MOUNT Eliza resident Jodi Richardson has lived with anxiety all her life but faced the constant hurdle of nobody else really understanding what she was going through. The businesswoman, author and speaker says it took 20 years for her anxiety to be diagnosed and to access help, which has since put her on the path of helping others in a similar situation. Richardson, who has just been announced as a finalist in the AusMumpreneur Awards, said she is now dedicated to ensuring that others understand anxiety and get the help they need early. “When I was young it was quite…
Author: Liz Bell
AGED Care provider Ryman Healthcare has given up on its plans to build a $95 million retirement village at Mount Martha after a five-year battle trying to get planning approval. Ryman Healthcare will put the 1.9-hectare Bentons Road site back on the market following the Mornington Peninsula’s Shire Council’s rejection of its application and a failed bid to overturn the decision at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The retirement village would have included a three-storey building with basement, 70 apartments, 37 assisted living suites and 116 aged care rooms, indoor pool, hair and beauty salons, a bowling green and…
A SEX industry insider warns there will be sex workers operating “everywhere” on the Mornington Peninsula as new legislation clears them to set up “shop” anywhere and strips councils of powers to stop it. The state government has decriminalised sex work to bring the practice into line with other industries. Australian Adult Entertainment Industry spokesman William Albon says the changes mean there could be brothels in Main Street, Mornington, and in every town on the peninsula, and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council will be powerless to do anything about it. Under the legislative changes, sex workers can legally operate without a…
A NEW service has opened in Hastings to tackle the growing need for family violence and child wellbeing support on the Mornington Peninsula. The expansion of the Bayside Peninsula Orange Door Network to Salmon Street, Hastings will ensure more people across the region can access the support they need, closer to home. The Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence Ros Spence, who attended the opening of the Hastings Orange Door access point, said the service was free for adults, children and young people experiencing or who had experienced family violence. “When experiencing family violence, reaching out for help can…
THE state government is being called on to spend $100 million on social housing on the Mornington Peninsula. Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Anthony Marsh says 3000 homes are needed “just to meet the demand of 2934 in desperate need of a home”. The shire’s call for the state to build more homes, make it mandatory for “social or affordable” housing to be included in new housing projects, support crisis accommodation and improve public transport comes during national Homelessness Week 1-7 August. “Homelessness isn’t just happening to someone else in another place. It’s experienced by many in our community. Together,…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council will write to state MPs expressing “grave concerns” that the state government’s decriminalisation of sex work has not been “thought through carefully”. The Sex Work Decriminalisation Act 2022 adopted February decriminalised sex work and made consensual sex work legal in most locations across the state. The Act is being implemented in two stages, with stage one starting in May and setting out some details about the decriminalising of street-based sex work. Stage two will come into force in December 2023 and will include changing planning controls to treat sex service businesses like other businesses. The mayor…
A TOOTGAROOK child care centre is officially the best on the Mornington Peninsula after receiving the highest rating, “exceeding” in all seven areas of the national quality standards. Capel Sounds Educational Child Care Centre and Kindergarten is the only centre on the peninsula to have attained that level. Part owner Wendy Stoffels said the small centre had worked hard to meet the standards, including maintaining a strong “connection to country” through its out and about program, and embedding daily reconciliation acknowledgments in the curriculum. “At Capel Sounds we have established an inclusive, positive and safe service where all children are…
MEMBERS of the Hastings Western Port Historical Society say calls for repairs to the 133-year-old Hastings Latter Day Saints Church porch and the early fisherman’s cottage are being ignored. Vice-president John Woolley said Mornington Peninsula Shire Council was not meeting its maintenance and improvement “obligations” to the society and called for it to “correct the bad appearance and anomalies”. He said the public perception was that the society was to blame for the state of disrepair. Prior to COVID – which shut down all projects on council-owned society’s sites – work had started on porch project. Woolley said council regulations…
A RESIDENT of a block of Mornington flats has failed in a last-minute legal bid to save a liquid amber tree and is now facing an almost $200 bill for disrupting workmen. The tree in Downward Street is the centrepiece of a common courtyard on the block of four units but had become the centre of a disagreement between the owners’ corporation and tenants who did not want it chopped down. On Thursday, the day the tree was originally due to be removed, tree loppers were forced to walk away after several residents parked their cars around the tree to…
A MOUNT Martha man has hailed his dog a hero after she helped him when he collapsed from a stroke two years ago. Glenn Browne was getting ready to go out to dinner with friends when he collapsed while putting on a pair of jeans. Lying on the floor, confused, he was unaware his phone was ringing until Miley the Jack Russell stepped in. “She licked my face until I became more aware of my surroundings and that the phone was ringing,” Browne said. Browne dragged himself down the hallway to the phone. “He [Browne’s neighbour] was calling to see…
A FEW years ago, when Mount Martha resident Jarrod Massuger was barely into his 30s, an innocent-looking ulcer on his tongue set his life on a dramatically different course. Now he has an important message for others who ignore persistent health concerns. While the ulcer healed and Jarrod thought no more of it, two months later it returned, in the same spot, only bigger and causing a radiating pain to his left ear. “My wife made me see a GP, who referred me to an oral surgeon who concluded that it was “50/50” whether it was something sinister. “I was…
A CARER support group in McCrae is part of a state government-financed project being rolled out across Victoria. Pathways for Carers Victoria, supported by Interchange Outer East, is establishing carer support groups in municipalities across the state to support unpaid carers. There are about 20 groups so far and project manager Michelle Willoughby hopes more will be formed as word spreads among carers. “Pathways for Carers is for unpaid carers of a loved one who is an elderly person, has a disability or mental health issue,” she said. “We understand that caring for a loved one can be an isolating…
CAPEL Sound residents opposing an “affordable housing” development outlined their concerns at a Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meeting on 14 July. About 20 speakers spoke at the forward planning meeting, with most opposed to the proposal to build on the 22,000 square metre allotment in Allambie Avenue, behind the Seawinds Community Hub. The residents watched proceedings online from two rooms outside of the council chamber. Spokesman Terry Wright said residents’ concerns included the long-term implications of concentrating disadvantage in an already disadvantaged area, the mental health implications of losing open space, potential traffic congestion and the impacts on wildlife. He…
NICK Martin, of Portsea, is no stranger to open water swimming and will take it to the next level when he attempts the gruelling English Channel crossing on 1 August. Martin, a life member of Portsea Surf life Saving Club, a regular swimmer at Portsea front beach, is increasing his training regime in the weeks leading up to the swim to around 50 kilometres a week with a mix of open water and pool swimming. The Dover (England) to Calais (France) channel swim is 34 kilometres, but Martin knows that the tides and the weather can extend both the distance…
THE Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has confirmed that feral deer will be shot at Devilbend Natural Features Reserve, Tuerong. The department did not reveal when the shooting would begin or how many deer were estimated to be in the reserve. Chief biosecurity officer James Todd said while there had not been a formal survey, the number of reported sightings of deer “suggests there has been an increase in deer numbers on the peninsula”. The primary control method for the deer is shooting, which will be carried out by professional shooters, accredited volunteer hunters, commercial harvesters and recreational…
TUCKED away on the fringes of suburbia between Mornington and Frankston is a natural wonderland where visitors can see some of Australia’s most remarkable and precious native animals. Moonlit Sanctuary – the lifelong hobby of owner Michael Johnson – is a few acres of paradise for nature lovers and a safe and feral-free home to a range of native critters and is playing an important role in education and conservation. Johnson is the peninsula’s own version of British naturalist Gerald Durrell – or Steve Irwin for younger readers – who has had a fascination and love for Australia’s native animals…
HUNTERS may be brought in to shoot deer which are blamed for having serious environmental impacts on the Mornington Peninsula. Images of fallow deer were recorded by nine out of 10 cameras installed for four weeks in March at Devilbend Natural Features Reserve, Tuerong. The cameras were set up following complaints from a vineyard owner who alleged deer had eaten half the crop and become tangled in a vine net. Parks Victoria is investigating options to control the increasing number of deer, including partnering with the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Victoria and the Australian Deer Association. Fallow deer – a…
MORE than 500 people on the Mornington Peninsula have joined 10,000 organisations and individuals across Victoria in a campaign to protect children from unhealthy food and drinks advertising. Cancer Council Victoria’s Food Fight is calling on communities to protect children from junk food advertising in places where children play or learn. The campaign has garnered support from local organisations including the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, Peninsula Health, Frankston Council and The Community Plate, which are all working on strengthening the local food system and connecting people with food that is local, healthy and abundant. Chair of peninsula-based The Community Plate…
SIXTEEN-year-old Mornington student Laura Kemp has seen first-hand the significant difference that social connections can make to the lives of the elderly living in aged care or retirement homes. The year 10 Padua College student is the youngest volunteer with the Chatty Cafe charity, which aims to bring people together for a coffee and a chat at designated venues around the Mornington Peninsula. Laura said that after witnessing the profound influence that regular social interaction had on her great-grandmother’s wellbeing, especially throughout lockdowns, she was inspired to act. “I heard about Chatty Cafe so I approached them to see if…
A FAMILIAR sight on the streets on Mornington is Robert Klaas Kalma, who many will recognise as the friendly musician who for the past four years has been Main Street’s “humble busker”. But what many who stop listen and drop a few coins in his bucket may not know is that Kalma’s efforts have raised hundreds of dollars for Red Cross and the Royal Children’s Hospital. Even more remarkable is the fact that the almost 83-year-old didn’t take up music until he was 70, without ever having a lesson. Kalma has had his fair share of personal tragedies and says…
DRIVING around Mornington Peninsula roads these days is a bit like playing dodgems with potholes, but there is a lot more to maintaining roads than many drivers would realise. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s infrastructure services manager Tom Haines-Sutherland said wet weather over the past 12 months had seen the number of council road repairs increase by almost 1000. The shire looks after about 3800 roads with a total length of 1700 kilometres. Freeway and arterial roads are maintained by the state government. Haines-Sutherland said there was a clear link between potholes and wet weather, with water seeping into the road…
SOMERVILLE resident Brenda Thornell has spent her life doing things for her community, but recognition for that has come as a bit of a “shock”, said the 88-year-old. Thornell has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her service to the community of the Mornington Peninsula. “I certainly didn’t expect this, I just got involved in things because that’s what you do in small communities,” she said. “When you live in a small town all your life, you know everyone, and you help everyone out if you can. “I didn’t think about it much, I just did. “I remember…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council says the federal government refused to let it continue servicing home care clients after the changeover to private providers on 1 July, leaving thousands of clients in limbo. But aged care experts say the council should not have ditched its in-house home care service in the first place, with many clients now losing certainty of service. About 4000 home care clients on the peninsula have been caught in the middle of the former Morrison government’s decision to move home care servicing to private providers (“Home care crisis after switch to private providers” The News 5/7/22). The…
MORNINGTON Peninsula businesses are facing a bleak tourism season unless staff shortages can be turned around before the end of winter. The demand for hospitality staff is crippling business across the peninsula, with cafes, hotels and restaurants all begging for staff. The problem of staff shortages in hospitality is not new, but has been exacerbated by COVID since 2019, this year’s emergence of a bad strain of flu, and young people apparently turning away from working in the sector. Kera Zaltsberg, of Mornington Peninsula Beachside Tourism, said all businesses were in the same boat, with many operating on skeleton staffing…
THOUSANDS of elderly Mornington Peninsula residents caught in the middle of the former Morrison Government’s decision to move home care servicing to private providers have been left without vital support. While the move to private providers is a result of recommendations outlined in the Aged Care Royal Commission Final Report, critics say its implementation without clear advice, time frames or options has left some recipients fearful and without any service at all. On the eve of the 1 July transition to private providers, many of the estimated 4000 home care recipients were still confused about what was happening and had…
AT just 17, in the middle of her VCE exams, Rosebud resident Deanna Renee was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Suddenly her whole world looked vastly different. “I literally woke up one day and could barely see, my vision loss was so bad it was just like looking through a tiny black dot” she said. Renee’s ophthalmologist diagnosed Optic Neuritis, which was a red flag for Multiple Sclerosis, and after an MRI discovered lesions on her brain, the diagnosis was confirmed. It would have been very easy to give up dreaming about the future, but Renee refused to give in to…
THE peninsula group of brigades has received a new addition to the fleet and named in honour of a former group communications officer. The new $85,000 Ford Ranger 4X4 was purchased via the Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program and replaced a seven-year-old model the group previously used. Peninsula group contributed an additional $29,000, supplementing the VESEP grant. Group officer Tim Desmond said the benefit of the new FCV was the improved layout and enhanced safety features. “The new standard build enables members to go between different vehicles quickly, as they all have a similar set up now,” he said. “The…
MORNINGTON Peninsula resident and co-founder of a wrap that is compostable and eco-friendly, Julia Kay, has been named Young Victorian of the Year by the Victoria Day Council. From a young age Kay, a former architect, had a knack for design, and wanted to have an impact on the environment. That led her to a career in architecture, which in turn has taken her around the world and led to her designing everything from galleries to schools. Kay said working in the construction industry was a real “eye opener” for her as she saw copious amounts of waste with no…
AN emergency service worker is reaching out to first responders and veterans who have experienced trauma, offering a free, ocean-based program for “post traumatic growth”. Operation Soul Surf is the brainchild of Sergeant Barry Randall, who is based at Forest Hill police station, but has brought the program to the Mornington Peninsula. Randall said the program provides opportunities to people who have suffered trauma to experience the healing power of surfing and the ocean. “I founded OSS in 2021 and have put 50 current and former first responders and veterans through our program,” he said. “I have booked out courses…
FISHERMANS Jetty in Mornington Harbour is in for a major safety revamp as part of $18 million allocated to piers and jetties across Victoria. The jetty is now closed to boats after an engineering inspection found it was not safe as a safe access for berthing. More than $6.7 million has been allocated from the 2022-23 state budget to plan the future of Mornington Harbour and rebuild the jetty. Jo Richards, Parks Victoria’s regional director southern and maritime region, said planning for the future of the harbour was anticipated to begin late-2022 and will consider the area’s future economic, tourism,…