A WYNDHAM Vale man has been charged with intentionally cause serious injury over the alleged stabbing of an 18-year-old Safety Beach man in Federation Square on March 11 about 11.40pm. The Safety Beach man was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but was stabilised and is now recovering from his wounds. Police also arrested seven other males, aged between 14 and 17, who were interviewed and released. All are expected to be charged on summons with affray. The parties are believed to be known to each other. Investigations remain ongoing and witnesses or anyone with any vision is urged…
Author: MP News Group
PRESERVATION work on a Mornington monument commemorating the landing of English navigator Matthew Flinders has been recognised by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. Work to restore the Matthew Flinders monument at Schnapper Point began in 2019, and the Mornington and District Historical Society and other community groups were so impressed by the result, they nominated the restorer Simon Lyne from Ventia for the award in recognition of his outstanding skills and commitment to local heritage. Mr Lyne said restoring the monument work involved securing it with new mortar and applying gold leaf lettering to…
OSBORNE Primary School students are being encouraged to embrace the joys of walking, cycling or skating to school, and are gearing up for the National Ride2School Day on 25 March. They will join 350,000 students across Australia taking part in the Bicycle Network campaign on Friday. Grade four teacher Nick Drysdale said the school encouraged student participation because the benefits of getting more exercise were clear. “Often classmates arrange to ride to and from school together, and there are the obvious exercise benefits that flow on to better concentration and better overall health,” he said. Mr Drysdale said walking or…
ON Saturday 26 March, Hastings Primary School will celebrate it’s 150th year. The school was established formally in 1872, the same year the Victorian Government introduced the 1872 Education Act, providing free, secular and compulsory education for children. Hastings Primary School has a long and continuous history in Hastings, and takes pride in the ongoing connection with families, volunteers, community groups and organisations, businesses and surrounding schools. The school invites the entire Hastings community, past and present, to come along and celebrate 150 years of providing outstanding education to the families of Hastings. Come along and enjoy the nostalgia and…
THE state government has given the green light to the upgrade of the intersection of Forest Drive and Nepean Highway, Mount Martha three years after the federal government offered to pay for it. Flinders MP Greg Hunt said the federal government had committed more than $20 million to the intersection, with work now scheduled to start in 2023. The work will include traffic lights across Nepean Highway, a signalised pedestrian crossing, footpaths connecting the intersection’s bus stops and realignment of the driveway opposite Forest Drive. Mr Hunt said calls to Improve the intersection had been the subject of “countless community…
THE Federal Labor Party has made an election promise to commit $10 million towards upgrading Emil Madsen Reserve in Mount Eliza. The reserve is the largest sports precinct in Mornington Peninsula Shire and services Mount Eliza and neighbouring areas. It is home to the Mount Eliza Junior Football Club, Mount Eliza Soccer Club, Mount Eliza Football Netball Club and Mount Eliza Cricket Club – some of the biggest sporting clubs in the region, Emil Madsen Reserve has almost 2000 people who use it on a regular basis. Shadow Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Minister Catherine King said the facilities were…
POLICE are seeking public help to identify three males who may be able to assist with inquiries into an assault on 14 January. It is alleged three men approached a person sitting alone on the footpath on McLaren Place, Mornington at 10.55pm. Police say that without provocation the person was assaulted and sustained a fractured nose and facial injuries. Investigators are hoping to identify the three men captured on CCTV. Anyone with information is urged to contact Senior Constable Avion at Mornington Police on 5970 4900, Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or file a confidential report at bddy.me/34FTHx2. First…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol was kept busy over the long weekend as part of Operation ARID. Before members could grab a morning coffee on Saturday they had already impounded three vehicles in under four hours. Around 7am a 36-year-old man was intercepted on Mornington-Tyabb Road, Moorooduc, and found to be suspended from driving after a drink-driving incident last month. His vehicle was impounded, and he will face a charge of driving while suspended. At 8.40am the same highway patrol unit intercepted a 29-year-old man on Hodgins Road, Hastings. He was found to have been unlicenced since 2013. He further tested positive…
WORK has started on a $4.5 million camp ground at Point Nepean National Park on the lawn outside the historic Quarantine Station and will be designed for people new to camping. The camp ground will include pre-pitched tents on platforms, with facilities including a camp kitchen and toilets to be provided in existing Quarantine Station buildings. Parks Victoria is also seeking tenders for a project to provide visitors with “stories of the park”. One option being considered is for interpretive trails and audio and video installations at park buildings to explain its “living” Aboriginal culture and natural, military and quarantine…
RISING costs have led to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council entering into a $1 million meals on wheels service partnership with Frankston Council. The shire has run a meals on wheels program for more than 30 years, producing around 75,000 meals annually, while supporting welfare and independent living. Community services manager Jo Bradshaw said costs had been rising due to a steady increase in new clients and so the shire joined forces with Frankston in a joint tender for the service. “This is expected to make the service more cost-effective and ensure a more competitive outcome for both councils,” she said.…
Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged two men following a drive-by shooting in Mornington last year. A 29-year-old Tyabb man has been charged with reckless conduct endangering persons, prohibited person possess firearm, theft of motor car and numerous other charges. A 46-year-old Mornington man was charged with possess drug of dependence. The charges following a drive-by shooting in Illowa Street in Mornington on Saturday 25 December about 4.35am. The pair were arrested yesterday in a carpark off Frankston-Flinders Road about 11.50am. A number of items were seized during the arrest including a loaded firearm, commercial quantity of suspected…
Somerville Highway Patrol are appealing for witnesses after a driver failed to stop at a breath testing site and subsequently crashed leaving three people injured in Baxter last night. Officers were working the site on Moorooduc Highway and waving cars in when an officer signalled for the driver of a Jeep Wrangler to enter the site about 6.50pm. The driver ignored the officer’s direction and sped off narrowly missing a police member who had to jump out of the way. The driver of the 2018 wagon continued towards the Sages Road intersection where he ran a red light and collided…
PUBLIC submissions for the 2022-23 Mornington Peninsula Shire budget have soared this year, with footpaths and walking trails leading the way with 908 votes out of 1500. Submissions close at the end of March, but Cr Steve Holland says the huge jump in submissions already reflected a change of resident’s habits post lockdowns, and a stronger appreciation of the peninsula’s walking spaces. He said the shire usually would receive fewer than 100 submissions, “but the new budget is proving very popular”. Cr Holland also conceded that the new “Shape” online platform made it more accessible to residents and potentially captured…
IT should become clearer later this week if Morgan Jonas will remain a candidate for the seat of Flinders at the coming federal election. Mr Jonas last week resigned from the United Australia Party “thus withdrawing my nomination”. However, he did not say if he would contest Flinders as an independent or under the banner of another political party. Mr Jonas said he would later announce “our exciting plan moving forward”. The UAP’s backer Clive Palmer said Mr Jonas “joined the party to promote his own self-interests”. “We note he has never been elected to parliament and is seeking to…
HOMICIDE Squad detectives have charged a 49-year-old Baxter man over a fatal shooting in Baxter in 2017. The man was arrested on Friday 4 March and has since been charged with one count of murder. The charges follow an incident on 16 September 2017, when a 64-year-old Baxter man was fatally shot at his Station Crescent home. The parties involved were known to each other. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 8 March 2022
MEMBERS of the Peninsula Chamber Musicians are tuning up for this weekend’s return to playing music to public audiences. Their 2022 orchestral and chamber ensemble series will be launched on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 March. The first concert will be at All Saints Church, Rosebud on 12 March followed by one at Mount Eliza Community Centre on 13 March at 2pm. The musicians will perform Haydn Symphony No 100 and Mozart’s Symphony No 40 along with contemporary Australian composer Elana Kats-Chernin’s Moon Feather Magic. Performances are also planned at Flinders, Mornington and the Peninsula Hot Springs, Fingal. Booking and…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Anthony Marsh visited Flinders last week to show his support for the Save Flinders Pier campaign. Cr Marsh said that the pier was a valuable tourist attraction to and should be saved. The mayor’s comments are similar to those voiced last week by Flinders MP Greg Hunt (“Liberal support for ‘save pier’ campaign” The News 22/2/22). He also visited the cargo shed historic display, a small museum at the beginning of the pier run by volunteers. The mini museum, dedicated to the history of the pier and its precinct, operates from a restored cargo shed…
Somerville Highway Patrol officers are appealing for public assistance after a car crashed and burst into flames on Peninsula Link in Moorooduc last night. Police have been told a black Ford Falcon sedan was travelling southbound on Peninsula link near the Moorooduc Highway just before 9pm. It is believed the driver lost control and crashed into a safety barrier and concrete bollard when the car caught fire. Luckily witnesses stopped at the scene and pulled the male driver from the vehicle before it burst into flames. A 27-year-old Dromana man was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Investigators are…
THREE Mornington Peninsula cinemas will share in $130,000 of federal government money to support the recovery of the arts and entertainment sector after three years of COVID-related disruptions to operations. Peninsula Cinemas Rosebud and Sorrento, as well as the Dromana 3 Drive-in, received between $35,000 and $60,000 each under the second round of the $20 million Supporting Cinemas’ Retention Endurance and Enhancement of Neighbourhoods (SCREEN) fund. Dromana 3 Drive-In owner Paul Whitaker said the drive-in had weathered the “perfect storm” of difficult times and was grateful for the support. “COVID-19 has seen us under mandatory lockdowns of more than 300…
HASTINGS police have caught nine illegal mini bike riders and seized their bikes in and around Hastings and Crib Point. Acting Sergeant Andrew Ross said the community response to a police request for assistance had been “very welcome”, as it was “local information” that often helped solve crimes. Sergeant Ross said illegal mini bikes which were not registered or had not passed safety tests were a danger to pedestrians, other road users and their riders. Having a mini bike impounded can be expensive, with owners given 28 days to collect them from the wreckers before they are crushed. Collecting them…
A 51-YEAR-OLD Rye man who allegedly had a loaded gun in a vehicle that was tracked to High Street, Frankston on 17 February has been charged with firearms and driving offences. Officers patrolling Frankston-Flinders Road about 9.30pm spotted a speeding car, which was then followed by the air wing to an address in High Street, Frankston. Police allege the male driver and female passenger dumped the car and ran. After a brief chase on foot officers arrested the pair nearby, and a search of the vehicle allegedly revealed a loaded handgun in a bag on the back seat. The woman…
POLICE are appealing for public assistance in relation to a series of crimes around Mt Eliza between 19 and 20 February. Detectives from the Mornington Peninsula crime investigation said a number of burglaries, thefts and an assault around Koornalla Crescent, Barton Drive, Walkers Road and Kunyung Road occurred over that weekend. Between 10pm on Saturday 19 February and 2am Sunday 20 February police say a group of youths embarked on a “crime spree of offending” where they stole vehicles, took items from vehicles, attempted to gain entry to various residences in the Mount Eliza area, and assaulted a youth. Investigators…
By David Gill* STRATEGIC planning for the use of land is the biggest issue facing Mornington Peninsula.. The peninsula is recognised in state planning policy as an area of significance and that there should be only moderate to low levels of housing growth. Our biggest protection to the character and liveability of the peninsula are the urban growth boundaries around our towns and villages which prohibit any reduction of green wedge-zoned land. The main planning issues that I see are: A general lack of understanding and sympathy from the state government (politicians and bureaucrats) that the peninsula is different…
GARDENS for Wildlife is finally up and running on the Mornington Peninsula. The program, which was impacted by COVID restrictions, is a network of community groups and councils working together to care for native plants and animals on the peninsula. It is designed to encourage and support residents in creating a haven for local wildlife using indigenous plants in their gardens and is a partnership between Mornington Peninsula Shire and community members and groups that share the common goal of protecting and promoting native flora and fauna. Much of the peninsula’s flora and fauna is rare or endangered and gardens…
THE first Mornington Peninsula Art Competition “work in progress” by students at St Joseph’s Primary School, Sorrento is under way. The competition has been designed to raise awareness among students and the community on how to care for the peninsula’s marine environment and shoreline precincts. The school’s entry has been inspired by environmental advocate and past Mornington Peninsula Shire Citizen of the Year Josie Jones, known for diving for rubbish under Flinders Pier. Ms Jones was also a recipient of the local Hero Award in the Australian of the Year Awards in 2020. Sustainability leader at St Joseph’s Primary School,…
ORGANISERS of the weekend’s March4Justice event against gendered and family violence shone a light on the shocking rate of this type of violence on the Mornington Peninsula. In the first six months of 2021, 817 women reported incidents of family violence to police across the peninsula, almost double the Victorian local government area average. March4Justice is a national movement pushing for equality, justice, respect, and an end to gendered violence. On Sunday, participants marched from Rosebud pier, and along the Bay trail to the Village Green, where people with slogans called out for an end to family violence and speakers…
A man has been arrested after a police vehicle was rammed while attempting to intercept a car in Capel Sound on Tuesday, 22 February. Police observed a purple Toyota Landcruiser allegedly driving erratically on Point Nepean Road about 10.55pm. The Toyota was seen failing to navigate a left turn onto Johnson Street and crashing into a tree. Police pulled over the vehicle which had continued travelling along Johnson Street. The Toyota came to a stop before allegedly reversing into the police vehicle, causing damage to both cars. A 33-year-old Rosebud man was arrested at the scene and has been taken…
HASTINGS police have been busy dealing with illegal behaviour on motorised bicycles and have warned that parents and riders need to know the rules for taking motorised vehicles on the road. In two of the most recent incidents, police impounded an illegal motorised bicycle after a male was caught doing monos in Hastings on 12 February. Just after 5.30pm, police were called by a resident who had filmed the bike’s rider lifting the front wheel off the ground while riding on a public road. A divisional van went to a Hastings address where police found the bike, but found the…
A SECTION of Bentons Road in Moorooduc is open to traffic, but with a bitumen made from recycled tyres instead of the previously announced Plastiphalt. Contractors and Mornington Peninsula Shire agreed on the new crumb-rubber asphalt pavement for the 1.6 kilometre stretch of the road. “It’s been a challenging ride with storms, material delays and COVID-19 isolation setting us back along the way. But we got there in the end, enjoy the road and drive safe,” Cr Lisa Dixon said (“Patience runs out as drivers ignore road barriers” The News 7/2/22). The 1450 tonnes of asphalt includes about 9200kg of…
POINT Leo surf life savers demonstrated their prowess in the water last weekend to win the water events in the 2022 Victorian Masters Championships at Lorne. Competitors from Mornington Peninsula, aged 31 to 76, came from clubs at Mount Martha, Point Leo and Portsea. Point Leo won the overall club points for the water events with 276 points, while Portsea came third with 117. Point Leo backed this up on day two to take out the beach competition with 2016 points, with Portsea fifth (55 points) and Mount Martha seventh (47). Life Saving Victoria general manager education, sport and club…