By Barry Morris* BALCOMBE Estuary Reserves Group has warned of an “environmental disaster” if sediment continues to fill the estuary at Mount Martha. Its president Peter McMahon has accused Melbourne Water of “sitting idly by as we slowly lose this beautiful estuary to indifference, penny-pinching and demarcation issues”. Melbourne Water says it has been “consulting” with Mornington Peninsula Shire and BERG “for more than a decade” to stop the accumulation of sediment which comes from unsealed roads. The 76-hectare estuary and adjoining reserves are home to hundreds of native birds and animals and a popular recreation area for residents and…
Author: MP News Group
DESPITE being hit by high winds and storms, work continues on the sandbag seawall at Portsea’s front beach. New sandbags are replacing old ripped inside the area protected by a temporary rock wall. With nearly 30 per cent of the work completed, contractors plan to remove the timber handrail at the rear of the sandbag seawall to make way for the final rows of sandbags. The handrail will eventually be replaced further back. A geotechnical investigation has been made on the stability of the cliffs east of the sandbag seawall. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 12 May…
EXTRA measures to ensure those experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence know where to get help during the coronavirus pandemic. The Help is Here campaign is part of a $150 million federal government package helping support services meet demand. Advertising will be splashed across TV, digital, social media, radio, magazines and newspapers, as well as at shopping centres, hospitals and GPs’ surgeries. This comes after a family violence victims’ advocate said she feared enforced isolation because of enforced restrictions could lead to an increase in abuse. Dromana resident Geraldine Bilston said isolated living, less contact with people outside their homes,…
HASTINGS police arrested and charged a Gippsland couple with a range of offences last week. The couple, in their 20s, from Bairnsdale and Morwell, were nabbed at a Hastings house on Wednesday 6 May after a verbal dispute with neighbours. They were charged with armed robbery, home invasion, burglary, possessing stolen property, car theft and driving offences – as well as breaching COVID-19 restrictions. Acting Senior Sergeant Stephen Reidy, of Hastings police, said the man was also charged with possessing a loaded homemade handgun, or pen-gun. The pair appeared at Frankston Magistrates’ Court. They were remanded to appear at the…
A WOMAN arrested at Rye last week has been charged with 11 counts of burglary of homes and holiday homes on the southern Mornington Peninsula. The 41-year-old, of Tootgarook, faced Frankston Magistrates’ Court charged with stealing clothing, jewellery and household items. She was further remanded to again face court at a later date. Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Tony Henry, of Somerville CIU, said the woman’s arrest on Wednesday 6 May followed a series of burglaries at Tootgarook, Rosebud and Rye over several weeks. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 12 May 2020
THE Peninsula Community Legal Centre is offering free over-the-phone legal assistance during the coronavirus crisis. The centre can help with family law, family violence, tenancy, fines and general law, debt, crime and employment issues. While COVID-19 restrictions apply, the centre will provide duty lawyer services remotely at the Federal Circuit Court in Dandenong and the Magistrates’ Court at Frankston and Moorabbin. The centre’s social worker is available to help with non-legal needs. Phone appointments can be made by calling 9783 3600, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 12 May 2020
ROSEBUD Memorial Hall has become a busy distribution centre for non-perishable and personal hygiene items for those doing it tough during the pandemic. Redeployed Mornington Peninsula Shire staff and up to 800 volunteers pack and send the goods bought from funds donated by members of the community. They are distributed through community information and support centres at Mornington, Hastings and Rosebud and other peninsula-based food relief programs. “It’s amazing how the staff and the volunteers have come together to help,” the mayor Cr Sam Hearn said. “It an example of community caring in which up until last week had distributed…
BATA Shoes in Mornington is offering a free pair of $50 work shoes to aged care and health care workers during May. The company’s graphic design and marketing manager Brad Rayson said the offer was influenced by the valuable role these workers are playing during the current COVID-19 pandemic. “The sign went up [outside the factory] today and we are starting to get lots of calls,” he said, Thursday 7 May. “To take advantage of the offer workers can come in and flash their employer ID.” First published in the Mornington News – 12 May 2020
By Muriel Cooper* “Weird” is a common way of describing our circumstances during the coronavirus lockdown. With this “weirdness” can come a sense of being adrift, not tethered to anything, a sense of unreality; being disconnected. Our ancestors, European or Indigenous, often had to endure long periods of isolation on extended sea voyages or overland treks, and we could do worse than follow their example. How did they remain grounded? Here are a few ways in which I think they kept their sense of place and purpose: They were stoic; they did not expect life to be easy. They expected…
Mornington Community Information and Support Centre, Southern Peninsula Community Support, Information Centre and Western Port Community Support and Community Support Frankston will receive more than $500,000 from the federal government’s new Community Support Package. “This is such a different time with so many moving and changing challenges for emergency relief charities like ours, we have lost some important income streams just when they are most needed,” Southern Peninsula Community Support and Information Centre CEO Jeremy Maxwell said Stuart Davis-Meehan of the Mornington Community Information and Support Centre said the extra money would “enable us to expand the range of support…
THEFTS of, and from, cars on the Mornington Peninsula have “dramatically dropped” after the arrest of four suspects last week. Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Tony Henry, of Somerville CIU, said the men, all in their late teens, were nabbed at Morwell but were originally from the Hastings area. The group is alleged to have stolen three cars and broken into 12 others on the peninsula as well as at Frankston, Dandenong and Croydon over a three-week period. The alleged ringleader, 18, formerly of Hastings, is facing 10 charges which include driving offences. The alleged offenders faced Frankston Magistrates’ Court last…
ONE WEEK after its sister site opened at Rosebud, headspace Hastings will provide early intervention mental health support and assistance for young people experiencing complex mental health issues in the Western Port area. Sited at the Atticus Regional Medicentre, headspace Hastings was established under a $1.5 million federal government grant to set up youth services hubs on the Mornington Peninsula. “We know headspace is a service trusted by young people, and it’s great that headspace Hastings will be able to provide help and support to young people across the region to help them get through tough times, and get back…
HASTINGS police are seeking public help in identifying a couple in relation to the alleged theft of alcohol from a shop in Baxter-Tooradin Road, Baxter, 4.40pm, Sunday 29 March. Police released a CCTV image (below) of two people they believe can assist with their enquiries. The woman, aged in her 30s, is described as Caucasian, 168cm tall, with a medium build and blonde hair. The man, also aged in his 30s, is Caucasian, 175cm tall, with a medium build. Anyone with information is urged to contact Hastings police, 5970 7800, or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillor and Victoria Police officer Julie Morris said the deaths of four police in a horror crash on the Eastern Freeway, Wednesday 22 April, had “been felt in police stations right across the state”. “I’d like to thank our local community for the flowers, cards and messages of support,” she said. “The kindness we’ve seen and your words of support are encouraging and we thank you for standing beside us at this difficult time, as we mourn and reflect on the loss of our colleagues and friends.” Cr Morris was speaking after Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor…
DETECTIVES are searching for a white Ford work ute and trailer stolen from the driveway of a Balnarring house, 1am, Thursday 23 April. Detective Senior Constable Rohan Brock, of Somerville CIU, said another vehicle was broken into at the property earlier in which a spare key for the missing ute was found. A credit card in the ute was later used at a McDonald’s restaurant at Officer. Anyone with information can call Detective Brock, 5978 1300, or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. First published in the Western Port News – 29 April 2020
THE Pantry House, at Benton’s Square shopping centre, has been overwhelmed with support for its pay-it-forward board for emergency services and frontline emergency staff which is “getting huge every day”. “We would love more of those people to come and collect the free coffees the community have paid forward,” proprietor Emily Cook, said. “We always have over 50 coffees paid forward and if you check out our Instagram and Facebook I have posted photos of some of the front-liners that got the coffees.” First published in the Mornington News – 28 April 2020
THE number of animals being adopted from Mornington Peninsula Shire’s pound in Watt Road, Mornington has remained steady so far during COVID-19 pandemic. “They are about the same as they were prior to social distancing,” the shire’s environment protection manager John Rankine said. The number of animals being impounded was decreasing. The compatibility of pets and prospective owners is of primary concern to staff at the pound, who list animal profiles online with descriptions of their personalities and photographs. Interested applicants inquire online and staff send out an adoption form. Mr Rankine said the shelter team judged an applicant’s suitability…
VOLUNTEER members of Sorrento State Emergency Service unit are on standby to help during the COVID-19 crisis, but are unable to visit schools, kindergartens, clubs and attend events. “With the winter weather here and people spending time at home we would like the community to think about their home maintenance to reduce the event of injury to themselves and damage to their property,” deputy controller – community education/events Margaret Davis said. Preparing for winter included clearing gutters and downpipes; making sure roofs and fences were in good repair; and securing such outdoor items as trampolines. Ms Davis said it was…
FLOWERS and condolence messages delivered to police stations across the Mornington Peninsula illustrate the widespread sense of sadness over the deaths of four officers in Kew, Wednesday 22 April. Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney died when they were struck by a truck in the emergency lane of the Eastern Freeway, 4.30pm. Truck driver Mohinder Singh Bajwa, 47, of Cranbourne, was due to face court yesterday (Monday 27 April) charged with four counts of culpable driving over the crash. The driver of the car the police were booking, Richard Pusey, 41,…
GRATITUDE for the dedication of frontline medical staff has prompted a Mornington Peninsula group to spring into action. Hearing that nurses at Rosebud Hospital needed more scrubs, volunteers from Mt Martha’s Boomerang Bags group decided to do something about it. So far, they have made 30 set of scrubs in an array of colourful patterns. News spread and the group was recently asked to make scrubs for Frankston Hospital nurses as well. Coordinator Robyn Ruhl said the job was a challenge for the group’s 10 members. “We normally make fabric shopping bags to reduce people’s use of plastic bags and…
THE mental health support organisation headspace has opened a satellite service in Rosebud. While offering three of the four core headspace streams the Rosebud service will also provide outreach support to young people and their families on the Mornington Peninsula. “Right now, Australians are facing a once in a century challenge,” federal Health Minister and Flinders MP Greg Hunt said. “It is not only important during the coronavirus to focus on our physical wellbeing, but also our mental wellbeing”. Financed by the federal government through the South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (SEMPHN), the new service will be delivered by…
Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad are appealing for public assistance as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Safety Beach man Jacob Horton in June last year. Jacob was last seen leaving a residential premises in Drum Close, Frankston on the morning of Thursday, 27 June 2019. At the time of the 28-year-old’s disappearance he was not in possession of a mobile phone or motor vehicle. Detectives believe that on the morning Jacob vanished, he was attempting to source transport to travel back towards the Rosebud area. Jacob was well known in the Rosebud area and often travelled…
A FREE online service has been launched to help individuals, businesses and community organisations to easily identify and access government funding, as well as philanthropic grant programs. Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Funding Finder website includes a page dedicated to gathering the many COVID-19 funding opportunities into one place. This one-stop-shop approach aims to save time and effort on research. Users can create favourites lists, receive direct email alerts from their areas of interest and keep abreast of all funding opportunities and deadlines. The website also offers advice and tips for finding and applying for grants to maximise the chances of success.…
LIKE galleries and museums across the country, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery is closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, content from its exhibitions can be viewed online, including a free publication of A Collection of Stranger Things. In this showing artist and collector Patrick Pound drew out works from the MPRG collection and displayed them alongside his own collection of photographs and objects. In a podcast, Pound explains his collection methodology and how the collection became the medium. An online publication of With a Little Help from our Friends showcases works acquired by the Friends of MPRG since 1996.…
A MORNINGTON man said he was just trying to get to Western Australia to see his sister who was sick with coronavirus when picked up by members of Somerville Highway Patrol over Easter. The 63-year-old’s white Daewoo Lanos had some “slight safety issues” police said, pointing to the replacement door made of board held on by sticky tape, 10.30am, Monday 13 April. The man was issued with a defect notice and his vehicle grounded. The incident was part of state-wide road policing Operation Nexus which ran Thursday 9-Monday 13 April. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 21 April…
THREE men have been charged following an alleged home invasion in Moorhead Avenue, Mornington, 3am, Friday 10 April. Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Steve Reidy, of Somerville CIU, said the residents were awoken and confronted by the offenders, one of whom was allegedly armed with a firearm. The house was ransacked before the offenders fled in a car which was later found crashed and abandoned at Merricks North. Police searching the area arrested and charged a Rosebud man, 18, and a Safety Beach man, 24, with aggravated burglary. Both were remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court at a later date.…
THE 53rd Flinders Art Show in June has been cancelled due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. This is the first time the event has missed its Queen’s Birthday showing since its inception in 1967. The event gives artists the opportunity to market their work. Last year 350 works were exhibited. “In keeping with the current regulations, and after careful consideration of COVID-19 by the committee, and the uncertainty surrounding future months, this very popular community event has been cancelled,” Flinders Art Show vice-president Barbara Higgins said. Proceeds usually go to the CFA, Flinders Cricket Club, Flinders Pre-School, Southern Peninsula Community…
PEOPLE are taking a tipple more frequently as a result of COVID-19. The Alcohol and Drug Foundation is urging restraint as new national data shows 20 per cent of households report buying more alcohol than usual. The YouGov Galaxy poll for the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education shows that in these households 70 per cent said they were drinking more than usual while 34 per cent said they were now drinking every day. A third were “concerned” with how much alcohol they were drinking, or someone else in their household was drinking, and 28 per cent said they were…
Six youths were arrested following a pursuit on the Mornington Peninsula early this morning. Police on patrol spotted a Holden Captiva displaying false number plates on the Nepean Highway, Mount Martha about 1.20am The vehicle was observed driving erratically and police continued to monitor the car until a pursuit was initiated on Peninsula Link. Police disabled the car using stop sticks and the six occupants, aged between 14 and 16-years-old, were arrested when their vehicle came to a stop on the freeway near Derril Road, Moorooduc. Two 16-year-old Narre Warren boys, a 15-year-old boy of no fixed address and a…
IT was pre-Easter drinks in the time of the coronavirus last Thursday (9 April) for a community of apartment dwellers in Mornington. Residents of the former Sisters of Mercy Convent, in Tanti Avenue, toasted and cheered each other from their balconies. John Scott said the “coming out” was organised by Helen Begg, who has lived in the heritage listed building for the past 11 years. “She arranged for us to come out onto our balconies for a drink and a chat, at a distance, of course,” Mr Scott said. “Easter to some is church or a holiday break with family,…