FOR Mt Martha resident, father of three and Melbourne firefighter Rob Newton, the path to becoming an author was anything but conventional. It started innocently a few years ago with a series of funny, lively and “embellished” letters about his life to his brother Chris, in Sweden. It soon spiralled into a whole lot more, as Chris and his friends became intrigued with the crazy made-up tales Rob was spinning and egged him on to send monthly “instalments”. “I was never very good at writing letters, so I just started making things up and the stories just grew and grew,”…
Author: Liz Bell
FOR Mt Martha residents Tony and Leeanne O’Connor, the Mornington Peninsula’s natural environment and abundance of wildlife are the jewels in its crown. The O’Connors have rejected the lure of the development dollar and the temptation to keep up with the Jones’s to create a sustainable lifestyle and wildlife haven on their five-acre property. Since buying their bare block 17 years ago, the O’Connors have transformed it into a sustainable habitat, complete with a wetland, vegetable and fruit gardens, and nature corridors. With limited funds and a passion for sustainability and recycling, Tony built his own mud-brick, solar-passive house using…
RESIDENTS of a historically-significant “garden” suburb in Mt Eliza have launched a legal challenge to protect the character of the estate amid fears protection overlays are being watered down. The Ranelagh Residents Association has lodged an appeal with the Victorian Civil and Administrative and Tribunal over a planning application for a multi-storey house in Rendlesham Av. Houses in the tightly-held bayside Ranelagh Estate, a 1920s, 800-lot residential subdivision designed as a “seaside garden estate” by American landscape architect Walter Burley Griffin, are subject to covenants that allow one dwelling on each allotment to retain the neighbourhood character and prevent over-development.…
RED Hill artist Michael Leeworthy can’t find the time to volunteer at his local op shop so, instead, he’s donating proceeds from his next exhibition. Leeworthy will give 25 per cent of the takings from an exhibition on 18 and 19 March to the Red Hill op shop, which distributes the money to several Mornington Peninsula charities, including the Peninsula Home Hospice and CFAs. A member of the Art Red Hill committee for 20 years, Leeworthy is well known for his passion for contributing to the community. The multi-talented artist wears many hats, having started the successful all-male Men’s Book…
A FRANKSTON-based legal service that has helped thousands of low-income clients to access free legal advice and representation will be forced to turn away clients when the federal government cuts funding by 30 percent in July. Peninsula Community Legal Centre has provided legal advice to 7966 cash-strapped or vulnerable clients since opening 40 years ago, but now fears for its future and is pleading for the government to reverse its decision and restore the funding. The government has faced fierce opposition from legal centres around the country since it announced last year it would slash funding by millions from 1…
AN EXPERT panel of health and welfare professionals, including world-leading psychiatrist Professor Patrick McGorry, will head a public forum in Mornington to tackle the high rate of mental health issues in young people in the region. The forum is being run by Peninsula Voice, a not-for-profit group of community bodies, and will provide practical information on how to discuss and deal with mental health in young people and where help can be found on the peninsula. Speakers will include former Australian of the Year and world-leading researcher in early psychosis and youth mental health, Professor McGorry, psychologist Dr Diane McGreal, and…
MORNINGTON’S The Bays Hospital is the first Victorian centre and only the second in Australia to use advanced technology that is helping to revolutionise shoulder replacement surgery. Orthopaedic surgeon James Chiu carried out the first surgery on Capel Sound resident Pam Chitty on Friday using the technology, after leading the push to bring the groundbreaking GPS navigational computer system to Mornington. Mrs Chitty had surgery in 1980 when she first injured her rotator cuff, but deterioration meant full replacement was the only option when even hanging out the clothes became unbearable. Mr Chiu said patients like Mrs Chitty now had…
DOMESTIC and stray cats are running amok all over the Mornington Peninsula as many cat-owners ignore the cat curfew. Environmentalists and wildlife carers have called on Mornington Peninsula Shire to enforce its cat curfew to stop increasing numbers of cats from killing wildlife and causing a nuisance to residents. One Hastings property is being inundated with cats every night after a nearby vacant block was cleared of old cars and sheds. Renate Luhn said she complained to the shire and was told by one officer not to feed them and they would “go away”. The shire adopted a 24-hour cat…
ROSEBUD resident Nigel Edwards is “passionate” about helping people and his record of more than 76 years working in public service is proof enough. The 91-year-old JP, civil celebrant, bowls player, senior citizens register volunteer, Rye cemetery trust chair and Rosebud Probus Club committee member recently decided to “pull back” from his commitments on advice from his doctor, retiring from 10 years as document signing at the Rosebud police station. Mr Edwards was recently honoured by Victoria Police area commander Brett Coloe for his “character, humour and knowledge” and his invaluable service to the police and community, But while his…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire council is refusing to respond to concerns that a private jetty being rebuilt at Sullivan Bay, Sorrento, has contravened a planning permit requirement to build “like for like”. As reported in The News last week, (“Anger over ‘new’ pier’s beach block”) residents are upset that the large, privately-owned structure blocks public access to the beach at high tide, despite it being part of a recently upgraded historical walk from Blairgowrie to Sorrento, heavily promoted by the council’s tourism department. Despite several requests from The News, and a request directly from Parks Victoria to clarify the issue for…
AS Coolart Homestead’s first artist in residence, Somers artist Timothy Growcott feels so privileged to work in the grounds of the magnificent 19-century mansion that he gets into character, literally. “I occasionally dress in a period costume, especially if I am doing art demonstrations, because it’s such an incredible building and I like being part of the history,” he said. Since February, Growcott has used a studio at the back of the estate as a creative space several days a week, producing a range of artistic works and occasionally holding screen printing demonstrations. Growcott said the 87.5 ha estate provided…
ALMOST 75 years ago, a young Mornington lad and then 18-year-old army enlistee experienced an event that rocked Australia – the unthinkable enemy attack on Darwin. Next week, the now 95-year-old World War II veteran will fly north again, this time for the anniversary of the bombing of Darwin. Alan Day, who still lives in Mornington and is president of the Darwin Defenders Melbourne committee, was there in 1942 when the Japanese flew 64 raids on Darwin and 33 raids on other targets in Northern Australia. The RAAF medical orderly watched in horror as aircraft darkened the skies above Darwin…
THIS year is proving to be a great one for the recognition of women in sport, and Mornington Pirates Baseball Club is hoping to get in on the action. With the winter baseball season starting in April, Mornington Pirates Baseball Club is moving with the times and hopes to enter a team into the Dandenong Baseball Association’s women’s competition for the first time in its 42-year history. The club already has several female players who play with the men’s teams, but needs to recruit more to make up an all-girls’ team. Club vice-president Myles Dowsett said the closure of women’s…
SORRENTO residents fear their access to a popular beach has been blocked because a private jetty being built to replace a former structure does not conform to the same specifications. The jetty being built at Sullivan’s Bay is one of three jetties that have been at the beach for around 40 or 50 years. But residents are angry that it is being replaced with a bigger one that now prevents access unless the tide is out. Leanne Austin said she was upset that the Mornington Peninsula Shire had not enforced regulations that required replacement jetties to be the same size.…
MELBOURNE Water has confirmed it made several unsuccessful attempts to sell a 5.6 hectare piece of prime Rosebud land to the Mornington Peninsula Shire for community use, before applying to have the land rezoned for development. Melbourne Water has declared the three lots of land in and around Jetty Rd as surplus to its needs and wants to rezone it under the controversial Fast Track Amendment scheme from public use zone 1 to general residential zone 1, potentially pocketing tens of millions of dollars from developers. Under the Fast Track process, agencies that want to sell public land must offer…
A DIAGNOSIS of terminal cancer was the last thing Mt Eliza father of two Geoff Nyssen was expecting three weeks after turning 40. Life was on track in 2014 for the corporate high-flyer who lived a “normal” life, focussing on success and “getting ahead”. That was until a diagnosis of terminal blood cancer turned his life upside down. Inspirational in so many ways, Mr Nyssen has met the challenge head on and is re-directing his energies into raising money for Myeloma Australia to support the carers and families of multiple myeloma patients. In between working part time as an environmental…
WILDLIFE carer Brenda Marmion wants property owners to use the “three-level” system when leaving water out for wildlife, to ensure easy access for all animals. Ms Marmion, of Crystal Ocean Wildlife Shelter, Rye, has rescued, cared for, rehabilitated and released thousands of animals on the Mornington Peninsula for about 24 years, and has seen the devastating effects of extreme heat on wildlife. She said people could relieve the suffering of animals on hot days by ensuring there was accessible water in appropriate containers. “Sometimes wildlife can’t get to the water because it’s in containers they can’t access, or in worse…
WHEN quietly-spoken Hastings builder Garry Moncrieff found out he was one 12 Victorian emergency service workers to make the 2017 Australia Day Honours List, his immediate feelings were of being “embarrassed” and humbled. Embarrassed, because anyone who knows Mr Moncrieff, also knows that he volunteers for the Hastings and Mornington Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) out of a sense of commitment to the community, and humbled because he is not one to blow his own trumpet. Few would argue that 36 years of unwavering commitment to the rescue service is worthy of recognition. Mr Moncrieff was a founding member of the…
ONE of the Mornington Peninsula’s busiest volunteers and community contributors has been recognised with the inaugural ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ in the shire’s Australia Day awards. Barry Irving, right received the honour after more than 50 years of volunteer work. He has worked with the Salvation Army Boys Legion as a leader, helped with the Inaugural Nippers project at Gunnamatta Life Saving Club, been a crewman for Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad, elected president three times for the Rye Rotary Club, cooks for the police on New Year’s Eve, and has dressed as Santa to raise money for Cotton Wool Babies, as…
BLAIRGOWRIE resident Denis Baguley, above, will be a familiar name to many in Greater Melbourne for his contributions to the revival of the Shrine of Remembrance. The former Melburnian, who moved to the Mornington Peninsula after retiring a couple of years ago, received an AM in the Australia Day Awards for his service to public administration in Victoria through infrastructure project management, and to veterans and their families. As chief executive officer of the Shrine 2000-2015, and project manager, 2000-2003, Mr Baguley was instrumental in many of the changes in policy, programs and public access that saw the number of…
ROSEBUD resident Heath Davidson was awarded an OAM for service to sport as a gold medallist at the 2016 Paralympic Games at Rio. Davidson, 29, contracted the virus transverse myelitis at five months, but it wasn’t long before he showed what a fighting spirit and a love of sport could do for someone in a wheelchair. In 2001, at the Australian Disabled Games in Queensland, won a bronze medal in wheelchair tennis and two silver medals for table tennis. In 2016, after a brief break from the sport, he returned to wheelchair tennis and teamed with Dylan Alcott to win…
THE Mornington Peninsula was well represented in this year’s Australia Day Honours List, which recognised almost 200 Victorians among 958 people from various industries and communities around the country. Among the recipients from the peninsula were Denis Baguley, AM; Heath Davidson, OAM; Garry Moncrieff, Emergency Services Medal; Brendan Woodsell (formerly of HMAS Cerberus, Crib Point), OAM; Andrew Niven Creek, OAM; and Carmel O’Brien, OAM. Mornington Peninsula Shire announced its 2017 Australia Day Award winners at Rosebud Memorial Hall on Thursday, with Rye mother Bianca Appleford named as Citizen of the Year for her work in the area…
MORNINGTON Peninsula’s Citizen of the Year Bianca Appleford established the Light Up Autism Foundation on the southern peninsula, providing opportunities for children with autism spectrum disorder to access intensive therapy at school for no cost to the families. The program is overseen by a psychologist and applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapist, and run by skilled integration staff. After discovering the importance of early intervention when her own son was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, Ms Appleford established the foundation to provide support for other families. She said she hoped the award would help raise awareness of the importance of…
GROWING concern over ice-related domestic violence and child abuse in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula has led to calls for more support for families struggling with the consequences of drug abuse. Police and counsellors report that ice use is devastating families and is now the leading cause of crime and domestic violence in both areas. Detective Sergeant Detective Sergeant Paul Busuttil of Frankston CIU said ice was destroying communities, with police making weekly referrals to the Department of Human Services about children in “ice families”, and directing parents or partners to services to help them deal with the destructive behaviour…
FORGET about stocking your pantry with exotic ingredients and trying to cook complicated recipes that you can’t even pronounce – Frankston foodie Jade O’Donahoo says “simple” is back in fashion. The former cafe owner has just released a self-illustrated cookbook of vegetarian recipes that hark back to her Italian heritage and her love of “uncomplicated” food. She said the book – Eat This, My Friend – published by Hardie Grant Books, was inspired by the customer requests she received for her recipes after she closed her popular hole-in-the-wall cafe, Switchboard, in Melbourne a few years ago. “I got so many…
FLINDERS MP Greg Hunt managed to avoid directly answering questions on the future of Medicare during a visit to Frankston Hospital last Wednesday when speaking to the media over his appointment as Australia’s new health minister. Mr Hunt’s promotion follows Sussan Ley’s resignation and an expenses scandal that now threatens to tarnish his own reputation, after it was revealed last week that between January 2014 and June 2016, the Mt Martha-based MP charged taxpayers $15,500 for overnight stays in Melbourne. In addition, he has spent more than $20,000 for travel to Queensland for him and his family over the past…
A STONE wall erected to stop erosion at Mt Martha has angered residents, who claim the “cost-cutting” measures had denied them rightful access to the beach. Rocks were placed in front of a bluestone wall on the 600 metre-long Hawker beach and neighbouring Craigie beach late last year, amid concern the narrow strip of sand was disappearing and the cliffs were at risk. But regular beachgoer Trevor Leslie claims the works, initiated by the Department of Water, Environment, Land and Planning (DWELP), had effectively cut the beach off from recreational users. “We are distraught at the loss of access to…
FRANKSTON and Mornington Peninsula fire officers have issued a warning to have air cooling and heating systems serviced after two house fires over the weekend of 7 until 8 January. The fires in Seaford and Carrum Downs were among five in outer metro-Melbourne that fire crews believe were related to air-conditioners or evaporative cooling system. The families were home at the time of the fires and were able to escape, but both the houses were damaged. Carrum Downs station captain Steve Rhodes said investigations were continuing, but air cooling systems were likely to be the cause in both instances. CFA…
PLANS to fast track the rezoning and sale of Melbourne Water-owned land in Rosebud has infuriated residents and raised fears that the land grab will impact the future of Mt Eliza land that is now a haven for wildlife. The water authority has moved to rezone for development four of its “surplus” Melbourne sites, including the 5.6 hectare site in Jetty Rd, Rosebud, under the state government’s Fast Track Government Land Service. The land service was established in 2015 to correct planning scheme “anomalies” and provide for the fast-tracked rezoning of “surplus” government land. Residents are angry that Mornington Peninsula…
BLAIRGOWRIE nursing student Molly Moore is still a year away from qualifying, but the 22-year-old hopes her proactive approach to healthcare will reduce death and disease in third world environments. After going on a study tour to Thailand last year with Deakin University, the former Rosebud Secondary College student decided that one of the simplest ways to prevent illness in poor communities was to teach better hygiene practices. She has now developed a hygiene education program and will go to the Tanzanian township of Arusha with two friends in February to volunteer at the Tengeru district hospital, and deliver the…