimed at reducing mosquito numbers and evaluating the effect on the spread of the ulcer which has infected dozens of residents since migrating from the Bellarine Peninsula over the past five years. The source reduction method involves mosquito experts going door-to-door to advise home and business owners on how to identify mosquito breeding sites…

THE Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association had made “provenance” awards to wineries producing three vintages of the peninsula’s “hero” wines – pinot noir and chardonnay. This year’s awards saw the provenance awards go to Yabby Lake Winery, at Tuerong for its pinot noir and Paringa Estate, Red Hill South for chardonnay. “The Provenance awards were envisaged as a different way of assessing chardonnay and pinot noir, looking at three vintages of a wine in detail, and in the context of consistency of quality, vineyard character, and winemaking style,” show committee chairman Lindsay McCall said. “As the Mornington Peninsula focuses more and…

THE award-winning winery and restaurant Ten Minutes by Tractor is back in business since being forced to close by a fire 19 months ago. Some of the firefighters who fought the blaze were among the first to be welcomed by owners Martin and Karen Spedding at the Main Ridge restaurant’s re-opening on Saturday 9 November. The fire in February 2018, swept through sheds and a storage area, leading to the evacuation of diners and the loss of vintage wines and old tractors (“Wine, tractors lost in fire” The News 27/2/18). The Speddings say rebuilding the restaurant, with an extra 30…

A POLICE officer manning a booze bus on a Peninsula Link off-ramp at Bungower Road, Moorooduc, had to jump aside to avoid a truck on Friday night, 8 November. The white Toyota truck was stopped two kilometres down the road. The 60-year-old driver from Merton blew 0.267 and had his licence suspended on the spot. His truck was impounded for 30 days. Police noted that his wasn’t the first time he had been caught drink-driving as there was a Zero Alcohol condition on his licence. The man will receive a summons to attend court at a later date. “Fortunately this…

TWO dogs were seized by Mornington Peninsula Shire rangers after chickens and a sheep were mauled and killed on properties at Bittern last week. The kelpie-type dogs, one red and one black and tan, are being held at the pound while the council investigates attacks at three properties. Environment protection manager John Rankine said the rangers received reports of two dogs at large, Wednesday 13 November. “[The rangers] patrolled the area in search of the dogs and received further reports of serious dog attacks on a sheep and chickens,” he said. “Local residents assisted the officers to find the dogs.…