TRIPLETS born in England 80 years ago reunited last week for a special occasion in Mt Eliza. The Aburrows, two boys and a girl born at Kingston-Upon-Thames in May 1936, celebrated their birthday at the home of younger brother Barry, in Nepean Highway. The eldest, now Joyce Carlin, was followed hours later by Peter and then Barry, and the rarity of a set of healthy triplets in England as war approached was “a fair sensation”, Mr Aburrow said. “There was a little story in the local paper at the time, and a cute picture of the three of us as…
Author: Stephen Taylor
A CRIB Point junior footballer was airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital on Sunday afternoon after being knocked unconscious in a game against Pearcedale. Xavier Wilson, 12, had his head over the ball when an opponent rushed in and their heads clashed in an MPJFL game. Another player bumped the pair with his hip. Xavier blacked out and fell to the ground. Trainers from both sides were quickly on the scene. Club president Mark Wilson, Xavier’s father, was coaching an under-15s side at BlueScope when he learned of the incident. “I rushed over and the ambulance was already there. Xavier…
MORNINGTON Yacht Club has signed a new 21-year head lease with the shire. It has been a tough time, with commodore Graeme Alexander saying that since the Safe Harbour “debacle” of 2010-12 the committee had been struggling “to get the club back on track”. At that time, a planning scheme amendment was needed for Mornington Yacht Club and its associated company, Mornington Boat Haven, to build a $18 million 170-berth floating marina, but this was knocked back by the shire. It is believed the club spent about $500,000 on the ill-fated proposal, as part of $1 million spent by Parks…
THE public “turned out in droves” for open tastings at last week’s 16th International Cool Climate Wine Show at Mornington Racecourse. More than 400 wines over many classes – with 20 per cent coming from the Mornington Peninsula – had earlier been appraised by a team of judges. Cool climate wines are produced on the peninsula by 170 wineries and sold through 50 cellar doors. Wine lovers at the show had the chance to compare and contrast these varieties with cool climate wines from around the world. The public tasting added a touch of mystery, with wine lovers bravely wending…
A MEMBER of the Southern Peninsula Victorian Masters Athletic Club has been told by a senior shire officer he will have to apply through freedom-of-information for information about contentious upgrades at the Trueman’s Rd track. Bryan Baldwin, of Fingal, said the Mornington Peninsula shire had spent $37,000 on “improvement” works at the Trueman’s Rd Recreation Reserve but, considering the “current state” of the surface, doubts the was money well spent. He wants to know where the money went and who authorised its expenditure. He says the track is now “unusable”. Trueman’s Rd Recreation Reserve is home to the Southern Peninsula…
SAFETY Beach residents are angry about loud traffic noise on the busy Mornington Peninsula freeway. One resident, Wayne Ashley, has set about galvanising public opinion to force the state government, or VicRoads, to introduce noise reduction measures. He is confident he can get up to 60 nearby residents to a public meeting at Safety Beach Country Club, Thursday 16 June, to mount an anti-noise campaign. Mr Ashley said the Mornington Peninsula Freeway, which was linked to Peninsula Link in 2011, was not designed to carry “the massive amount of traffic” it does now. “With the joining of Peninsula Link with…
SENIOR planning staff at Mornington Peninsula Shire may have been shown the door, with redundancies offered to long-standing team leaders and managers in the strategic projects and statutory planning departments. One senior manager has been offered a lesser role to stay with the organisation, which in its most recent round of staff cuts shed staff or downgraded positions at Hastings, Mornington, and Rosebud libraries. Mornington Peninsula Shire chief operating officer Alison Leighton would not be drawn on the extent of the redundancies last week. “The shire has been looking at ways to further improve the delivery of customer service by…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Chorale members will hit the high notes in New York next year. They have been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in January with composer Sir Karl Jenkins. It is the trip of a lifetime for the choristers now need to raise the money for their travels. They will join other choristers from around the world to form the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, with Sir Karl composer-in-residence, and artistic director Jonathan Griffith as conductor of the performance. The venue will be the Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall. “We are seeking funding from all government levels, and exploring all…
A WESTERN Port kayaker was being blown out to sea towards the Nobbies when rescued by Volunteer Marine Rescue, Sunday afternoon, 22 May. The man’s worried wife, watching from The Pines beach, Shoreham, alerted emergency services that he was in trouble in the strong northerly winds. The 49-year-old, of Balnarring, was picked up by the rescue crews in what they described as “atrocious” conditions and taken back to Flinders pier for an emotional reunion. The rescue service’s Graeme McGillivray said the kayaker had left Balnarring beach and paddled to meet his wife and child at Shoreham. He started paddling back…
IT is still too early to determine when the razed Somerville Community and Recreation Centre will be re-opened, but rebuilding works are a hot topic in the town. “We are working hard with the insurers and builders to determine options and timeframes for the reopening of the centre, and will work closely with key user groups throughout this process,” Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Graham Pittock said Friday. Cr Pittock, who has taken over the “representative” duties for Watson ward following the sudden resignation of Lynn Bowden earlier this month, said community, user groups and local residents were waiting patiently while…
AN impressive donation of knitted goods from Knit One Give One has thrilled members of Southern Peninsula Community Support and Information Centre. The assorted knitted goods for adults, children and babies includes beanies, scarves, blankets, toys, and even socks. The centre gives the items to those attending programs who are in need of some winter woollies. “The quality of these knitted items is amazing,” program coordinator Robyn Coughlin said. “The skill required to make them is remarkable, and people receiving them feel very cared for.” A group of local knitters – the Dromana Knitting Angels – help out, too. “The…
A COMMEMORATIVE flypast of Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance next month will honour 10,000 Australians who served with RAF Bomber Command in World War II. The ceremony will bring back special memories for McCrae resident Jean Smith, who served with the Women’s Airforce and Bomber Command in England during those dark days. She will watch on as two formations of light aircraft make the pass, Sunday 5 June, including trainers from the Royal Australian Air Force Museum, Point Cook, and Royal Victorian Aero Club planes flying from Moorabbin. So keen is the 94-year-old to attend that she will splurge on a…
BUSINESSES in Red Hill are reeling after having been raided by possibly the same thief twice in the past month. The man, described as wearing dark clothing, balaclava and gloves, and driving a stolen dark coloured Toyota and a stolen Ford Festiva, has hit at least eight businesses, stealing mainly cash, since the early hours of Monday 2 May. The cars have since been found burnt-out in Teurong and Tyabb. In the latest raids early Monday morning last week, the service station in Arthur’s Seat Rd was ram-raided and the safe containing $5000 stolen, with other raids at a pharmacy,…
MORNINGTON Little Athletics Centre is “potentially homeless” next season unless a new base can be found soon. “We and the Mornington Peninsula Athletics Club are currently actively lobbying the Mornington Peninsula Shire for the athletics track they have been saying they will build since 1999,” little athletics secretary Lisa Henry said last week. “It’s now 16 years later, and the track has still not eventuated. “They have earmarked $50,000 in the next budget for planning the track – possibly at the Civic Reserve, Dunns Rd – but given us no time frame as to when this will occur.” The 44-year-old…
PLANS for proposed path improvements on the section of Port Phillip Bay Trail dubbed the “missing link” – at Anthony’s Nose, Dromana – will be discussed on Saturday (28 May). External funding is required to complete the works. The shire says it will continue to advocate for government funding to complete what it says is an important regional asset. Officers say they are pressing ahead with community consultation, design concepts and necessary coastal approvals to bring the project to a “shovel-ready state to make the proposal more attractive for external funding support”. A community drop-in session will be held 10am-noon,…
A RESPECTFUL send-off is fundamental to our society, yet, for many who die alone – far from the solace of family or friends – the final journey begins and ends with minimal fanfare. Hundreds of people with no known relatives die each day and are buried in what were previously known as paupers’ graves. But, thanks to caring individuals at Crib Point Cemetery, the new Essential Services burials share much in common with more emotionally charged and expensive funerals. A funeral director for 20 years, Brian McMannis, of Mannings Funerals, Cranbourne, handles about 30 services annually at the “more economical…
A HASTINGS father says his son and his girlfriend are lucky to be alive after their Ford panel van hit two cows on the Frankston-Flinders Rd, Hastings, early Monday 9 May. The couple was driving home, 12.20am, between Western Port Highway and Graydens Rd, when their car hit the black cows, which they said were standing side on and virtually invisible in the dark. “Ben, 21, and his girlfriend, Courtenay, were doing 85 kilometres an hour and just didn’t see the cows and I don’t know how they survived,” Glenn Jansz said. “The weather was bad with low visibility and…
A BITTERN woman who spends her spare time raising community awareness of women’s cancers, the plight of deaf dogs, and singing in her primary school’s choir, has won the E R Noble award for Deaf Victorian of the Year. Teacher Joanne Heyman became involved in the Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2012 and has helped her team raise $42,000 through the 200km event. She has helped raise a further $22,000 through the Peter Mac 60km Walk to End Women’s Cancers over the past three years. She will also participate in a 30km walk in October. Ms Heyman has also raised…
ROADWORKS are set to begin near the Ingham’s Enterprises factory, Somerville. Treasurer Tim Pallas visited the large-scale chicken meat producer in Grants Rd last week to discuss the economic benefits of improving nearby Golf Links Rd. The works would better cater for heavy vehicles and clear the way for a major Ingham’s expansion, resulting in significant economic benefits for the Frankston area and the Mornington Peninsula as a whole, the treasurer said. He said this year’s budget included a $10 million package to develop business cases for upgrades to key outer suburban arterial roads around Melbourne, including Golf Links Rd.…
A SKIMMING device in an ATM outside a Blairgowrie newsagent may have helped defraud dozens of Bendigo Bank customers last week. Major Fraud Squad police are investigating claims up to 54 customers lost thousands of dollars before the device was discovered in the keypad, Monday 2 May. It is believed the ATM was compromised in the last week in April and the fraudulent transactions discovered later. Detective Senior Constable Peter Jessup said the scam had taken place but would not elaborate on the scammers’ techniques or the number of customers affected. However, it seems things have moved on from the…
MT ELIZA’S Bel Canto Choir conducted by Margaret Brown will present the world premiere of Maiden Voyage, an Australian song cycle by award-winning Australian composer Lorraine Milne. It will be held 2.30pm, Sunday 15 May at the Mary Herring Hall, Toorak College, Mt Eliza. The work is a homage to Australia’s women pioneers: from winemaker Mary Penfold of Grange fame to simple immigrant grape pickers to activist Louisa Lawson (mother of a certain Henry!). Lorraine Milne will compere the show. She has a long history of composing for theatre and the ABC and got her inspiration forMaiden Voyage from a…
IN a first for Hastings – indeed the whole of Australia – a local boy has nabbed the Holy Grail of sports by becoming the first punter to be drafted by a top American NFL team. Lachlan Edwards, of Hastings, went to Balnarring Primary School and Mornington Secondary College. He played junior footy for Red Hill and Crib Point, notched a premiership with Somerville under-18s, played under-16s and seniors with the Dandenong Stingrays, had a stint at Frankston Dolphins and then played in the seconds for North Ballarat Roosters while at university. That background – with forays into rugby, cricket…
THE Setter family, of Red Hill, has had a long and fulfilling association with the local fire brigade. “Dad was one of the founding volunteers, and is still in the brigade and it seemed to follow on. It’s just something we do as a family, and now my son’s in it, and his son’s in it and most of our wives as well,” Darrel Setter said. “The brigade organised a unit citation for our family four years ago. It was just our normal annual dinner, and – being the captain – I had no idea about it. The night was…
RISING motocross star Ty Sharp is leading the charge in the 65cc C grade class in Victoria’s premier motocross competition for juniors – the M2R Helmets Victorian Junior Motocross Championships. The third round was held at Ararat over the weekend. The nine-year-old, of Red Hill South, has won all his races – against 39 other riders. The season started in March at Outtrim. He also loved the track at Warrnambool during round 2 in April. “I really liked the jumps and the corners at Warrnambool. I got stuck in the starting gate in race one so was a fair way…
THE manager of the Ace-Hi horse ranch in Boneo has denied allegations that horses at the property are mistreated. This follows an RSPCA inspection of the Boneo Rd property on Wednesday to investigate claims by a former manager of under-feeding and overworking of horses. Kellie Puddy, who says she resigned in distress in March last year, said she “couldn’t believe” the poor standard of care and the malnourished state of the horses ridden during the week by schoolchildren and at weekends by adults. “The RSPCA has a file on Ace-Hi but they need hard evidence to prosecute,” she said. “It’s…
WESTERN Port Basketball Association players are still coming to terms with the tragic loss of their stadium at Somerville after it was destroyed by fire, Sunday morning last week. Operations manager Tyler Molloy said the “devastating impact on our basketball family and greater community is enormous as we continue to face the fact that it is now reality”. Teenagers lit a small fire underneath the grandstand to keep warm but it spread quickly and took hold before they could put it out. The building was “fully involved” when CFA crews arrived at 7.30am. A 14-year-old Somerville girl was charged the…
THE timing of Cr Lynn Bowden’s resignation – Monday 2 May – means there is “no need” for a by-election for her Watson ward seat. The mayor Cr Graham Pittock says he will represent her constituents until a new Watson Ward councillor is elected in October. “There is no need for a by-election given the time frame,” communications manager Mark Kestigian said. Under the Local Government Act no by-election is required if a councillor resigns within less than six months of the next scheduled municipal elections. Cr Bowden’s resignation came less than two week’s inside the limit. “It would cost…
STAFF at Mornington, Rosebud, Hastings, Somerville and mobile libraries are shocked by a restructure which will see many lose their jobs. In the firing line are four children and youth services librarians, one full-time and one part-time mobile library position and six full-time and one part-time collections management positions. All of the shire’s 20 library officers, who are mostly employed part-time, are believed to be going, but exact numbers are yet to be announced. Two staff on leave overseas were said to be unaware their jobs have gone. Australian Services Union organiser Prescilla Schwalger said seven librarians on Band 5…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Councillor Lynn Bowden has resigned as Watson Ward councillor. She cited ongoing health issues as the reason for her decision. “We are all very saddened by Cr Bowden’s decision as she has been a strong supporter and advocate for so many across the peninsula in her time as councillor,” the mayor Cr Graham Pittock said. “We will miss her keen intellect, passion and willingness to get behind so many vital projects that have taken shape as a result of Lynn’s involvement.” Council advised Cr Pittock will take over her ward in the lead up to the next…
MORNINGTON Peninsula police last week paid tribute to fallen comrade Senior Constable Kevin Laube with a memorial service at the Somerville police complex. The former motorcycle policeman died when his bike collided with a car on Coolart Rd, Somerville, in 1976 – just a stone’s throw from the site of his memorial stone. The award has been a long time coming, but reflects the force’s ethos of looking after its own, however long it takes. Peninsula branch president of the Blue Ribbon Foundation Darryl Nation said it was fitting present-day police could see the memorial stone daily and reflect on…