Author: Liz Bell

BLUESCOPE Steel is expanding, with work started on upgrading and restarting a metal coating line controversially closed in 2011 and more than 200 positions shed as part of a restructure. The upgrade has already boosted employment at the Western Port site, with BlueScope confirming that the “recruitment process” was being finalised, with more than 100 new jobs created in the past year. At the time of the 2011 closure, BlueScope was being hammered by a strong Australian dollar, rising iron ore and coking coal prices, weakening demand and competition from cheaper Chinese steel. But BlueScope spokeswoman Jill Gregory told The News on…

A STUNNING artistic depiction of Western Port’s maritime past is turning heads at Hastings. It took renowned Mornington Peninsula artist Simon White two weeks to complete the High St mural, but months to research the region’s rich history, speak to key characters and plan how best to tell the tale in images. The seven images tell the region’s fascinating narrative from 1860 to today, and reveal Mr White’s passion for connecting with history through art. “As we all rushed around preparing for Christmas and all the festivities, we have been intrigued as we watched a magnificent mural being painted in…

THE bus service between Rosebud and Monash University’s Peninsula campus in Frankston has been handed another lifeline after the state government stepped in to extend a trial until June 2017. The service connecting Rosebud with Monash has had a precarious existence, starting as the PenBus service in 2012 when the federal government provided $1.5 million to Mornington Peninsula Shire for a three-year trial. When the funding ended in 2015, students were left stranded until a new partnership between the state government, Mornington Peninsula Shire and Monash University saw the route 887 service reprised for 12 months in time for the…

THIS year’s 45th Mornington Art Show will run for seven days, kicking off on Thursday 19 January at 7pm to a party atmosphere with a lucky door prize, food, refreshments and music. The exhibition at Peninsula Community Theatre, Wilsons Rd, Mornington, opens 10am to 5pm daily and ends on Australia Day 26 January, is recognised as the biggest and best quality art show on the Mornington Peninsula. This year’s show is no exception, with 827 entries by artists from all over the country. In recognition of the Rotary Club of Mornington’s ‘sailability’ program, the show will be opened on the…

MORNINGTON Shire Council already made significant steps towards transparency this year as a result of a Victorian Ombudsman’s investigation into council practices, according to the mayor Cr Bev Colomb. However, a report on the investigation has highlighted shortfalls in the way the shire, and several other councils, “serve the public interest” when making decisions. Ombudsman Deborah Glass released her report last Thursday (15 December) into the state’s 79 councils, Investigation Into the Transparency of Local Government Decision Making, which found that transparency was “a random matter” across the state. After gathering evidence from council staff, CEOs, mayors and councillors, Ms…

A BOOK exploring the rich history of Rosebud West and its people, from the early beginnings in the 1930s to more recent times, was launched on Saturday. Stories of Rosebud West, funded under the Rosebud West Community Renewal project, took first-time author Bettyanne Foster more than four years to research and write. “It might only be a tiny area, but I was amazed at just what a rich, vibrant history this area has and how many interesting tales people have about it,” she said. Ms Foster, who had never heard of Rosebud West until moving to the Mornington Peninsula six…

PARKS Victoria is calling for feedback on a revised master plan for the future of Point Nepean National Park. The plan, based on a draft released in 2010, is expected to consider a wide range of options for the pristine coastal area, taking account of Point Nepean’s historic connections to Point Lonsdale, the marine national park, its occupation and use by Aborigines as well as “appropriate” commercial and educational developments. Late in 2014, just before the end of its term in office, the then Napthine Liberal government outraged environmentalists when it leased more than 64 hectares (158 acres) of the…

PROTESTERS fighting to protect Mt Eliza’s decommissioned Kunyung Rd reservoir from development are calling on South East Water to bow to the community’s wishes when deciding the future of the site. On Thursday members of the South Eastern Centre for Sustainability, which has been pressuring South East Water not to sell the site for development, began erecting protest signs at strategic locations in Frankston and Mt Eliza. President Steve Karakitsos said previous public relations campaigns by SEW had placed significant importance on community consultation and the work of community members in protecting the environment. But he said the organisation’s refusal…

THE popularity of smartphones has fuelled a rise in the number of problem gamblers who now have easy and instant access to online gambling sites, warns a Mornington peninsula counselling service. Alvin Efklidis, of Gamblers Help Southern, has warned that measures to reduce the harm of poker machines are not targeting the growing online sector. “In terms of problem gambling, poker machines are still the biggest form of gambling, but online gambling is rapidly growing and with the technology that’s available to everyone, such as mobile phones, it’s at the fingertips all the time,” he said. “Most people are not…

IF there was just one thing that Greg Hunt the retiring executive officer of the South East Council Climate Change Alliance (SECCCA), could proclaim as the best way to protect the environment for future generations, it is “education”. The former science teacher with a passion for the natural world has spent his 43-year career advocating for change in the way individuals and organisations manage resources. Education has always been a huge part of that process, whether it’s investigating options for energy conservation, or promoting broader thinking on energy use. Hunt has a varied employment background, but the environment has always…

ARTISTS, writers and musicians are invited to apply to stay at a Mornington Peninsula Shire-owned cottage on land abutting Point Nepean National Park. The residency program based at the former gatekeeper’s cottage at Police Point Shire Park provides an opportunity for artists to work in a different environment and explore new ideas. Balnarring-based photographer Daryl Gordon, who finished his residency at Police Point earlier this month, describes his time there as “a great indulgence as a creative artist”. “It’s not often that you can take time out of a busy schedule and just be. By saying that, I mean having…

THE Mornington Peninsula has long been marketed to those seeking a pampering, resort-style holiday experience, and now it seems many want the same for their pets. It’s no secret that the pet industry is a lucrative industry estimated to be worth about $8 billion annually, with many owners today taking a “no expenses spared” approach when it comes to the social and emotional wellbeing of their animals. Cory Andrews, who runs kennels in Baxter and whose family has been involved in the pet industry on the peninsula for 43 years, said the trend for luxury cat and dog boarding, doggy…

SOMERS residents are celebrating their win against Mornington Peninsula Shire’s plan to make property owners pay for more than five kilometres of concrete paths through their town. The landmark decision by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) may have far reaching effects for the shire and any plans it has to build new concrete paths on the peninsula. There were tears of joy and relief from opponents of the plan when VCAT declared late Thursday that the shire’s special charge scheme was “invalid”. Michelle Gregory saw the decision as a “resounding victory for democracy at the local level and…

FEARS have been raised that another person will be killed before improvements are made to the two increasingly congested intersections linking Mt Martha to Nepean Highway. A pedestrian was killed at the intersection of Forest Drive and Nepean Highway in 2014, resulting in a 700-signature petition to VicRoads urging the authority to upgrade traffic conditions at the access points of Forest Drive and nearby Uralla Rd. But despite the Mornington Peninsula’s soaring population and increased traffic accessing Mt Martha from the highway, no works have started. Resident Mike Goethel said he had a “substantial folio” of correspondence with VicRoads going…

THIRTY years ago, when Graeme Innes finished university with a law degree and aspirations of a career where he could make a difference, he found a very different reality. Doors closed, employers baulked at employing someone who couldn’t see, and the future seemed bleak for a young man with a growing passion for human rights advocacy and workplace equality. Mr Innes eventually found work as a clerical assistant answering phones in a law firm, but the lessons learned from those early experiences fuelled his passion for advocating for the invisible and voiceless. He went on to become a successful lawyer,…

THE RSPCA is still investigating a case of animal cruelty involving a possum caught in a steel-jawed trap at Rye. As reported by The News on 26 September the animal welfare organisation had launched an investigation into the use of the illegal trap to snare a possum at a holiday house in Rye. The animal was rescued by a wildlife volunteer but had to be euthanised after its paw was crushed in the trap. It is unknown how many days or hours the distressed animal was forced to hang by its crushed paw at the vacant holiday house before a…

CAPEL Sound foreshore management has denied that inefficient maintenance practices at Tootgarook are causing unnecessary sand movement and sand stacking. Foreshore manager Caro Baring said a boat user’s claims that not enough was being done to stop sand blowing back onto the ramp after removal were incorrect. She said the maintenance program catered for about 4000 boat owners who used the ramp every year. “Our maintenance of the foreshore involves moving the sand from the boat ramp away to the east side, so it’s not that sand that ends [back] up on the ramp,” Ms Baring said. “The natural movement…

FORMER Dromana State School student and art prodigy Ewart Melbourne Brindle went on to become one of the most recognised artists and illustrators of World War II, but his early days in Dromana are not forgotten. Dromana and District Historical Society will hold a one-day exhibition next month, showcasing Brindle’s art and some of the memorabilia he took to the United States when his family moved there after World War I. The Australian-American (1904-1995) is known for his posters for war bonds, as well as wartime magazine illustrations and covers, and US postage stamps. A keen motor enthusiast, much of…

HAVE you ever felt like discussing the finer points of literature with fellow passengers while sitting on a train on the Frankston line? Well now is your chance, with the Books on the Rail project coming to a train near you in December. The idea is the brainchild of copywriter Ali Berg and primary school teacher Michelle Kalus, who have been leaving free novels aboard Melbourne trains for months in an attempt to share their love of literature and get commuters reading again. Frankston commuters can look forward to their turn to read in the last carriage of the 11.14am…

IF you noticed a lot of huge men around Frankston last Saturday (29 October), there’s a strong chance they were part of a fast-growing powerlifting craze that attracted lifters to town from around the world. Here for the ‘Big Dogs’ powerlifting competition, an invitation-only competition held for the first time in Frankston, eight powerlifters from Russia, the UK and Australia pitted their muscles against each other in the three-set lifting sequence. After lots of grunting and clenching of muscles by all involved, Russia claimed the $30,000 prize when 39-year-old Andrey Malanichev lifted a total of 1140 kilograms in the combined…

VICTORIA’S mosquito plague has raised fears that the increased risk of mosquito-born diseases such as the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer  – already prevalent on the Mornington Peninsula – could soar. But concerns are falling on deaf ears according to Rye resident Pete Connell, 64, who was infected by the Mycobacterium ulcerans bacteria last year. Mr Connell accuses health authorities and government officials of “passing the buck”. Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula are “hot spots” for the Buruli ulcer, a notifiable illness that worldwide is the third most common bacterial disease after tuberculosis and leprosy (“Flesh-eating ulcers on rise”, The Times 17/10/16).…

ANOTHER piece of the Mornington Peninsula wetland and wildlife habitat in Boneo will be permanently protected after the state government reached a voluntary agreement with the owners to ensure the protection of threatened species. The land, comprising 5.74 hectares of coastal wetland scrub abutting Tootgarook Swamp, is now protected under a Trust for Nature covenant. Land owner Rob McNaught, who also owns the neighbouring 320-hectare Boneo Park Equestrian Centre, donated more than 180 hectares of that property in 2013 for similar protection to offset vegetation cleared during the building of Peninsula Link, making it the biggest conservation covenant in greater…

A ROSEBUD mother of two primary-school aged children with autism spectrum disorder has turned her writing skills into an educational book series designed to inform both adults and children about the challenges of living with ASD. Monique Cain was so keen to help the teachers and  peers of her children understand the way her daughter and son thought and reacted to others, she started to write a cartoon-style book to “show” others what was going on. “I kept hearing things from the other kids at my daughter’s school such as ‘Madi isn’t very smart’, or ‘Why does Madi do such…

THE axing of one of the Mornington Peninsula’s oldest indigenous trees has been labelled “an absolute disgrace” by heritage and flora and fauna experts. Ecologist Malcolm Legg said he was appalled that a 15-metre gum from a 31-unit development site in Bayview Av, Rosebud, had been cut down, even after it was suggested by the National Trust that it be protected as a “tree of significance”. Mr Legg said the peninsula, once renowned for its strict controls on vegetation removal, was losing much of its significant greenery as developers ripped out trees and native bush for multi-unit developments. “It’s an…

IN her short but inspirational life, 23-year-old Jess Van Zeil has not asked very much of others. The high-achieving Frankston South resident, who grew up in Mt Eliza and worked in Mornington, is now asking for help from others to give her a chance at life. At 22, Jess had the world at her feet – just weeks away from completing a degree in nutrition, on the brink of a part-time career in motivational speaking, and working up to 30 hours a week at a job she loved. “My life was completely different, I was busy being busy, and focusing…

IMAGES of muscular, well-toned men might be easy on the eye, but they are also raising money for the Monash Children’s Hospital thanks to Mornington mum Caroline Donovan. Ms Donovan is the organiser of the Victorian Firefighters calendar, which was first released five years ago and last year raised $3200 for medical equipment. “A calendar showing off some of our firefighters is a light-hearted alternative to the seriousness of what they do every day,” she said. “They are regularly exposed to traumatic experiences, often including children, so it’s good to get the firefighters involved in something positive that helps families.”…

FRANKSTON and the Mornington Peninsula have emerged as “hot spots” for a flesh-eating bacteria that leaves sufferers disfigured and has doctors baffled. Variously known as the Bairnsdale ulcer, the Daintree ulcer and the Baruli ulcer, the infectious disease is affecting up to four residents a week in the Frankston and on the peninsula. Data from the Department of Health shows that 42 cases have been reported in Mornington so far this year, up from 33 last year. In Frankston, there have been 12 cases, up from seven last year. State-wide there were 106 cases of the infection last year while…

LIKE many mums, Mornington’s Michelle Bendell held her breath when her son Sidney started school this year. And just like thousands of parents, she was anxious – but hopeful – that education would give her son the chance to grow, learn, make friends and become independent. But, without the early learning intervention that was provided to her son, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, that first day at a mainstream school may never have happened. Ms Bendell and her husband Justin realised as soon as their son was diagnosed that early intervention was the key to helping the family deal with…

AT 90, Sidney Cartlidge deserves a well-earned rest and could be forgiven for hanging up his harmonica. But the music has not stopped for the sprightly nonagenarian, who still enjoys entertaining others and can be found regularly delivering “music therapy” and playing tunes at aged care homes around Mornington. A harmonica player since he was 10 in Staffordshire, England, Mr Cartlidge’s love of music and enthusiasm for performing have not waned over the years, despite a forced hiatus in 2014 when he and his musician mates had to seek a new venue. At the time, the self-funded concerts he performed…

PEOPLE living in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula have higher levels of mental health disorders than the Victorian average, with health services struggling to cope with demand. Figures from the state’s mental health intake service, Neami, put the two areas ahead of some of its biggest neighbours, including Bayside, when it comes to mental health. Peninsula Health, the peninsula’s main providers of health services, is stretched to capacity, with waiting lists in many cases for people needing assistance. Peninsula Health operations director Sharon Sherwood says demand for mental health care on the peninsula had been steadily  rising for the past…