TWO inexperienced kayakers nearly didn’t make it back alive last Thursday night after going for a paddle off Mills beach, Mornington. One of the paddlers fell from the craft and his partner did not have the strength to lift him back in. A strong south-westerly wind was blowing them further out to sea. Luckily, the men can were spotted by a Mornington Life Saving Club women’s boat crew out on a routine training session. Sweep Andrew Kelly saw the men, aged about 22, about 500 metres offshore and guided the surf boat to their rescue. Crewmember Susanne Archbold said the…
Author: Stephen Taylor
THE attempted killing of a large, resident stingray near Portsea pier has angered Portsea beachgoers who want significant species, such as this, protected. Jackie Younger, a coordinator at the Bayplay Retreat, said a group of about 10 men caught the smooth-back ray while fishing off the pier and hauled it up before dragging it back down to the beach – presumably to kill it. She said the men were “laughing and taking pictures” of the ray which was “many feet across”. A “very angry” Ms Younger confronted the men and demanded they return it to the water. “I am normally…
THE Safety Beach-Dromana Men’s Shed is in a pickle: it has to find a new home by the end of December. Based at the Don Bosco Camp at Safety Beach for the past two years, the men’s shed has provided an outlet for retired men, some of whom might otherwise have felt depressed and socially isolated. Its 30-man membership meets at least three times a week to engage in community activities as well as socialise over coffee and trades work. The shed’s members have been involved with community events, as well as providing wood craft activities for the Dromana…
A MAN reportedly “died twice” on the Sorrento-Queenscliff ferry last Friday afternoon before being revived by crew members using a defibrillator. He was breathing when taken by air ambulance to the Austin Hospital and admitted in a critical condition, according to an Ambulance Victoria spokesperson. The ferry had moved only metres from the Sorrento wharf when the man, 50, collapsed with an unknown medical condition, prompting the crew to swing into action. The ferry was backed into position as two ambulances and the air ambulance arrived within 14 minutes to treat the man, who is said to be from Melbourne.…
THE 10.37 train to Hastings last Wednesday carried more than passengers – it brought with it the welcome legacy of 125 years of rail travel to the town. And what a celebration it heralded. On the platform to greet it were 100 guests waving flags, some wearing period costume, as well as memorabilia from the period, marquees, primary school choir, Western Port Secondary College’s salza band, dignitaries and a town crier. Oh, and even a birthday cake. Admittedly, the function was not as grand as that which launched the opening of the service in 1889, when it was regarded as…
DRAMATIC scenes followed the attempted arrest by police of a 14-year-old Hastings boy on Sunday for riding an unregistered “monkey bike” along a public road. As Beau Howroyd was being marched towards a police car in Derwent Court about 3pm a family friend – Shawn Lyndon – intervened and began a tug of war with the arresting officer. It was a case of “Let him go,” “No you let go,” as the men pushed and shoved. Mr Lyndon and his young friend then managed to run away. A crowd had gathered in the street to watch the incident and it…
FRANKSTON basketballers David Andersen and Ryan Broekhoff have been selected to play in the 12-man Australian team at the FIBA World Cup in Spain. The players were farewelled last Monday before heading off on the Boomers’ pre-tournament tour of Europe. The team was announced on 28 July and will compete from 30 August to 14 September. Their selection followed a week of internal trialling at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra where both Andersen, 34, and Broekhoff, 23, trained as teenagers. The talented pair began as five-year-olds with Frankston Basketball in introductory programs then played in the domestic competition.…
CHINA versus New Zealand in Aussie Rules footy? What next! It seems the game really has gone international. The teams will meet at Seaford on Wednesday as competitors in the AFL’s International Cup series hosted by the Linen House Centre. It will be the first International Cup game to be played away from Royal Park. “We enjoy state of the art facilities at Linen House Centre and I think the New Zealand team will feel right at home here when they come to play,” St Kilda’s New Zealand ambassador Shane Savage said. “AFL is a sport that brings people of…
THIEVES stole up to $300,000 worth of gold chains, watches, coins, rings and bangles from the Red Hill Greek Orthodox Church on Wednesday afternoon. An iconic framed image of the Virgin Mary was left behind. The robbery occurred when The Reverend Father Eleftherios Tatsis was farewelling visitors at the church’s front gate. The thieves are believed to have entered a side door and broken a sealed glass box to steal the items. Detective Senior Sergeant John Coburn, of Rosebud crime investigation unit, said police were appealing for public assistance to retrieve the items which had been donated to the church,…
THE spectre of homelessness in old age weighs heavily on those lacking the job prospects and mobility of someone younger. This is especially so for older renters. Adding to the threats posed by rising property prices, insufficient superannuation, or joblessness come other worries: unexpected eviction, unaffordable rents or increasingly unsuitable accommodation exacerbated by advancing years. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that from 2006-2011 there was a 40 per cent increase in the number of people aged over 55 renting privately on the Mornington Peninsula. That is up from 1028 to 1413 tenants. The figures taken from the…
BLAIRGOWRIE Yacht Squadron is playing down the effects of storm damage on its marina – despite the beach being littered with polystyrene beads broken off floating wave attenuators. The attenuators have now been dragged onto the beach. Over the past few weeks high winds and pounding waves have broken up the concrete and polystyrene attenuators which act as a floating breakwater designed to reduce waves entering the marina. General manager Amanda Jacobs said the wild weather had placed some of the attenuators “under distress” forcing the club to hire contractors to remove them. It is the second time in less…
CLAIMS of a lack of transparency are being made over plans to lease and redevelop the former Southern Peninsula Rescue Service building in Sorrento. Mornington Peninsula Shire had called for expressions-of-interest for the commercial or community use of the 857 square metre site at 4 Hotham Rd, which operated as an ambulance station and helicopter pad since 1987. Tenders closed on 12 June and a shortlist of preferred occupants will go to the special purposes committee on Monday week. It is believed the likely tenant is a peninsula wedding reception operator. However, this could not be confirmed by The News,…
BOGUS pamphlets advertising a free hard waste collection in Mornington last Monday had shire officers – and residents – scratching their heads. Neither the pamphlets – nor the hard waste collection – was organised by the shire. But, as a result, hundreds of residents mistakenly placed hard waste on their nature strips – and now many have had to take it back inside or arrange to dispose of it through the shire’s hard waste collection services. Residents said “professional-looking” pamphlets were dropped into letterboxes around the Nepean Highway-Bentons Rd area, fooling them into thinking the council was planning an unscheduled…
CONCERNS about over-fishing by commercial netters at the southern end of Port Phillip have prompted a petition to state parliament to have them banned. Organiser Ken Tainton, of Third Ave Rosebud, said he had “easily 1100-1200 signatures” on several petitions from local anglers worried that stocks of snapper, whiting, flathead, salmon and flathead are in terminal decline. A member of the Tootgarook Boat Ramp Club, and long-time former commodore of the Rosebud Motor Boat Squadron, Mr Tainton is meeting with Nepean MP Martin Dixon on Friday to discuss the anglers’ fears. The petitions will then be combined as one and…
CELEBRATIONS marking last week’s 50th anniversary of the Beatles tour of Australia struck a resonant chord with Rosebud’s John (Johnny) Chester. The popular musician was a support act for the Fab Four when they played to packed – and screaming – houses in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and then New Zealand. Memories came flooding back when the phones ran hot last week after the screening of an ABC documentary on the landmark tour. Australia had never seen anything like it before, with half of Adelaide’s population jamming the route from the airport and Melbourne’s streets a sea of eager young faces…
THE situation could not have been more exciting for the gunners at Fort Nepean – or those on the German merchant ship steaming for The Heads – on the first day of the war in 1914. Hostilities had been declared officially three hours and forty-five minutes before the Pfalz made her run for it, hoping to escape to open sea before her new enemy could intern her. But it was not to be: the gunners aimed well and a six-inch shell from gun emplacement number six roared into the water only a short distance from Pfalz and the Australian pilot…
IT’S taken two and a half years, but the wait is finally over – well, almost. The new Hastings CCTV street cameras have been installed and could be switched on later this week. Western Port area councillor David Garnock said the cameras would be connected by United Energy and tested, then switched on at Hastings police station and “hopefully they will be tuned in and ready to go by next weekend”. And United Energy says all they need is the “paperwork” from the shire’s electrical retailer before “flicking the switch” – possibly later this week. “This is all managed by…
SNIP, snip and Jessica Bakaniosis is transformed – and all in a good cause. The preppie from Moorooduc Primary was so touched by a recent Camp Quality fundraiser to help children with cancer that she decided to take action. Hearing how wigs are used to hide the effects of chemotherapy on young sufferers, she asked her mum, Bianca, if she could donate her long, blonde ponytail to make one (‘Hair’s looking at you, kid’, The News, 13/5/14). On Friday she had her wish fulfilled by hairdresser Kellie Tredwell–Noonan at the Dirty Little Secrets salon in Hastings. Now, her lustrous locks…
THE future development of the Port of Hastings received a major boost last week after it was declared under the Major Transport Projects Facilitation Act by Minister for Ports David Hodgett. The move paves the way for the planning approvals process to begin – a step MP for Hastings Neil Burgess describes as a major milestone. But, despite the port’s expansion “representing a transformational change that will provide a major boost to the social and economic wellbeing of Hastings, the Peninsula and surrounding communities while also ensuring Victoria’s rightful position as Australia’s leading container port”, there’s plenty of local opposition.…
A 13.2 per cent drop in ‘Crimes against the person’ on the Mornington Peninsula in the year to March was the result of police “successfully partnering“ with the community, police inspector Karen Nyholm said last week. She cited a 10.1 per cent drop in assaults, and a similar drop in assaults excluding family violence, as “highlighting the holistic approach to increasing personal safety”. But, sadly, crimes against property rose from 5586 to 6292 – up 12.6 per cent; drug offences rose from 377 to 402 – 6.6 per cent and ‘other’ crime rose from 1467 to 1650 – up 12.5…
THE thrust of Plan Melbourne – released last week by the state government – is to coordinate population and housing growth with employment and transport planning on a state-wide basis. And the strategy is “very positive’’ for the Mornington Peninsula, according to mayor Antonella Celi. Its local focus is on commitment to a permanent urban growth boundary, development of the Port of Hastings, support for protection of high-quality agricultural land and ensuring the environmental qualities of Western Port and Port Phillip are protected. “Our residents love the peninsula as it is, they support appropriate development and new opportunities, particularly for…
THE new emergency department at the revamped Frankston hospital will be three times the size of the old one with three new wards. It was of special interest to Health Minister David Davis who last week inspected the four-storey hospital redevelopment due to be completed next year. The $80.9 million works are said to be ‘’on time and on budget’’. Standing on top of the building Mr Davis said: “The Frankston Hospital Emergency Department is one of the busiest in the state with close to 60,000 attendees each year, and this expansion will help meet that demand.” The department will…
THE thrust of Plan Melbourne – released last week by the state government – is to coordinate population and housing growth with employment and transport planning on a state-wide basis. And the strategy is ‘’very positive’’ for the Mornington Peninsula, according to mayor Antonella Celi. Its local focus is on commitment to a permanent urban growth boundary, development of the Port of Hastings, support for protection of high-quality agricultural land and ensuring the environmental qualities of Western Port and Port Phillip are protected. “Our residents love the Peninsula as it is, they support appropriate development and new opportunities, particularly for…
IMAGES of musician Paul Kelly will help make the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery an even more interesting place to visit until 20 July. An exhibition of portraits of the songster will take over the gallery walls and intrigue fans and art lovers alike. Paul Kelly and the Portraits National Portrait Gallery Touring exhibition showcases his performance persona and the more elusive aspects of his character. The exhibition presents a multifaceted portrait of the artist over his career. Known as ‘the people’s poet’, Kelly’s portraits are by artists and leading music photographers. Kelly’s ‘bread and butter’ is performing publicly. His songs…