MORE than 140 students took part in the Peninsula Youth Music Society’s 38th Summer Music School at Mt Erin College in Frankston South last week. They enjoyed making music with their new friends, with some having just begun exploring sounds and creating music. Others expanded their skills in improvisation or tried out instruments that best suited their talents. The week-long program on 9-13 January aimed to provide those aged five-18 with an “enjoyable and rewarding” musical experience. Organiser Nora Morrisroe said activities ranged from Rhythm ‘n’ Beat, Movement and Dance, Try an Instrument, Sing a Song and Percussive Beat for…
Author: MP News Group
THIS long-stay camper went all out to feel at home on the Rye foreshore by establishing his own garden. The camper is among a small number who, perhaps unthinkingly, dig up the foreshore, introduce weeds, and prune indigenous vegetation so they have a better view of the water. Others throw exotic pot plants into the bush when they leave. Mornington Peninsula Shire’s buildings and facilities manager Davey Smith said foreshore camping was renowned a family-friendly experience where campers create a homey environment. “While management doesn’t allow any planting into the ground, some campers do choose to decorate their sites with…
THE Mornington Racecourse Sunset Cinema experience returns to the Peninsula this summer in January. Popping up on Thursday 25th January, Sunset Cinema at Mornington Racecourse is a one night only outdoor cinema event perfect for the whole family. In addition to the feature film, Despicable me 3, screening from 7pm, there’ll also be rides and activities for the kids, catering and snack bar options from the Mornington Racecourse team, and a stocked beer and wine bar for the parents. Supported by local businesses Jacobs & Lowe, Steller and Peninsula Kids, and set upon the lush grounds of the racecourse, it…
FOR over 200 years, the Mornington Peninsula has been a muse and haven for artists. Attracting a stellar roll call of some of the most recognisable names in Australian art, the wild and rugged coast has inspired works from artists such as Eugene von Guérard, Nicholas Chevalier, Louis Buvelot, Violet Teague, John Perceval and Albert Tucker. This ambitious exhibition brings together masterpieces from these iconic artists as the basis of an extended conversation, considering our relationship to the coast, to the Australian landscape and our environment. Newly commissioned works from GW Bot, Megan Cope, Raafat Ishak, Euan Macleod and…
Compiled by Brodie Cowburn DURING the early hours of Wednesday morning (Boxing Day) 4 boys, who were amongst the lads detained at the training farm on Tortoise Head Island, escaped to the mainland. One lad swam out to a boat which was anchored some hundreds of yards from the shore. He then picked up his companions and they sailed to Stony Point, a distance of five miles. One of the lads William Hennessy, aged 16 years made his way as far as Frankston where he was promptly arrested, as the police had been warned of the boy’s escape. So far…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol members nabbed a speedster allegedly travelling 88km/h over the speed limit on the Mornington Peninsula Freeway overnight Friday, 29 December. The car was allegedly detected travelling at 188kph in a 100 zone just north of the Nepean Highway near Dromana shortly after 1am. The driver, a 32-year-old Rowville man, was intercepted and his vehicle impounded. He is expected to be charged on summons with speeding. The intercept was made as part of the Victoria-wide 15 December – 7 January Roadwise campaign aimed at reducing road trauma and improving road user behaviour. During the “high risk” time police…
A HANDBOOK produced by Mornington Peninsula Post Polio Support Group to help polio survivors, has turned out to be the best seller for 2017 for Random Harvest e-library. “We have sold downloads of ‘Life Skills for Polios’ to Djakarta, Harare, Wales, various states of America and hard copies all around Australia,” its author Fran Henke said. “When postage turned out to be twice the cost of the book, we were relieved that Random Harvest based in New Jersey, US, offered to include it on the International Centre for Polio Education’s e-list.” Mrs Henke, of Hastings, said Random’s editor-in-chief “advised last…
KAYAKS and canoes can be fitted with small electric motors without being registered. The trial aims to reduce red tape for low-powered vessels travelling up to five knots and ends 31 December. The exemption is for kayaks and canoes with electric motors of up to 40 pounds thrust (or one horsepower or 750 watts). “If the trial period shows that the safety of paddlers is not compromised in any way, this exemption is likely to become permanent,” Maritime Safety Victoria director Peter Corcoran. “This will also enable an easier process for people taking their paddle craft interstate.” The trial is…
THANKFULLY it took less than 1001 nights to build the latest attraction on Frankston’s foreshore telling the tales of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the forty thieves and other Arabian Nights stories. Twenty skilled sculptors put in more than 5000 carving hours over 30 days using 3500 tonnes of brickies’ loam sand to build the Sand Sculpting Australia exhibition illustrating the stories of the Arabian Nights. Sandstorm Events director Sharon Redmond says the exhibition is open to visitors until 25 April. “Our aim is to capture the imagination and provide a unique experience that reappropriates the natural environment…
POLICE are warning potential buyers of online goods to be wary of scams involving items advertised on widely used social media sites and common online auction websites. The warning follows a number of robberies reported to police after several victims had arranged to meet with fake online sellers to pay for and receive goods. On Christmas Eve police arrested three men after they allegedly attempted to rob two men, in separate incidents, who they had arranged to sell smart phones to. Detectives are investigating two similar incidents reported in December. “If the price seems too good to be true, it…
WHILE local laws officers are warning dog owners about regulations for walking their pets on beaches throughout the Mornington Peninsula, a survey is underway to gauge opinions about dogs at McCrae. The current controls vary at McCrae beach depending on the location and the time of year. The shire has been asked to increase the length of the leash-free area to the west of the Margaret St car park, improving access to the leash-free area for people accessing the foreshore from the Beverly St crossing on Point Nepean Rd, McCrae. It has also received requests to consider removing controls outside…
MEN make up the majority of road deaths in the past year, accounting for 186 of the 255 fatalities in Victoria. The number of lives lost includes 151 lives lost on country roads and 104 in metropolitan areas. Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said while the road toll was down for the first time in four years, “it’s sobering to reflect that 255 families move into the new year without their loved one”. “My deepest condolences to each of the families who I can only guess continue to contemplate why, why have they been thrust into the sadness…
WORK will start on rebuilding the Somerville Recreation Centre early in January. A $1.3 million grant has been received from Sport and Recreation Victoria’s Better Indoor Stadiums Fund, with Mornington Peninsula Shire chipping in $4.3 million to rebuild the stadium which was destroyed by fire in May 2016. The council awarded the tender to the Lloyd Group on Tuesday 12 December for a bigger centre with four basketball courts, upgraded change rooms, kiosk, activity room and community spaces. The funding will also cover the planning and design of a new skate park as the existing skate park lies within the…
ELVES at the Woodworkers of the Southern Peninsula have been busy throughout the year hand-making wooden toys. On Saturday 9 December Woodworkers’ president John Bayliss supervised the handover of the toys to charities Food for All, Salvation Army and Western Port Christmas Giving Program, charities which will distribute them to families and children in need this Christmas. At the handover were Flinders MP Greg Hunt, Cr Antonella Celi, and Bendigo Bank’s Rosebud, Dromana and Rye manager Gary Sandford. Mr Sandford said the bank had supported the woodwork club for the past 10 years. He said he was continually being amazed…
A SCUBA diver was lucky not to be washed out through The Rip in strong currents last week. The 51-year-old, of Springvale, was diving alone north of Rye pier when he got into trouble, 3.20pm, Thursday 14 December. The alarm was raised by a friend on the beach. “The Police Air Wing soon found the dive boat with the diver flag still flying, but no sign of the diver,” Senior Constable Paul O’Reagan said. “We were able to contact Peninsula Aero Club and confirm fuel was available, and were able to extend the search until the diver was found. He…
A CAPEL Sound man has been charged with aggravated burglary after a raid on a Carrum Downs house, 9.20am, Friday 8 December. The offender is alleged to have smashed a side window at the Shearwater Drive house and opened the front door. He is alleged to have searched the premises stealing jewellery and other items. When the homeowner awoke and confronted him the man fled. The Carrum Down divisional van intercepted the man’s car in Lyrebird Drive and found the booty inside. A 40-year-old man was bailed to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court at a later date. First published in…
A GROUP of artists from the southern peninsula has made their colourful mark on the royal blue hoarding surrounding a development block at 2217-23 Point Nepean Rd, Rye. Their handiwork has come about after Jennifer Ellen, manager/owner of the neighbouring Flock of Seagulls indoor market and cafe became alarmed that graffitists would take to the “blank canvas” and make the wall an eyesore while the apartments were being built – and at a time when Rye is putting on its “best face” for summer visitors. The main theme of the work will be the artists’ interpretation of Rye as a…
A MAN will face Frankston Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (Wednesday) over an incident in which the Hastings police divisional van was “totalled” after allegedly being rammed by a tow truck at Bittern, 12.30am, Wednesday 13 December. The 31-year-old Frankston North man has been charged with reckless conduct endangering persons and theft of the tow truck. The van’s crew had chased the allegedly stolen Isuzu tray truck after an earlier incident in which a Crip Point resident, 46, was allegedly struck in the face with a torch after complaining about the noise being made by several vehicles parked outside his house. The…
MORNINGTON Yacht Club has published a book covering its first 70 years. The book of 300-odd pages by author Stuart Gooley covers sailing at Mornington from the first recorded regatta in 1858, two years after the first 30-metre section of the pier was built. The early regattas were held by the established clubs at the top of the bay, such as Royal Brighton, Royal Melbourne and Hobsons Bay. These clubs staged races to Mornington at various times during the season, particularly at Easter. The regattas drew crowds of locals to the pier and surrounding cliffs to watch the races, which…
THE Holiday Time road safety campaign is about to turn heads in high-pedestrian-activity areas. The program run by Mornington Peninsula Shire in conjunction with Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation and Victoria Police uses signs, education and publicity to improve road safety for children, pedestrians and cyclists. It featured in the Rosebud and Rye road safety campaigns last summer, with coloured banners and signs at key tourist spots and main roads appealing to drivers and pedestrians to monitor their behaviour. “Slow Down, Kids Around” and “Hold my Hand” signs along Point Nepean Rd, Dromana, Rosebud and Rye, will preach the road safety…
FORMER Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Andrew Dixon is recovering after being viciously attacked – twice – by two gangs of street thugs earlier this month. Mr Dixon, 30, who represented Briars Ward from 2012-16, was walking to his car after a night out in Flemington, 12.30am, Tuesday 5 December, when a gang of men described as being of African appearance came out of a housing commission block. One of the gang allegedly kicked Mr Dixon savagely to the body causing him to fall down and then punched and kicked him to the head. Two others joined in the attack until…
ROSA Mar Tato Ortega is setting up her studio at the historic Coolart homestead – her base for the next six months. As artist in residence at the property, it’s a return to a familiar location for Tato Ortega who spent her youth holidaying at Somers. During the six-month residency, sponsored by Parks Victoria, the artist hopes to produce site-related works which aim to explore and encapsulate the meaning and significance of Coolart, Somers and the local community. “Personal experience is at the centre of my sculpture practice,” Tato Ortega said. “My work unfolds through connections to community, site, and…
FIRE restrictions come into force on the Mornington Peninsula and in Frankston on Monday 18 December. This means fires cannot be lit in the open air without a written permit from the CFA or Mornington Peninsula Shire’s and Frankston’s municipal fire prevention officers. Lighting a fire in the open without a permit can bring a penalty of $22,000 and/or 12 months jail. Barbeques and fires for cooking and warmth do not need a permit, but must be lit in properly constructed fireplaces. I incinerators, chainsaw and lawn mowers, welding and grinding equipment and vehicles that come in contact with vegetation…
Compiled by Brodie Cowburn TO THE VICTORIAN MOTHERS OF SOLDIERS. You who have already done so much for Australia by giving your sons, brothers or husbands to fight for Liberty, have now a great opportunity to help those whose glorious valor has won for themselves, and for the Commonwealth, a name that will live for ever. Do you wish reinforcements to be sent to your dear ones at the front? They only need 7000 men from Australia every month, one man every working day of the week from each electorate in Victoria. At present they are only getting 1000 men…
A STRONG south-easterly wind was the last thing two Hobie cat sailors needed after losing their mast about two kilometres off Mornington last week. Their craft was rapidly heading out to sea when Volunteer Marine Rescue crews received an emergency call from the Water Police. They were quickly on the scene to help, 11.40am, Monday 4 December. VMR crewman Bob Chase: “We were alongside the stricken yacht within 30 minutes of the call. The two occupants in their mid-late 30s were glad to see us. They did all the right things. They were wearing lifejackets and had a mobile phone…
ANYONE travelling along Jetty Rd, Rosebud will be familiar with the Girl Guide hall opposite Rosebud Primary School. For the past 60 years this multi-functional community landmark has been used and appreciated by guides and other community groups. It has allowed girls aged five and up to be part of a world-wide movement aimed at building confident, self-respecting, responsible community members. The building came about after an enthusiastic group met on 1 December 1954 with a vision to respond to the post-war influx of residents onto the Mornington Peninsula. Riding a swell of community interest, they created a building fund…
BEACHGOERS are being urged to be “shark-smart” over summer. Victorian Fisheries Authority CEO Travis Dowling said sharks were a natural part of a healthy marine environment and, while the risk of an attack is low, there are ways to reduce the odds. “When swimming, surfing, diving or fishing, people are in the shark’s natural environment and so should be mindful and make good choices,” Mr Dowling said. He said people should not swim, dive or surf alone and be alert to the latest sightings at emergency.vic.gov.au Bathers should stay between the red and yellow flags on lifesaver-patrolled beaches and avoid…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire will collect household recycling bins weekly from Monday 18 December until Friday 2 February. The change from the usual fortnightly recycling service aims to help residents better dispose of their waste over summer. The 240-litre recycling bin with the blue lid will be collected weekly on the usual day. Recyclable items include aluminium and steel cans and foil, rigid and solid plastic items, such as toys, kitchen ware, cups and drink bottles, pots and pans, wrapping paper and envelopes, cardboard, newspapers and magazines, milk, juice and soft drink bottles, glass bottles and jars. Recycling tips: Don’t place…
“PEOPLE power” came to Rye beach Sunday 3 December on a weekend where heavy rain caused events to be cancelled and residents to stay indoors. But the unusual cold winds and driving rain couldn’t stop more than 50 people of all ages, backgrounds and political persuasions gathering to protest the proposed Adani coal mine in central Queensland. The protest was organised by the Southern Peninsula Friends of the Planet, formed when three Rye women talking over coffee decided to test local support for a national stop Adani campaign. The original protest of about 30 people (“Friends turning up heat on…
SCUBA divers have taken the plunge near Rye pier to set a record for the longest chain of divers in one session. Despite overcast conditions and a stiff southerly wind on Saturday 2 December, the 360 divers formed an underwater human chain for 15 minutes to win a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. They were also keen to promote scuba diving among marine life and wrecks at the southern end of Port Phillip. “It was a great day,” dive boat operator Luke English said. “We only had to be underwater for one minute, but we stayed down…