Members of the Save Westernport group will be marching in Saturday’s Western Port Festival parade to promote their opposition to AGL’s proposal for a floating gas import terminal at Crib Point. The group will display puppets and representations of Western Port’s wildlife. “We want to remind people about the unique and wonderful wildlife in Western Port,” group member Julia Stockigt said. “Endangered bird species like the far eastern curlew rely on Western Port during their annual migrations, and they deserve to be protected from the pressures of big industry.” Festival organisers have turned down sponsorship from AGL (“Cash-strapped festival says…
Author: MP News Group
AN armed robber threatened an attendant at a Tooradin service station with a shotgun last week. The man walked into the South Gippsland Highway servo about 3.15am, Tuesday 12 February. He went to the fridge, chose a milk drink and asked the attendant for a packet of cigarettes. He then pulled out a sawn-off shotgun and forced the attendant to hand over cash and cigarettes before fleeing the store. The man is described as Caucasian, in his 30s, slim build and wearing a Furphy beanie, black zip hoodie, black T-shirt with NXP on the front and jeans. Anyone with information…
SOME OF the best mountain bike racers from Victoria, interstate and overseas descended upon the Red Hill trail network on Saturday 2 February and Sunday 3 February. Red Hill has long been the preferred training ground for many state, national, and even world champions, but for the first time the trails were part of a tier one National Cross-Country Racing Series. Around 180 competitors lined up for rounds five and six of the Victorian Mountain Bike Championship Series with local shops and businesses also benefiting from the large numbers of hungry supporters and spectators flooding the race village. Members and…
GOLFERS from the Mornington Peninsula certainly aren’t lacking quality courses to choose from according to Golf Australia’s biennial top 100 rankings that were released on Wednesday 13 February. Golf courses on the Peninsula filled 10 per cent of the nation’s top 100 public access courses for 2019 with the list taking into account courses that are considered “pleasurable” for all golfers of every standard. The rankings were compiled over the past two years by Golf Australia editor Brendan James and a team of 32 other readers. It focussed on public access courses that offer tee times for visiting golfers, which…
MORNINGTON-based racehorse trainer Jason Warren couldn’t be any happier with his gun two-year-old Brooklyn Hustle’s return on Saturday 9 February despite finishing fifth in the Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) at Caulfield. Brooklyn Hustle was all the rage for the $1.5 million Group One Blue Diamond Stakes on Saturday 23 February following her barnstorming last to first debut victory in December last year, but her most recent run has left some people questioning her capabilities. But, not her trainer, Jason Warren. “I thought it was a great run,” Warren said. “She ran the second fastest last 600m, 400m and 200m of…
Author Fran Henke is about to publish the final chapters in her novel trilogy, A Fair Wind. However, the historical narrative so far has proved so absorbing that “I can see a fourth – I want to know what happens to the child of this third story”. If she writes another book in the Wind series – making it a quartet – Henke will have authored 23 books. But all that research into the past is in the future as Henke prepares to launch An Imperfect Calendar during next Sunday’s Hastings Festival (24 February). Her first novel in the series,…
Family and friends of Jannetje Witte went to The Bays aged care home in Hastings to celebrate her 100th birthday. Also at the afternoon tea on Tuesday 12 February were Hastings MP Neale Burgess, The Bays Healthcare Group CEO Elena Allen and other residents. Ms Witte was born in Texel, Holland where she also met her husband Tony, who died more than 20 years ago. The couple had four children, Margaret, Elizabeth, Rose and Theo, with Ms Witte working on farms to support their family during the Depression and World War II. They migrated to Australia in 1951, living in…
Mornington Peninsula Shire has been told it must immediately adopt strategies to tackle climate change. Minter Ellison special counsel Sarah Barker has told shire councillors and senior officers that climate change action and mitigation is a serious financial consideration for industries and communities across the globe. Ms Barker said strategies must immediately be integrated into all council activities to address climate change risks. She spoke on the approaches being taken by organisations worldwide, including the World Economic Forum, global banks, ratings agencies and insurance agencies to cope with its impacts. The mayor Cr David Gill said the council wanted to…
Mornington Peninsula Shire’s infrastructure services manager Jessica Wingad says recycled waste from the peninsula is still going to China and other global markets. She said extra processing here was ensuring “compliance with these markets”. New recycling markets are expected to open in Victoria in the future. “While the [Chinese] policy shift hasn’t banned recycling, it has limited the level of contaminated accepted in recycling sent to China,” Ms Wingad said. “Clean, sorted recycling is still being accepted, so it is extremely important we continue to separate our waste from recycling and place only accepted recyclable items into our recycling bins,”…
AT just seven years of age, Harrison Daley is a little boy with a passion. He helps clean-up Mornington beaches and is always keen to educate beachgoers about environmental dangers posed by litter. This dedication has been recognised with Harrison being named Mornington Peninsula Shire’s first and youngest recycling ambassador and unofficial recycling champion. It’s a job he can’t do alone and the shire wants more volunteers to become recycling champions. This team of champions will support the shire’s efforts to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill. The mayor Cr David Gill said it was “more important…
TWO young women who allegedly attempted to steal clothing and a $200 beach towel from a Sorrento boutique are being sought by police. The women, pictured, selected the items and allegedly removed the security tags in the change rooms. Soon after, one attempted to distract staff while the other began walking out of the store with the clothing stuffed into a bag. An alert staff member stopped her and demanded she return the items. Both women protested their innocence but handed over the items and left the store when the staff member began calling police. It is believed the women…
A MT ELIZA woman must have been in a rush to get to the city early Friday afternoon because she allegedly drove past an unmarked police car on Eastlink, near Thompsons Road, at about 160kph. The 23-year-old was intercepted and found to have a suspended licence due to 79 demerit points as well as outstanding arrest warrants for road-traffic offences. She was arrested and left the scene in handcuffs. Her car was impounded for 30 days at a cost of $979. Leading Senior Constable Greg Wolfe, of Somerville Highway Patrol, urges drivers to “slow down, drive according to the conditions…
POLICE have issued a picture of a man they believe may have smashed a car’s rear side window at McCrae and stolen a woman’s handbag possibly used her credit card to buy alcohol at a nearby supermarket, Monday 28 January. Somerville detectives said the woman parked her car on Point Nepean Road and walked to the beach at lunchtime. Later, she found her car’s window smashed and her handbag missing from the back seat. Police have released CCTV images of a man at the check-out who may be able to assist with their inquiries. Anyone recognising him is asked to…
A COUPLE arrested after a courier’s van was stolen in Mt Eliza while he was making a delivery faced Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Friday 15 February charged with more than 60 theft-related offences. The man, 28, and woman, 27, both from the Somerville area, were found asleep in a stolen car at Black Rock, 2am, Thursday 14 February, before they allegedly rammed a police car, injuring one officer. They were apprehended in Brighton soon after while attempting to flee on foot. The driver of the StarTrack van was at the front door of a house in Boxmoor Court, 1.30pm, when…
A NEW Zealand fur seal that had been resting on the beach at Dromana last week (Seal draws crowd and ‘unwelcome’ attention” The News 12/2/19) decided to move further down the bay and hit the high spots of Blairgowrie, Thursday afternoon. But, not content with sunning himself on the sand, the big fellow shuffled across Point Nepean Road, bringing the busy thoroughfare to a halt and prompting shoppers to call police to direct traffic. Constable Garry Robinson, of Rosebud police, said he spent 45 minutes shepherding the seal across the road “with a bit of a rest in the middle”.…
POLICE have released images of graffiti “tags” at Somerville Secondary College in the hope they can help identify those responsible. The vandals roamed the school grounds over the summer school holidays and spray painted most buildings. Principal Chris Lloyd said the school’s buildings were defaced regularly. “It is a constant problem here and at the primary school, especially on weekends,” he said. CCTV footage sent to the police had captured vision of those responsible, but Mr Lloyd said he had not identified any current students although a “much older” former student had been recognised, he said. Clean-ups have cost the…
FAMILIES descended from the original French Island Thompsons flocked to the Tankerton Memorial Hall for a 125th reunion. More than 230 family members from New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Victoria took the ferry across from Stony Point and were picked up by bus on the island, Sunday 3 February. Some came across from Corinella, with their vehicle on the barge, and planned to stay several days to catch up with family members from further afield. The day capped off 18 months of planning by organisers Joan Shepherd, Lois Airs, and Carol Lake – grandchildren of…
HASTINGS police are keeping an eye out for riders of illegal “monkey bikes”. Acting Sergeant Scott West said the mini-bikes were “becoming an issue” as they posed a danger, especially to pedestrians in public areas. “We all remember the tragedy of the woman struck and killed in Carrum Downs a few years ago and we would hate for something like that to happen again,” he said. Police are coordinating resources and gathering data to back up a campaign against monkey bike riders. The riders potentially face a raft of charges, including careless riding, riding an unregistered bike, dangerous riding, riding…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire marked World Wetlands Day (Saturday 2 February) with a boat trip in Western Port for “key decision makers across local government, industry, and environmental advocates”. The trip enabled the passengers to “explore one of the peninsula’s most internationally significant regions”. The Western Port Ramsar wetlands near Hastings is part of the United Nations (UNESCO) declared special biosphere reserve of the Western Port catchment and is one of only nine biospheres in Australia. The shire’s boat trip preceded the release this week of new research showing Western Port is increasingly vulnerable to pressures from population growth, urbanisation, run-off…
BLAIRGOWRIE boxer Jayde Mitchell returns to the ring on Saturday 30 March for the final send-off of one of Australia’s greatest boxers. The current world number nine super-middleweight boxer, Jayde Mitchell, will line-up on the undercard of his sparring partner and former world champion, Sam Soliman, who will step into the ring for the final time. In a phenomenal career spanning more than 20 years, Sam Soliman will bow out against another former world champion, Manny Siaca, at the Melbourne Pavilion. While Mitchell’s opponent is yet to be confirmed, he said to be on the final card of one his…
MORNINGTON has a new up-and-coming racehorse trainer in its midst with the former New Zealander Joe Waldron setting up base opposite the racecourse late last year. The former travelling foreman for champion New Zealand trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman has been training in his own right in New Zealand for the past three seasons but decided to make the move in search of greater prize money. Along with the majority of his client base in New Zealand being from Australia, Waldron has embarked on his next chapter of his training career which now sees him own a 40 box…
FRANKSTON Australia Clay Target Club (FACTC) shooters made their way to Brisbane for the ISSF National Trap and Skeet titles on Monday 14 January. Some of Australia’s best showcased their skills and put some stellar scores on the board in what was a full field in the Trap events as well as the introduction of the Trap Mixed Teams events. FACTC landed some top shots to return home with eight National and Commonwealth title medals across the trap and skeet competitions. Commonwealth Games gold medallist and FACTC member Laetisha Scanlan led the way in the Ladies Trap qualifiers shooting a…
A FIBREGLASS cabin cruiser (pictured) was stolen from Westernport Trailers in Marine Parade, Hastings, over the Australia Day long weekend. Detective Tony Woolcock, of Somerville CIU, said offenders cut the padlock on the front gate and drove off with the $40,000 2004 Mustang 2400 boat. It is blue and white and the registration number is Q0710. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 12 February 2019
TWO fires started when “sparkler bombs” were set off in a Mornington park last week are being investigated by police. Detective Leading Senior Constable Alex Montgomery, of Somerville CIU, said youths taped the sparklers to aerosol cans and lit them in a playground in Tallis Drive, 11pm, Tuesday 5 February and 6.30pm, Wednesday 6 February. The resulting explosions scorched timber edging and a tree in the park, opposite Mornington Secondary College, on days of moderate fire danger. There is no CCTV footage but youths were seen in the area. “It is a bit concerning that the explosives were set off…
During the holidays, 85-year-old grandmother Joy Gray (nee Bird) and her family visited Point Nepean National Park, Portsea. Ms Gray told park rangers that she had some recollection of a personal history in the area, but did not know much more than that she had been born in Gunners Cottage. In 1933, Ms Gray’s father Ernest William Bird was the army cook for Fort Nepean. He lived in Gunners Cottage with his wife Victoria Blanche Bird and five children – Ray, Jack, Alan, Teddy and Joy. The family’s relationship to Point Nepean is now assured with references to the Bird…
A rubbish dumper has been fined $3509 plus $420 costs for leaving “renovation materials” on a roadside at Tootgarook. Mornington Peninsula Shire says the fine levied by Dromana Court backs its “zero-tolerance approach” to illegal rubbish dumping. On 10 January, a peninsula resident was found guilty of aggravated littering, sentenced with conviction, fined $3509 and ordered to pay council’s $420 clean-up costs. The shire says the offender was “caught in the act unloading renovation materials from a trailer at a Tootgarook roadside”. Illegal dumping can incur penalties of up to $9500. “Council spends more than $700,000 at a cost to…
DUNKLEY MP Chris Crewther has said he would be “happy to support” a trial of a cashless welfare card system in Frankston. The system being trialled interstate sees 80 per cent of money from Centrelink payments received by welfare recipients placed onto a card, where it cannot be withdrawn. The money on the card also cannot be used to buy alcohol or on gambling products. The card has been trialled in four regions across Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Mr Crewther said “the program helps kids get their school books and makes sure money is not used on drugs…
UNSUCCESSFUL Liberal Party candidate for Frankston Michael Lamb , left, has been suspended from his position with Victoria Police after being charged with disclosing police information without reasonable excuse. Mr Lamb has been suspended with pay, and will face charges over four separate incidents that allegedly occurred in 2018. A Victoria Police statement stated that “a police officer has been charged with unauthorised release of information by Professional Standards Command. “The Senior Sergeant from Southern Metro region has been charged with four counts of disclosing police information without reasonable excuse.” Mr Lamb was comfortably defeated at the 24 November state…
Social researcher Hugh Mackay wants a “radical culture shift” in Australia towards compassion to minimise the damaging consequences of social isolation, renowned social researcher. In his 2019 Australia Day Address Mr Mackay said looking after our neighbours was a good starting point. The Officer of the Order of Australia recipient says the biggest social challenge the nation faces is “preserving our social cohesion”, as we focus on ourselves rather than showing greater responsiveness to those around us. Mr Mackay will be in Mornington this week to discuss his thoughts outlined in his latest book, Australia Reimagined. “We are facing some…
Eyes on the prize: Charlie Hollow, 10, gets ready for the National Hopes Challenge and the Melbourne Open. Happy with that: Georgia Hollow, 7, practises her table tennis prior to the Melbourne Open. Pictures: Supplied UP-AND-COMING table tennis siblings, Georgia and Charlie Hollow, headed into Melbourne for the Melbourne Junior Open and the National Hopes Challenge on Monday 21 January. The Mornington Peninsula table tennis juniors competed in the under-11s singles and doubles competitions at the Melbourne Open where they returned with some top results. Georgia, who is just seven-years-old, finished third in the under-11s Girls singles while her brother, Charlie,…