RESIDENTS at a Mt Martha nursing home slept on as their lodgings were raided by thieves last weekend. Mornington’s Detective Senior Sergeant Nick Vallas said thieves entered 20 separate units at the Osborne Dve premises and pilfered small items, such as iPads and mobiles, cash and jewellery, from eight of the units. None of the elderly residents was disturbed in the overnight raids. “There were no confrontations,” Detective Vallas said. “Nothing of great value was stolen.” But the sense of violation felt by the residents can cut deep. “They feel threatened and violated in these circumstances,” he said. “It’s especially annoying when…
Author: Stephen Taylor
THE $1 million being spent on roundabouts on Wooralla Drive at the St Kilda and Brighton streets intersections, Mt Eliza, is a waste of money, a resident claims. “It seems like there’s no shortage of cash floating around if the shire is planning to build two unnecessary additional roundabouts,” Greg Dixon, of Tower Rd, said. “This mad obsession with destroying roads in the name of some imaginary Black Spot program will increase the danger of this particular section of a key arterial connecting road – particularly as the visibility in both directions is already hampered by an unkempt verge. “It…
GANGS of youths drinking and carousing on Mt Martha beach broke into and damaged 33 bathing boxes overnight, 21 September. Planks and panels from the boxes were stripped off to fuel bonfires and beach chairs and furniture was stolen and later burnt or smashed. Police said three separate gangs – from Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula – caused thousands of dollars damage in the night-long spree. They said many box owners would be unaware of the damage until they visited or heard from neighbours. “It coincided with the school holidays,” Detective Senior Sergeant Nick Vallas said. “We know that lots…
WATSON Creek Catchment Group has almost completed a restoration project in the upper area of the creek, along one of its tributaries. And they are happy to have had some much-needed help from volunteer groups along the way, including Somerville Secondary College and the Peninsula North Men’s Shed. The VCAL students and teachers Catherine Arnold and Josh Blanchard, along with other volunteers, helped plant about 4000 native trees, shrubs and grasses along the creek bank. They also got rid of blackberries, pampas grass and other weeds which had been taking over. Volunteers from the Peninsula North Men’s Shed, Baxter, made…
A CORONER’S inquest into the death of Tyabb boy Luke Batty – and the circumstances leading up to the tragedy – has found that it could not have been predicted. Judge Ian Gray said in a 111-page finding released on Monday that the 11-year-old’s death “was not reasonably foreseeable by anyone – including his mother, Rosie Batty”. But Mr Gray noted that circumstances leading up to the event were exacerbated by “a failure to engage [his father Greg] Anderson in the family violence system and make him accountable for his actions”. He also stated: “Luke’s death, from the practicable point…
A MAN’S cry for help broke the early morning stillness of a fishing trip on Western Port Bay early Sunday morning. Standing at the back of his boat, Cranbourne man Howard Fisher strained to pin-point the muffled sound in the dark, every nerve on edge. “I had been asleep in my boat but I woke up and went out and I thought I heard a voice in the water,” he said Monday. “I yelled out: ‘Is someone there?’ and the voice came back again. “Suddenly I could see a couple of men in the water as they drifted down past…
THE laying of floral tributes and a public vigil united Carrum Downs residents on Sunday evening to bid a sad farewell to mother-of-two Andrea Lehane. The 34-year-old was tragically killed when run down by one of a group of “monkey-bike” riders as she walked over a pedestrian crossing to the shopping centre at about 5pm last Wednesday (23 September). A Frankston North man, 18-year-old Caleb Jakobsson, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court over her death on Saturday. He faces eight charges, including culpable driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death, failing to stop after an accident, failing to render assistance after…
THE “thrill of the performance” drives Mt Martha actor and director Callum Needham, who has written, produced, directed and acted in his own short film, Fatum, being shown at the Astor Theatre, East St Kilda, in November. Named after the Latin word for destiny or fate, Fatum has a strong anti-bullying theme and also offers a positive message for young teens not to bow to peer or parental pressure but to follow their dreams. Needham, who attended Mt Martha Primary School and Mt Eliza Secondary College, began his acting career in Grade 6 in primary school productions and continued right…
A HUMAN rights organisation based in Mornington helps girls in rural Cambodia get an education and this, in turn, makes them less vulnerable to people traffickers and the ubiquitous sex trade. Mornington resident Nicky Mih established Free To Shine in 2010 to “make a difference” to the thousands of southeast Asian girls who find themselves exploited through poverty, lack of education, and ignorance. “The organisation began with a simple idea: ‘It starts with you’,” she said. “I kept reading these harrowing stories about girls in the sex trade and it got to the point that I had to act, I…
FOUR teenagers with diabetes received some welcome inspiration from former AFL player Jack Fitzpatrick in Mt Eliza last week. Ben McVea, 15, of Langwarrin, Imogen Price, 12, of Somerville, Caleb Govan, 12, of Pearcedale and Billie Angelone, 14, of Parkdale, were participants in a four-day Diabetes Victoria senior camp at Camp Manyung, Mt Eliza. They are learning how to live well with type 1 diabetes in a fun, safe and supportive environment, and shared a culture of independence through adventure. Billie Angelone was diagnosed in July 2005 when she was four. She used to cry every time she had to…
THE $16.3 million police station about to be opened at Somerville is a debacle, according to a former detective. Former CIB chief David Killin was speaking at a Saturday morning public meeting at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Somerville, along with Police Association officers and local MPs. “To move all the detectives and the traffic police to Somerville and lock the station to the public, purely so the station has people in it and gives the appearance of being used, is a debacle,” Mr Killin said. “It is like something out of Yes Minister. A very brave decision, as Sir Humphrey…
THIEVES have stolen an estimated $20,000 worth of donated goods from the Southern Peninsula Community Fund Op Shop. At least three vehicles have been photographed making regular raids on goods left outside the shop overnight. The thefts over the past 12 months has short-changed the long-serving Rye charity of money needed for worthy projects and denied needy families and customers of affordable clothing and bric-a-brac. The shop’s management has put up posters showing registration numbers and photographs of three vehicles regularly seen pillaging stock. One couple have been stealing the lot and then returning the following night to bring back…
THE man hired to shoot kangaroos at the RACV’s Cape Schanck golf club early last Thursday morning says he had a valid government permit. Leigh Swan of Rosebud, a professional shooter for 30 years, was the centre of controversy on Friday when news of the cull hit the airwaves. He is angry his actions drew so much negative publicity – especially on talk-back radio. Mr Swan said he had a big male kangaroo in his sights and was considering his options when his day was abruptly brought to a premature end. “I want to get the story correct: I’ve had…
A DISGRUNTLED French Islander who allegedly threatened to “blow up” the Stony Point to Tankerton ferry, Thursday 3 September, has been arrested and charged with making threats to kill. Police have also raided the man’s home and seized several firearms. Two uniformed police travelled on the ferry that afternoon to protect passengers from any possible threat. The man, 60, who is alleged to have made the threats, has been bailed to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court in January and banned from using the ferry. It is understood the man is a pensioner and has written to Hastings MP Neale Burgess…
THE leader of a mosque at Langwarrin believes a vendetta is being waged against his congregation. Imam Syed Wadood Janud said three men were attacked at the mosque by intruders at about 9pm on Friday 4 September, leaving one victim with a broken nose and the others with facial injuries. The Bait-ul-Salam Mosque in Leisureland Drive is the Victorian headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, an Islamic movement whose members are persecuted by Muslims in some other countries, particularly Pakistan. Members of the community were said to be in shock at the cowardly attack and security at the mosque is…
LONG-TIME Peninsula Aero Club member Jim Wickham is “a little bit upset” about the dramatic finish to his return flight from a central NSW flying event on Sunday morning. Half way along the Tyabb airfield runway a wheel of his replica Russian Yakovlev Yak 9 slipped into soft turf at the side of the bitumen causing it to veer off course. Both wheels then dug into the grass and the plane slowly rose up and gradually flipped over onto its back. It was left with damage to its wheel, wing, propeller and rudder. Mr Wickham, of Moorooduc, was unhurt but…
REMEMBER the glory days of World Championship Wrestling at Festival Hall? Sunday afternoons in the 60s and 70s would come alive with mad-cap bouts – mainly between US showmen wrestlers and the locals – over 16 years. Was it rigged? Was it all a sham? No one really cared as we cheered the “good” guys – the Golden Greek, Spiros Arion, Mark Lewin, Mario Milano, and Dominic DeNucci, taking on the “baddies” – Killer Kowalski, Brute Bernard, Bulldog Brower and Abdullah the Butcher. Gravel voiced US-born commentator Jack Little was in his element, spruiking his famous catchphrases: “Wham! Bam! Thank…
A LONG-TIME peninsula resident with a yen for adventure will celebrate her 100th birthday on Sunday. Thelma Adams will be joined by her two children Roy and Joan, as well as seven grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and eight great, great-grandchildren, and friends, making it a family affair to remember. Mrs Adams, who lived at Somers for 30 years and for the past year at an aged care home at Mornington, was born in South Melbourne on 13 September 1915 and spent her early years there. She left school at 13 as her mother was unwell and she was needed at home.…
CRIME gangs with a disciplined culture and ability to plan and set targets has given a new potency to crime in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula. The tech savvy gangs use social media, including Facebook, and encryption apps to co-ordinate activities, allowing their members to mobilise and disperse quickly, recruit members and plan their next hit. Easy access to stolen cars and quicker freeway travel times mean that our once sleepy hamlets are now high on the agenda of the often race-related gangs who regard “slap on the wrist” penalties as green cards to commit more crimes. Mornington Detective…
A MT MARTHA couple woke in fright to discover “three or four” young men stealthily ransacking their home on The Esplanade, 3.30am, Saturday 22 August. The men, described as Maori and African and in their late teens to early 20s, were using mobile phones as torches to roam from room to room, stealing items, including jewellery, from bedside tables. They gained entry to the house by breaking into the couple’s car and using a remote control device to get in through the garage. Detective Senior Sergeant Nick Vallas, of Mornington police, said the startled couple jumped out of bed when…
POLICE have seized live and dried cannabis plants with an estimated value of $261,000 during a raid on a Mt Eliza “crop house”. Eight Mornington detectives smashed their way into the Wimbledon Av property at 7am on Wednesday 26 August where they found 87 plants being grown in bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as an array of drug paraphernalia, including special lighting, hydroponic equipment, extraction fans and charcoal filters. Police said electrical wiring to heat the crops had been run directly from the street supply, bypassing the house’s electricity meter to avoid detection. No one was home at the…
THE developers of a proposed $47 million retirement village at Somerville – knocked back by the shire in June – are appealing to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The 223-unit development at 16 Graf Rd proposes 11 separate buildings over two and three storeys, with parking for 279 cars. Lawyers acting for developer CBG Architects, of St Kilda, have applied for a Review of Refusal hearing, under the tribunal’s List of Major Cases, on 25 November. They are contesting the shire’s decision not to grant a planning permit under Section 77 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. Grounds…
POLICE, security companies, retailers, major shopping chains and municipalities joined forces last week to plan how to better combat crime in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula. The Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Crime Prevention Alliance – the first of its kind in Victoria and running since February – aims to find ways to cut anti-social and criminal behaviour around public places and shopping centres. This will be done by “sharing good practice and crime prevention strategies”, according to its initiator, Senior Sergeant Dean Clinton, of Frankston’s Proactive Programs Unit. The alliance’s 16 members met at Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Queen St…
THERE’S only so much a red-blooded Aussie male will cop – and that doesn’t include finding a bloke inside robbing his house when he gets home from the shops. That’s the situation Shoreham carpenter Jack Male found himself in early on Saturday morning when he arrived back to find the unwelcome visitor. Able to laugh about it yesterday, Mr Male, 27, said he and the burglar stopped dead in their tracks when they came face to face with each other. Mr Male noted that his short, wiry, adversary – aged 25-30, lightly built with brown hair – was carrying a…
POLICE are investigating whether any video footage was taken by a gyrocopter pilot before his fatal crash at Cannons Creek on Sunday last week. They are also seeking anyone who may have witnessed or filmed the incident. Carl Solomons, 59, of Patterson Lakes, died when his Cavalon twin-seater aircraft hit power lines and crashed into shallow water on a flight between Tyabb airfield and Tooradin. His passenger, 37, of Hampton Park, was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries. Neighbours waded and paddled out to assist the stricken men despite the risk of electrocution from the fallen power…
While the federal government spends billions of dollars preventing asylum seekers and refugees from landing on Australian soil, the Victorian government has recruited thousands of unpaid workers to stem the predicted tide of voracious hordes from Asia. Although Operation Sovereign Borders carries out the government’s turn-back-the-boats policy the state government’s keep out the mites program depends on the humble bumblebee. If the bees are unable to detect an invasion a $90 million a year industry is threatened. The federal government has never quite spelt out what is under threat if asylum seekers and refugees are allowed to land in Australia…
THE new Somerville police complex – not to be confused with a police “station” – is nearing completion but neither police nor contractors could set a finish date last week. The $16.3 million two-storey building has been dogged with controversy since its inception over fears it would strip front-line police from stations on the southern peninsula and that it will not be open to the public. An intense public meeting attended by 150 people at Rosebud public hall in October was told by Police Association secretary Ron Iddles and president John Laird that the complex should operate as an operational…
SAFETY Beach residents could have been forgiven for thinking they were in the Yukon on Sunday last week when 22 samoyeds came strolling along the beach. Along with a Jack Russell and dalmatian they posed for a group photo on the jetty and then walked to the Tassels Cove off-leash beach for a play and run with the locals, before walking around Martha Cove boardwalk. The occasion was a monthly pet walk by members of The Samoyed Club of Victoria which visits different locations in Victoria. The aim is to promote the breed and to encourage socialisation and education among…
A MT ELIZA restaurateur has been billed $2000 by Mornington Peninsula Shire to reinstate a garden bed outside his eatery. The fine comes after the council last week ripped out his well-established kerbside vegetable and herb patch saying it had been planted without approval. Marc Syawish, who has run 1001 Nights, near the intersection of Mt Eliza Way and Canadian Bay Rd for the past two years, said council workers on Wednesday moved in to strip his plot and replace it with native plants. He said he was devastated at losing verdant bunches of spinach, broccolini, silverbeet and wild rocket…
A FATAL collision at Rosebud has claimed the life of an elderly woman. She was on a mini bus with eight others travelling west along Eastbourne Rd when it collided head-on with a white Holden Commodore travelling east at 9.44am. The driver of the car, a 23-year-old P-plater from Coburg, has been arrested and taken to Rosebud Hospital under police guard. The woman on the mini bus, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene. A second elderly woman was flown by air ambulance to The Alfred hospital suffering facial and chest injuries and leg fractures. The…