THE Mornington Community Support Centre (MCSC) operates fresh food programs throughout the week to support locals who are experiencing hardship. Most days there is fresh food available from a range of sources at the Main St Centre, and at St Marks Church on Barkley St Mornington, with volunteers collecting food from a variety of stores, farms, and suppliers, together with Second Bite and Oz Harvest deliveries. Each week MCSC provides food assistance to over 300 people without judgement or question. The cost of coordination, staff, and other elements of the program are not covered by any government department, and we…
Author: MP News Group
Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate Danyn Maddern. The 26-year-old is wanted on warrants in relation to aggravated burglary and firearms offences. Danyn is Caucasian, of solid build, approximately 180cm tall with short light brown hair and beard. He is known to frequent the Mornington Peninsula area. Investigators have released an image of Danyn in the hope someone may be able to provide information on his current whereabouts. Anyone who sights Danyn is urged not to approach him and to contact triple zero (000) immediately. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333…
UPLIFTING and heartbreaking true stories of Timor-Leste (East Timor) will be heard at a book reading at Mornington in early August as part of Library Week. The readings will come from the book From Timor-Leste to Australia – Seven families, three generations tell their stories, a collection of recollections and poems of seven Timor-Leste families who left their homeland to make new lives in Melbourne. Readers will include Maria Napoleon and Jose Florindo from two of the seven families, and Jan Trezise and Lynne Moller, of Gleneagles Secondary College in Endeavour Hills who, along with 25 students, interviewed families and…
MPJFL ROUND 10 of the MPJFL season saw an exciting new initiative come to life, with the launch of an International Exchange Program between the Mornington Peninsula Junior Football League and AFL New Zealand. New Zealand born Cooper Clark represented the South Mornington Junior Football Club in a historic moment for the relationship between the MPJFL and AFL New Zealand, kicking two goals in a win against Sorrento over the weekend. Earlier this year, Cooper represented the AFL New Zealand Academy against the MPJFL, competing against a side that featured five of his newly formed teammates at South Mornington. The…
MORNINGTON Community Support Centre has reopened its doors on Main Street, Mornington after nearly eight months being closed due to flood damage. Mornington Peninsula Shire has coordinated repair works since the flooding to ensure the centre can return to providing support and services to the community (“Repairs, clean-up after deluge” The News 21/11/22). The centre provides material aid and support services to people experiencing personal and financial difficulties in Mornington, Moorooduc, Mount Eliza and Mount Martha. “I’m so proud of our team for their resilience and determination over the past eight months,” the centre’s CEO Ben Smith said. “Without missing…
FOREST Fire Management is looking for people who are keen to work outdoors, learn new skills, and help protect the community and the environment. Applications are now open for project firefighter roles at nine locations in Melbourne’s north, east and the Mornington Peninsula, including Rosebud, Knoxfield, Olinda, Greenvale, and Powelltown. “These fixed-term positions are a fantastic opportunity for people from all walks of life, who are physically fit, to get out in the bush, protect our region from bushfires and help manage public land,” Forest Fire Management’s deputy chief fire officer Tamara Beckett said. New recruits would be involved in…
By Pat Lawson-Black “IT was about 22 years ago,” says Mark Pitman.” I was washing the car and my hand just stopped dead.” His wife, Lizzie Bloom, smiles and adds a little colour to his sentence: “Mark’s a real rev-head. He loves his bikes and cars.” So, when his ritual Saturday morning car wash was interrupted so rudely, the couple knew it was time to head for the doctor’s surgery. And that’s how they found out – Pitman, who was then in his mid-40s, was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease. “Parkies” is a tricky thing to nail down. There…
OUTDOOR temporary dining “parklets” that popped up across the Mornington Peninsula during COVID-19 restrictions may be allowed to stay. During the pandemic, the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council allowed traders to set up temporary outdoor dining areas outside of their businesses, often using footpaths and car parking spaces. The aim was to support traders who had struggled through months of closures. The parklets, which often included fencing, plantings and furniture, were popular with patrons, especially over summer. The initiative also saw a range of cultural activities in town centres, including art, music and performance. In most towns where parklets operated successfully,…
‘Ramping’ leads to waste of paramedics’ time Having recently attended a large public hospital with my husband, an elderly man who had fallen at home, I observed the practice of [ambulance] “ramping” firsthand. On arrival, he had to wait three to four hours in a corridor of the emergency department. While he did, our two very nice and caring paramedics looked after him (and me), but there were 20 to 30 paramedics crowded in the corridor for hours doing the same for their patients. We were waiting for triage or something. None of the patients seemed to require close attention,…
SOCCER HAYLEY Malgioglio became the first woman in local football to coach a senior men’s club in a league match last weekend when she took over the reins at Frankston Pines. The 24-year-old former Young Matilda took on the role of player-coach of Pines’ women’s team last October and in March was also appointed assistant to Trevor Johnston in the senior men’s program. She remained in that role after Johnston resigned and was replaced by Kevin “Squizzy” Taylor in early May. Taylor is recovering from back surgery so Malgioglio will remain at the helm for the next few weeks. “It’s…
A MALE choir formed five weeks before its first and only performance on the Mornington Peninsula has been praised by award-winning Australian composer Katy Abbott. Peninsula Chamber Musicians’ 40-piece orchestra and the 25-voice choir performed Abbott’s Stars That Split The Night at a concert in Mornington on Sunday 18 June. The composer, a senior lecturer in composition at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music whose works are performed by Australian, American and Canadian symphony orchestras and ensembles, said “the choir sang from their hearts in full voice. It was very moving and wonderful”. Stars was reorchestrated especially for the PCM concert by…
CANCER patients on the Mornington Peninsula will benefit from enhanced support services at The Bays Hospital in Mornington, after breast cancer survivor Barbara Clough raised $7500 through a fundraising event at Lifestyle Bittern retirement village. Clough donated the money to The Bays specialist breast care and prostate cancer nurses to support patients who are living with breast and prostate cancer or who may receive a cancer diagnosis in the future. “I thought it would benefit our local area because we’re going to have a lot of people needing that service,” she said. The money has been used to buy a…
POINT Leo Surf Life Saving Club is one of two clubs chosen to follow a pilot program to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. Point Leo and North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club are the first clubs in Australia to follow the new emission reduction program, Zero Positive. The program is predicted to save costs for clubs and offer “tangible solutions to monitor and reduce carbon emissions” and ultimately lead to all Surf Life Saving Australia clubs achieve net-zero emissions. Financed by the Surf Life Saving Innovation Fund, the program will allow the not-for-profit clubs to use energy cost savings…
LEELA Subramaniam dropped a commerce and law double degree studies to follow her heart and is now an award winning junior sous chef. A family tragedy made Subramaniam, of McCrae, think about what made her happy during the second year of her Bachelor of Commerce/Law studies. She had worked in hospitality since the age of 14, and decided cookery was her calling. “I was actually already working as a cook and I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I immersed myself in my work and it kept my mind occupied. It was kind of therapeutic.” Subramaniam began a Certificate III in…
TICKETS are available now for the highly anticipated 2023 Archibald Prize at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, the exclusive Victorian destination for the popular event. Opening 15 September, MPRG will welcome enthusiastic art lovers for the prestigious prize with a display of 57 portraits, including this year’s winning portrait of singer songwriter Montaigne by Julia Gutman alongside the notable Packing Room Prize 2023 winning work of Cal Wilson by Andrea Huelin. As the first stop on the Archibald Prize 2023 regional tour, visitors to the exhibition can see portraits of public figures and cultural identities from all walks of life, reflecting…
Emergency services responded to reports of a collision between a cement truck and bus causing the bus to crash into two houses in Safety Beach this morning. It is believed a concreter truck, travelling north on Prescott Avenue, collided with a bus travelling west along Marine Parade about 11am. The impact of the collision caused the bus to crash through a front fence of a house on Prescott Avenue before clipping its roof. The bus continued to career through an adjoining boundary fence and crashed into a house on Dromana Parade causing extensive structural damage. The driver of the bus,…
WORKS by 11 Victorian First Nations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and designers are featured in the Layers of Blak exhibition at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington until 3 September. A news release from Mornington Peninsula Shire says the works are the result of their creators having “wrestled with colonial history to present their stories, layered with meaning – of healing, resilience, collaboration and empowerment. This is powerful storytelling through exquisite contemporary jewellery”. The exhibition, an outcome of the Blak Design program and being run in conjunction with NAIDOC Week, is presented by the Melbourne-based Koorie Heritage Trust to…
DUNKLEY MP Peta Murphy has described Australians as “the biggest losers in the world” when it comes to gambling. Murphy’s comment was made after the tabling in federal parliament of a report into online gambling and its harmful effects. “We have a culture where sport and gambling are intrinsically linked. These behaviours are causing increasingly widespread and serious harm to individuals, families, and communities,” Murphy, who chaired the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, said. The committee’s report makes 31 recommendations to reduce harm to Australians caused by online gambling. The recommendations include the federal…
READERS have until 11 July to comment on plans for ongoing kangaroo “harvesting” by the state government. The so-called Kangaroo Harvesting Program review is being conducted by the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Change. The program has been strongly criticised by Mornington Peninsula conservationists and Wildlife Victoria (“Fears that kangaroo kill will be increased” The News 27/7/23). Jo Hansen of Save Our Kangaroos of the Mornington Peninsula said the region should not be in the “harvesting” program as a citizen science count conducted in 2021 reckoned the peninsula only had 3000 eastern grey kangaroos, “a population that had been…
‘The public sphere has turned toxic [with] armchair experts’ – mayor What has shocked me most about holding public office is the extent to which people want you to lie to them. An alarming number of people are simply not interested in opposing views, let alone the notion that an opposing view even exists. Some become intensely outraged by the revelation that, on a particular issue, I or any other politician might happen to disagree with them. So many people I have come across want to be told what they want to hear, even when I know it to be…
A PRO-Voice to Parliament event later this month at Flinders Hotel sold out in four days so organisers have added a second session. Voice to Parliament: A Discussion will be held from 11am-1pm Sunday 30 July after the sellout session on the Saturday. Speakers at both sessions will be Professor Dr Marcia Langton AO, Rachel Perkins and Tony Nutt AO. They will speak for about one hour all-up before taking questions from the audience for about 30 minutes. Co-organisers are peninsula-based arts producer Sally Baillieu and Julie Kantor, founding director of Annamila First Nations Foundation, set up to foster “a…
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman found in Frankston overnight. Her body was sighted by a passer-by drifting in the water near Frankston Pier about 8.45pm. Officers and police Air Wing responded and located the woman, perceived to be of Asian appearance, who was pulled from the water. She is yet to be identified and the cause of death is yet to be determined. Investigators are keen to speak to anyone in the area with CCTV that may capture the woman’s movements prior to the incident. At this stage, the death is not being treated…
THE next few performances by the Mornington Peninsula Welsh Ladies Choir are being seen as a lead-in to the choir’s inaugural international tour in September. The repertoire during the choir’s three-week tour of Wales will include Marrandil, by Yothu Yindi singer, Dr G Yunupingu, sung in the Yongu Indigenous language. The song opened a concert at the Red Hill hotel, Lancemore Lindenderry, on Sunday 18 June. Another treat for Welsh audiences will be the choir’s rendition of the traditional Welsh song, Hiraeth, which at Lancemore Lindenderry was accompanied by guest artist harpist, Marina van Leeuwen. Before leaving for Wales the…
TWO ill pelicans cared for by Rye wildlife rehabilitator Brenda Marmion were recently released and then recaptured with help from the Westernport Pelican Study Group. The birds, which were found in a garden and on the beach at Tootgarook, were initially taken to Newhaven, Phillip Island where it was thought they would have a better chance of joining a flock. However, they were recaptured when it was realised they were not thriving and have now been sent to Phillip Island Nature Park for further rehabilitation. Once released, the birds will be monitored to see how they move around. Gary Matthews from…
THE results are in for one of the largest reviews of heritage places in the Western Port and the hinterland region in nearly 25 years, with comment open until 28 July. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council recently commissioned a heritage review of Watson, Cerberus and Red Hill wards to identify places of heritage significance that should be protected under the heritage overlay of the peninsula’s planning scheme. The overlay is designed to ensure heritage places are conserved and enhanced and that new development does not adversely impact their significance. The review was undertaken by experts and identifies places recommended for heritage…
THE hunt is on for thieves who stole a bobcat from a house construction site in Point Leo Road, Point Leo, two weeks ago. The Case 85xt skidsteer loader, tools, a small bar fridge and a Milwaukee radio were believed to have been taken between 6pm on Thursday 15 June and 7am the following day. It is believed a person driving a 2015 gun-metal grey Mercedes Benz GL wagon and pulling a trailer allegedly stolen from a Bittern car trailer hire company around the same time may have information. It is also believed the same trailer was later found dumped…
ANYONE who believes vegetation has been illegally removed is being urged to make a report to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. There have been complaints to council that developers are removing vegetation before submitting planning applications in order to speed up the process, and pressuring arborists to write reports that favour developers. The shire’s community safety, health and compliance manager Dale Gilliatte said Illegal vegetation removal was enforced through the provisions of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. “The council has enforcement powers under the Planning and Environment Act to obtain orders from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which secure…
Mornington Rotary Club and The Bays Hospital have launched a fund to pay for specialised training for nurses. The Rotary club has made an initial $25,000 donation to The Bays Nursing and Midwifery Education Fund and is urging members of the community to also contribute and support their local hospital. “We are thrilled to have had the support of Mornington Rotary Club over many years, and have worked with them over the last year to identify the most worthy project for them to support into the future. Nurse education is certainly that,” The Bays CEO Jade Phelan said. Incoming president…
MP for Dunkley Peta Murphy is urging anyone who wants clarification on the upcoming referendum on Indigenous Voice to Parliament to attend her community meetings in Mount Eliza. Federal parliament passed the Constitution Alteration Bill on Monday 19 June, meaning the referendum question and proposed amendment to the Constitution are now set. The passage of the Bill means the referendum can be held by the end of the year. But Murphy said there was still some confusion about what the Voice means, with many people not aware of the details of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a 2017 petition…
THE Southern Women’s Action Network (SWAN) is holding a public forum to counter “misinformation” about the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum. What is the VOICE referendum? – A Community discussion will be held from 7pm on Thursday 20 July at Mount Eliza Community Hall. Guest speaker will be lawyer, writer and commentator Teela Reid, a Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman. “We hope people will come along to this public forum and hear the facts then make up their own minds about this important referendum,” SWAN Facilitator Erica Churchill said. She said Reid would focus on “properly informing people, irrespective of whether…