MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s immunisation service has returned to Somerville with the first session in three years held at the new Somerville Recreation Centre, Wednesday 14 August. The service is free with no bookings required and a range of session times are available across the peninsula. Immunisations are available for infants and children aged up to 10, as well as for students in years 7-10 as part of the secondary school immunisation program. Those who have missed immunisations at school can attend any community immunisation session on the timetable which is available online. Some of the Rye sessions have been changed…
Author: MP News Group
PERFORMING at the Frankston Arts Centre on Friday 20 September and Sunday 27 October, the Imperial Russian Ballet Company return to Australia with Swan Lake…the most loved classical ballet of them all. This masterpiece ballet is presented in two acts and follows the original storyline. Subtle revisions and variations have been introduced by Gediminas Taranda, Artistic Director of the Imperial Russian Ballet Company. Swan Lake crosses the world of magic and mystical creatures with that of the real world. It is a story where the virtues of love and forgiveness in the end conquer evil and betrayal. The Imperial Russian…
PLANS are well underway for this year’s 6.7 kilometre fun run or walk Arthurs Seat Challenge, from Rosebud to Seawinds Gardens at the top of Arthurs Seat. This event promotes and raise money for the Fit to Drive road safety program provided free to Mornington Peninsula and Frankston secondary schools. Fit to Drive focuses on personal safety, responsibility, and strategies to make young people use the roads safely. Running since 2001, the Fit to Drive program has been aimed to reducing road trauma by changing attitudes and behaviours of young drivers and passengers. BlueScope Western Port has supported the Arthurs…
A PROJECT to improve the Roger Penman Reserve Community Playground at Blairgowrie is making great strides. Volunteers’ coordinator Kate Coker said Mornington Peninsula Shire Council had given $15,000 towards the $50,000 needed for new playground equipment at the reserve behind the shopping precinct in Wilson Road. “The play equipment was last updated in 2003 and is understandably in need of an upgrade,” Ms Coker said. “We have an enthusiastic group of parents who are currently volunteering their time to the project, and we have had a huge amount of support from the Blairgowrie community. “The Sorrento Community Centre is backing…
TWO Mt Eliza men have been arrested and interviewed as part of an investigation into “suspicious betting activity” in an esports league, 23 August. Police allege video game players were “arranging to throw matches and subsequently placing bets on those matches”. The matches were part of a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament, a popular multiplayer first-person shooter video game. The Mt Eliza men were among six people arrested as part of the ongoing investigation. Police believe five matches were affected, with more than 20 bets placed on those matches by Australian punters. Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit detectives also arrested two 20-year-old…
A MAN’S body was found inside a burned out Mornington house last week. About 20 firefighters and five appliances fought the blaze in Carramar Street just after midnight, Friday 23 August. Thick smoke was visible from the Mornington Peninsula Freeway. The Arson Squad will investigate the blaze which spread to a neighbouring house and damaged the garage. The occupants of that house were safely evacuated. Neighbour Sam Maxwell said he was working in his garage about 11.30pm when he heard – and felt – a loud “whomp” followed by a series of pops and bangs, like bursting aerosol cans. “At…
THE frequent use of drugs by drivers on Mornington Peninsula roads was highlighted during Somerville Highway Patrol’s Operation Drive-Thru last week. Drivers exiting fast-food outlet drive-throughs in the Frankston Council area were tested to see if they had the munchies as a result of drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Over the Friday and Saturday nights 16-17 August 78 vehicles were intercepted with 21 drivers testing positive to drugs and being over the alcohol limit. A 21-year-old, of Frankston South, blew 0.164 per cent after being clocked at 200kph in a 100kph zone on the Frankston Freeway. Police issued six vehicle…
TWO mates heading home after a big night out at Mornington’s pubs and clubs took the wrong option, Saturday 17 August. Instead of splitting a taxi fare, calling a sober friend or walking the three kilometres home they decided to drive instead. If life’s a lottery then the 20-year-old Mornington man lost: The p-plater was picked up driving his mate’s manual 4WD on his automatic-only licence. After being clocked at 97kph in an 80kph zone on Nepean Highway he blew 0.126 per cent and lost his licence for 12 months. His mate’s 4WD was impounded for 30 days. “If you…
A FAMILY asleep upstairs at a house on Old Mornington Road, Mt Eliza, awoke to the sound of breaking glass, 4.30am Sunday 18 August. Venturing downstairs they found glass all over the floor and a handbag missing. The offenders had fled but credit cards from the bag were used twice before being cancelled. Investigations are ongoing into the burglary. Anyone with information is urged to call Acting Senior Sergeant Jason Hocking, of Somerville CIU, 5978 1300 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 27 August 2019
SOMERVILLE detectives are reviewing CCTV footage to help identify a man who threw a Molotov cocktail at an ATM in Eramosa Road East last week. Detective Senior Sergeant Eddie Logonder said the National Australia Bank’s ATM was destroyed and the bank facade damaged in the incident, 11.50pm, Tuesday 20 August. Somerville CFA fire crews contained the fire to the front of the building. No other shops were damaged. Anyone with information is urged to call Somerville CIU 5978 1300 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 27 August 2019
AN air of excitement builds around at Eastbourne Primary School during book week as students from all levels dress up as characters from books. Principal Stephen Wilkinson said learning specialist Carli Hunter and her team “provided many stimulating, inquiry based activities to engage all the students”. “The Reading for Life theme is important. It enables students to realise reading is part of everything we involve ourselves with whether it be numeracy, interpreting rules for sport or observing road signs and directions,” Ms Hunter said. “At Eastbourne Primary we have very good data in reading across the board because of the…
AN exhibition opening in Mornington later this month will show the Mornington Peninsula as seen through the eyes of 58 artists. The artists will explore the beauty of the region for the Southern Buoy Studios’ 2019 Landscape Prize through their works on show from Saturday 31 August to Saturday 28 September. “Our aim is to showcase a variety of well-known and emerging artists,” the studio’s program and marketing manager Rachel Doyle said. “The familiar becomes new through paint; narratives and recollections are projected to create a dialogue with the viewer. Works immerse us in the experience of the Mornington Peninsula…
By Lance Hodgins Part Three The members of the 1913 “Greatest Team Ever” JACK CAMPBELL was the 1913 captain and, at 38 years of age, a football veteran. He grew up in Bendigo, where he captained the strong Bendigo FC before moving to Tasmania to play in the tough mining competition at Queenstown. In 1912 he came to Hastings to join his brother in the family general and hardware store (near today’s Shire Offices) and played in the premiership team that year. He captained again in 1915 and served as a club administrator after the war years. He settled in…
A SHARED passion for skating has allowed Hastings dad and skateboarding coach Craig Mitchell to spend quality time with his three children – Riley, 13, Kobe, 10, and Indy, 6. Fort the past five years they have been regulars at the YMCA skate parks on the Mornington Peninsula. “We’re a skating family and the YMCA and its skate facilities have given me and my kids a place to have fun, keep active and create lasting memories,” Mr Mitchell said. “I’m also heavily involved with the Y’s skateboarding programs and coach around 100 kids a week from all over the state.…
NEW interpretative signs on Tanti Creek, Mornington, explain the natural environment of the creek, and its use by traditional owners the Boon Wurrung through to white settlement. They offer interesting illustrations and descriptions of the plants and wildlife in the creek estuary. Members of Tanti Creek Friends Judith Martin and Jan Oliver oversaw the designs of the large format signs during 10 years of research. Their work was paid for with a Mornington Peninsula Shire community grant. The signs are near the estuary at Mills Beach, and at the well-used foot bridge at Stones Crossing. Some of the early grand…
By Danielle Kutchel VETS are upset by a push by Mornington Peninsula Shire to sign them up to an agreement setting out what they can do with stray animals. The non-mandatory 84Y agreement – included in the Domestic Animals Act of Victoria – requires that all cats and dogs found or seized be delivered to an authorised council officer, or to a council-approved organisation, including vets. If a vet practice has an 84Y agreement with a council it can retain, dispose of, or return cats or dogs to their owners. Vets without an agreement must hand strays over to the…
MORNINGTON Peninsula community houses have tapped into the generosity of peninsula groups to collect donated goods and food items for struggling Pyalong farmers. This comes after Bentons Square Community Centre general manager Kelly Langdon and Becca Smith, of Mt Eliza Neighbourhood House, sat next to two women from Pyalong at the Neighbourhood Houses Victoria conference in May. “We introduced ourselves and congratulated Pyalong on their award for Community Resilience – Relief for Farmers,” Ms Langdon said. “This program donates goods to struggling farmers affected by drought. “Through the donations farmers and their families are empowered, despite their hardships, because they…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol night shift had a busy week setting court dates for 22 people. These included a 20-year-old Frankston man who was remanded in custody and had his car impounded after allegedly driving at up to 155kph while running red lights around Langwarrin and Frankston. The police helicopter was hovering overhead. Senior Constable Greg Wolfe said other incidents included a Wantirna man, 39, whose licence had been suspended who was “so fixated on getting his hit of drugs he didn’t notice the bag of ice sitting on his lap when police spoke to him through his driver’s window”. Also,…
CONCRETE dumped alongside roads is jeopardising driver safety. Hastings police and Mornington Peninsula Shire officers are seeking help from the public to find those responsible for the dumping concrete at 67 South Boundary Road, Pearcedale West; the end of South boundary Road. Pearcedale West; 109 Tyabb-Tooradin, Somerville; Boneo Road, Cape Schanck; and on Western Port Highway near Thompsons Road.. “The impact of this on our roads is an obvious risk to road users as well as the cost to have it cleaned and removed,” senior constable Ryan Blake, of Hastings police, said. He can be contacted on 5970 7800 or…
A NISSAN Skyline travelling south on Moorooduc Highway through the Frankston-Flinders Road roundabout allegedly accelerated to 146kph in an 80kph zone, 11pm, Wednesday 14 August. Somerville Highway Patrol members intercepted the car just before a booze bus which was set up around the bend near Sages Road. The Dandenong driver, 23, gave no reason for speeding, although police thought it “may have been a case of him trying to impress his girlfriend who was with him in the car”, Senior Constable Greg Wolfe said. “We assume she wouldn’t have been impressed at having to arrange alternative transport home. But it’s…
THE weather wasn’t ideal for a day out on the bay, but that didn’t stop fishing and boating minister Jaala Pulford, Nepean MP Chris Brayne and a host of other interested parties from lining up at the Rye boat ramp on Friday. The politicians were there to announce in person that parking and launching fees at Mornington Peninsula Shire boat ramps had been scrapped. Fees at Schnapper Point and Fishermans Beach, at Mornington, and at Rye, Safety Beach, Sorrento and Hastings were the first to go, with Tootgarook boat ramp to be free from 1 September and the Anthony’s Nose…
By Lance Hodgins Part Two The final showdown And so it comes down to a simple matter: which of two undefeated teams was the greatest … 1913 or 1948? One team (1913) was at the end of a dominant ten years for Hastings. It was in the middle of a famous “three-peat”, going on to win another flag the following year. Only the Great War would put the local football competition, and the reign of Hastings, into recess. The other team (1948) was the end product of a sporting build-up after a similar break for the Second World War. This…
By Lance Hodgins Part One HASTINGS Football Club has an outstanding history. Since its founding in 1889, there have been many premierships – and some legends, such as the great John Coleman. The Blues won their first flag in organised competition in 1905; since then there have been seventeen more. This makes an average of one every six years! So … which was the greatest side of all time? Measuring “greatness” I do not propose to open that age-old argument and put yesterday’s team on the field against one of today. Today’s footballers are taller and faster, train harder, have…
A man has been caught drink driving after he crashed into a pole in Portsea Monday 12 August. Rosebud police were called to Defence Road after a man crashed his blue Holden Commodore sedan into a pole about 4.20pm. The driver returned a positive preliminary breath test and was taken back to a police station where he returned a breath test reading of 0.250. The 48-year-old man is expected to be charged on summons with drink driving offences. Victoria Police News – Monday, 12 August 2019
POLICE are investigating links between teenagers who died in a two-car collision at Cranbourne, Sunday afternoon 11 August, and thefts from cars and theft of a car at Hastings, Somerville and Safety Beach earlier in the weekend. An 18-year-old Cranbourne woman and a 16-year-old Frankston boy died and three others were injured when the cars hit on the South Gippsland Highway, near Camms Road, about 4pm. Somerville CIU’s Detective Senior Sergeant Eddie Logonder would not be drawn on details other than to say detectives were investigating whether the thefts and the crash were linked. The driver of the stolen blue…
NASA scientist Dr Darlene Lim drew a packed house at the Science in the Park event at Coolart Wetlands and Homestead, Somers on Sunday 11 August. Described as a “rock star in the science world” Dr Lim spoke to a packed audience about her adventures to extreme Earth habitats and her role in Mars exploration. The homestead’s stables had to be been converted into an auditorium to accommodate the large crowd. The event, part of National Science Week, was attended by many scientific organisations. The Environment Protection Authority’s applied science division helped the children check the wetlands’ water quality using…
THELMA Kirkman celebrated her 106th birthday sharing her love of literature with children from Goodstart Early Learning Centre, Benton’s Road, Mornington. The Benetas Corowa Court, Mornington resident, a former secretary of Tasmanian State Library, was delighted to mark the milestone with a session that promoted the importance of reading from a young age. Described as an “incredibly humble and generous” person, Ms Kirkman didn’t want to make a fuss, so Benetas staff organised the event so she could share her passion and knowledge with the youngsters who are all a century younger than she is. Farrell’s Bookshop, Mornington, discounted the…
ROSEBUD Secondary College’s $1 million Wellness Pavilion has received the final phase of its finance, meaning construction can now begin. Deputy Premier James Merlino and Nepean MP Chris Brayne visited the school in Eastbourne Road to announce the long-awaited $300,000 grant last week. The state’s contribution follows $300,000 announced in March by the federal government. “It was my hope when I announced the federal government’s $300,000 contribution in March that the Victorian government would join with the school, local families, the and local community to deliver a bipartisan approach to this project,” Flinders MP Greg Hunt said. “Their acceptance and…
MISSING person Andrew Dymott, pictured, was last seen at a family barbecue at Mt Eliza in 1999. The qualified electrician was last seen by his father in the early afternoon walking to his car which was parked on the street. He did not return and has not been seen since. Mr Dymott, 47, is 180cm tall, medium build, brown hair, green eyes and fair complexion. During National Missing Persons Week 4-10 August his family was reminded it had been 20 years since they last saw their son and remain concerned for his safety and welfare. Police are encouraging those who…
POLICE at Dromana, Hastings, Mornington, Rosebud, Rye, Somerville and Sorrento will wear body cameras from next week. They will be among more than 11,000 cameras in use by 2020. The cameras will be worn by general duties and highway patrol police of the rank of sergeant and below. They will record video and audio footage. Police will be given regular training which includes the use and functions of the body worn camera. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 13 August 2019