RYE and Sorrento CFA crews have a long history of helping the community, but they now need help from the community. The two brigades, which have been run by a group of dedicated volunteers for decades, say they urgently need more members. To service areas from Cape Schanck to Portsea and “every corner of the state” when asked, the brigades are looking for volunteers in the Tootgarook, Rye, St Andrews, Blairgowrie, Sorrento and Portsea areas to join them. “Essentially we need members that can turn-out on the trucks but any help is help and we don’t knock it back,” Rye…
Author: MP News Group
THE McCrae lighthouse restoration project has received a $1 million grant from Heritage Victoria. The grant will return the 33.5 metre high lighthouse – Port Phillip’s tallest – to its former glory inside and out. It will be painted from its current colour of greyish silver to its original bright white. The lighthouse, built in England in 1874, was shipped out and assembled on the McCrae foreshore in 1883 and shone bright for the next 111 years before being retired in 1994. The restoration is due to start next month and be finished in December. It will include a full…
By Barry Irving THE highlight of a lunch at the Rye Football Netball Clubrooms last week was the presentation of Mornington Peninsula Netball Football League life membership to Michael O’Rourke. Regional manager AFL South East Will Dakis presented the award before 95 sponsors and guests at the event, Saturday 3 July. Mr O’Rourke has had a 57-year association with the MPNFL and the Rye Football and Netball Club. He started as a player in the Rye under-17s in 1964 and has been a constant at the club ever since. This includes 16 years as vice-president (1980-1995) and the past 20…
DURING this dynamic two hour production show Scot Robin who played the lead role in the smash hit musical “Buddy”, (Original cast) together with his Crickets will perform over thirty of Buddy Holly’s hit songs such as – That’ll Be The Day, Heartbeat, Think It Over, Peggy Sue, Raining In My Heart, Rave On, Maybe Baby, True Love Ways and of course Oh Boy! & much much more. This Internationally Acclaimed production show has and will continue to mesmerise and excite audiences both visually and musically with it’s high energy performance, brilliant costumes and fantastic musicianship. Scot Robin has been receiving rave reviews…
TWO of Queensland’s best-loved actors, Barbara Lowing & Roxanne McDonald, are set to bring their original Australian contemporary theatre production of Rovers to Frankston Arts Centre in July. Rovers is a delightful and modern comedy-drama that has had audiences around Australia laughing, crying and celebrating the imagination and heart of Australia’s trailblazing women. Woven from true stories and wild machinations, this is a fast-paced & poetic night at the theatre. If you have ever faced a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, had to keep a family secret or said yes to a crazy dare in a bar, then this funny, heart-warming and…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Regional Gallery exhibition ‘Surreal Landscapes’ explores the natural world through historic and political narrative. Curated by Danny Lacy and Rosie Weiss, the show includes newly commissioned work alongside select loans from Hayley Millar Baker, Nadine Christensen, Peta Clancy, Emily Ferretti, Tara Gilbee, Philip Hunter, Raafat Ishak, James Newitt, Emma Phillips, Christian Thompson AO. The works explore personal or historical narratives and embeds political and social commentary, for example, Indigenous photographer Peta Clancy’s powerful photographic-based works taken on a submerged indigenous massacre site in north west Victoria. The poignant and powerful works are showing now at MPRG until 22…
THE Big Y art installation at the entrance to YMCA Camp Manyung was unveiled last week. The artwork, shown for the first time on Tuesday 29 June, was painted by Eamon Rogers and Brianna Webster from the Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association, Hastings. “The Big Y is one of many ways that Camp Manyung has demonstrated its commitment to working alongside our Aboriginal community here on the peninsula and always uplifting Aboriginal history, culture, and connection,” the camp’s manager Jim Boyle said. “This mural is a story depicting the beautiful lands in which Camp Manyung is located and the tremendous work…
NOMINATIONS are being sought for the Mornington Peninsula Shire and National Trust 2021 Heritage Awards. The shire and the trust’s Mornington Peninsula branch are behind the awards which recognise projects and people who have demonstrated excellence in preservation, restoration and reuse of heritage places on the peninsula. While the word heritage conjures images of built forms, the scope of the awards goes further to cover landscape, cemeteries, wetlands, interpretive signage, and people who have contributed to the longevity of heritage. Heritage includes public and private places, buildings, gardens and objects, which organisers say are an important part of our culture…
A DAMAGED car found in Lyall Street, Hastings, last week led to the arrest of a man allegedly involved in the death of a motorcyclist at Cranbourne. It is alleged the man was driving the car when he collided with the motorcycle on Thompsons Road near the intersection of Lansell Drive about 1.40am, Thursday 1 July. The motorcyclist, a 26-year-old Cranbourne West man, died at the scene. Detectives from the Major Collision Investigation Unit, following a tip off from a member of the public, made the arrest at Frankston station. A 30-year-old Toora man has been charged with dangerous driving…
THE state coroner is investigating the death of a Padua College student whose body was found at The Pillars cliff jumping site at Mount Martha. Sergeant Daniel Patton, of Mornington police, said the circumstances surrounding the 16-year-old’s death were unknown. He said it was unclear whether the Mornington boy was in or out of the water when he died overnight on Saturday 26 June. The Pillars is on the Esplanade between Deakin Drive and Marguerita Avenue. Sources said the road was closed to traffic and a police helicopter was hovering overhead about 10.30am on the Saturday. Padua principal Anthony Banks…
THE NAPIER Street Plaza facelift at Rye is complete. The revamped space in the township is designed to be a vibrant public area and main pedestrian promenade to be suitable for events and markets. The works were completed in two stages to avoid disruption during summer. The first stage, which included the Napier Street Plaza and foreshore redevelopment, was completed in December. Further works, which included extending the redevelopment to the roundabout at Nelson Street, as well as lighting, drainage, car parking, paving and landscaping works, took place from February to June. The shire received $3.25 million through the state…
WORK to redevelop the Sorrento ferry terminal precinct is awaiting state government approval. Mornington Peninsula Shire is working with Searoad Ferries, the Department of Transport (VicRoads) and the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions on the project which will aim to improve traffic safety and provide road upgrades near the terminal. The state government has provided $2.5 million to the shire for the project. Proposed road works include a roundabout at Point Nepean Road/Hotham Road, Sorrento, upgrades to Hotham Road between The Esplanade and Point Nepean Road, and 40kph speed zone on Ocean Beach Road and surrounding areas. Once the…
HAILED as the international ‘Queen of 70’s Pop’ Helen Reddy was Australia’s very first truly international superstar. In 1973, her iconic song I Am Woman became the unforgettable anthem of the women’s liberation movement and made her the very first Australian to ever win a Grammy Award. During her remarkable career she placed three #1 hits on the US Billboard charts and six more in the US top 10. She sold over 25 million albums and played to sellout concert houses right around the world. She even hosted her very own prime time series on U.S.Television. Then, all…
ICONIC mainstay festival Sunset Sounds is thrilled to get Victoria in on the action, set to delight music lovers at Hastings Foreshore Reserve on November 28. This epic Sunday session will kick off at 1pm (gates at 12pm) and will wrap by 8pm and will feature an impressive lineup of some of the country’s most prized singer songwriters; Xavier Rudd, Pete Murray, Kasey Chambers, Josh Pyke, Ben Lee, The Church, Kyle Lionhart and D’arcy Spiller. Tickets go on sale at 10am AEST on Friday July 2. Excited to be headlining Sunset Sounds at Hastings Foreshore Reserve, Xavier Rudd says, “It’s…
MARGARET Fulton – ‘the first lady of Australian food’ was born in Scotland in 1924, moving to Glen Innes, NSW with her family when she was just three years old. After her schooling years Margaret moved to Sydney to pursue her dream of becoming a cabaret performer, however she ended up living next door to a “lady” of the night and working in a nuts-and-bolts factory, a job she couldn’t get away from quick enough and finally landing as a position as a cooking teacher at The Australian Gas Light Company. Her career as a food writer was soon to…
By Joseph Misuraca A RETIRED surgeon used his time in Victoria’s lockdowns to paint birds – all 270 of them. David Freedman, 76, of Mount Martha, has included 240 of the paintings in a book, Australia’s Birds, which he co-wrote with stepbrother Richard Steele. The 2019-20 bushfires forced a variety of birds to flock to Melbourne’s fringes, including Mr Freedman’s property in Mount Martha. “Some eastern rosellas started nesting in a bird box for the first time,” he said. This prompted him to begin painting birds in June last year. With all these paintings completed, he developed the idea of…
AN ice bucket challenge proved a hit for Beleura Junior Football Club players last week after they had to cancel the much-anticipated dunk tank. The club, which plays at Dallas Brooks Park, Mornington, raised around $4500 from the sale of beanies and Sock it 2 MND socks, with all Beleura players wearing the socks for their matches. More than $1700 was raised in donations to the ice bucket challenges. All Beleura coaches took part, as well as a “couple of good sports from the opposition”. Mount Martha Community Branch of the Bendigo Bank was a major sponsor. Guests on the…
By Joseph Misuraca A MOUNT Eliza couple are working on a new statewide health initiative to track and improve children’s wellbeing. Dr Jolyon Ford, 51, and his wife, Jo Ford, 49, are working at Peninsula Health on ‘GenV’. The program is designed to track Victorian babies born between 2020-2022. Its goal, according to the GenV website, is to achieve “a better approach to child health, development and wellbeing in Victoria”. It’s a voluntary program, and one of the largest of its kind. The research study is being carried out by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute at the Royal Children’s Hospital.…
PORTSEA lifesavers placed second in Round Four of the Open Women’s Tube Rescue and third in the Open Men’s IRB Rescue at Lorne on Saturday 19 June. On the Sunday they won Round Five of the Open Men’s Tube Rescue. The Inflatable Rescue Boat teams were competing in the final carnivals before returning to Lorne for the Victorian IRB Championships, 3-4 July. Life Saving Victoria said all teams performed well in “challenging conditions” in the back-to-back events. Despite cold and choppy surf conditions, particularly on the Saturday, the teams all stepped up to the challenge and put on what were…
FANCIED competitors in the Australian Ninja Warrior TV show which returned to Channel 9 last week train together on the Mornington Peninsula. The show aired on Sunday 20 June with Zak Stolz making it into semi-final one on Tuesday 29 June and Charlie Robbins heading straight into the grand final after winning the Power Tower in Heat 4. Ashlin Herbert also heads straight to the grand final after winning the Power Tower in Heat 2 and Troy Cullen makes it to the semi-finals. Sarah Blackmore doesn’t make it but will cheer on the Mornington ninjas from the sidelines. As one…
THE Yawa Aquatic Centre at Rosebud will open to the public on Friday 9 July. The later opening came about after Victoria went into its fourth lockdown earlier this month meaning the Friday 25 June opening target was not viable. Construction continued under the restrictions, but access to the centre was limited and put a halt to essential training. Belgravia Leisure was not able to host new staff on site to undertake swim teacher, lifeguard and emergency management training. To be able to open, all staff must be trained, qualified and, importantly, be familiar with the centre. With restrictions easing,…
SPEED limits in a host of Dromana streets will be cut to 40kph. This follows the Safer Residential Areas community consultation process in 2018 when 77 per cent of respondents told Mornington Peninsula Shire that vehicles were travelling too fast in residential streets and around the town. The project was approved for funding through the federal government’s Black Spot Program. The 40kph limits will affect streets including William, Seacombe, Carrigg, Beach, Pier, Odonahue, Heales, Verdon, Codrington, Permien, Foote, Clarendon, Hodgkinson, Ligar, James, Marcus, Judith, Noel, Marna, Solander, Graeme, Seacombe, Williams, Karadoc, Gibson, Arthur Seat and Francis, as well as Spencer,…
PENINSULA Community Legal Centre has praised recent changes to Victoria’s rental laws, which include the introduction of “basic standards” and which limit rent rises to once a year, as making renting “fairer for everyone”. It says the revamped laws “strike a better balance between strengthening renters’ rights and protecting vulnerable tenants while providing appropriate protections for owners”. The legal centre aims to assist tenants living in private rental properties. For more than a decade it says it has supported tenants who “have not been given a fair go under the previous laws which created a power imbalance that favoured landlords”.…
THE new Marna Reserve netball courts have opened at Dromana. The $530,000 upgrade is open to sporting clubs and the community. Marna Reserve is home to Dromana Netball Club and Dromana Football and Netball Club. Mornington Peninsula Shire funded the new courts from the council’s 2020-21 Budget as part of the Sports Capacity Plan. Four outdoor courts have been renovated into two new netball courts which comply with Netball Victoria standards. Other improvements have been made to the lighting, fencing and surrounding landscaping and paving. The renewal of the courts will provide safe and compliant courts of a higher training…
DATA in last week’s council budget papers revealed the greatest increase in valuations across the Mornington Peninsula occurred in the townships of St Andrews Beach, Merricks Beach, Boneo, Blairgowrie, Point Leo, Merricks and Cape Schanck. Valuations team leader Lauren Ashley, speaking to the General Valuation Return and Valuers’ Report on Tuesday 22 June, said this had come about as residents “sought out lifestyle properties and lower density housing and took the opportunity to work from home in the popular holiday areas”. “They were among many regional areas to experience a surge in housing prices as demand outweighed supply,” she said.…
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal crash which occurred in Somerville this morning. Officers were patrolling when they came across the single vehicle crash at the intersection of Frankston-Flinders Road and Bungower Road about 2.10am. Police attempted to revive the female driver, who is believed to be in her 40s, but were unsuccessful. Investigators believe the driver lost control of the vehicle which ran off the road and crashed into a tree. Anyone who witnessed the crash or with dash cam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via crimestoppersvic.com.au…
INTERNATIONALLY significant wetlands around Western Port Bay are being protected thanks to a $20,000 contribution from South East Water. The money will aid the Ramsar Protection Program which lists the wetlands, pictured, as being of international importance. It will help reduce threats through the control and eradication of feral cats, foxes, rabbits and goats, and remove invasive weeds, such as African Boxthorn and Spartina. The wetlands are important feeding grounds and nurseries for various plant and bird species. A number of Indigenous cultural heritage sites also sit along the Western Port shoreline. Since 2010, the Ramsar Protection Program has been…
THE Bays Aged Care has opened a $20 million redevelopment at Hastings expanding its capacity from 75 to 90 places. The centre, in Victoria Street, offers private and government-funded respite care, memory support and dementia care, a new Dialysis unit for related treatments, extra rooms for sole occupancy and couples, and improved dining and lounge areas with fireplaces, terraces, and courtyards. The home was completed last year, however, celebrations had to be put on hold until now. “With aged care in focus at the moment, it is with great pride that we show the community our state-of-the-art home,” The Bays…
EXTREME weather events over 9-10 June have highlighted why operations like Operation Regal over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend are vital, police say. Its major focus was on ensuring and enforcing safe driving practices. Reports are continuing to come in about weakened trees falling on the shire’s rural roads, many of which have 60-80kph speed limits. Most are winding and few have good lighting after dark. Rosebud police captured this scene on White Hill Road, Red Hill, to demonstrate the danger when trees come down, generally without warning. “If you are using the roads, drive to the conditions,” police say.…
A LANGWARRIN man appeared at Frankston Magistrates’ Court last week charged with 60 offences following an incident in Langwarrin in which two police officers were allegedly assaulted. The most serious charge was assaulting police, with the others including theft of a motor car, handling stolen goods, as well as drug and bail offences. No application for bail was made and the 40-year-old was further remanded to reappear next month. He had earlier been arrested at Mont Albert, along with a 47-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, who arrived there in a stolen car, and whom police believe are “associates”. The…