A BUSINESSMAN who spearheaded plastic recycling in Victoria is hoping to turn a tip on the Mornington Peninsula into a multi-million dollar “recycling park incubator”. Urban Mining Industries managing director Edward Meysztowicz said his idea came from seeing the need for a circular economy, jobs creation and sustainability, and realising that the recycling industry could address all three issues. Meysztowicz says his idea will create jobs for the future on the peninsula and support the development of the hydrogen economy by converting waste plastic into hydrogen. The proposal includes relocating Melbourne-based food, plastics and tyre recycling plants to the Tyabb…
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THE Anglican Parish of All Saints Rosebud and St Katherines McCrae are holding a raffle of an artist-inspired doll’s house to raise money for Southern Peninsula Community Support, which works directly with the homeless in Rosebud. The Reverend Lynda Crossley said homelessness was a significant social issue in the area, and the raffle was one way to help with support and resources. The doll’s house was donated by her aunt, artist and writer Anita Sinclair, and was inspired by Sinclair’s time in Cornwall during the World War II as an evacuee. Southern Peninsula Community Support runs many programs, including the…
STUDENTS from St Mary’s Primary School, Hastings are taking a hands-on approach to creating a healthy environmental with the help of the wider community. The school is creating an outdoor learning space and permaculture garden that will include a community garden, wetlands and a labyrinth to give students a chance to be “stewards of creation and responsible learning”. Permaculture leader Marissa Egan said the school is hoping to get as many businesses and companies as possible to partner with them to create an award winning “one-of-a-kind garden” unlike anything the peninsula has seen before. “This project supports the development of…
A CELEBRATION was held in Worwong Avenue, Somerville, to acknowledge name changes to the street, reserve and pre-school. Originally, Blacks Camp was used to name a road, a pre-school and a reserve. Mornington Peninsula Shire changed the name from Blacks Camp Road – which was seen as being offensive – earlier this year after consultation with First Nations people and the community. Worwong Avenue, which it is now known as, comes from a traditional name for the location referred to in the 1841 journals of William Thomas, the protector of Aborigines of Port Phillip, who chronicled his life and work…
THE Crittenden family celebrated 40 years of wine making on the Mornington Peninsula on October 18, taking time to reflect on the successes and dedication of founders Garry and Margaret Crittenden. The pioneering couple started the winery in the early 1980s, after horticulturalist Garry decided to combine his love of growing things with his penchant for good wine and bought a greenfield site in Dromana, at the foot of Arthurs Seat. With the help of friends, the Crittendens embarked on their grape growing venture with gusto, planting five acres (2.02 hectares) of grapes in the second weekend of September 1982…
RED Hill artist Michael Leeworthy, pictured, will help budding artists brush up on their skills with a watercolour demonstration class to raise money for childhood cancer research. On the back of a successful fundraiser Leeworthy held in August for the Peninsula Home Hospice, he will donate his time and expertise again on 14 November, running the event through Red Hill District Lions. Leeworthy said the demonstration – to be held at his Red Hill home and gallery – would help demystify the idiosyncrasies of watercolour. “I will explain the best use of materials, paper types, what paint to buy and…
SUNDAY’S Bloody Long Walk on the Mornington Peninsula helped focus the spotlight on a little-known illness that impacts hundreds of Australians every year. The Bloody Long Walk raises money to enable much-needed support to patients and their families and research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of mitochondrial disorders. The walk on Sunday 16 October raised $370,000 and took participants 35 kilometres along country and coastal paths, starting at the quarantine station at Portsea and finishing at Martha Cove marina, Safety Beach. Leigh Caulfield and his wife Laura, whose 13-year-old son Tyler was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease two years…
MORNINGTON Park Primary school received a visit from inspiring 2020 Victorian Local Hero Josie Jones on Friday (14 October). The school won the visit after being nominated by long-term local postie Sean O’Keefe in an employee competition to celebrate Australia Post’s support of the Australian of the Year Awards. The competition was run to provide Australia Post team members with the opportunity to connect their nominated school or community group with a visit from an extraordinary Australian – a past recipient of their state or territory Australian of the Year Awards. In nominating the school O’Keefe said it is an…
FIVE budding philanthropists, Emina, Stella, Rocco, Florence and Millie, tested their baking talents by holding a cake stall over the school holidays, raising $504 for Rosebud Hospital. The children chose Rosebud because they had all been there at some time and thought it was a wonderful hospital, Sunny Shaw, whose daughter Emina was one of the stallholders at the hospital, said. When it was suggested that they do something to give back to the community in the school holidays five entrepreneurial friends decided a cake stall was in order. Shaw said they investigated some popular recipes and went on to…
AFTER two years, therapy dogs are back at Peninsula Health, and staff and patients are celebrating their return. Jeff and Judy Johnston have started their fortnightly visits to Frankston Hospital and the Psychiatric Assessment and Planning Unit with their golden retrievers, Benson and Sam. Judy said six-year-old Benson and Sam, eight, must be among the most photographed of dogs. “Once it took us an hour to get back to the car from the hospital because staff, patients and visitors would stop us to say hello and take cute photos of the dogs,” she said. “Our last visit was very successful,…
HOMELESSNESS and increasing hardship on the Mornington Peninsula have prompted a south eastern food charity to expand services to the peninsula. Langwarrin-based Sikh Volunteers Australia has started a food run in Hastings, providing prepared meals every Sunday from the Fred Smith reserve car park between 1pm and 2pm. Jaswinder Singh said the charity had recognised the need for support on the peninsula and that it was part of the Sikh philosophy to help people in need. He said the first Sunday in Hastings three weeks ago saw around 40 meals provided, but that had almost doubled every weekend since. “We…
NINETY-year-old Mornington table tennis player Moya Macpherson has no plans of slowing down any time soon. After decades of playing the game, Macpherson, of Somerville, says she enjoys the social and fitness side of the sport as much as ever and is still one of the first to arrive at the Mornington Peninsula Table Tennis Centre every Tuesday morning at 9.30. The club member is proof that age does not have to be a barrier to fun and fitness, and that exercise and social connection are a great mix. Macpherson first played table tennis as an 18-year-old but had a…
SUPPORTERS of Fenton Hall in Merricks North will hold a spring picnic at the end of October as part of a campaign to repair it and obtain a heritage overlay. The picnic will be held midday-2pm Sunday 30 October with attendees being invited to take their own picnic, blankets and chairs as there will be no access to the hall. Merricks North resident Sue Cusack said there was still a lot of work needed to make the hall useable, but supporters hoped it could become a “vital social and entertainment hub for the area”. She said it was pleasing that…
THE inaugural rose-to-rose walk raised more than $400 for the peninsula branch of the Blue Ribbon appeal, as 30 police, staff, and family members walked from the Mornington police station to the Mornington Botanical Rose Garden in Dunns Road. Senior Sergeant Paul Edwards said participants were humbled to be able to pay respects to fallen colleagues and help with the Blue Ribbon appeal. The walkers started from the Angela Taylor rose and plaque outside the Mornington police station and finished at the rose garden, home to the Angela Taylor rose bush. Originally given to Victoria Police by the Taylor family,…
THE campfire looks real enough to warm your hands, according to scouts Sibella, Harry, Harry, Josh, Benji, Dylan and Thomas. The fire takes centre stage in a mural painted by street artist Tyson “Father Marker” Savannah and aspiring artist and former scout, 15-year-old Eligh Rennalls. Their work now covers the wall of the 1st Mornington Scout Group’s hall in Mitchell Street, Mornington thanks to a place-making grant from Mornington Peninsula Shire. With support from business, artists and families the scout group has been working on the large scale mural to help brighten the space and reflect the values of the…
THE return of the Archibald Prize tour to the Mornington Peninsula next spring is expected to bring around 50,000 visitors to the region and inject $10 million into the local economy. The prestigious and popular exhibition will be hosted by the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (MPRG) in 2023 for seven weeks from 15 September to 5 November. Gallery director Danny Lacy said it was a coup for the gallery and for the region, with past experience showing there will be a flow-on impact for other businesses. “The Archibald is hugely popular, and people come from all over the state, and…
Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged two men following a stand-off with police in Mornington yesterday. A 25-year-old man has been charged with aggravated burglary, home invasion, intentionally cause injury, false imprisonment, make threats to kill and intentionally cause injury. The Mornington man has been remanded to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today. The second man, a 42-year-old from Mornington, has been charged with false imprisonment and intentionally cause injury. He has been held over and will appear before Frankston Magistrates’ Court today. The charges follow an incident in Main Street Mornington where it is alleged the two…
Two men have been arrested in Mornington this afternoon following an alleged home invasion and serious assault. Mornington Crime Investigation Unit detectives attended an address on Main Street to arrest the men around 10am. Both men were inside the unit at the time and refused to come out. It is believed one of the men then allegedly threatened the other with a knife and refused to let him leave the property. The Critical Incident Response Unit and Special Operations Group were called in to assist local police at the scene. Main Street was closed to traffic between Nepean Highway and…
A SPECIAL tree planting day was held at Somerville Community House last week in recognition of the passing and long service of the late Queen Elizabeth II. As an expansion of the Planting Trees for the Queen’s Jubilee grant program, the community house received $10,000 for trees, enabling it to expand a garden at the community centre. Apple trees, pear trees and a range of native and indigenous fruit trees were planted to make the garden enjoyable and edible. One of the first trees – a contemporary cross between an apricot and a pear, fitted well with the theme of…
AFL players added to the pre-grand final buzz during a successful community event on Somerville on 21 September, which raised more than $3000 for research into a debilitating progressive disease. The family of 21-year-old Somerville resident Tyson Stanley, who has Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), organised the event to raise community awareness of the disease and to fund much-needed research. There is currently no cure for the rare and crippling disease, which causes bones to form in muscles and other soft tissue. Tyson said he was pleased football players Will Hayes and Lachie Hunter gave up their time to attend the…
MORNINGTON Men’s Shed have generously used a grant received from the Mornington Peninsula Shire to make a table to present to the council. Men’s shed workshop manager Tony Sinclair said the grant made it possible for the shed volunteers to purchase some new wood working equipment, and the table was a kind of ‘thank you’ gift. Sinclair said the men’s shed was involved in a range of projects for the council, and was grateful for the support. “At the moment we are using the timbers from the old Rye Pier to make a seat and an upstand for the solar…
AT just nine Mount Eliza’s Josh Berry knew he wanted to do something for people in need, so he did something a little different – he started collecting socks. Fast forward seven years and the industrious year 10 student has collected 38,000 pairs of new socks and is still counting. Berry says he came up with the idea when he was thinking about ways to help homeless people, and realised warm socks were something everyone needed. “I did some research and warm socks was apparently the second biggest needed clothing item,” he said. His initial aim was to collect 50,000…
MOUNT Martha resident Richard Hunt likes to push his limits, and a 300 kilometre bike ride around the bay is just the thing to do it. On Sunday 9 October, under the banner of Around the Bay 2022, Hunt will ride 300 kilometres to raise money for The Smith Family to kelp young people in need. Although riders can choose shorter sections of the ride, Hunt will attempt the whole 300 kilometres and says he feels confident he can make the distance. Every year, the 300km loop challenges hundreds of the most seasoned riders while giving the full experience of…
STAN Fear, of Somerville, has been inducted into the Equestrian Victoria Hall of Fame. Now 88 and retired, Fear was one of a pioneering class of riders who was part of the introduction of jumping as a sport in Australia. Having been involved in international competitions, Fear has rubbed shoulders with the best horse people in the world, including Princess Anne who he counts as a friend, the Roycroft family, and even Queen Elizabeth 11. “I feel lucky to have been given recognition, it means a lot to be considered in the same ranks as some of the best horse…
HO, ho, ho, it’s not quite Christmas that but doesn’t matter to the every-jubilant Mr C, also known as Nicholas Clause. The motorbike-driving Santa fan has for the past few years been spreading yuletide joy all year on the Mornington Peninsula, albeit in different colours and in suits he makes himself. “At Christmas I stick to my red suit, but I like to spread joy at other times of the year so I have a range of colours,” he said. “There’s Yuletide in June, when I wear blue, Christmas in July is white, Spring is a green suit, the feast…
PETER Scott says he was “kissed by an angel” one day eight years ago when he was in the middle of a routine work test he never got to finish. That was in 2014, the day the “reasonably fit” 65-year-old suffered a stroke, completely unaware that his blood pressure was “through the roof” and work-related pressures had taken their toll on his health. “Wednesday the 4th of June 2014, in the midst of a routine skills test for work, I started to show physical signs of being unwell,” Scott said. “Thankfully, my colleague insisted I stop immediately, and we go…
THE Queen’s 1986 visit to the Mornington Peninsula started on Friday 7 March after being ferried from the Royal Yacht Britannia to Stony Point pier. The Britannia had arrived in Western Port from Port Phillip the previous night. First stop once ashore (after being welcomed ashore by local dignitaries and officials) was a visit to Ballam Park Technical School, Frankston. The royal couple was then driven back to Stony Point for lunch aboard the Britannia before returning to shore and heading off to HMAS Cerberus, at Crib Point. Flag-waving schoolchildren lined the road as the Queen and Prince Phillip headed…
EASTBOURNE Primary School students dressed in yellow on R U OK? Day and were involved in activities that provide strategies to help students in dealing with mental health issues. “The day has been an excellent one that also provided many fun activities at recess and lunch,” wellbeing coordinator Skye Miller said. Last Thursday (8 September) students danced in the hall to recorded music while handicraft activities took place in the library, cooking in the school’s kitchen and bubbles floated through the playground. The afternoon session included Jeannette Hausley from Jimmies, speaking to the upper school students about mental health and…
FLAGS across the Mornington Peninsula have been flying at half mast ever since of the death of Queen Elizabeth II became known last Friday. Possibly the first to be lowered were those flying outside the municipal offices at Mornington which were adjusted downwards by Louise Stewart, the first to arrive at the offices in the appropriately named Queen Street. Because they are illuminated at night, the flags are permitted to fly at all times and were probably the first to be lowered on the peninsula. The Queen’s death on Thursday 8 September also set in motion the time-honoured protocols for…
THREE Mornington fire fighters will participate in the ninth annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb. The stair climbing challenge, held at the Crown Metropol, raises money to fight depression, PTSI and suicide. The Mornington fire station is currently the second highest fundraising brigade for the event and team members are hoping to take it further. Chris Davey, 33, is the only one of the trio who has completed the stair climb before but is confident all three will make it to the top. Hoping to better his own previous time of around 4.5 minutes, Davey says he has been putting some…