AN image of the Virgin Mary stolen from the Greek Orthodox church, Red Hill, has been found. Mornington Peninsula CIU detectives were told two thieves entered the church, on Arthurs Seat Rd, around 3.50am Sunday (31 January). CCTV footage shows them approaching a sealed glass box containing an icon of the Virgin Mary and gold jewellery. After unsuccessfully trying to smash the glass, the thieves removed the case from the counter top, stealing the icon and assorted jewellery. The case, Virgin Mary icon and other smaller pieces of jewellery were found, Thursday, on the side of White Hill Rd, Red…
Author: MP News Group
THE Ambassador Hotel function centre in Frankston is being demolished but the site is back on the market after a sale at auction late last year fell through. Winning bidder Harry Matsoukas said he was “not involved with that any more” when contacted by The News last month. Lender the Jadig Group repossessed the property at 325 Nepean Highway late last year after previous owner Joanna Kordos, who had planned to build 37 apartments at the site, did not make loan payments. Jadig Group managing director Jack Gringlas said the company had decided to demolish the function centre since Frankston…
SPORTING and active recreation clubs in Mornington are being encouraged to apply for funding in VicHealth’s active club grants program. “This funding is vital to helping many more Victorians get the recommended minimum of 2.5 hours per week of moderate physical activity,” Mornington MP David Morris said. “As well as the health benefits of keeping us fit and preventing illness, exercise helps reduce stress and keeps us alert and resilient. Research also shows that it’s a great way to get social. “Sport builds community pride and loyalty and offers people the chance to get involved, providing them with a positive…
FAMILIES will celebrate all that’s good about reading at the Peninsula Reads Family Fun Day, Village Green, Rosebud, on Sunday 14 February. The day will show what is happening with books on the Mornington Peninsula and offer a range of free activities, resources and takeaway books. Entertainment will suit families and the day will showcase how the community embraces and supports reading and literacy. Activities include sliding on the inflatable Jurassic Park, or patting a real lizard or crocodile. Those preferring little furry creatures can join the petting zoo. There will be a sausage sizzle and live entertainment by school…
MAKEOVER plans are underway to turn the Mornington Peninsula’s car and passenger ferry into a floating food market! In a win for local tourism and the Peninsula’s Food and Wine industries, Searoad Ferries has been chosen to take part in the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival next month. The Mornington Peninsula is home to ‘world-class’ produce and this event invites passengers to cruise the bay under the stars while enjoying fine local fare from food stalls and trucks, listen to great local musicians and mingle with the makers. Searoad Ferries is focusing the event on the Peninsula and the Bay…
CHILDREN brought up within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are being taught to be loyal to Australia. “We will prove it with our actions and deeds that our youth are the best citizens of Australia and they will be well educated,” Inamul Haq Kauser said when speaking at an Australia Day dinner. Guests at the dinner Sunday 31 January for 300 at the Baitu-us-Salam (House of Peace) Mosque, Langwarrin, included members of parliament, councillors and police. Imam Kauser, national president of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, gave assurances that the children of Ahmadi Muslims “will be loyal to this country”. The imam told diners…
STUDENTS and trainees left stranded when the federal government cut funding for the PenBus service are now back on the road. The state government has announced a dedicated bus service between Rosebud and Monash University’s Peninsula campus. The 12-month trial service is a funding partnership between the government, Mornington Peninsula Shire and Monash University. Route 887 will begin on 22 February in time for the start of first semester, and will follow the same route as PenBus. Six express round trips a day, Monday to Friday, will connect with Monash University’s inter-campus shuttle to Clayton. The bus will also be…
THAT first day at school … It’s often a mixture of angst, excitement and anticipation – coupled with an organisational challenge for parents. Well, just imagine increasing the stakes threefold! That was the case for one local family last week when triplets Donna, Dimitri and Andreas Watson turned up for prep classes at Mornington Primary, Vale St, for the first time. The two boys and one girl were popular arrivals. “They are the only triplets at the school and we believe they are the first ever triplets here at Mornington Primary,” business manager Olympia Maselli said. Dad Carl said the…
WHAT’S a “paint-out”? Why, it’s a group of people getting together to paint a given subject, of course. This one: “At the water’s edge…” complements Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery’s summer exhibition, On the Beach. Enthusiastic artists in the paint-out focused on the intricate patterns of water movement at the water’s edge near the Canadian Bay Club, Mt Eliza, Thursday. Coincidentally, the movie On the Beach was filmed at Mt Eliza in the early 1960s starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire. “This group is not a formal art group or society as such, just people who heard we were…
DO you kick like a girl? Good! Tyabb Junior Football Club wants you to join its new girls football team this year. Girls have been keen participants at Tyabb Auskick for several years and Tyabb Juniors is offering girls a chance to take to the footy field in competitive games for the first time in the club’s history this season. The club has kicked off a social media campaign with the hashtag #yabbienation to spread the word about the club’s expansion ambitions for the year ahead. There are three divisions – junior, intermediate and youth girls – and Tyabb hopes…
SOMERVILLE Tennis Club will hold a free tennis day, 1-5pm, Saturday 6 February. President Karyn Dickens said those attending could have a hit with the club pro, pick up some tips and join in on a lesson to get a taste of tennis. “Tennis is fun for the beginner, social player and the up-and-coming club star,” she said. Attractions include a radar gun being used to check service speeds. Prizes and giveaways will go to the fastest server. In Hit the Target, players test their aim on service. “This is a fun way to practice your serve and challenge your…
THE new park at Red Hill opened with a ribbon cutting, speeches and a barbecue, but it was the enjoyment on the faces of children using the playground equipment that proved the worth of the efforts of the Red Hill Community Association to create the park. “It was lovely to hear the squeals of children enjoying the new playground and see them having such a good time,” Felicity Jackson said. Hamburgers and veggie burgers cooked by volunteers on the barbecue were handed out by members of the 1st Red Hill Scout group. Musician Keith White performed old standards and pop…
HELP for those affected by a bushfire which swept through parts of Crib Point two weeks ago is coming from the community and state government. While the government has announced emergency relief assistance for affected property owners, co-workers and friends have already raised thousands of dollars for David and Caroline Tootell, whose house on The Esplanade was the only one lost in the fire. By early yesterday (Monday 1 February), $6745 had been raised in three days by 172 people who work alongside Caroline Tootell at Peninsula Health to be added to a “substantial sum” raised by Somers Yacht Club…
A RYE man was assaulted as he walked home along Government Rd, Rye, 11.35pm, Tuesday. The 65-year-old had been celebrating Australia Day at his daughter’s house and at Rye RSL. He told police a white coloured sedan, possibly a Camry, slowed as it passed him and an occupant threw an egg at him. Words were exchanged and the car slowed, did a U-turn, and pulled up beside him. The occupants got out and knocked the man unconscious. A passer-by found the man on the nature strip and called an ambulance. He was treated at Frankston hospital for cuts to the…
POLICE are investigating the possibility that two men who allegedly dumped a caravan at Arthur’s Seat did not set it alight. Sergeant John Coburn, of Somerville police complex, said “another party” may have torched the single-axle van after it was left in Arthur’s Seat Rd, 10.40pm, Tuesday 19 January. This was the day after disastrous fires at Crib Point destroyed a house and outbuildings, burnt out 83 hectares of bushland and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. A 46-year-old, of Seaford, and 25-year-old, of Frankston, were expected to be charged on summons with dumping the van and arson after…
By TERRI LEE FATOUROS THINK your rock might be lacking gutsy grunge blues, or your passion for it withering? Then atone, my friends, and get yourself down to soul repenting, mystical “shakin & rockin” blues rock with The Electric Church. With eccentric mastermind Baron Franco on lead vocals/guitar as the charismatic front man of the band, flavoured by bassist, Jesse Ingram and interchanging with their tight new rhythmic drummer, Paul Fiddes, and playing in the style of “New Blues-based Alternative Rock,” you’ll be impressed with the funky, raw, and gritty rocking blues the Electric Church is churning out. The Electric…
CATHERINE Brace has joined her sister and father in what seems to have become tradition for the Mornington family by embarking on a military career. Her younger sister Michelle is a private in the Australian Army Ordnance Corps and their father, Ian Brace, now retired, served as an officer in the signals corps. Catherine, 22, was one of 60 recruits taking the official oath last week at an appointment ceremony at the defence force recruiting centre before leaving for 18 months of training at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, near Canberra. A former pupil at Mornington Primary School and student…
THE News 44th Mornington Art Show has broken records, with 350 at the opening night and sales bringing total profits to more than $1 million. The show opened last Thursday night with Miss Australia International Jessica Martini cutting a ribbon before guests viewed the artworks to the jazz of the Balnarring Bakery Trio. During the week the show broke all previous daily attendance records, with more than 250 visitors each day. More than 90 paintings were sold and judge Lyn Mellady awarded the Best Exhibit to “The Thinker” by Rosemary (Todman) Parrant. The peoples choice was “German Shepherd Puppy” by Jos Coufrier…
NEW owners of the Pig & Whistle, in Purves Rd, Main Ridge, have big plans for the former “traditional British pub” which has been running since 1975. The 26-acre property had been on the market for several months at a reported asking price of more than $3 million. The sale has been confirmed, and it was expected to change hands yesterday (Monday 1 February). The buying syndicate plans to upgrade the venue “to a resort-style destination for visitors from across Australia and overseas”. Chief operations manager John Groenendijk would not reveal the purchase price but signalled major upgrades over the…
HASTINGS resident Aline Burgess has been named Mornington Peninsula Shire’s 2016 Citizen of the Year. The awards were announced at Rosebud Memorial Hall on Australia Day. The shire’s Young Citizen of the Year, Tia McLean, is a year 12 student at Mt Eliza Secondary College, and Event of the Year is Balnarring Community Sustainability Fair, with the award presented to coordinator Pea Saunders. Ms Burgess’s role as foundation secretary of the Peninsula Carer Council in 2004 was said to be a continuation of her tireless advocacy for people with mental illness over 30 years, having moved to Hastings to be…
SEARCH and rescue police on Friday night recovered the body of a 64-year-old Hastings man who went missing off Hastings pier that morning. Police rushed to the scene after receiving reports of an abandoned wheelchair. They set up a shelter at the end of the pier while divers searched for a body. Hastings Yacht Club is assisting police with its CCTV footage. There are no suspicious circumstances. Police are preparing a report for the coroner. For support and information about suicide prevention, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. First published in…
A TRAWLING expedition by fisheries officers on land and sea netted 144 anglers breaking such rules as catching too many fish, using too many lines and keeping undersized catches. Despite the number of anglers booked, Fisheries Victoria says its Operation Billit found “the vast majority” of anglers in Western Port and Port Phillip “are doing so legally”. The operation was targeting snapper anglers but caught one angler with too many calamari and another with abalone. “We inspected 2100 recreational anglers on the water and at the boat ramps, we detected a total of 144 offenders were detected,” Fisheries Victoria’s Bob…
A MAN, 27, drowned at Gunnamatta beach, Sunday, while swimming with friends about 500 metres west of the area patrolled by lifesavers. The Taiwanese national, of Box Hill, got into trouble after being caught in a rip and pulled off a sandbank at 1.20pm. His two friends alerted lifesavers, who ran back along the beach. One swam out to the boy and brought him ashore. The lifesavers performed CPR until Ambulance Victoria crews arrived to take over, but he could not be revived and died at the scene. A report will be prepared for the coroner. Gunnamatta club captain Patrick…
GUNNAMATTA Surf Life Saving Club has received $5000 from the federal government’s Beach Safety Equipment Fund. The fund assists lifesaving clubs to buy rescue equipment and first-aid supplies for rescues over the summer season. The club’s 90 active members celebrated its 50th anniversary last weekend. Vice-president Ray Webb said the money would be used to replace worn rescue and patrol equipment. “It will also enable us to replace the motor in one of our inflatable rescue boats,” he said. The also will enable the club to spend other funds on training and to run nippers sessions. “This equipment will assist…
TWO men have been arrested and are expected to be charged on summons with arson after setting fire to a caravan on Arthur’s Seat Rd, Arthurs Seat, 10.40pm, Tuesday 19 January. The 46-year-old, from Seaford, and 25-year-old, from Frankston, allegedly torched the single axle van, with flames spreading to nearby bushland. Rosebud CFA crews managed to limit the extent of the fire – their job being made easier by damp conditions and lack of wind. Arthur’s Seat Rd was blocked off as a precaution against falling branches until mid-morning Wednesday. Detective Sergeant John Coburn, of Somerville police complex, said police…
AUSTRALIA Day has special meaning for long-standing Red Hill couple Royal and Roy Setter, who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on the nation’s birthday, 26 January 2016. Royal Elaine (nee-Powell) and Roy George Setter married at St Peter’s Church of England, Frankston, on 26 January 1946, and moved into the family home in Paringa Rd, Red Hill South soon after. There they stayed for the next two years while building their own home just up the road. The couple worked hard on their orchard before retiring in 1982, building a new home in Red Hill where they now live. The…
ABOUT 200 jobs will be lost in Mornington and Carrum Downs with closure of the Masters “home improvement” stores. The demise of the Woolworths-owned Masters chain comes as no surprise, considering its much-publicised failure to gain market share. Each store employs about 100 staff – full-time, part-time and casual. A Woolworth’s media team on Tuesday said the Masters stores would “remain open as normal for some months to come”. “What we’ve announced is we intend to exit the business. How we exit, which will either be through the sale process or a wind-up process, has yet to be decided and…
A CLOSE watch is being kept on power boats and jet skis to protect seals and other animals in Port Phillip. An increase in patrols by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning along the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula coastline follows rare visit to the region from an Antarctic crab-eater seal and the return of Australian fur seal Arcto to Dromana. The crab-eater seal was only 11th of its kind spotted in Victoria since 1856 and the first since 1999, while the bull seal Arcto was back at Dromana for the third year running. With peak boating season in…
Ghost the Musical Double pass giveaway Tickets valid for Friday February 5th 2016 – 8pm show at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne Terms and Conditions These terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”) govern the relationship between you, the entrant (“you”, “yours”) and the promoter, Mornington Peninsula News Group (“Mornington Peninsula News Group”, “Promoter”, “we”, “our”, “us”) 2/1 Tyabb Road, Mornington Eligibility The Competition is open to Australian residents aged 18 years or over. 2. The following are not eligible to enter the Competition: (i) employees and independent contractors of the Promoter and/or its related party entities (i.e. parent companies and subsidiaries); (ii) immediate family members of such employees…
Photos of the aftermath of yesterdays fires at Crib Point taken by Mornington Peninsula News photographer Gary Sissons. Firefighters have stopped the spread of the bushfire in the CRIB POINT area at Crib Point, this fire is classified as being under control. Residents and motorist should take care when travelling in the area as there are still approximately 25 fire trucks and crews working and patrolling the fire area. Staying close to shelter is the safest option, in case conditions change again suddenly. Continue to stay informed and monitor conditions. [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”14″ gal_title=”Crip Point Fire – Gary”]