A MORNINGTON Marine Rescue Victoria volunteer has been awarded the Emergency Service Medal (ESM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. The list recognises a diverse range of contributions and service across all fields, including professional endeavours, community service, Defence and Emergency Services personnel, and acts of bravery. Michael John Turner, of Mornington, began his community work in 1990 with the then Mornington Community Bay Rescue Service. He has taken a key role in provisioning and maintaining boats and equipment, as well as turning out and managing the vessels. Along the way he has taken a lead role in mentoring young members…
Author: MP News Group
Detectives from Frankston Embona Task Force are appealing for information following an attempted armed robbery on Thursday 4 June in Hastings. Investigators have been told a man with a tyre iron entered the service station on Frankston Flinders Road just after 2am. He approached the male attendant and demanded cash from the till before attempting to jump the counter. The attendant pushed the man back before the offender tried to strike him with the tyre iron but missed. The offender then ran out of the shop and into a waiting late model white Holden station wagon being driven by another…
Victoria Police have announced the approval of a $1 million for information to help solve the 1985 murder of Rosebud woman, Helen Victoria McMahon. Around 3.30pm on February 13, the 48-year-old was found deceased at the Rye back beach near Dundas Street. Police believe she drove her green Toyota Celica along Dundas Street, Rye before parking it in the public car park. She then walked to the beach to sunbake. Her body was found wrapped in a blood soaked beach towel by a passer-by, her post-mortem revealed she died from head injuries. Police Commander Doug Fryer said he hopes the announcement of…
Rosebud Crime Investigation Unit detectives are investigating a jewellery store burglary. Officers have been told a late model Suzuki Swift was parked near a jewellery store on Ocean Beach Road in Sorrento around 3.30am on Tuesday June 3. Three offenders got out of the car and one of them produced an axe and used it to gain entry to the store. Once inside a second offender, armed with a shopping bag, joined the first and the two removed jewellery and other items from display cases before leaving. The third offender stayed with the car during the burglary. Police believe that…
HASTINGS FNC – By Phil Stone, club president SENIORS REPORT GOING down to Red Hill was always going to be a test for the Blues. We started the game slowly and Red Hill got a few goals ahead and looked like they were going to kick away. We were able to weather the storm and scored were level at quarter time. Our tackles were down in the first quarter and the focus for the rest of the game was to get our pressure up. We were able to do this with 19 tackles in the second quarter, 28 tackles in the…
CRIB POINT FC – By Jared Newton MONEY can buy you good footballers, however it can’t buy you passion. Three Crib Point sides ventured down to Sorrento, three sides trailed all day, three sides pinched the lead with less than ten minutes to go, and three sides managed to hold on and win in what will go down as one of the more memorable home and away matches for the Pies in a long time. The fire and passion which has only been present in patches presented all day and the results fell the Magpies way. The win could be the…
COMMENT – By Jenny Warfe PHOTOS of recent erosion at Portsea beach show what happens when supposed experts ignore the fundamental laws of nature, and continue to throw millions of dollars of taxpayers’ funds at Bandaid “solutions” to complex issues. Sadly, these costly and useless efforts have been driven by government feeling it must respond to the shrill demands from various vested interests to “do something” to save the beach. Well, it hasn’t worked so what now? These hapless, ill-informed works to mitigate the damage have “hardened up” the coastline with sandbags and rocks, but have just moved the problem down…
PUBLIC comment is being sought on a proposed speed reduction in Coolart Rd, between Baxter and Balnarring. VicRoads is assessing a cut in speeds from 90kph to 80kph as “speed is a big contributing factor to the safety along this road”. It says the possible reduction is supported by Victoria Police and Mornington Peninsula Shire. The 17.4 kilometre stretch of rural road between Frankston-Flinders Rd, Baxter and Frankston-Flinders Rd, Balnarring has “a significant crash history”, VicRoads says. In the five years from January 2010 to December 2014 it was the scene of 32 crashes in which people sustained injuries -…
DRIVERS who think it’s OK to leave handbags, wallets or money in cars parked in residential streets or driveways should think again. That’s the advice from police on the Mornington Peninsula who are frustrated that thefts from vehicles are on the rise again – with almost 70 offences committed in a recent three-week period. “Most of these vehicles were left unsecured with money and valuables clearly on display,” Detective Acting Sergeant Rob Vine, of Rosebud CIU, said. “We are seeing many thefts where thieves are particularly looking for mobile phones, wallets and handbags which contain identification and credit cards, which…
FIVE unregistered motorbikes have been destroyed after being seized by police. The vehicles were among nine mini-bikes, motorbikes and one motorised scooter impounded under an amendment to a Mornington Peninsula local law that imposes a $500 release fee. Just four of the motorbikes were reclaimed by their owners who came from Hastings, Bittern, Crib Point, Tyabb, Rosebud and Mornington. “None of the bikes crushed were able to be registered as they were not in a roadworthy condition,” Claire Smith, the shire’s environment protection and community safety manager, said. Police were given power to seize the unregistered recreational vehicles when the…
A woman has died following a crash involving three cars in Pearcedale last evening. The collision happened at the intersection of Robinsons Road and the Western Port Highway just after 5pm. Police believe the 19-year-old Mt Eliza woman was travelling west on Robinsons Road when she entered the intersection and collided with a north bound Ford Ranger utility. The utility then collided with another vehicle that was in the intersection, attempting to turn left, onto the highway. The woman, who was the sole occupant in the car, was airlifted to The Alfred hospital but died on arrival. Four men in…
Police are on the hunt for a man who allegedly stole a puppy from a pet shop in Carrum Downs in April. Investigators have been told the man entered the store on Frankston-Dandenong Road around 4.30pm on Tuesday 14 April. The man waited for employees to be distracted and it is alleged he then used a screwdriver to damage the lock in order to gain access to the puppy pen. The man took the puppy placing it under his jacket and left the store. The puppy is described as being 11 weeks old at the time it was stolen, tan…
WINTER is almost here and Hastings SES volunteers are getting ready to respond to calls for help from storms and floods. The preparations to enable a quick response coincide with the national FloodSafe week (25-31 May) and an SES warning that “however many people are unaware of just how dirty, disgusting and dangerous floodwater can be”. The SES says that floodwaters can pick up “all kinds of awful materials, including toxic chemicals, animal faeces, decaying animals, garbage, broken glass and rusted metal”. Kate Nangle from Hastings SES said this year’s focus was on “shining a light into the murky contents…
CHILDREN enrolling in Rosebud West primary schools in the next few years will benefit from a program making language development the priority. Melbourne University professor Joseph Sparling launched his program at Seawinds Community Hub, Allambi Av, Rosebud West last week. “The program responds to strong evidence that children who start kindergarten and school with developmental delays are at significant risk of underachievement in school,” Seawinds Community Hub CEO Heather Barton said. “It offers a comprehensive, preventive approach to help children become not just school ready, but raring to go.” The pilot phase is being jointly run by Eastbourne Primary School,…
POLICE have released images of two men who forced their way into the Tobacco Station store in Ninth Av, Rosebud, 2.37am, Tuesday 12 May. The men jemmied open the roller shutters and smashed glass panels on the door. One man stayed outside and passed a wheelie bin in to the other who filled it with cigarettes valued at $20,000. The men drove off in a light green 1998-2001 Toyota sedan. The store owner suspects two men who appeared to be casing the store the previous day. One of the men is of Asian appearance with a distinctive hairstyle. Anyone with…
MAIN St, Mornington, will be abuzz this Queen’s Birthday long weekend with the sights and sounds of the third Mornington Winter Jazz Festival. The four-day celebration of music, art and heritage – and lots of entertainment festival – runs from 5-8 June. It will feature live laneway painting with The Snakehole Gallery artists, live music on stages, roving jazz bands and pop-up KidsZones from 10am Saturday and Sunday. The cornerstone of the festival is the jazz program with performances by Emma Pask and Adrian Cunningham, and George Golla and Jacki Cooper performing Tea For Two. There will also be Jude…
A 42-year-old Langwarrin man will face court after Frankston detectives executed a warrant in Landhill Close yesterday. Police entered the residential property and arrested the man around 3.30pm. They also uncovered a cache of weapons including swords, slingshots, laser pointers and knives. He was interviewed by detectives and has been charged with possess handgun, possess prohibited weapons, possess cannabis and advertise and sell prohibited weapons. The man will face the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 8 September.
HASTINGS FNC – By Phil Stone, club president SENIORS REPORT THE weekend saw the Blues face up against Somerville. It was a strange game that was low scoring and no team really dominated the other. The boys played well in patches but for the most part we got beaten on the outside of the contest and this hurt us with them getting some easy football. Our skills were not as good as they have been, and at times we went back to old habits and bombed the football which did not help our forwards. Again we had more scoring opportunities but…
CRIB POINT FC – By Jared Newton CRIB Point slipped to its fourth loss in five matches after going down by 51 points to a slick Rye outfit. Despite being in touch for much of the afternoon, Crib were unable to get ahead and after getting within 15 points midway through the 3rd quarter, Rye pulled away for a comfortable win. The Magpies are really underdone at the moment and Saturday’s side missed eight players that were not in their grand final side who are either injured or suspended. Despite this is was a few familiar faces leading the charge for…
MOOROODUC Primary School appears to be the sole beneficiary of any direct grant from this month’s state budget. The school’s allocated $1 million will be spent on offices and classrooms. Nepean MP Martin Dixon says the needs of other schools on the Mornington Peninsula have been ignored. “Much needed school upgrades have also been shelved across the peninsula with asbestos related issues being a major concern,” Mr Dixon, Education Minister in the former Coalition government, said. “The last Labor government sat on known asbestos in schools for 11 years and while talking big, are delivering small. “Red Hill Consolidated School…
HEALTHCARE services need to plan for a rise in pancreatic cancer, Peninsula Health’s Endoscopy boss Dr Leon Fisher has warned. His warning coincides with this week’s launch of the 2015 cancer appeal to buy the $500,000 cancer detecting machine. “An endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic bronchial ultrasound machine is a critical piece of equipment for diagnosing and treating a range of cancers,” Dr Fisher said. “Currently, local residents must travel outside our catchment zone to access diagnostic services for pancreatic cancer and are often put on long waiting lists. “We have CT scanners, MRI scanners, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy … everything…
THE shire council has released a draft management plan for Safety Beach foreshore that will guide its use over the next 15 years. But Safety Beach Foreshore Landscape Committee is concerned replanting work it had done since 1999 could be removed to enable car parking areas to be sealed and marked. Committee president Tom McCullough said that according to the draft plan, which was approved for public exhibition mid-April, at least two parking areas would encroach on plantations. “It’s a hostile environment to grow plants. Volunteers from our group have laboured long and hard for many years and it would…
IN ROSEBUD, “a dark and stormy night” was threatening. This, the much-derided first sentence of the 1830 novel Paul Clifford was apt, even though this night was merely dark, pre-meeting. The popular English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton followed up his opening purple prose with this: the violent wind was “fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness”. Phew! We had Neons. That’s winter on the Mornington Peninsula, too, the cold darkness exacerbated by a distinct lack of biscuits for those warming their frozen fingers on a cuppa before the meeting. But CW digresses, and will digress…
THE award-winning screen musical The Sound of Music, which first charmed audiences in 1965, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Worldwide celebrations to mark the milestone including gala concerts, marionette exhibitions, tours of the movie settings and cast reunions. Not to be left out, Mornington audiences will be treated to a new junior version performed by students. About 50 have jumped at the chance to be in two special performances, 11am and 4pm, Sunday 28 June, at the Peninsula Community Theatre, Wilson’s Rd. “This unique film is still as popular half a century on as it was when it…
CRIB POINT FC – By Jared Newton CRIB POINT went down in a nailbiter to Frankston Bombers by four points to remain winless on their home deck a quarter of the way through the season. The game ended in farcical circumstances with the siren blowing during a clear lull in the play with the umpires blaming timekeepers and the timekeepers blaming umpires for not blowing time on. While it was a dampener to an otherwise good game of footy it probably didn’t affect the result as Frankston had possession of the ball at the time and played the better footy on…
HASTINGS FNC – By Phil Stone, club president SENIORS REPORT IT was a tough day at the office. The wind out on the ground was horrendous and made it really tough to use the football. The game was strange with the first quarter littered with wasted opportunities and we didn’t really take advantage of the breeze. At half-time we said we were not playing the way we wanted to and the boys come out and responded. It was great to see us put in a big third quarter and basically win the game in that quarter. It is always good to…
SOMERVILLE Secondary College in Graf Rd has again been attack by vandals. Constable Jack Henderson, of Hastings police, said a call was received at 9.15pm to report three youths “causing trouble” at the school. The caller also reported hearing the sound of glass being smashed. Police arrived at the scene at 9.30pm and patrolled the school, but the youths had run off. “Police saw damage to the top light of a bobcat, and where the offenders had removed a small fire extinguisher from the bobcat and deployed its contents,” he said. “The offenders had also used a bottle of oil…
HMAS Cerberus Dogs footy team hosted its second annual Pink Sports Day against a St Kilda City third division team on Saturday to raise funds for breast cancer research. Raffles, tin shakes and sales helped the club raise $400. A ceremony to name the oval the McAuliffe Oval, after recently retired Lieutenant Commander Murray McAuliffe, was held before the game. The McAuliffe family have been key supporters of the Cerberus Football Club for 39 years. Despite threatening skies, chilly winds and injuries forcing two players off-field, both teams showed spirit with the Dogs easily winning 125 points to St Kilda’s…
JOBS and careers of all sorts were the focus of last week’s Frankston Mornington Peninsula Careers and Jobs Expo at Mornington Racecourse. The event was designed to help the students and school leavers make informed decisions on their futures. It showed them what jobs were on offer, what skills and abilities were required, and how they should go about getting into them. Expert information and advice is regarded as the most important thing when planning young peoples’ careers – or a career changes. The event’s focus on interactivity saw many hands-on activities offered, including a tyre change pit-stop challenge, fitness…
AN exhibition by Simon Normand at the Merricks general store explores the Mornington Peninsula as it was before World War I. The artist presents a series of panoramic photographs of places that “show no sign of the dramatic effects of colonisation,” he says. Beside each photograph are original painted maps and collages of the landscape. There are references to original Boonwurrung place names, bullets found in shell middens, stones, insects and glass all preserved in resin-filled boxes. “It’s a vision of the country before the clearing,” he said. The exhibition runs until 31 May. The gallery at 3460 Frankston-Flinders Rd…