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…
Author: MP News Group
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…
THE Esplanade in Mount Martha received special attention last Sunday week (8 October), and it wasn’t just about the popular Around the Bay cycling event. Volunteers took the opportunity to clean up the busy area while the road was closed for the bike ride and collected 321 kilograms of litter. While watching the race, 13 volunteers took about 2.5 hours to collect the haul, which beat last year’s clean up by around 80 kilograms. Much of the waste was soft plastic: bottles, bags, coffee cups and bottles as well as cans, tyres and cigarette butts. The strangest thing volunteers found…
‘No’ to social housing ‘sad indictment on community’ I note with some interest that Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is listing affordable housing as one of it’s priorities (“Shire ‘shouts’ for money” The News 4/10/22). People may be aware that both the state and federal governments have committed billions to building additional housing. However, to do that they need to work with councils and the organisations to find suitable land and develop partnerships to build. The problem we have here is that the council has crab-walked away from options for affordable housing to be built on council owned land that have…
A DRAFT master plan for the Hastings foreshore is open for public comment. The foreshore is used daily by people exercising, fishing, playing and socialising and is also home to occasional large-scale events such as concerts and festivals. The area covered by the draft plan stretches south from the northern end of Fred Smith Reserve and includes a playground, fitness stations and Western Port’s busiest boat ramp. Mornington Peninsula Shire says the “five key themes” resulting from nearly 300 community responses are: playful destination; connected foreshore; resilient coast; enhanced natural environment; collaborative and engaging processes. It says the draft master…
Southern Metro Crime Team detectives have arrested five teens following a series of aggravated burglaries and home invasions throughout the southern and eastern regions. Investigators believe a series of linked incidents occurred from 3 October to 10 October in a number of locations including Ringwood, Ashburton, Malvern, Hawthorn East, Hawthorn, Clarinda, Mount Waverley, Springvale, Cheltenham, Sandringham, Brighton, Toorak and Shepparton. The investigation came to a head overnight when officers intercepted an allegedly stolen 2019 Skoda wagon on the Monash Freeway at the Toorak Road exit about 11.35pm. The car, which had been stolen from an address in Champion Street Brighton…
A HASTINGS man, 34, has been charged with murder after a fatal hit-and-run in Hastings on Saturday. Police said a 23-year-old male pedestrian was with friends when he was hit by a white SUV at the intersection of McCallum Street and Cool Store Road about 11pm. He died at the scene. Police allege the driver of the vehicle did not stop at the scene. He was arrested later that evening. A crime scene was set up where investigators remained into the morning. Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are still working to find out the exact circumstances and are urging anyone…
HOMELESSNESS and increasing hardship on the Mornington Peninsula have prompted a south eastern food charity to expand services to the peninsula. Langwarrin-based Sikh Volunteers Australia has started a food run in Hastings, providing prepared meals every Sunday from the Fred Smith reserve car park between 1pm and 2pm. Jaswinder Singh said the charity had recognised the need for support on the peninsula and that it was part of the Sikh philosophy to help people in need. He said the first Sunday in Hastings three weeks ago saw around 40 meals provided, but that had almost doubled every weekend since. “We…
ONE year on from a frightening car crash, Red Hill resident James Clark-Kennedy met and thanked the “volunteer heroes” who worked through a storm to rescue him from the wreckage. On Friday, 30 September 2022, Clark-Kennedy and his family visited Dromana fire station to meet 14 of the local CFA firefighters from Dromana and Red Hill, who were at the scene that night. It was just after 5pm on 30 September 2021 when CFA crews were called to a complex rescue operation at Moat’s Corner on White Hill Road in Dromana. Crews from Dromana, Mount Martha, Red Hill, Rosebud and…
Bumpy ride for wheelchairs The new roundabout at the corner of Myers and Hendersons roads, Bittern is a safety hazard. More specifically, the secondary speed bumps just before the roundabout are a significant hazard to anyone who is travelling in a wheelchair. While the initial speed bumps on the approach to the roundabout have a gentle gradient and stretch the full length of the land to allow a smooth ride over them, the secondary speed bumps are higher and only partially cover the lane. This means that the car travelling over them is rocked far more violently, even at low…
SUPPORTERS of Fenton Hall in Merricks North will hold a spring picnic at the end of October as part of a campaign to repair it and obtain a heritage overlay. The picnic will be held midday-2pm Sunday 30 October with attendees being invited to take their own picnic, blankets and chairs as there will be no access to the hall. Merricks North resident Sue Cusack said there was still a lot of work needed to make the hall useable, but supporters hoped it could become a “vital social and entertainment hub for the area”. She said it was pleasing that…
MORNINGTON Yacht Club’s Jack Eickmeyer, 17, is Australian Sailing Victoria’s Youth Sailor of the Year. The win, announced at the organisation’s annual awards in early September, recognises Eickmeyer’s performance at a state, national and international level over the past year. Club spokesman Peter Davey said Eickmeyer has always worked hard to hone his sailing skills, putting in time with his training partners at MYC and through the scholarships he earned with the Victorian Institute of Sport. Although Eickmeyer led the charge, Davey said Mornington Yacht Club was well represented on the night, with Lachie Weber first in the Victorian Sailing…
THE inaugural rose-to-rose walk raised more than $400 for the peninsula branch of the Blue Ribbon appeal, as 30 police, staff, and family members walked from the Mornington police station to the Mornington Botanical Rose Garden in Dunns Road. Senior Sergeant Paul Edwards said participants were humbled to be able to pay respects to fallen colleagues and help with the Blue Ribbon appeal. The walkers started from the Angela Taylor rose and plaque outside the Mornington police station and finished at the rose garden, home to the Angela Taylor rose bush. Originally given to Victoria Police by the Taylor family,…
THE campfire looks real enough to warm your hands, according to scouts Sibella, Harry, Harry, Josh, Benji, Dylan and Thomas. The fire takes centre stage in a mural painted by street artist Tyson “Father Marker” Savannah and aspiring artist and former scout, 15-year-old Eligh Rennalls. Their work now covers the wall of the 1st Mornington Scout Group’s hall in Mitchell Street, Mornington thanks to a place-making grant from Mornington Peninsula Shire. With support from business, artists and families the scout group has been working on the large scale mural to help brighten the space and reflect the values of the…
THIRTY-THREE speeding drivers were among the 60-plus motorists charged on the Mornington Peninsula over the four-day Grand Final weekend. Highway patrol officers and uniformed police participated in Operation Scoreboard, as thousands of holiday makers and day trippers flocked to the peninsula for the break. Also nabbed were seven drivers who exceeded the blood alcohol limit, six disqualified drivers, two unlicensed drivers, three people for not obeying signs/signals, one drug-affected driver and seven people with unregistered vehicles. Senior Sergeant Phil Huffey from Somerville Highway Patrol said the number of people caught breaking road rules was disappointing. “It is certainly concerning in…
IT’S an unfortunate global phenomenon and a dog act, and it’s happening on the Mornington Peninsula to the detriment of the environment. A small percentage of dog owners, or dog poo bag tossers, continue to either not pick up their pooches’ poo, or leave full poop bags on the ground, in trees, or on the beach – often within metres of a rubbish bin. Lazy dog owners who refuse to dispose of their dog’s waste responsibly are being warned that fines will almost double from $100 to $185 on 5 October when the new community amenity local law comes into…
A FACEBOOK post about the Queen by the Liberal Party’s candidate for Hastings Briony Hutton was changed within the hour. The first post read: “Queen Elizabeth II perhaps the most famous, and famously inscrutable, woman in the world. “Even before she became Queen at the impossibly young age of 25, Elizabeth set the tone for her reign by declaring, in effect, that the job was bigger than the person. “And so is my job as your candidate for Hastings. I am and will continue to be devoted to your service.” Within a short time Hutton’s message was changed to: “Queen…
GREENS MPs holding the balance of power in the Victorian parliament “could be a successful way of going forward on climate”, according to Mat Morgan, the party’s Upper House candidate for Eastern Victoria, which includes the Mornington Peninsula. “If we can’t get climate change right, then there’s no point,” Morgan said. “If successful in getting into parliament, I will look out for Mornington Peninsula residents on my watch.” Morgan was speaking at Balnarring Hall at a “meet the candidate event launch” on Saturday 24 September along with three Greens candidates for the Lower House seats of Hastings (Paul Sanders), Mornington…
YOUNG people from the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula will have access to youth support services and programs when the Southern Peninsula Youth Hub opens in 2024. The $13 million project at Olympic Park, Rosebud is being paid for by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and state and federal governments. The council will work with young people and key stakeholders to plan, design, deliver and manage the youth centre, with building expected to start this month, October. The mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said the hub would meet the current and future needs of young people in the southern peninsula. He…
POLICE are seeking witnesses to an accident on Browns Road, Main Ridge on Saturday night (1 October) where two police officers from Rosebud dragged the driver from his utility which was leaking fuel. The acting sergeant and senior constable were first to arrive at the scene to find the vehicle on its side about 11pm and were able to tear open the vehicles smashed windscreen to rescue the man. The 23-year-old man from Officer, who police have been told was on a buck’s weekend, was given a preliminary breath test and returned a positive result. He was taken to hospital…
AFL players added to the pre-grand final buzz during a successful community event on Somerville on 21 September, which raised more than $3000 for research into a debilitating progressive disease. The family of 21-year-old Somerville resident Tyson Stanley, who has Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), organised the event to raise community awareness of the disease and to fund much-needed research. There is currently no cure for the rare and crippling disease, which causes bones to form in muscles and other soft tissue. Tyson said he was pleased football players Will Hayes and Lachie Hunter gave up their time to attend the…
OPINION By Max Bryant – PresidentWestern Port Oberon Association FIRSTLY I must apologise to all Victorians, the residents of the Mornington Peninsula and in particular the people of the Hastings and Crib Point. I apologise for the loss of the submarine, the former HMAS Otama, which was to be the centre piece of a project to create a world class tourism destination at Crib Point. Western Port Oberon Association (WPOA) had purchased Otama for $55,000 with a receipt and clear bill of sale from Defence Disposals (DD). Many would say “well the submarine has sat there for over 20 years…
Affordable housing not council’s domain Using emails and social media, our Mornington Peninsula Shire Council intends to urge the owners of holiday houses and investment properties to rent these to long term tenants (“Long-term rentals key to housing ‘crisis'”, The News, 13 September). Dream on. The peninsula is the sixth worst municipality for rough sleepers because there is an abundance of sheltered beaches, foreshore and parks. Affordable housing and social housing are the domain of federal and state governments and councils should not try to triplicate this. Our federal government has, as an economic policy, firm plans to bring in…