TRAFFIC and pedestrian-operated lights are expected to be operating at the intersection of Forest Drive and Nepean Highway, Mount Martha by mid-next year. VicRoads engineers are finalising designs for lights at the intersection, the scene of at least eight serious accidents over the past 10 years, leading to one death and several serious injuries. Work on making the hilltop intersection safer is expected to start in early 2023, with the construction contract being advertised later this year. The design details include investigations of underground services and road surface design. The intersection will be widened and include bicycle lanes. Asphalt will…
Author: MP News Group
A 1100-signature petition calling for a ban on fishing to be enforced at Martha Cove marina, Safety Beach has been submitted to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. The petition, posted online on 15 September, was prompted by a near-miss incident in which petitioner Georgia Symmons was nearly struck in the eye by a hook while a fisher ignoring the ban cast a line. Other issues that have been raised by petitioners relate to public safety, animal welfare from carelessly discarded hooks and line, and pollution. The petition wants council, as a first step, to enforce the environmental management plan that prohibits…
MOUNT Martha Primary School student Harry Pearce (above) is going to Brisbane to compete in this month’s School Sport Australia Track and Field championships. Harry will be part of the School Sport Victoria 10-12-year-old track and field team and has qualified to run in the 100 metre sprint, long jump and 4 x 100 metre relay and the combined event which involves a 100 and 800 metre runs, long jump and shot put. The national track and field championships start this week and finish 21 November at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. Mornington Hyundai last week announced it would…
TEN 100-year milestone birthdays were celebrated at a lunch at Mornington Peninsula Legacy Club last Wednesday (2 November). The centenarians included nine of the club’s 20 war widow beneficiaries and two reserve Legatees (who between them have given 71 years’ service to Legacy). Club president Ed Kennedy said the lunch at the club’s premises in Nepean Highway, Mount Eliza, recognised the widows’ longevity and their husbands’ military service. Mornington Peninsula Legacy supports 730 beneficiaries – 16 with a disability and is helping five children through school. In 2023, Legacy Australia will be celebrating its own centenary by holding the Legacy…
THE past two weeks of wild and windy weather have kept emergency services busy, with everyone from people to pets and wildlife needing help. At Hastings, some unlikely “clients” in the form of three galah chicks needed rescuing when their home was destroyed by bad weather. Hastings SES volunteers jumped to their aid, retrieving the birds and getting them to a nearby vet. The galahs were assessed, and although two were too badly injured to be saved, the remaining one was taken to a wildlife shelter where it will be raised until ready to be released. Hastings SES unit controller…
FIFTY years of the Mornington Peninsula’s history as recorded by photographer Fred Gregory was shown at a “show and tell” session last month by Dromana and District Historical Society. Treasurer Richard Baker said the society was interested in seeing pictures taken in the past as “it’s often the bits shown in the background that are interesting”. He said about 50 people had attended the 24 October showing of Gregory’s “snapshots” at Dromana Primary School. He said the pictures were shown by the late pharmacist-photographer’s son Jamie Gregory, who invited audience members to “tell” whatever they knew about the images, information…
AN accident caused by a fallen tree in Merricks North has prompted emergency services to remind drivers to be particularly careful during wet and windy weather. The driver and sole occupant of the car, a man aged in his 50s, was airlifted to hospital with serious upper body injuries after his car struck a fallen tree in Balnarring Road, near Myers Road, shortly before 6am on Thursday 3 November. Hastings SES volunteers, Balnarring CFA and Dromana Fire Brigade attended, and had to partially remove the tree to allow the ambulance to access the man. Hastings SES unit controller Dutchy Holland…
ARTISTS across the Mornington Peninsula will be opening their studios over two weekends later this month as part of this year’s Peninsula Studio Trail. The open studio weekends follow the annual Peninsula Studio Trail Exhibition held in September at The Studio, Wilsons Road, Mornington. During the trail weekends 28 artists will welcome visitors to their studios and see and talk about the work that goes into their painting, ceramics, resin and ink work, jewellery, mixed media, textiles, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, glass, etchings, metalwork and book illustrations. The open studio weekends are 19-20 November and 26-27 November. Details and opening times:…
MORNINGTON Peninsula businesses and residents are again being asked to support the annual Food For All Christmas Appeal. The appeal began in the wake of poverty forums arranged by the former Shire of Flinders in 1991. Apart from individual members Food for All’s management committee includes church representatives and the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Food is collected through churches, community organisations and from Food for All bins in supermarkets. Schools support Food for All by arranging kick-in-a-can days. An average 85 food parcels are packed every Thursday morning at the distribution centre. The parcels contain a packet of…
Shire lowers iron curtain of secrecy over payout I thought question time at the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meetings meant that the public could ask a relevant question of the council and would receive a reasonable and sensible answer. At the public meeting on Tuesday 18 October, I found out how wrong I was. Two questions were asked about the reasons behind the shire’s proposal to give the operators of the Tyabb airfield $350,000 (“‘Secretive’ $350,000 payout to aero club” The News 25/10/22). The CEO responded that these would be answered later in the meeting when the matter of the…
By Kate Lardner* LAST week, we saw a Labor government deliver its first federal budget in almost a decade. While there were certainly some worthwhile inclusions in the budget – targeting issues like housing supply, affordable childcare and women’s safety – it remains clear that those of us on the Mornington Peninsula are likely to have drawn the short straw of government funding yet again. For decades, we’ve seen our districts fall victim to the gridlock of the two-party system. Budgets from both state and federal governments have failed to provide adequate funding to our region, leaving many of us…
FIVE candidates who have announced they will contest the seat of Hastings in the 26 November state election have been invited to publicly give their views on health, education, climate change and the environment. A public forum is being held in Hastings Hall on Thursday 10 November – the last day for nominations of registered political party candidates and the day before independents must register. Invited to the forum so far are Briony Hutton, Liberal; Paul Mercurio, Labor; Paul Saunders, Greens; Robert Whitehill, independent; and Tyson Jack, Animal Justice Party. “It’s vital that whoever wins government this election, they prioritise…
By Zoe McKenzie* THE first Albanese budget is one of concern for Mornington Peninsula residents. There was no clarity on the future of our road and rail projects. Instead of considering our need for more specialist training on the peninsula, the federal government took away what was to be our only higher education institute, one dedicated to the study of environmental and climate science no less. Over several years, the former Coalition government directed a significant amount of money towards improving the peninsula’s roads where they have become patently unsafe. Where the Mornington Peninsula Freeway meets Jetty Road, the township…
A SOMERVILLE driver has been fined $1200 and lost nine demerit points after filming a passenger standing on the back of his vehicle carrying a long piece of timber. Somerville Highway Patrol was recently made aware of a video circulating on social media on 29 October showing a man in the tray of a utility being driven in the Somerville area. As the utility turned the corner the timber slipped and the man holding the timber nearly fell off the back. Police said the driver was recording the incident on his phone while driving, with his arm and phone outside…
SOME of the most spectacular garden designs on the Mornington Peninsula will feature in this year’s garden design festival on 12 and 13 November. The weekend has been organised by the Rotary clubs of Kew, Brighton North and Central Melbourne to raise money for charity and to encourage creative, bold, innovative, versatile, practical, and responsible gardening. This year the clubs’ charity focus is on youth suicide awareness. Mornington resident Steve Taylor is opening his garden, which he designed and has spent “countless” hours and weekends on to perfect. “I designed the home and garden and was heavily involved in the…
WILD winds played havoc with yachts on the Mornington Peninsula over the past week, with several ripped from their moorings and washed ashore. One boat that broke away from its moorings at Mornington, on Saturday had to be towed away on a truck, but was in “repairable” condition, according to Mornington Yacht Club spokesman Peter Davey. He said the dangerous conditions strengthened the case for a safe harbour at Mornington. Reaching up to 143kph in some parts of Victoria’s south east, the winds have also brought downs trees and kept emergency services busy for days. Hastings volunteers are urging drivers…
THE Anglican Parish of All Saints Rosebud and St Katherines McCrae are holding a raffle of an artist-inspired doll’s house to raise money for Southern Peninsula Community Support, which works directly with the homeless in Rosebud. The Reverend Lynda Crossley said homelessness was a significant social issue in the area, and the raffle was one way to help with support and resources. The doll’s house was donated by her aunt, artist and writer Anita Sinclair, and was inspired by Sinclair’s time in Cornwall during the World War II as an evacuee. Southern Peninsula Community Support runs many programs, including the…
POLICE will step up foot patrols in Mornington and Mount Eliza after complaints of young people committing vandalism and intimidating behaviour. There will be frequent patrols of the Mornington Central shopping centre after reports of anti-social behaviour and harassment of staff and shop owners. Police will also be conducting regular patrols of Moondah Beach, Mount Eliza after reports of underage drinking and damage to the beach boxes. First published in the Western Port News – 25 October 2022
A CELEBRATION was held in Worwong Avenue, Somerville, to acknowledge name changes to the street, reserve and pre-school. Originally, Blacks Camp was used to name a road, a pre-school and a reserve. Mornington Peninsula Shire changed the name from Blacks Camp Road – which was seen as being offensive – earlier this year after consultation with First Nations people and the community. Worwong Avenue, which it is now known as, comes from a traditional name for the location referred to in the 1841 journals of William Thomas, the protector of Aborigines of Port Phillip, who chronicled his life and work…
No need for a cold call, I’ll call you (if needed) Real estate agents in Mount Eliza have been cold calling my home, offering to list our property and informing me of the wonderful prices being achieved in our area. I have issues with this initiative. First, as members of our local community I would have expected they would understand that our privacy is important to us, and that their calls are unsolicited, intrusive and unwanted. This applies particularly to those of us who are of a particular later life demographic. Secondly, our number is private and not listed in…
AMBULANCE Victoria has confirmed an elderly man from Hastings suffered a “medical condition” before his vehicle ploughed into a shop at Mornington Homemaker Centre on Thursday 20 October. Paramedics treated the man, 83, at the site for a serious medical event and his passenger, an 82-year-old woman, for minor injuries before transporting the pair to Frankston Hospital. It is understood the man’s Nissan sedan hit a building at the Bungower Road complex about 1.30pm. The building was not significantly damaged by the crash. Anyone with information, dashcam vision or anyone who witnessed the crash is urged to contact Crime Stoppers…
THE discovery of polio virus in wastewater in the United States and United Kingdom has raised fears that low vaccination rates may undo years of work to eliminate the infectious disease. The traces found in the US and UK and one confirmed death are alarming, according to Polio Network Victoria’s deputy chair Fran Henke. Henke, of Hastings, said the health community had worked tirelessly to eliminate polio from the world but “it appears those who have rejected or failed to access vaccination against the virus for their children, are threatening [those] years of work.” “Those of us left with the…
Detectives from the Cybercrime Squad are investigating over 150 reports of remote access scams, already costing victims in excess of $4m in under five months. Typically, a victim will receive an unexpected call from someone purporting to be an employee of a reputable company or organisation. The caller will claim that the victim has been charged for a purchase they didn’t make, that something is wrong with the victim’s computer or internet connection, or that malware has been installed on one of more of their devices, which the caller will suggest they can help remove. Various reports have stated scammers…
There is undoubtedly excitement building as the Region’s peak tourism organisation, the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism Board, announces its new lineup of Board Members and the region’s first Tourism Industry Conference in three years. The Board welcomes Marcio Oliveira da Silveira, General Manager of Business Strategy at Samsonite Australia and New Zealand, Sean McDonnell, Director Customers and Government at Google Melbourne and Simon Westaway, Strategy Director at boutique firm Royce. All have a close connection to the Mornington Peninsula and have welcomed the opportunity to join the team to drive the Mornington Peninsula’s Visitor Economy to new heights post-pandemic. “The…
THE Heritage Council of Victoria has added Flinders pier to the State Heritage Register. The pier, originally built in 1866 and re-aligned in the early 1970s, now joins the likes of Station and Queenscliff piers by having its historical significance formally recognised and protected under the state’s heritage controls. The pier was due to be demolished last February, but relentless community pressure forced a government backflip in May, resulting in a state budget allocation of $1.5million for emergency repairs. Chairperson of the Save Flinders Pier campaign, Charles Reis, said the heritage listing delivered certainty to the pier’s future and put…
Council ‘insight’ falls short A quote from Mornington Peninsula Shire Council “At council, we have a unique insight into the needs and priorities of our people” (“Shire ‘shouts’ for money” The News 4/10/22). Apparently, that insight does not include home care, as the council recently cancelled its contribution to home care, thereby saving a lot of money. Apparently the insight also excludes climate change, as the same council recently cancelled its purchases of carbon credits. So where has all the saved money gone? Apparently not into the problem of homelessness, as the same council seems to think that the state…
THE Women’s Health Services has put forward three key actions and areas of work to improve women’s health and wellbeing in Victoria. “All of the Victorian women’s health services agree,” CEO, Women’s Health in the South East Kit McMahon said. “We need to keep the momentum of change going and build upon the last 30 years of reform, not the least of which is the recent significant reform to our family violence system, gender equity policy and practice and, women’s health.” The Victorian Women’s Health Services (WHS) wants all parties at the November state Election to act on “three key…
By Zoe McKenzie* THE first Albanese budget next week will be an important one for the residents of the Mornington Peninsula. Not because the new government promised anything for the peninsula last May – aside from a national program for community batteries for which only the township of Flinders was due to benefit. In my first week in parliament, I wrote to the prime minister, seeking support for local rail and road projects, and I have discussed our needs in terms of skills, training, infrastructure, and local services in aged and disability with his ministers and neighbouring MPs to ensure…
A SURVEY by Victoria Police conducted has shown people affected by drugs and alcohol tops the list when it comes to the concerns of Mornington Peninsula residents. Second on the list of concerns was youth offending, followed by other antisocial behaviour and hoon driving Local area commander Inspector Terrance Rowlands said it was a timely to inform the peninsula community about what police have been doing to combat these types of offending and other instances of crime. “We have implemented the Neighbourhood Policing Program which has a strong focus on visible policing along with the ability for you as community…
TWO men from Mount Martha and a man from Oakleigh have been arrested after firearms and drugs were seized during police raids last week. The arrests follow the execution of two search warrants on 11 and 12 October in Mount Martha and Oakleigh, and the seizure of three firearms, including a loaded gun, imitation firearm, air rifle, three prohibited knives, a slingshot and two tasers. Also found were homemade firearm parts, homemade ammunition, about two kilograms of cannabis with an estimated street value of $40,000, small amounts of what is alleged to be LSD, mushrooms and a psychedelic substance known…