UPGRADES and a grant have enabled Somerville Primary School to tap into saving water. The school received a South East Water $8000 community grant and used the money to buy a new school drinking water trough and upgrade its toilet taps with water saving ones. Priority Plumbing also donated $2000 towards the taps and installation. The 2022 community grants program is supporting 16 community groups to help bring their community projects to life. The annual program is now in its third year and is part of a five-year customer commitment to support the community in areas of affordability, environment, health…
Author: MP News Group
By Mike Searles* AMIE Simpson is baking cookies in her kitchen to help raise awareness of suicide prevention. Twenty-nine year-old pastry chef Simpson, pictured, owns Amie Jane’s Sweets & Treats and is baking special cookies and treats to help raise money for R U OK? Day, Thursday 8 September. “I’m hoping to sell 500 or so cookies for the charity event. One school has already ordered 200 cookies, so we are off to an encouraging start”, Simpson said. She has 12 years’ experience as a pastry chef, including studying pastry cooking in Italy and has a certified commercial kitchen at…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol is appealing for witnesses or dash-cam footage to a single car accident at 6.21pm on 29 August on Peninsula Link at Moorooduc. The injured female driver of the vehicle involved was taken to the Alfred Hospital. The car was a silver Nissan Maxima bearing no registration plates and travelling in the inbound lanes. Police would like to speak with a motorbike rider who was behind the vehicle at the time of the collision. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 6 September 2022
POLICE are investigating the circumstances surrounding a burglary at at Mount Eliza Secondary College on 5 August. It is believed the offender attended the school and stole an electronic tablet before loitering in the school grounds. The offender, pictured, is described as a 25 to 35 year old woman, with a medium build, long brown straight hair and was wearing black pants, a pink coloured trench coat, a grey puffer jacket, and was carrying a canvas shopping bag. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at crimestoppersvic.com.au First…
POLICE are urging Mornington Peninsula football fans about the dangers of miscalculating their alcohol intake at end-of-year and footy final celebrations. Victoria Police data shows 20 per cent of drivers detected over the prescribed limit between April 2021 and March 2022 fell into the younger age bracket. Miscalculation of alcohol consumption has been identified as one of the most common reasons given to police by detected young drivers. Police say the trend suggests many choose to risk having a few drinks before getting behind the wheel rather than remaining sober or using alternative transport when drinking – despite probationary and…
Police are urging Victorians to be alert to scammers following reports of widespread scam activity linked to the sale of puppies. Detectives from across the state are investigating reports of hundreds of people who have lost thousands of dollars after being scammed by fake puppy advertisements. Scammers are advertising puppies for sale on websites that appear to be professional and are advertised through online marketplaces. Once a buyer makes an enquiry with the seller, they are sent a photo of a puppy. Victims are generally asked to make cash deposits into a bank account for a puppy, which often includes…
HOCKEY By Shelby Brooks FRANKSTON Hockey Club celebrated 49 years of play at its annual past and present members day on 13 August. Around 50 past members turned out to catch up. There were stories shared, with the passage of time not dulling the feelings from past moments of triumph or defeat. President Chris Wall said one past player had travelled internationally to attend the day. “It’s a truly remarkable spectacle to witness members, who played in the inaugural 1973 grand final, come together and reminisce about the days past and watch the future of the club they started play…
A 39-year-old Mount Martha woman has been charged after being caught with a blood alcohol level almost five times over the legal limit in Mornington. Solo Unit members intercepted a Ford Territory on the Esplanade, just after 11am on Friday 26 August. The result of a preliminary breath test indicated the woman’s breath contained alcohol and she was requested to undergo an evidentiary breath test. The woman returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.234. Her car was immediately impounded, above, licence suspended, and she is expected to be charged on summons with drink driving and other traffic related offences. First…
POLICE from the Mornington Peninsula’s criminal investigations unit are urging motorists to take precautions with their vehicles and valuables following continuing thefts from cars. Over the weekend (26-28 August) police said there was a spate of thefts from cars in the Mount Eliza and Mount Martha. Senior Sergeant Eddie Lagonda said most car thefts occurred in or around private residences, and there were simple things car owners could do to limit the risk. “People who do this sort of thing know they don’t necessarily have to smash windows to break into a car because many people leave their cars unlocked,”…
THE Red Hill and Flinders area is one of Victoria’s 20 official “heart safe communities”, thanks to a program that has taught community members to save the life of someone having a cardiac arrest. Ambulance Victoria (AV) community engagement coordinator Emily Jackson said that over the last two years, the heart safe program in Red Hill/Flinders had been vital in building community resilience and improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates for people living and working in the area. “The expansion of the heart safe community state-wide program, a joint initiative between AV and the Heart Foundation, built the confidence and…
THE Snow, the play chosen to perform this year by Dreamhouse Theatre Company, is suitably mysterious and entertaining for families. Recommended for audiences aged from seven up, The Snow by Australian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer is a tale of adventure involving seven “bravest and strongest” residents of Kishka, a village trapped inside a snowfall. The not-for-profit Mornington Peninsula-based Dreamhouse creates performing arts opportunities for young people. The Snow’s cast is aged 13 to 22 under the direction of Carole Patullo. “We have our biggest cast and crew to date, with 26 young people from different peninsula schools and community settings taking…
MERRICKS General Store started with a love story. The story of Alf and Tilly. Matilda Joyner, ‘Tilly’, grew up on a farm in Merricks, Albert Weston, ‘Alf’, was from Queensland. After joining the navy, he was posted to HMAS Cerberus. Alf met Tilly at a naval dance, and romance blossomed. In 1922 they got engaged, and he gave his salary to Tilly and the Joyner family, so they could build a shop at Merricks. In the early days, it was called the Merricks Post Office Store, and sold farm supplies. The galvanized iron building got very hot in summer and…
By Shelby Brooks Frankston Hockey Club has celebrated 49 years of play with its annual past and present members day held on Saturday 13 August. Around 50 past members also turned out to catch up. There were stories shared, with the passage of time not dulling the feelings from past moments of triumph or defeat. The annual club event, which coincided with the last home round for the club before finals, saw a full day of matches from the senior teams. The day opened with the club’s youngest members getting involved with Hook in2 Hockey. President Chris Wall said one…
Crib Point JFC players were more harmed than helped when their mascot decided to join them at their recent game against Balnarring JFC. Despite the “support”, the Magpies didn’t manage a win, but the game will remain a memorable one for the players. First published in the Mornington News – 23 August 2022
Cr Anthony Marsh* I WELCOME MP for Flinders Zoe McKenzie’s support for a better deal for the Mornington Peninsula in terms of access to federal and state government funding programs (“Region status confusing and costly” The News 9/8/22). She is right in saying the peninsula’s metropolitan classification does not recognise that 70 per cent of it is rural in character. We also agree that because of this classification, the peninsula misses out on much-needed funding designed to support regional areas. Where we disagree is over how best to tackle this issue. Our extensive research and planning advice tells us that…
By Dr Alan Nelsen* INSTEAD of apologising for its incompetence and the debacle with the aged care services, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has disgracefully attempted to apportion its share of the blame to others. More than four years ago, the then CEO indicated that the shire could not compete on cost against private aged care providers and was considering outsourcing. Then two years ago the council itself appointed mecwacare following a rigorous tender process “which explored all options available to deliver certain aged and disability services to new clients under an aged care partner provider model”. The current CEO, John…
MORNINGTON man Alan Girling used his time during COVID lockdowns to make use of his interest in fishing to qualify as an instructor and volunteer with Fish Care. An outdoors enthusiast and fisherman, Girling lost nearly all of his vision due to optic atrophy but did not let that stop him from rugged terrain or choppy waters. He is now helping others enjoy what he likes as the first blind or low vision volunteer with Fish Care. “Through my local walking club I’ve been able to maintain a good outdoor lifestyle with help from friends and other club members” Girling…
DETECTIVES from Frankston CIU arrested one man and seized several 3D printed hand guns last week as part of an investigation into firearm trafficking and manufacturing across Melbourne’s south-east. The investigation began after police apprehended a 24-year-old male in Langwarrin on 23 March. After a search, the man was allegedly found in possession of an imitation handgun. Following this arrest, police searched a factory in Carrum Downs on 11 May, recovering two hand guns, including one manufactured by a 3D printer. A 32-year-old Carrum Downs man was arrested and charged with prohibited person in charge of firearms and possess a…
A NEW recycling service has been started for such items as cables, mobile phones and cameras, DVDs, CDs, floppy disks and cases, videos, cassettes and cases, x-rays, light globes and fluorescent tubes. The move is part of Mornington Peninsula Shire commitment to sending no waste to landfill by 2030. Recovery stations for the previously hard-to-recycle items will be located at Mornington, Rosebud and Hastings and Somerville libraries. The items will be collected by social enterprise Green Collect and taken to Braybook centre to be recycled. Green Collect says 60 per cent of Items get re-used while 35 per cent are…
MOTORISTS may soon be paying to park their vehicles on the Mornington Peninsula, but not those issued with a residents’ permit. “Parking management services” will be invited to submit expressions of interest to Mornington Peninsula Shire covering resident permits, paid parking and smart parking technology. The mayor Cr Anthony Marsh says call for submissions “does not mean council has decided to introduce paid parking and there is no intention to introduce paid parking for residents”. The shire says for two years it has been “exploring all available options to better manage parking” around beaches, town centres “and across the peninsula…
AFL MORNINGTON’S 144 win over Tyabb on 6 August had football historians running for their record books, and not because of the size of the win. Despite being only ten minutes or so apart, it was the first time in 107 years the two teams had met. By Doug Dyall SEASON 2022 brought together for the first time since Round 8 1915, Tyabb versus Mornington in senior football. It is the longest gap in local football history and probably country football where two teams in the one area having had a 107 year-gap playing against each other in Senior Football.…
WITH time ticking away until the state election, the Liberals have still not announced a candidate for Frankston and Labor has yet to announce who will stand for Mornington. Frankston has been held by Labor’s Paul Edbrooke since 2014 and former Dunkley MP Chris Crewther is running for the state seat of Mornington, now held by long term Liberal MP David Morris. The state election is scheduled to be held Saturday 26 November. The Liberals have been announcing candidates for state seats throughout the year but have yet to declare candidates in the key seats of Frankston of Carrum. The…
THE annual Wakkakiri Story-Dance performance festival comes to Frankston Arts Centre next week. Wakkakirri is a long-running program featuring performances from school children. The performances align with the theme “great stories inspire change”. Performances will be held at the Frankston Arts Centre on 23, 24, and 25 August. To buy tickets and see which school is performing on each night visit artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au/Whats-On/Events-directory/Wakakirri-2022 First published in the Western Port News – 16 August 2022
AN artist has been commissioned to create a new sculpture to replace the Love Flower. The Love Flower currently sits by the Cranbourne Road exit ramp of the Peninsula Link freeway. The site is the former home of Reflective Lullaby, the ginormous chrome gnome. Natasha Johns-Messenger, an installation artist, has been handed a $300,000 commission for a “dynamic sculpture” project. The new artwork, titled Compass 23, will feature 12-metre high powder coated and stainless steel geometric structures. It will be installed in October next year. Johns-Messenger said that her work “responds to site – its scale, topography, light and spatial…
THE Lost Dogs’ Home is calling on Victorians to open their hearts and homes to dogs as capacity has officially hit its North Melbourne and Cranbourne shelters. Dog adoption fee will be reduced for a week from Friday 12 August. The home’s spokesperson Suzana Talevski said although winter was usually a slower time for adoptions, there appeared to be several reasons for more dogs being available for adoption this year. ‘’It appears it’s a combination of the winter chill keeping people away, the rising cost of living and the owners no longer having the time to care for their animals.…
WORK to make the west jetty at Rye boat ramp safe is expected to be completed by late September. The jetty is being upgraded with a $100,000 grant from Better Boating Victoria and $50,000 from Mornington Peninsula Shire. Safety concerns were raised when an inspection showed the extent of rotting timbers, including supporting piles and decking. Work was scheduled to begin this week with the jetty being closed to the public, although the boat ramp remains open. The repairs will also include securing the solar lights, new handrails and painting. The mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said the safety upgrades will…
A PROGRAM run by Peninsula Health has helped more than 100,000 people who tested positive for COVID-19 but did not need to be hospitalised. COVID Positive Pathways started in March 2020 to provide clinical care and support to Frankston and Mornington Peninsula residents. The program started after the first people in the community tested positive for COVID-19 and staff from Peninsula Health’s community care department banded together with volunteers to ensure they were able to receive care at home. The COVID Positive Pathways team makes daily phone calls, delivers medication and clinical consultations, as well as offering social support and…
GAMBLERS have lost $45 million to poker machines on the Mornington Peninsula in the past six months, eight per cent more than before the COVID pandemic. The escalating losses and high number of machines within the municipality will be discussed and analysed at a free forum headed by the Rev Dr Tim Costello and Rose O’Leary, advocacy and policy manager of the Alliance for Gambling Reform Committee. The Progress in Pokies Reform on the Peninsula forum will coincide with an announcement about the state government’s adoption of recommendations stemming from the recent Crown Casino Royal Commission. The Mornington Peninsula Shire…
CESARE Bonacini turns 100 on Wednesday this week (17 August) and sees Main Ridge Bowls and Petanque Club as his “spiritual bowls home, his palace”. “This diminutive, always affable Italian migrant, affectionately known by all in the Mornington Peninsula bowls community as ‘Caesar’, is indeed hailed by all who have been fortunate to know him on the greens or off,” club member Sue Brown said. On 17 August club members will “salute a unique and beautiful human being”. “He remains a vital component of the bowls team and in 2009-10 secured the club’s pair’s title, a feat he achieved again…
SORRENTO Police are investigating an incident that occurred in St Andrews Beach about 1.30am on Friday 5 August. Police said a Toyota Landcruiser allegedly lost control on a corner of road causing extensive damage to the front fence of a house, vegetation and the vehicle. Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for a Toyota Landcruiser with extensive damage, including a smashed window, a damaged roof rack, damage to a bull bar and smashed indicator and headlights. All information to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. First published in the Mornington News – 9 August 2022