CHILDREN on the Mornington Peninsula are invited to help find our missing frogs during FrogID Week, 8-17 November. The citizen-science project being run by the Australian Museum aims to collect audio of frog calls to monitor their populations and help save threatened frog species. So far, FrogID has identified more than 116,000 frog calls and identified 187 of the known 240 Australian frog species. Last year, more than nearly 7000 frogs from 95 species were recorded. The second annual FrogID Week aims to build on the critical data gathered from last year and find frog species missing from the museum’s…
Year: 2019
MARK your diaries and make space on Sunday 8 December for a special new event coming to Mandalaye Park on French Island. Picnic in the Park promises to be a magnificent day of food, wine, gardens and music, so prepare your picnic blanket for an afternoon of alfresco dining in the grounds of this beautiful country property. The picnic will be set in and around Mandalaye Park Homestead & Gardens from 10am – 4.30pm. Western Port Ferries will be transporting guests to and from Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula and Cowes, Phillip Island to experience a taste of life…
A DIGNITY Vending Machine at Hastings Community Hub will offer “dignity” to women in need. The machines, known as Pinkboxes, dispense period packs allowing girls and women access to free sanitary products to manage their period. Organiser Share the Dignity formed a partnership in March with Woolworths to help women who experience what’s described a “period poverty” each month – meaning they are unable to afford necessary sanitary products. Since then, Woolworths has donated five cents from every pack sold, including pads, tampons, liners or period briefs, across its stores nationally. Funds donated will buy 30 new Pinkbox Dignity Vending…
WESTERN Port Secondary College won a prestigious award at the Victorian Education Excellence Awards at the Plaza Ballroom, Friday 25 October. It comes after the school’s leadership team implemented ambitious education improvements over the past few years driven by a vision of delivering learning growth for every student. Principal Chris Quinn said the college had embarked on a targeted program of whole-school professional learning, beginning with the development of an instructional framework grounded in the Department’s Pedagogical Model. The performance and development process was also revised, with teachers working collaboratively to collect and analyse a variety of student learning data…
WESTERN Port Men’s Shed can’t take a trick. The club is reeling for the second time in months after another callous robbery at their clubhouse in Frankston-Flinders Road. This time burglars stole the $6000 in tools generously donated to replace the last lot stolen. Shed president Colin Proud said this latest robbery, overnight Sunday 27 October, came at an especially bad time as members had several community projects in the pipeline. “It’s a real kick in the guts,” he said. “I got a hell of a shock when I got here yesterday and saw they’d knocked off another load of…
KINGS Creek Hotel Hastings is fighting back against graffiti vandals by offering a $1000 cash reward to find the perpetrators. The hotel’s marketing manager Jet Nye said: “We have recently had a massive surge in graffiti here and are reaching out to the Hastings community to help us identify the vandal who has tagged our property.” Mr Nye said seven or eight graffiti incidents had been carried out possibly by more than one vandal. CCTV had failed to establish their identities. “We are waiting on the police now to identify whether a tip off for the culprit is accurate,” he…
HORSE RACING THE Japanese-bred thoroughbreds continued their dominance of this year’s Spring Racing Carnival with a narrow victory in the 2019 Peninsula Cup at Mornington on Sunday 3 November. Formerly trained in Japan and now under the care of Mornington-based trainer, Anthony Freedman, Danon Roman relished a hot speed to land the days $60,000 feature race and score his first win in Australia in a tight photo finish. The Kevin Corstens-trained Surreal Image went straight to his customary role of leading at a good gallop for young Mornington-based apprentice jockey, Campbell Rawiller, before the swoopers took over the running turning…
SOCCER FRANKSTON Pines is on the verge of the biggest off-field restructure in the club’s history as it closes in on a partnership agreement with the Victorian Multicultural Sports Association. The VMSA is a Fijian community group and hopes to base itself at Monterey Reserve and hold tournaments and functions there on a regular basis. Last week members of the VMSA executive met with Nick Hatzoglou, Football Victoria’s Head of Community Projects and the state federation has given the green light for the partnership to go ahead. “The CEO of Football Victoria (Peter Filopoulos) is aware of our plans and…
THE original intention of the authorities was to include the line to Frankston among the first railways to be electrified. That was before the commencement of the war. During the last five years the scheme naturally hung fire, and no one wondered very much, believing that with the cessation of hostilities the long-delayed work would be proceeded with on the plans already formulated. It will come as a rude surprise to many to learn that it is now suggested to hang up the electrification of the Frankston line in favour of what is described as the outer suburban system. The…
SATURDAY is Family Day where there’s something on offer for everyone, young and old at the Rosebud Foreshore Rockfest. Cars, bands, shows, competitions, food trucks, stalls and more is on offer throughout the day and night at the festival, held from 14-17 November. Thousands of visitors are expected to join in the great variety of events and activities, all thoughtfully created to appeal to all visitors, car enthusiasts and Rock ‘n Rollers alike. From 9.30am to 3pm Rosebud’s main strip rocks on with free Main Street family entertainment including internationally acclaimed Elvis Tribute Performer Mike Cole who will be All…
TWO different Mornington Peninsula gardens will open their gates to the public for one weekend next month. L’Oceane at Rye contrasts with Moats Corner, garden inland from Dromana that has evolved over the past 70 years. Open Gardens Victoria chair Liz Fazio describes Moat’s Corner as “a real treat … a six-acre country styled garden with a modern twist”. “The original garden features winding paths leading to an ornamental lake and various garden rooms, including more than 400 roses,” Ms Fazio said. “The newly built award-winning residence floats above a contemporary succulent and cacti garden created by Colin Hyett.” Named…
AN essay by Hastings author and polio survivor Fran Henke will be included in a new anthology Growing up Disabled in Australia. Due to be published in June next year by Black Inc, this will be the fifth title in the Growing Up series. “We are still struggling to have polio and its late effects recognised by health professionals, even family members”, Henke said. The acceptance of her essay was timely as October has been declared World Polio Month with Victorian survivors gathering at Warrnambool last week to celebrate Polio Day. The day is traditionally held near the birthdate of…
THE Legislative Assembly’s Environment and Planning Committee will meet at Mornington this week to look into community initiatives to tackle climate change. The public hearing at the Council Chambers, 2 Queen Street, 12.30-3.30pm, Thursday 7 November, is one of a series being held in regional Victoria during November. The committee will hear from the Port Phillip Eco Centre, Bayside Climate Action Group, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and South East Councils Climate Change Alliance. “We’re interested in finding out what’s happening at the local level to tackle climate change and what the Victorian Government can do to support communities take action,”…
RED Hill resident Paul Whitaker remembers as a small boy being taken to the original Rosebud cinema – the first cinema on the Mornington Peninsula. It had been acquired by his father Frank in 1928 with the proceeds of the first screening being donated to the widows of local fishermen who died in a storm at that time. The Broadway Theatre was an enthralling place for an imaginative youngster, steeped in the glamour of the Hollywood film industry, with colourful posters outside advertising that night’s screenings. Mr Whitaker was speaking in the lead-up to the auction of the old Broadway…
WHEN’S a dog not just a dog? When it’s a story dog helping children learn to read, of course. Story Dogs is a nationwide charity in which volunteers take their dogs into schools to listen to children read and help improve their literacy. Victorian sponsorship development officer Kim Croft said when children read to a dog the outcomes are amazing. “When they are in a non-judgmental setting, the children’s focus improves, their literacy skills increase and their confidence soars,” she said. “The accepting, loving nature of dogs gives this program its magic and helps children relax, open up, try harder…
THE Peninsula Studio Trail Exhibition attracted a good crowd of art lovers to Southern Buoy Studios last month. Organiser John Trebilco said: “The sales were good, with many small-to-medium-sized works sold, so we were pretty happy. “We now have the Open Studio Weekends coming up on 16-17 and 23-24 November when the 20 artists in the group will have their personal studios and display areas open to the public. Peninsula Studio Trail has been running this annual event for 11 years. Members of the public are invited to visit the various studios over the two weekends to speak to the…
POLICE are investigating the burning down of a second beach box at Rosebud, 2.30pm, Wednesday 30 October. The cause of the blaze is not known. CFA crews donned hazmat gear when it was discovered the corrugated iron box was lined with weatherboard and asbestos sheeting. “This was an extra danger,” Rosebud CFA duty officer Greg Chapman said. “Our people had to wear breathing apparatus and be totally washed down afterwards with their clothing bagged, tested and scrubbed to ensure no asbestos fibres remained.” The beach box contained a destroyed couch-bed, table, games and other items. The blaze took the fire…
THE collapse of a Sorrento holiday booking agency has left scores of potential renters and landlords out of pocket. Dozens of scathing reviews on the Marshall’s Holiday Rentals’ website give some clues as to fate of missing deposits and dashed holiday plans. The company’s office in Ocean Beach Road has been closed for months and the phone disconnected, but the company’s website still appears to be active. It is believed bookings have until recently been taken online. The News was unable to contact the company’s principal, Faye Lorraine Marshall, despite repeated attempts. Getaway Mornington Peninsula’s Harriett Fenney said the demise…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s older community has no plans of slowing down as shown at the annual Delys Sargeant Age-Friendly Awards. The awards held on Tuesday 22 October recognise individuals, clubs, services or businesses that contribute to building stronger communities for older people. The peninsula has the second highest older population in Victoria with more than 30 per cent of residents aged over 60 – compared to the metropolitan average of 17 per cent. The shire was one of the first councils in Victoria to develop a strategy to promote positive ageing and aims to continue leading the way by recognising…
MORNINGTON Peninsula police and the water police are stepping up their campaign to make our bays safer and reduce the number of marine safety incidents this summer. Acting Sergeant Steve Drew, of Rosebud police, said: “Local police attended an increased number of drownings or near drownings last summer with many involving visitors to the area who didn’t appear to have a full understanding or appreciation of how treacherous the water can be on our local back-beaches. “This is particularly so on days with off-shore northerly winds and two-plus-metre swells, when the ocean looks completely flat between sets of waves. “Even…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has received letters of support from businesses and community associations for its Better Buses campaign – adding to the 1200 written responses received since the launch in August. As well, 68,000 people have posted content on Facebook and watched videos of peninsula people complaining about the lack of public transport on the peninsula. The campaign, backed by Mornington Chamber of Commerce, confirms why funding better bus routes and increasing the frequency of buses on the peninsula would benefit residents, businesses and visitors. A better service would bring more people from the wider Melbourne community to the…
A ROSEBUD family were left devastated when their cherished beach box was burnt to the ground taking many family treasures with it. Michelle Amoore said the beach box on the foreshore opposite First Avenue was totally destroyed in the deliberately-lit blaze, Friday 20 October. “We had put in new flooring and new doors, lounges, day beds and lots of personal items, such as 30-year-old pictures of the kids in hand-carved frames, but nothing could be salvaged,” she said. “It’s all gone; burnt to the ground.” The family is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.…
SORRENTO Primary School was in damage control last week after the second incident involving offensive student behaviour. Angry parents contacted The News to say a grade three student had taken what they described as a BB gun to the school, threatened other students before allegedly pointing it at the head of a prep girl, and allegedly shooting another boy in the foot when he tried to take the gun away. The pellet did no damage and the boy was unharmed. This incident follows weekend mayhem when children from the school were accused of jumping the fence of the Sorrento Early…
RED Hill Op Shop has become a drop off and collection point for new and slightly used bras. Red Hill resident and op shop volunteer Marianne Findlay said: “We now collect bras for Uplift, an Australian-based organisation, which sorts and sends bras to women in need. “As this is in keeping with our philosophy of recycling used and unwanted goods so that landfill may be reduced, and helping our fellow beings, we support this project wholeheartedly.” For many women in poorer parts of the world, bras are unaffordable, but necessary, in providing the benefits of health, dignity and protection. Bras…
A PENINSULA business group says it hopes Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s move to become Small Business Friendly will “herald a change in its approach” to small business. The council last week announced it had “officially become a Small Business Friendly Council, committed to giving small businesses in the region more support”. The council said it was becoming a partner in the Victorian Small Business Commission initiative to “make it a lot easier for small business owners to get started and develop their businesses”. Commissioner Judy O’Connell met with the mayor, Cr David Gill and CEO John Baker at Rosebud to…
Police are investigating after a woman was fatally struck by a vehicle in Moorooduc last night. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are still being established, however it is believed several cars had stopped on the side of Mornington-Peninsula Link about 9pm after colliding with debris on the road. It is understood the 64-year-old Safety Beach woman had left her car when she was struck by a vehicle and sadly died at the scene. The driver of the vehicle stopped at the scene and is assisting police with enquiries. Three other people from separate vehicles, a 43-year-old Elsternwick woman, 45-year-old…
Police are appealing for witnesses to a car crash in Frankston South last night. Police received reports two cars were travelling north along-side each other prior to one of the cars crashing into a tree on Frankston-Flinders Road about 7.45pm. The sole occupant of a black Honda was entrapped in the car and had to be extracted by emergency services before being taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver, a 20-year-old Frankston South man, is yet to be spoken to by police. The sole occupant of the second car, a black Subaru Forrester, was interviewed by police at…
As storm clouds gather on the horizon most people seek shelter or prepare their properties for the worst; battening the hatches, so to speak. But that’s not the case with Yanni Dellaportas. The first sign of a storm sees him checking the weather bureau’s forecast. Where and when will it hit, how strong will the winds be or how heavy the deluge. Most importantly, will it be an electrical storm? Will there be lightning? If the answer to the last two questions is positive, Dellaportas, or Yanni as he is more commonly and professionally known, will be checking his camera…
VANDALS who jumped the high fence at Sorrento Early Learning Centre’s playground last week broke into the storage shed and “generally got into mischief”, Sorrento Community Centre manager Heather Barton said. “They were throwing stuff around, removing the bikes and riding them around the car park – where they were in danger of being hit by cars, I’m told – destroying stuff and using seats as Frisbees.” Ms Barton said she saw a picture of one of the youths skylarking on the centre’s new shade sails which had only recently been installed following “lots of fundraising”. “That’s a very dangerous…
PROCEEDS from the sale of the Hastings Police Senior Citizens Register 20th anniversary calendar are going to a good cause. Money raised will assist in the fight against post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among police officers. Register coordinator Denise Palmer said clients of the register had already bought 400 of the 1000 calendars for 2020 printed with the remaining 600 expected to sell quickly. “We thought we were ambitious in aiming for fundraising of $10,000 but we are on target and will achieve it with the sale of the last 600 calendars,” she said. The calendars are available at Hastings police…