ON Monday Mount Eliza’s Toorak College celebrated some outstanding results from the class of 2022, with more than 40 per cent of students in the top 10 per cent in Australia by achieving ATARs over 90. The school reported a median ATAR of 87. School spokesperson Emma Castles said the dux of 2022, Anna Franklin, achieved an ATAR of 99.8. Dux proximus, Sophie Dahlenburg, with 99.2 was among 12 students with ATARs over 95 at Toorak College. “We couldn’t be more proud of our year 12 students who have role modelled for their younger peers that anything is possible,” Castles…
Author: MP News Group
THE much anticipated Hastings foreshore sound shell concept has been scrapped due to state government concerns over flooding risks and rising sea levels. The community-led proposal to build an entertainment sound shell has been part of a revised foreshore precinct for several years, but the plan has been left out of the just-released new Hastings foreshore master plan. Shire mayor Cr Steve Holland said that while plans for a sound shell were “not supported” by the state government due to the flood risks, there was provision in the master plan for an open events area. “We have ensured the Hastings…
INVESTIGATIONS are being made into the stability and profile of the foreshore around Fishermans beach, Mornington. Meanwhile, a section of the popular beach will remain out of bounds to the public. Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Steve Holland said an “options report” was due early in the new year and the “exclusion zone will remain in place for the time being”. He said any works to correct the failing retaining wall and slope stability were likely to take six to 12 months. First published in the Mornington News – 20 December 2022
A MAN whose five-year-old son was thrown into Western Port when their boat capsized in 2017 has joined Life Saving Victoria to remind boaters to wear lifejackets. Stranded in open water for more than one hour, Nathan Hardinge, his son Darcy and his then-28-year-old nephew Matthew Stringer, managed to stay afloat thanks to their lifejackets, which enable them to raise the alarm for help by deploying a radio beacon and lighting a flare. The trio, from The Basin, had been gummy-shark fishing around 11.15pm when their 5.5 metre boat struck a sandbar on their way back to Stony Point and…
A FAST food snack turned out to be the downfall of a driver in Hastings on 12 December, after he was breathalysed and returned a reading of 0.246 – more than four times the legal limit. Around 7pm, police were notified of an erratic vehicle that was almost involved in several collisions. Police located the vehicle in the McDonalds car park in Hastings. The driver returned a positive reading on a preliminary breath test and accompanied police back to the Hastings police station for a further breath test which returned a result of 0.236. The man’s licence was immediately suspended,…
A SEAFORD man, 35, was arrested after a burglary in Mount Eliza on Thursday 15 December thanks to the use of a police drone to search the area. Sergeant Pat Hayes from Mornington police deployed the drone after a call about a suspected burglary in Elm Court about 10.15am. The Seaford man was located and arrested. Police believe they were able to identify an accomplice. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 20 December 2022
OPEN Gardens Victoria in January will open two private Mornington Peninsula gardens—Karkalla, Sorrento and Samantha, Portsea, created by landscape designer Fiona Brockhoff. Karkalla is the coastal property of Brockhoff and partner David Swann built on a tertiary dune with views of Port Phillip and Bass Strait and abutting the Mornington Peninsula National Park. The garden and its 1950s-inspired beach house designed by architect Thomas Isaksson blend with their coastal setting. “During my twenty-five years of landscape design, my values have remained consistent: relating the garden to the site and surroundings, building functional spaces that are relevant to the needs of…
Shrieks of delight filled the hall of Eastbourne Primary School this week, as students were treated to a surprise visit from Australian singing sensation, Tones and I. The ARIA award winning artist hosted a basketball shootout style competition, awarding winners from each year level a prize pack including tickets to her Music in the Park concert which is due to be held at Mornington Park next Thursday, December 22nd. Tones and I didn’t depart without ensuring each adoring fan had a signature to remember this memorable moment.
Time to remove citizenship hurdles for refugees Are you like me? I’ve heard so many stories about impressive refugees of many ages who, despite the trauma of getting to Australia, are significantly contributing to their new country as medical, health, aged care professionals, business men and women, skilled tradespersons, journalists, musicians, engineers – the list goes on. And the amazing stories of secondary and tertiary students who achieve high level academic results and hold leadership positions in their schools and universities are spell binding. How remarkable it is that so many of these people are not permitted to be permanent…
THE success of the Socceroos in the World Cup is being felt throughout Australia and no more so than at The Den in Bittern. The Den, at Graham Myers Reserve in Hendersons Road, is home to Western Port FC which is running a recruitment campaign in preparation for the 2023 season. The club is open to boys and girls aged six to 16, some of whom are now playing five-a-side games, also in the lead-up to the season and the regular Wednesday night training which starts in February. Club president Jack McCarthy said the club, formerly known as Westernport SC,…
MOUNT Eliza shoppers can expect to be frustrated a little longer as roadworks continue to block street car parks. Mornington Peninsula Shire is undertaking stage two of a pedestrian safety improvement project in central Mount Eliza that is causing some traffic disruptions. The project is being paid for through the federal government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure and Black Spot program. Road rehabilitation works on Mount Eliza Way were completed early this year, and the next stage to be delivered in two phases includes a reduced speed limit on the Mount Eliza Way shopping strip from 50 to 40kph and…
A SUMMER safety blitz on the Mornington Peninsula and other foreshore locations across Melbourne is ramping up as beachgoers gear up for the warmer weather. Operation Summersafe – running until March next year – will see a bolstered police presence across key beachside locations. Residents and visitors should expect an increase in proactive police patrols along the foreshore as well as surrounding parks, entertainment precincts and public transport hubs. Local police will work alongside specialist units including the mounted branch, water police, public order response team, highway patrol and transit safety division. Specially fitted vans, called mobile policing units, will…
THE Mornington Peninsula’s only official nude beach has been saved, after councillors voted to keep its clothing optional status. However, the decision by Mornington Peninsula Shire comes with a caveat and there will be tougher scrutiny of visitors to the area. Sunnyside Beach North, at Mount Eliza, has been a clothing-optional beach since the 1980s, but the issue of clothing or no clothing came to a head during lockdowns, which reduced the number of nude bathers and increased its use by clothed locals who were within the five kilometre travel limit. A survey conducted by the council earlier this year…
By Dr Sally Shaw* SUMMER is here and we are all breathing a sigh of relief that we can have Christmas with our friends and family and all the celebrations that go with it. The last two years of COVID has had terrible implications on our businesses, our health and our mental state, this is all over. Or is it? Everyone seems to think that is the case and it is commonly thought there is no difference in the common cold and COVID and, for some people, this is true. At the Rosebud Respiratory Clinic, we have had a very…
Wildlife Victoria is asking tourists to slow down on the roads this holiday season as each thousands of native animals are killed or injured on Victoria’s roads every year. Statistics show that traffic is increasingly a significant factor in wildlife injuries and deaths, with 663 calls for road-related wildlife assistance in the same period in 2019-2020 compared to 559 calls in 2018-2019. Over six weeks in the December 2021 to January 2022 school-holidays, Wildlife Victoria responded to 1131 reports of wildlife injured or killed by vehicles. More than 60 per cent were eastern grey kangaroos and swamp wallabies. This contrasted…
CHRISTMAS is coming but there will be little to celebrate for many of the four-legged homeless this year at the Pearcedale RSPCA. The peninsula shelter is bursting at the seams with dogs, like many shelters across the state, and has come up with a promotion to help find them new homes. Throughout December, in an effort to rehome some and to make room for animals that are expected to arrive over the coming months, the RSPCA is running “mates rate”, where all adult dogs are available for $200. An RSPCA spokesperson said that since the promotion started, there had been…
Southern Metro Regional Crime Team detectives have arrested seven youths in relation to a series of alleged aggravated burglaries over the past week. Information gained by detectives lead them to a home in Bonbeach on 7 December. They located seven people inside the home who were subsequently arrested. The youths are alleged to be linked to: Four allegedly stolen vehicles were located in the vicinity of the home. An Audi station wagon and Toyota Camry allegedly stolen in Frankston, a Toyota Kluger allegedly stolen in Dandenong and a BMW wagon allegedly stolen in Sunshine have been seized for forensic examination.…
A FREE careers counselling session in Rosebud is designed to advise job seekers on preparing for job interviews, resume writing, and how to “sell” their abilities. Careers coach Merilyn Hill, who has a background in human relations and runs her own careers coaching business, said she wanted to help people develop the confidence and the knowledge to get them into the workforce, and to fill the thousands of job vacancies currently crippling Mornington Peninsula businesses. Hill, who said she loves to help people develop their potential and understand what they do well, was motivated to hold the workshop after a…
For safety’s sake, it’s time to remove beach boxes Port Phillip Conservation Council attended the Department of Land, Water and Planning’s Mount Martha north beach stakeholder group meetings, overseeing the $1.5 million federal grant for beach renourishment initiated by then Flinders MP Greg Hunt (“Beach closed in face of ‘cliff collapse’ fears” The News 22/11/22). DELWP advised the grant was specifically for beach renourishment, however several members demanded consideration of other options to “save” their beach and boxes. Unhappy their ideas for hard engineering (rock groyne) were not in the mix, they demanded to see the funding agreement between the…
TWO Mount Martha Primary School students had a spectacular sporting win recently, when they took out the girls’ competition in the inaugural Table Tennis Victoria Primary Schools Cup at Melbourne Sports Centre. Year five students Georgia Hollow and Billie Raymond demonstrated their table tennis skills and teamwork when they competed against primary school students from across the state on Friday 21 October. Physical education teacher Cameron Sweatman said there were plenty of nerves and excitement for the event, however the girls remained calm under pressure and went on to win the title of State Girls Champions for 2022. “But most…
OFTEN seen behind the camera, Glenys Slade was part of the picture when this shot was taken by Bev Lowe at Mornington’s Wednesday market. Slade, a consistent contributor to The News with her photographs recording scenes around the town – flowering street trees, roses and catches at Mornington pier – plays piano accordion in Jack’s Band. With Jack Kirby on guitar and banjo and Bruce Mitchell on ukulele, the band entertains during celebrations at aged care centres as well as performing regularly at the market. “We met at the market and play old time music including such singalongs like It’s…
A MAN in his 50s escaped serious injury when his utility crashed on Stumpy Gully Road, Balnarring on 27 November. The man is believed to have had a medical episode according to Ambulance Victoria. Nearby resident Murray Goddard said the road between Myers and Hunts roads had been turned into a dangerous thoroughfare after heavy rain, with deep culverts and potholes. Mornington Peninsula Shire, which is responsible for the road, was contacted for comment. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 6 December 2022
OVER the past 20 years 32 people have been killed and more than 280 people severely injured on the roads included in Mornington Peninsula Shire’s safer speeds trial. A further 487 people sustained less severe injuries and six of the 32 deaths were in 2019 (“Trial speed limits to stay” The News 28/11/22 contained some incorrect data about the trial). As a result of the Safer Speeds Trial the shire will ask the Department of Transport to make permanent the speed limits introduced during the trial. The trial, which began in late 2019, introduced 80 kilometre an hour speed limits…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has paid $27,000 so the Australian flag can be flown at night. Regulations and flag protocols require that the national flag must be illuminated if flown at night. IN an unattributed news release the shire states that the “iconic flagpole in Dromana is now a glowing beacon”. The stated that many Dromana residents and in particular WWII veteran Gerry Shepherd had been “instrumental in bringing this lighting project to life”. “On flag-flying days such as Anzac Day, we’ve raised and lowered the flag manually. Now, the National, Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal flags are all flying permanently…
A GROUP of women at Sorrento has been stitching in time for 25 years, making up to 100 quilts a year to raise money for charity. The women meet at Sorrento Portsea Senior Citizens Centre and last week, while celebrating their long time together with a lunch at Blairgowrie, they were presented with a book by Amanda Stuart that “highlights the joy and companionship they have shared over so many years”. “They all feel the same – every member is kind, supportive and always on hand to help when needed. And everyone loves the afternoon tea,” Stuart, the group’s vice-president,…
A P-PLATE driver from Moorooduc who was allegedly more than three times over the alcohol limit has lost her licence following a collision in Prahran overnight on Saturday 26 November. Police observed a car on High Street Prahran, which then turned onto Williams Road and collided with another vehicle about 1.45am. There were no injuries but both vehicles were extensively damaged. The driver, a 19-year-old Moorooduc woman, was breath-tested and returned a positive alcohol reading. She was taken to Prahran police station where she allegedly returned a reading of .168. Her probationary licence was immediately suspended for a minimum of…
Majority wants ‘justice’ for First Nations people It is implied that a majority of Australians are opposed to justice for the “minority group” First Nations people when, in fact, these views are in the minority, not the majority (“Unequal rights” Letters 22/11/22). At the state level, for example, the leader of the Victorian Nationals, Peter Walsh, has publicly stated that the Liberals and Nationals are committed to advancing the Victorian Treaty process. They have supported Victorian Labor’s efforts to bring about justice and self-determination for First Nations people. Mr Walsh has also urged closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous…
TOOTGAROOK Primary School students have proved their talents at the recent Energy Breakthrough HPV (human-powered vehicle) competition in Maryborough. The school sent three teams and came back with first and third wins in the primary division, with students showing that perseverance and dedication to the task will get you over the line every time. The annual Energy Breakthrough is an annual event that invites student teams from all over the state to test their skills to make and race ultra-efficient cars. The program encourages participants to work as a team and use the latest technology while considering its impact on…
LOWER speed limits on the Mornington Peninsula are here to stay, with the council planning to apply for state government approval for trial speed limits on some shire-managed rural roads to become permanent. In December 2019 Mornington Peninsula Shire started a two-year safer speeds trial which lowered the speeds of 33 100kph and 90kph high-risk roads to 80 km/h. The trial resulted from the high rate of road trauma on the peninsula. In 2019 the shire recorded the second most deaths of any Victorian municipality, behind the large regional city of Greater Geelong. By the end of 2019, more than…
By Judith Graley MEMBERS of the Southern Women’s Action Network (SWAN) are compiling the story of the group’s history of more than 26 years of social activism. SWAN was founded by a group of Mornington Peninsula women looking to learn more about the justice issues facing women and working together to bring about social change. Over the years SWAN boasts an impressive roll call of activism. For example, members have campaigned for the release from jail of Heather Osland; organised an Islamic women’s fashion parade; and marched in rallies to promote human rights, to protest against family violence and to…