THOUSANDS of spectators flocked to the Emu Plains Reserve, Balnarring on Saturday 26 January for the Balnarring Picnic Racing Club’s traditional Australia Day meeting. A field of seven took to the track for the highlight of the club’s season, the Balnarring Cup, where Cranbourne-based trainer Cindy Alderson took out the main event with her low-flying mare My Clementina. Ridden by Maddison Morris, My Clementina scooped the prize to become the new ‘star of the picnics’, winning five straight picnic races – a maiden, Trophy 1, Trophy 2 and two Open Cups, which included the Healesville Cup at her previous start.…
Author: MP News Group
PENINSULA Boxing will be out to kick off the year in style when they line up in the inaugural Wild Fighter promotions card held at new boxing venue The Timber Yard, Port Melbourne on Saturday 23 March. Commonwealth Games silver medallist and unbeaten cruiserweight boxer, Jason Whateley (2-0, 1 KO), is set to headline the card in his third career fight as a professional. His opponent is yet to be determined but it’ll be Whateley’s first time entering an eight round match-up. Fellow Peninsula Boxer, Lochie ‘Bubba’ Higgins (4-2, 2 KO), is also locked in to fight the “tough as…
FOR the very first time in Australia, and direct from Music City, U.S.A, the hit musical production Nashville Live delivers the energy, glamour and magic of a night out in the home of country music directly to you and totally live! Nashville Live takes you back to the world famous Grand Ole Opry, through the history of country music from golden greats like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, through to the contemporary platinum selling sounds of Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks and many more. Nashville Live is a celebration of the legends of country music and the…
MISSION Songs Project is an initiative to revive contemporary Australian Indigenous songs from 1900 to 1999, focusing on the Christian missions, state run settlements and native camps where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were relocated. Searching for the family songs that were sung around the kitchen table, Jessie Lloyd explores the day to day life on the missions, settlements and reserves through music. From cultural identity to love and loss, these rare songs consist of almost forgotten stories that can now shed light into the history of our Indigenous elders, families and communities. Performed as a vocal quartet, Jessie…
MUSIC of the Night is an enchanting musical and visual spectacular presented by highly acclaimed multi award winning international pianist Joseph Fimmano. Joseph is joined on stage by the elite of Australian entertainment, stars of musicals and the concert stage, and the ultimate in Australia’s musicians with the Music of the Night Orchestra. Joseph debuted on Australian TV with his winning performances on piano accordion on Johnny Young’s Talent Time in the late 70s and has since matured into one of Australia’s finest performers. Music of the Night is a tribute to the musicals, opera and the beautiful melodies of…
SARAH Blasko, Tia Gostelow and Jackalope’s Rare Hare confirmed for Victoria’s favourite food, wine and music gathering off the back of a sell-out event in 2018, The Peninsula Picnic returns on Saturday 30 March, 2019 with an unprecedented line-up of Australian music acts, local restaurants, wineries and producers, bringing together the best of the peninsula to the one location, for one day only. Lead by indie rock five-piece The Rubens, playing alongside beloved song writing legend Sarah Blasko, indie prodigy Tia Gostelow, Latin outfit San Lazaro, and up-and-coming folk artist Fraser A. Gordon, music lovers will be wooed by the…
This year’s Mornington Art show, presented by the Rotary Club of Mornington and ending on Australia Day, is being seen as the best show in its 47-year history with 15 per cent of works being sold. More than 860 art works, including paintings and photographs, were hung for sale and public viewing. The paintings by Mornington Peninsula, Victorian and interstate artists covered a range of media and genre. Several of the 42 photographs and works by VCE and other students were also sold. Rotary club member and one the show’s organisers, John Renowden, said selling 15.2 per cent of works…
POLICE would like to speak to any visitors to the Flinders blow hole and other back beach areas who saw a suspicious man loitering on Australia Day. He is believed to have broken into cars in the area. Police particularly want to speak to those who saw the man at the blow hole car park, 11.30am-12.30pm, Saturday 26 January, and who reported his behaviour to the park ranger. Anyone who saw a suspicious man at the Bushrangers Bay, Ti Tree Creek or Flinders Ocean Beach car parks on that day should also contact police. Leading Senior Constable Greg Wolfe, of…
TWO girls aged 17 were capsicum sprayed by police at Mothers Beach, Mornington and charged with being drunk and disorderly at 8.15pm on Australia Day, Saturday 26 January. The girls, of Mornington and Bittern, were taken back to Mornington police station and their parents called to collect them. They will be summonsed to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court. Sergeant Chris Stock said up to half a dozen girls drinking on the foreshore became belligerent when ordered to hand over their alcohol by police. The foreshore is an alcohol-free zone. He said an officer had a radio wrenched off a jacket…
THE Australia Day Long Weekend was a busy one for police in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula, with Operation Amity focusing on speed, fatigue, impaired driving, distraction offences and seatbelt compliance. Over the four days – Friday 25 January to Monday 28 January – police breath-tested 1161 drivers and drug-tested 38 drivers. Of these, 14 drink drivers and six drug drivers were charged. Police also detected 23 disqualified or unlicensed drivers and fined 116 drivers for speeding. Twelve drivers were charged with disobeying traffic lights and 33 were caught driving unregistered vehicles. Three vehicles were impounded. Police also focused…
THE driver of a freight train was taken to hospital after being hit on the upper body by a rock thrown by “young people”, 9pm, Wednesday 30 January. Hastings police said the train was travelling south from Leawarra station towards Baxter when the incident occurred. The driver continued on to Tyabb train station from where he was taken to Frankston Hospital in a stable condition. Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Luba Grigorovitch said on Radio 3AW the unprovoked attack was unacceptable and put the safety of both the train’s driver and its passengers at risk. “No one goes to…
Former Liberal MP Julia Banks is rumoured to be considering standing against her former colleague, Flinders MP Greg Hunt in this year’s federal election. Ms Banks told The News two weeks ago that she had yet to make up her mind “on my next steps”. Mr Hunt, the health minister, has held Flinders for the Liberals since 2001. The seat was previously held for the party by Peter Reith. The Labor Party is expected this week to announce the name of its candidate for the election expected in May. Recent polling reported by a Melbourne daily newspaper last weekend showed…
A MAN extensively damaged the United service station at Tyabb yesterday (Tuesday) by driving a utility through the front glass doors and windows. The ute did a three point turn inside the shop before being driven off. Owner Simarjeet Virdi said CCTV showed the older model, dark-coloured, single cab tray ute with bull bar ramming four glass panels three times bringing down shelving and part of the ceiling, 4.30am, Tuesday 29 January. The extent of the damage was unclear but Mr Virdi said it could be $15,000-$20,000. He said he knew of no reason for the incident at the service…
AUSTRALIAN singer – songwriter, Ella Hooper will lead known and loved acts during an afternoon of great music on Sunday Feb 3 at Musiqua, a new live music event kicking off for the first time at the Hastings Foreshore Reserve. Hooper is heralded for her impressive Aussie rock story from childhood to contemporary shows and gigs. Originally from Violet Town in country Victoria, she was the lead singer of Killing Heidi when they won triple J’s Unearthed competition in 1996 at the age of 13. The decade that followed saw the release of three studio albums, a handful of ARIAs…
SYDNEY based brothers, Oliver and Louis Leimbach of Lime Cordiale are excited to announce their first headline shows of 2019. The MONEY TOUR comes from a huge demand for more live shows. Lime Cordiale will continue on from their sold out 27 date Aust and NZ ‘Dirt Cheap’ tour which closed out 2018 as the biggest year yet for the band. The band has been playing all over Australia and now is aiming to stretch it even further. “We played a lot of shows on our last tour but you just can’t make it everywhere. Every show on the last…
Awarded: Clockwise from top left, Diane May Falconer, Neil David Armstrong, Sonya Loader, Ricky Charles Cooper, Bronwyn Eleanor Hughes, Judith Roberta Pettitt and Robert John Fergusson. Pictures: Yanni, Gary Sissons and supplied. SOUTHERN Peninsula Food For All stalwart Diane May Falconer, of Mt Martha, has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the General Division in this week’s Australia Day honours list for service to the community through charitable organisations. Ms Falconer has been secretary of the Southern Peninsula Community Fund since 1998, a member of the executive committee since 1986, and a volunteer since 1986. She coordinated…
DANCERS and musicians will next month perform under the emerging stars in the Arts at Twilight concert at The Briars property, Mt Martha. The show (with food trucks) involves artists from Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, including dancers from Spark Youth Dance Company, Tim Podesta’s Projection Dance Company, freelance dancers Dominique Cowden and Jacinta Martorella as well as The Briar String Quartet, Luke Severn and Elyane Laussade – a cello and piano duo and a peninsula-based clarinet quartet. Spark Productions director Alex Dellaportas said The Briars property “provides the perfect setting for live arts entertainment to meet the beauty of…
SIGNS to help motorists estimate how long it will take to reach the southern Mornington Peninsula are being installed along Point Nepean Road and Browns Road. The signs by Mornington Peninsula Shire and VicRoads estimate travel times for the coastal and inland routes. Beacons will detect road users with Bluetooth-enabled devices to calculate actual travel times. Signs will then display the times of each route so drivers can choose their best option. “[The signs] provide us with valuable data, such as traffic congestion levels and driver behaviour, which helps us strategically plan for future transport solutions on the southern peninsula,”…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire will seek restoration of vegetation and rectification of earthworks after a Tyabb landowner was convicted of carrying out earthworks and clearing native vegetation without a planning permit. The landowners and their contractor were fined $29,000 with costs of $18,000 in Frankston Magistrates Court late last year. In mid-2017, the council’s planning compliance officers began investigating allegations that unapproved works were being carried out at the property. They saw that a significant amount of native vegetation had been cleared. The mayor Cr David Gill said the council worked hard to investigate illegal building works to protect the amenity…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr David Gill wants members of the public to tell the state government they do not want a giant supermarket at “the gateway to Mornington”. A PUBLIC meeting to discuss the proposed Kaufland store in Nepean Highway will be held at the Mornington Shire Offices, Queen Street, 4pm, Thursday 14 February. Those attending will hear about the advisory committee process, the scope of the proposal and details of council’s submission to the Kaufland Stores in Victoria Advisory Committee. The council is concerned that the proposed development, which is outside the designated Mornington activity centre, has been…
Mornington Peninsula Shire is seeking public feedback on a new plan to help manage, protect and enhance biodiversity on the peninsula. The draft Biodiversity Conservation Plan outlines strategies and actions to help achieve “best practice environmental stewardship” and draws on the Shire’s State of Biodiversity Report. Biodiversity is regarded as being the variety of plants and animals in a particular area, with high levels seen as important for a healthy habitat. The draft biodiversity conservation plan details data from scientific, government and community sources – essential reading for anyone interested in the peninsula’s natural environment. The mayor Cr David Gill…
A MAN, 71, was seriously injured and later died in hospital when the boat he and a woman were riding in capsized off Blairgowrie, Friday 11 January. Police and emergency services were called to the beach at 10am after a passing boat picked up the stricken couple and took them to shore. An ambulance rushed the man to Frankston hospital in a critical condition. The woman was not injured. Senior Constable Alistair Parsons, of the Media Unit, said police were yet to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. The investigation was ongoing. First published in the Western Port News – 16 January 2019
DO you dream of reliving the good old days? Were you a fan of The Everly Brothers, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, The Bee Gees and The Hollies? Well don’t miss The Robertson Brothers Variety Show featuring Simon Brook McLachlan from the original cast of Jersey Boys. This amazing interactive live Variety TV style Show will have you singing, dancing, laughing and crying! Take a trip down memory lane with The Robertson Brothers, Australia’s own vocal dynamic duo! Oh What A Night….. you’ll have! The Robertson Brothers grew up in a home that appreciated the Variety TV Show. When…
KISSTROYER started in Melbourne in 2001, formed by two brothers Andrew and Stephen Kyriacou. On a staple diet of steady shows and more media attention than most tribute shows could ever hope for, KISSTROYER has grown into one of the largest touring Rock Tribute Act in the Country. Testament to this is the much talked about stage show. Three eras of authentic KISS costumes, over 15 authentic KISS guitars a massive Functional light up KISS logo and stairs withall the blood spitting, fire breathing, Guitar smashing and smoking mayhem that has brought fame to the KISS name over the past…
A drink driver has had her car impounded after driving on the wrong side of the Nepean Highway in Mornington this morning. Local officers were patrolling the area about 1.50am when they noticed a car coming towards them on the wrong side of the divided highway. They intercepted the car and gave the driver, a 52-year-old woman, a preliminary breath test. She then underwent an evidentiary breath test and returned a reading of 0.247%. Her licence was suspended and her car impounded with towing costs of $1010. The woman is expected to be charged on summons with drink driving, dangerous…
THE driver of this Peugeot 307 convertible was slugged with a $645 fine for a “substantial load breach” after being spotted carrying an old gate in the back seat along Bittern-Dromana Road last week. The Rosebud woman told members of Somerville Highway Patrol she was planning to use the wooden panels in a renovation project. She said she thought the load was safe as she was “only driving slowly,” police said. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 15 January 2019
A WOMAN in her early 20s was airlifted to The Alfred hospital from Somerville oval last week after the car in which she was a passenger crashed into a power pole. After being assessed she was found to be “not as badly injured as first thought”. Police said the late model Holden station wagon was travelling at up to 100kph in a 60kph zone along Frankston-Flinders Road, in the early hours of Saturday 5 January. They said they were not pursuing the car but caught up to it only after it crashed at the intersection of Bungower Road. The driver,…
THE theft of petrol from a service station on Pt Nepean Road, Tootgarook, in mid-December, was one of a string of thefts and burglaries allegedly committed by a Cranbourne North man arrested Wednesday 9 January. Detectives from the Cardinia CIU, Special Operations Group and the Dog Squad nabbed the 30-year-old in Hampton Park over the incidents which occurred between October-December across the south eastern suburbs and Ballarat. During the arrest the man was injured and taken to hospital under police guard. He faces 38 charges relating to an aggravated burglary at Ballarat East, burglary at a Beaconsfield Upper hotel, burglary…
Boat owners using Port Phillip and Western Port are being asked to make sure they are not spreading marine pests that can “cause significant harm to the health of marine ecosystems”. Parks Victoria’s Chief conservation scientist Dr Mark Norman said it was vital to protect the state’s marine waters which supported more than 12,000 species of plants and animals, “90 per cent of which are found nowhere else in the world”. “Marine pests are highly invasive animals and plants, usually from other parts of the world that have become established in Victoria and cause significant harm to the health of…
The judge at this year’s Mornington Art Show is Lynne Mellady, a professional artist of beach and landscapes for over 30 years. Mellady is a pastel artist with examples of her work represented in government collections in Australia and Japan. She has won many awards and has been teaching and judging art for more than 20 years. Cathy van Ee and David Brayshaw are this year’s “feature artists”. Van Ee, who is also a tutor, specialises in portraits and landscapes in oil and pastel. Her career in the arts has included working in the corporate sector in magazine and book…