Police have allegedly busted a probationary driver speeding and drink driving in Mornington. Members from Mornington Police Station pulled over the 21-year-old Langwarrin woman on The Esplanade, after witnessing her driving at excessive speed about 9.25pm on 29 May. The probationary licence holder was was taken to a police station where she returned a BAC of 0.157 The vehicle she was driving has been impounded and the woman is expected to be charged on summons to face court at a later date.
Month: May 2020
Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate missing 30-year-old Somerville man Nathan Shannon. Nathan was last seen in Nottingham Avenue, Somerville, on May 29. He was last seen wearing a black pullover top, tan pants and red runners. Police and family have concerns for Nathan’s welfare. Investigators have released an image of Nathan in the hope someone recognises him and can provide information regarding his current whereabouts. Anyone with information about Nathan is asked to contact Hastings Police Station on 5970 7800.
RETIREMENT village operator Ryman Healthcare says it scaled back plans for a multi-storey development in Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza, to more align with community views – not because of a lack of interest from potential buyers. Objectors are opposed to the retirement village being built on land they say should be zoned green wedge. Victorian development manager David Laing said the company in 2018 held four on-site community open days. “We were encouraged by the level of support we received at those open days, and we took on board constructive feedback from some close neighbours,” he said. One apartment building…
Although they have been around the entertainment industry for most of their lives, Louine Shaw and Steve Myers were “thrilled” to watch as three of their songs took off on Triple J’s Unearthed charts. The Mornington-based duo started writing and recording under the name Aeon Volt about two years ago, but it was only with the release of their first album AxioMatic in February, and subsequently three singles on Unearthed, that things, as Myers says, “have really taken off”. Just as there is nothing simple about their music, the formula for crafting a song that races up the chart is…
THIRTEEN captive-bred orange-bellied parrots have been released in Western Port. This is the first time the critically endangered parrots have been released in the area and followed a two-month “training regime” in a large aviary. The training by Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park staff aimed to instil site-fidelity by daily calling the birds to a specially designed food station. The Pearcedale sanctuary’s director Michael Johnson said the release was made possible thanks to two environmentally dedicated landowners who allowed the aviary to be built on their property next to the parrot’s saltmarsh habitat. The release was part of the sanctuary’s…
A COLOURFUL sign woven into the fence at Crib Point clearly showed power company AGL is not welcomed by all at Crib Point. The company is awaiting a state government decision on its plan to establish a floating gas terminal in Western Port and a 56 kilometre pipeline to Pakenham (“Fairness call for AGL decision” The News 12/5/20). Although colourful and eye-catching the “No AGL” sign on the fence around the site of the proposed gas terminal and jetty was removed within one day. Don Juniper who photographed the sign before its removal, said he was “shocked to see the…
MORNINGTON’S Mr Movies has drawn the curtains for the last time on his three screens in Main Street. Mornington Cinemas has closed after 39 years. However, it’s more intermission than the end for Ian McCann, who plans to reopen in a smaller, more intimate way just around the corner. The new venue will sit alongside a restaurant, wine bar and cinema. “It will be like going back to the beginning for me,” McCann said last Thursday as he stood amid boxes of movie posters in the cinemas’ foyer off main Street. Other boxes placed just outside the entrance were being…
A HERITAGE locomotive number plate (above) was stolen from the Mornington Railway Preservation Society’s depot at Moorooduc in an early morning burglary last week. Doors and fences were damaged in the raid which was captured on CCTV, 4am, Saturday 16 May. “We were lucky that they didn’t steal more items,” society secretary Robert Reed said. “One of our volunteers just happened to be on site and ran in to them and they fled.” Mr Reed said the thieves were preparing to use a wheelie bin to remove valuable engineering equipment and machinery from a storage shed when they were interrupted.…
CAR owners may breathe a little easier with the arrest of a Mount Martha man over a spate of late night tyre slashings last year. The 25-year-old was nabbed by Somerville detectives after they “received some information”, Tuesday 19 May. The man is facing eight counts of criminal damage with more charges expected to follow. The tyres of up to 40 cars parked outside their owners’ homes in Mornington and Mount Martha were allegedly slashed with a box cutter or sharp knife from September to December. More than one tyre was slashed on most cars. Black and white images captured…
PENINSULA Grammar made 13 non-teaching roles redundant in a major staffing shake-up before this week’s resumption of the second term. The school has also abolished the position of deputy principal – wellbeing, held by Peter Ford. The cuts were foreshadowed last week by news that the Mt Eliza private school’s student numbers were being “greatly impacted by the global pandemic” (“Grammar cuts staff as pandemic bites” The News 19/5/20). Principal Stuart Johnston said that he had “made the difficult decision to commence a staff consultation process that will potentially impact” staff numbers. The 13 jobs lost were four in the…
MORNINGTON footwear manufacturer Bata is donating shoes to health care workers fighting COVID-19. The offer is part of the company’s global effort to provide one million pairs of shoes to health care workers, volunteers and their families. “The generosity of local businesses, such as Bata Shoes, in recognition of the role of health care workers has been tremendous,” Peninsula Health’s chief operating officer Helen Cooper said. “Our hardworking team spends a lot of time on its feet, so a new pair of work shoes is invaluable.” Bata managing director Jon Moore said it was important to show appreciation for those…
Clarification (The News 2/6/2020): VETS on the Mornington Peninsula are regulated as to what they can and cannot do with stray animals. The Domestic Animals Act of Victoria stipulates that cats and dogs brought to vets as strays must be handed over to the council if the vet has not signed what is called an 84Y agreement. Vets working outside the agreement can be fined if they are caught checking an animal’s microchip or contacting its owners. Those within the agreement can retain, dispose of, or return cats or dogs to their owners. The veterinary clinic referred to in the…
AUSTRALIANS reportedly lose more money on gambling each year, per person, than residents of any other country. Encouraging them to bet is gambling advertising which is prominent across all media, particularly in sports. Social researchers are questioning whether poker machines should be switched off for good as they are in Victoria now because of COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. Mornington Peninsula Shire is one area of government counting the mental health costs and social disruption caused by gambling excesses. It says it is “committed to preventing gambling harm” in a world where smartphones are keeping us connected to betting sites. To…
VULNERABLE members of the community are “working off” unpaid fines rather than spiralling into depression at the mere thought of having to pay them, under a new Fines Victoria scheme. Peninsula Community Legal Centre – whose clients owe an average $12,000 in unpaid fines – provides free legal assistance to vulnerable people. It has branches at Rosebud, Frankston, and Pines. CEO Jackie Galloway said unpaid fines were “becoming an increasing problem in the community” and called for more health practitioners and organisations to take a sponsorship role. “Becoming a sponsor is important given the devastating psychological and financial toll COVID-19…
COPPING an $85 fine for parking in a space reserved for boat trailers has a Safety Beach resident seeing red. The trailers-only carpark at Safety Beach boat ramp is more often than not empty during the week if the bay is rough and no boats are out, whereas parking spaces outside the shops opposite are often full. The nearest side street has limited parking. Warren Renton said he had been a resident for about 10 years but, until last Friday, was “not aware that this area at the Safety Beach boat ramp is off limits for all vehicles not towing…
STUDENTS Molly, Sara, Isla and Grace were jumping for joy when they found out their classmates would soon be joining them at Our Lady of Fatima school, Rosebud. The girls have been attending classes during the COVID-19 pandemic as their parents are essential workers. Visual art teacher Amanda Heggen said they made the “welcome back” rainbow arch to let everyone that school “is a happy and safe place to learn”. Picture: Supplied First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 26 May 2020
THREE Mornington Peninsula “hot spots” for vehicle collisions with wildlife, especially eastern grey kangaroos, are being assessed for a trial of so-called “virtual fencing”. Virtual fencing consists of devices mounted on posts being activated by approaching car headlights. The devices emit sounds and light which alert animals to approaching danger. Animals near or about to cross roads are repelled by the sound and blue and yellow strobe-type LED lights causing them to run away as vehicles approach. The devices placed at 25-metre intervals on both sides of the road run on solar powered batteries. Greens Bush Association is coordinating the…
POINT Nepean Men’s Shed members are cock-a-hoop after receiving shire approval to build a shed for their mobile workshop van and equipment storage at Stringer Reserve, Blairgowrie. The 120 square metre shed of corrugated iron on a concrete slab will be additional to their workshop in the former Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad hangar, Hotham Road, Sorrento. Members have been busy on various community projects, such as building planter boxes, potting tables and garden retaining walls at Sorrento Primary School, bicycle maintenance and restoration at Rye Primary School, building whisper phones for St Joseph’s Primary School, raised planter beds and a…
SOCCER RYAN Paczkowski could be on the verge of a sensational return to Mornington. The move relies on his current club Oakleigh Cannons not playing this season and releasing “Patch” from his contract. NPL1 powerhouse Oakleigh faces two major hurdles standing in the way of competing in 2020. The Greek-backed outfit is closely considering its duty of care to its members and has genuine concerns especially for it older supporters. It also stares into a financial black hole given that its main revenue streams have dried up with little prospect of short-term recovery. There’s no doubt that should “Patch” be…
HORSE RACING MATT Laurie’s talented sprinter Alfa Oro has returned from an injury enforced two-year layoff in fine form with a gutsy victory down the Flemington straight on Saturday 23 May. The four-year-old son of Bachelor Duke resumed with a second placing at Pakenham in April before putting together a hattrick of wins culminating in Saturday’s Benchmark 78 Almandin Handicap (1100m). The speedy gelding has come a long way since suffering a spiral fracture in his front leg during trackwork that required surgery and a 20-month absence from the track. “To come back after a two-year layoff and win like…
COUNCILLORS like to have their little jokes, and when at last council meeting the Seaford Progress Association wrote again, for the third time, urging that sign boards be erected at the boundaries of the riding to indicate to travellers that at last they were on Seaford soil, councillors seemed highly amused. Cr Howell, in moving that the request be complied with, said that the matter was one that interested Seaford ratepayers very largely. Cr. Armstrong: The Progress Association wont give the council any rest till it is done. He seconded the motion. Cr. Griffeth: It ought to be possible to…
THE first whales of the 2020 season have been spotted off the Mornington Peninsula’s Number 16 beach. In between Blairgowrie and Rye back beaches, the humpback whales at Number 16 were recorded as travelling east by Mandy Robertson on Saturday 16 May. “It’s a wonderful coincidence that the first sighting of humpback whales in our region for 2020 aligned with the first relaxing of the COVID-19 rules,” Dolphin Research Institute executive director Jeff Weir said. “Our citizen scientists can now venture out, but this year need to keep a safe distance from each other – as well as from the…
THE Better Buses campaign has been hailed as Mornington Peninsula Shire’s “most successful advocacy and community engagement to date”. The shire’s Quarterly Community Report: January-March 2020 said the campaign backed a push by public transport users for better bus services across the peninsula of which about 82 per cent is not serviced by public transport (“Shire’s push for better bus services” The News 2/9/19). “We have been overwhelmed by the level of community support for our Better Buses campaign. About 92,500 people have engaged with us,” the shire’s innovation and advocacy executive manager Tania Treasure said in the report released…
SURFER Beau Telley’s fun day in the water ended before it started. Instead of riding waves at a point break near Flinders, he was running in panic to his car pursued by a swarm of European wasps which, mistakenly, blamed him for disturbing their nest, Sunday 10 May. On a day of particularly high tides the surf was surging over the beach and crashing against the foreshore vegetation – flooding the wasps’ nest and making them angry and intent on revenge. Telley said he had reached the bottom of the stairs to the beach, early afternoon, and was putting on…
Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit detectives have arrested a man after a number of criminal damage offences were committed in the Mornington and Mount Martha area late last year. Police received nearly 40 reports of cars having their tyres slashed between September and December 2019. Investigators have charged a 25-year-old Mount Martha man with eight charges of criminal damage with more charges expected soon. The man has been bailed to appear at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 11 November.
SOCCER THE combined loss of sponsorship for 12 local clubs fielding senior teams under the Football Victoria banner will top $260,000 this year. Langwarrin, Mornington, Peninsula Strikers, Skye United, Frankston Pines, Baxter, Seaford United, Somerville Eagles, Rosebud, Aspendale Stingrays and Mount Martha have lost sponsors in droves due to the economic impact of the coronavirus shutdown. Chelsea is the only local club not to suffer through lost sponsorship while many clubs have offered carryover deals for the 2021 season. The total represents the largest ever financial hit to the local game. Each club was contacted last week and provided a…
HORSE RACING THE Amy and Ash Yargi racing stable have continued their successful run of late by scoring another dominant victory at Flemington on Saturday 16 May. Coming off a freshen up, their in-form mare Jamaican Hurry came from the rear of the field to notch up her third straight victory in the opening race of the day. Ridden patiently by jockey Michael Dee, Jamaican Hurry settled second last in the running before building momentum and flashing late in the race to run over the top of the James Cummings-trained Gododdin and the Lindsay Park-trained Lankan Star. The victory re-affirmed…
THE Marathon Race over the classic distance of 26 miles 385 yards, conducted by the Malvern Harriers, was held on Saturday last, the course being 8 laps on the Frankston Park Oval, thence direct by Point Nepean, Brighton and St. Kilda Roads, to the Wesley Cricket Ground, where 3 laps were run. The starters were: G. Blake (the veteran holder of several 5 and 10 mile championships), T. Sinton Hewitt (who has been selected to represent Australia at the Olympic Games in October), E. Roberts, B. V. Maher (runner-up in the South Australian championship), P. L. W. Collins, A. Heywood,…
SWIMMING pool and spa owners on the Mornington Peninsula have until Monday 1 June to register them with the council or they could be liable to fines of up to $1652. This follows the implementation of state laws to improve pool and spa safety throughout Victoria which came into effect last December. In Victoria, 27 children under five have drowned over the past 20 years – mostly in private pools and spas. The state coroner found that in at least 20 of these cases the safety barrier was non-compliant, and that this was likely to have played a role in…
THE battering ram called COVID-19 has placed enormous stress on staff at the Mount Martha-based Fusion Mornington Peninsula. Some staff are living “on-site” while others are working from home, juggling casework meetings on the phone or video platforms. Fusion centre manager Caitlin Swanton said over the past eight weeks staff had “needed to adapt to cater to young people in a way we never have before, nor did we imagine we would need to”. “It has been eight weeks since Victoria went into lock-down … since all non-essential trips out of the house were banned … since our schools closed,”…