A FORMER bush walker turned bush poet will have her poetry preserved in print in a project that proves it is never too late to have written work published. Mary Lyons, 87, a former Mt Martha resident and keen walker in the Peninsula Bushwalking Club in the 1980s and 1990s is now mostly confined to a wheelchair at Somercare in Somerville but her love of life living amongst nature is vividly described in her poetry. She worked as a tobacco picker, hop picker and dairy hand. Husband Norm passed on after 54 years of marriage. Family friend Kev Cooper, whose…
Author: MP News Group
A TOW TRUCK driver winching aboard a broken down car on Peninsula Link had his arm ripped off when his rig was struck by a speeding motorist, 3.30pm, Tuesday 14 November. The 30-year-old Hampton Park man’s arm was found 70 metres away after the crash. The southbound lanes of Peninsula Link between Eastlink and Frankston-Dandenong Rd were closed for the evening peak after an earlier major collision. Police said the Nationwide tow truck driver was assisting a four-wheel-drive with motorbike trailer attached when a wayward Holden Commodore drove into the emergency lane at speed and struck the rear of the…
POLICE are appealing for witnesses and dash-cam footage of a pursuit involving a stolen Nissan Navara which ended in drama at Benton Square shopping centre, Monday 13 November. The police Air Wing helped track the 36-year-old driver, of Cranbourne, to the shopping centre in Dunns Rd where he allegedly ran through the car park and attempted to hide behind a liquor store until cornered by a police dog which bit him on the upper arm, 1.30pm. The man was taken to Frankston Hospital where police expected to interview him on Thursday in regard to multiple offences, including aggravated burglaries, theft…
“TREASURE” valued at more than $2600 was found buried in a Mt Eliza backyard last week. Two young boys and their uncle came across the booty as they dug a hole for a tree to fill a gap in the hedge. Their spades kept bouncing off something buried deep in the soil – until they managed to dig up a box weighing 22kg. William, nine, and Thomas Gielen, seven, and their uncle David Dicker, discovered the box was full of coins and a tattered and stained note written by a Captain Snodgrass in 1976. The captain advised that he was…
THE police air wing, water police and emergency services crews were late last week continuing to search for a missing kayaker off Mt Eliza. Kylie Phillips, 44, of Mt Eliza, was last seen at the Canadian Bay Yacht Club, Wednesday 15 November. The alarm was raised when she did not return from paddling her green kayak. Her car was found in the club’s car park. Mornington police Acting Senior Sergeant Russell Sephton said SES ground searches overnight had scaled down but the bay search would continue. It is believed Ms Phillips has a medical condition. She is described as being…
EXAMS are over and six years of secondary college are completed, so now it’s time to unwind. Mornington Peninsula Shire is preparing to welcome scores of young people during Schoolies Week when they will relax on the beach, take in the sights and spend time with friends before moving on to the next chapter in their lives. To assist, the state-wide response Good Times, Great Breaks (GTGB) aims to ensure the young people celebrate respectfully and safely with minimal impact on the community. It will operate in the coastal shires of Mornington Peninsula, Surf Coast and Bass Coast and has…
By Hugh Fraser* WASTE was offensive and stuck in the ground to be forgotten until typhoid and cholera reared their ugly heads. It still is. In medieval times it dropped down from a hole in a plank in a room in the castle walls into another hole in the ground or at the bottom of the domestic garden. Fast forward 800 years to the 21st century – we still do so – into the septic euphemistically called “settling tank” to contaminate the ground water we love to pump up and use on our golf courses and gardens. As to household…
RETIRING mayor Cr Bev Colomb, above, said at the Tuesday 14 November special meeting that it had been “an honour to guide the council and to serve the peninsula as mayor”. Cr Colomb – who received the Mayor Emeritus award for serving three terms – thanked the shire’s CEO Carl Cowie as well as volunteers, local government ministers and the community “for their support”. (Mr Cowie was not present as he is overseas on a $30,000 study tour.) “There have been many highlights throughout the year,” Cr Colomb said, citing the transition to LED street lighting, continuing work on Destination…
SOUTHERN Peninsula Food For All president Ken Northwood said a large donation from the Southern Peninsula Community Fund had boosted its total to $26,090. “This donation will be a great help to us in providing more than 500 hampers to our community this Christmas,” he said. The Southern Peninsula Community Fund – an all-volunteer association – has supported the Southern Peninsula Food For All Christmas Appeal for many years. “[The fund] is approaching 60 years of service to our local community,” Mr Northwood said. “And, after opening its doors in 1975, the fund’s Rye Op Shop at 2141 Pt Nepean…
Somerville Highway Patrol are appealing for witnesses after a car collided into a tow truck on Peninsula Link on Monday. Officers have been told that a Holden Commodore sedan was travelling southbound along Peninsula Link between Eastlink and Frankston-Dandenong Road when the driver allegedly swerved in to the emergency lane and collided into the tow truck driver about 3.25pm. The 30-year old tow truck driver was conveyed to hospital with serious injuries. The 38-year old driver of the Commodore is assisting police with their enquiries. Investigators are keen to speak with anyone that may have been in the area at…
PENINSULA Aero Club members brought smiles to some small faces at the annual Australia-wide FunFlight charity event at Tyabb Airport on the weekend. The volunteer-run program was established to provide children touched by adversity with joy and inspiration through the exhilaration of flight. By the end of this year, the charity expects to have carried more than 10,000 children into the skies. Last Sunday about 70 children enjoyed a free light-aircraft flight as well as receiving a photo memento of the occasion from Harvey Norman, Mornington. They enjoyed a lunch provided by volunteers from Peninsula Aero Club and received a…
THE Atticus Health Medical Clinic in Carrum has received a welcome shot in the arm as the winners of the 2017 award for Best General Practice in Australia by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Owner Dr Floyd Gomes started the clinic four and a half years ago and is proud of what his practice has achieved in that time. “It’s a big deal — I think it validates our willingness to be a bit different and try to extend beyond the clinic, and that takes a lot of effort from a lot of people along the way, including…
A BRAND new vessel, purpose built to operate the French Island Ferry service, has arrived in Westernport Bay this week and has begun daily operation. The new MV Naturaliste is an impressive 95 passenger vessel that will deliver a new level of comfort for guests. It is fully airconditioned and complete with large viewing windows and outside deck seating on the lower and upper levels. Named ‘MV Naturaliste’ after the ship captained by Jacque Hamelin who named French Island in 1802, the fast catamaran vessel is 18 meters in length with a total capacity of 95 passengers. Western Port Ferries…
REMEMBRANCE Day came into its own this year when 200 St Joseph’s Primary School children and their parents laid a wreath at the Crib Point cenotaph. Crib Point RSL president John Ord welcomed them, saying Anzac Day had always been popular with the children, while attendances on Remembrance Day were usually small. Attendances are now better balanced. “This year St Joseph’s decided to move their service to the cenotaph to commemorate the achievements of Defence personnel in conflicts around the world to protect our freedom as we know it today,” Mr Ord said. “Wreaths were also laid by the RSL…
THE ability to provide a quick refuelling stop to police search-and-rescue helicopters proved the worth of the new heliport at Tyabb Airport last week. The chopper had been tracking a driver over the Mornington Peninsula whose erratic behaviour had caused motorists to alert police when crews received the search-and-rescue call. Instead of having to return to its base and lose precious time refuelling, the chopper dropped in to Tyabb for a top-up, saving it 60 minutes. The length of the mission to Gippsland required maximum endurance – meaning one officer had to be dropped at Tyabb so more fuel could…
Enter your short film in the Cobs Peninsula Film Festival and you could win a share in up to $30K of cash and prizes and have your work seen by Industry heavyweights! 20 short listed films will be judged live on Saturday February 10, 2018 by top industry professionals with the winner taking out $5K in cash, second place $2.5K cash and third place scoring $1250 cash. Organisers are encouraging budding filmmakers to enter the Woodleigh School Emerging Filmmaker Award (open to any Australian student under 18 years of age) to be in the running for $500 cash as well…
Sea N Sound Festival will be making its way to Frankston on Saturday 18 November, aiming to create a boutique blend of coastal lifestyle and culture with great focus on the best live music, local food and Australian craft beer. Held at Frankston Park; overlooking the magnificent vista of Port Phillip Bay, Sea n Sound Festival is shaping up to be the biggest contemporary event to hit Frankston, with a line up that will bring the sound of nostalgia to anyone’s ear. Aussie favourites Jebediah headline the inaugural Sea N Sound Frankston, joined by New Zealand grunge rock legends SHIHAD,…
Compiled by Brodie Cowburn THE State Elections were held on Thursday and resulted in the defeat of the Ministrial Party. A feature of the results is the success achieved by candidates standing in the interests of the Farmers’ Union. There was very little excitement in the Mornington electorate. Mr Downward (the old member) was opposed by Mr R. M. Anderson. *** GNR. H. M. Goodwin, second son of M. M. E. Goodwin, Cranbourne Rd Frankston, has been officially reported wounded. At present the nature of the wound is not known. Two of his brothers are also at the front, one…
“The Voice of the Peninsula”, community radio station RPP FM, has opened its first pop-up studio, away from its Mornington base, at Frankston’s Bayside Shopping Centre. RPP FM’s new studio shop front at Balmoral Walk hit the airwaves for the first time last Friday (10 November). “Local radio depends on local people. RPP FM encourages people to get involved and for local businesses to utilise the station’s broadcast and production facilities when it comes to promoting their services,” RPP FM station manager Brendon Telfer said. “The reach of the station encapsulates the entire Mornington Peninsula and is also heard across…
THE Mornington Peninsula Regional Group of the Order of Australia Association held its 2017 Annual Schools Award ceremony at Beleura House and Garden, Mornington, on Friday the 10th of November. The afternoon was jointly hosted by Mr. Brian Stahl OAM JP, Chairman of the Regional Group, and Mr. Anthony Knight OAM, Director of Beleura House and Garden, and attended by some 50 members and guests. Following a viewing of the Dame Nellie Melba rose in bloom, members and guests were escorted through the extensive gardens before entering the auditorium for the prize presentation and piano recital. The Schools Award is…
AN electrical fire which started in power lines caused $30,000 damage to an elevated holiday house at Rye, 8pm, Monday 6 November. A neighbour said she smelled smoke in Michael St and saw sparks coming from wires leading to the house. It spread to the eaves and inside the roof cavity. Rye CFA Lieutenant Eddie Matt said crews from Rye, Sorrento and Rosebud had the blaze under control in 15 minutes. “The ceiling was dropping and the couch was set alight and we did well to pull the fire up,” he said. First published in the Southern Peninsula News -…
POLICE breath-tested about 14,000 drivers in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Shire council areas over the Melbourne Cup long weekend with 28 being found to be either drink-or-drug driving. Another 315 traffic offences were detected, but only two serious injury collisions were recorded, which police said was pleasing “considering the amount of traffic that flowed through the area”. A 46-year-old Mt Eliza woman was allegedly driving at 107 kph in a 80kph zone when Somerville Highway Patrol intercepted her on Nepean Highway, Mornington, 2am, Wednesday 8 November. She blew 0.117 per cent and lost her licence on-the-spot for 11 months…
TWO open studio weekends will be held on the Peninsula Studio Trail where visitors can meet the artists, find out what inspires them and learn about the creative process. Opening times are 10am-5pm, 18-19 and 25-26 November. Peninsula Studio Trail comprises a diverse group of artists specialising in a range of mediums, including ceramics, painting, drawing, sculpture, jewellery, mixed media, textiles and printmaking. They are happy to discuss their techniques and inspiration with visitors. Organisers say the visits are a great opportunity to buy works directly from the artists in time for Christmas. Details: Visit peninsulastudiotrail.org or contact Bryan Baldwin…
JEWELLERY artist Katrina Newman, of McCrae, has returned from a Canadian Wilderness Artists Residency saying it was “an experience like no other”. “I was surrounded by creative people and the voyage on the Yukon River was inspiring,” she said. “I felt I had found my place and came to feel at home among 11 Canadian artists as we explored the Yukon Territory in a canoe.” Arriving at Whitehorse, capital of the northwest Yukon territory, Newman met up with her trip coordinator, guides, and other artists in the group of two men and 10 women. They spent a week preparing for…
MORNINGTON Peninsula residents are being offered access to new, free, mental health support services as part of a federal government $11 million funding package across south-east Melbourne. The services cover accessible psychological interventions (APIs) to support those with mild/moderate mental health conditions, and Mental Health Integrated Complex Care (MHICC) services to support those with severe/complex mental illness. The API services include counselling which can be delivered in individual, family or group settings, and the MHICC services include clinical nursing services, family support and liaison, care co-ordination and improving access to psychiatrist and psychological care. The services, starting on 1 December,…
THREE phone towers will be built at Tuerong, Tuerong West and Main Ridge West. They will offer “consistent mobile coverage to more than 200 premises that previously had poor or no mobile services”, according to innovation and digital economy minister Philip Dalidakis. The towers are among 25 to be built throughout regional Victoria providing 5000 households and businesses with new or improved mobile coverage in a partnership between Optus and the state government. “Telecommunications infrastructure is crucial for the growth, liveability and safety of regional Victorian households and businesses, and more will be connected than ever before,” Mr Dalidakis said.…
THERE’S been lots of excitement on the Hastings foreshore these past few Sunday mornings … It’s being caused by participants in the yacht club’s sailing program for participants aged 8-14 years. This season, 14 young enthusiasts are learning the ropes in the club’s six Sparrow dinghies. The sailing school, now in its fourth season, runs over six weekends. It teaches sailors everything they need to compete: from what various parts of the boat are called, tacking and gybing, knot tying, weather and tides, navigational marks and everyone’s favourite – capsizing. Afterwards the participants enjoy something to eat and a debrief…
Compiled by Brodie Cowburn THE following cases were disposed of at the Frankston Court of Petty Sessions on Monday last, before Mr Cohen, P.M, and Messrs Williams, Oates, Grant and Mc Lean. McGrath was charged with having neglected to send his child to school the required number of days and was fined 2s. M. Parker for a similar offence was fined 5s. A. E. Ryan was fined 4s in each case for non-vaccination of two children. John Knight was charged by John. E. Jones (shire secretary) with carting pine logs over roads in the centre Riding on dates within…
ENVIRONMENTAL group BERG Mt Martha is celebrating what it regards as a “vital step”, in conjunction with Mornington Peninsula Shire, in preserving the Balcombe Estuary reserve. The group has drawn up a case for an environmental significance overlay (ESO) which it says will give greater protection to the 76 hectares. Over the past 18 months the group has been preparing documents and meeting with shire officers to outline the need for the overlay. The shire’s backing was announced at the group’s recent annual meeting, but members were told there was “still a long way to go before the state government…
DRONES will be the focus of a state government push to protect marine life in Port Phillip Bay. This comes as Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning officers begin marine mammal patrols to make sure members of the public keep their distance – especially those flying drones. “We’re increasingly noticing more drones appearing on populated beaches,” DELWP wildlife officer Suriya Vij said. “While drones don’t have large motors, many marine mammals are sensitive to noise, and buzzing from their motors can distress them. “There’s also the potential for amateur operators to unintentionally strike the animals. “Though it may be…