RYE traders are counting their losses in the wake of a siege on Saturday 5 December when a man held two women hostage for almost eight hours. Police closed Point Nepean Rd between Weeroona and Weir streets and evacuated shops, including those at the Safeway shopping complex, when a 69-year-old man armed with low-calibre weapons was seen entering the Little Beach Cafe, Point Nepean Rd, at 7.45am. While no one was injured, the same can’t be said for traders’ cash registers: Not only did they lose a day’s takings, ruined stock and wasted staff wages, but many are finding they…
Day: December 21, 2015
SAFETY Beach-Dromana men’s shed members can be “reasonably hopeful” their dreams of a new headquarters will be fulfilled. Although no formal approval of a grant from the Mornington Peninsula Shire has been given, the shed’s application for $40,000 funding has been favourably received and is being assessed. Members’ hopes now rest on inclusion in the shire’s mid-term budget review, which will be announced in the New Year. The men’s shed has around 30 members who meet at least three times a week to engage in community activities, socialise over coffee, and do some “pretty impressive trades work”, president Rick Plummer…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire will again take a “no entertainment – no nonsense” approach to New Year’s Eve. Working with a community-based steering committee, police, residents and businesses, the shire says it aims to reduce the “negative impacts of celebrations” in the area. “This approach has assisted in providing a safe environment for holiday makers and residents since its introduction more than 10 years ago, in 2001-2002,” shire spokesperson Kat Hodgins said. “The shire aims to make sure the southern peninsula is a safe place for people to enjoy over the New Year period.” Cr Tim Rodgers said the summer holiday…
THE owner of Sorrento restaurant Acquolina Brett Johnson admits to being “shell-shocked” at the defection of 13 experienced kitchen staff to rival, The Sisters Kitchen Garden Cafe. Their surprise departure last week has forced the temporary closure of his and partner Maria Grazia Baiguini’s fine dining restaurant at the busiest time of the year and caused a spat between the two popular eateries. “We simply can’t find staff at this late stage so it was better to close temporarily and reopen on Boxing Day,” Mr Johnson said. “We will re-open and do something simple, such as serving fresh lasagne, ravioli,…
SUB-DISTRICT IN MPCA Sub District cricket, there is just one game separating fourth-placed Tootgarook and second-last Ballam Park. Heading into the second half of the season, there are six teams in position to make a claim for fourth spot, while Tyabb is on the bottom of the ladder but just two games out of the four. One thing is for certain, the premiership is going to come from one of the top three teams. Dromana seems to be the best placed team at the midway mark, showing the most consistency of the top three teams. Hastings, currently in second place,…
DISTRICT THERE are six teams vying for just one spot on the MPCA District ladder as we head into the mid-season break. While Baden Powell and Red Hill sit at the top of the tree on 72 points and Pearcedale has locked down third place with 60, six teams all sit on three wins and 36 points. Mount Martha and Main Ridge, despite winning just two games to date (24 points), are just a game outside fourth place. There were some must-win games for clubs on Saturday, some of which achieved the desired outcome while others are now well and…
PROVINCIAL MOOROODUC has emerged as the wildcard of MPCA Provincial cricket as we head into the Christmas break, the halfway mark of the 2015-16 season. While glamour teams in Mornington, Mount Eliza, Somerville and Baxter sit outside the top four, Moorooduc is well entrenched in second place, equal on points (56) with third-placed Crib Point and clear of Sorrento (48). Peninsula Old Boys heads the table on 64 points. Then we find a logjam of teams all on 44 points (Long Island, Baxter, Somerville, Pines), all poised to strike should any of the top four falter after the break. It’s…
ESTABLISHED in 1976, Silvers Circus provides world class family entertainment and fun. With extraordinary artists continually arriving from all parts of the world, Silvers are proud of the ever-changing program they are able to present. After nearly three decades on the road, Silvers is a household name in Australia. They still maintain the sparkle, glamour and death-defying acts expected of Australia’s premier circus. The 2 hour action-packed show, featuring Ringmaster and Master of Illusions Simon Tait, will also include the Wheel of Steel. A young man with nerves of Steel, Dominik Gasser will run, jump, skip and flip…
WITH this issue we present our readers with a sheet almanac for 1916. *** THE room heater raffled by Mrs C Grant, for the Somerville Red Cross Society, was won by Miss Nellie Bell. *** THE annual balance sheet of the Shire of Frankston and Hastings is published on the fourth part of this issue. *** “THE liquor traffic is the most powerful as it is one of the most degrading agencies for making money by the corruption of one’s fellow creatures.” —Right Hon Lord Milner, G.C.B. *** ACCORDING to our usual custom, in order that our employees may have…
FRANKSTON Arts Centre is the cool place to be in the hot weather over the coming school holiday period. If you’re a parent looking for engaging things to do with the kids this summer, Frankston Arts Centre has got something for everyone. FAC is renowned for presenting international, national and local drama performances and thrilling displays of live art. Now, FAC is the perfect venue for locals to develop their acting skills before they get their big break on the main stage. Drama Thrills and Spills is a one-off drama workshop for three different age-groups on Tuesday 19 January. Each…
PLANS to build footpaths with costs being part-charged to property owners are a sure fire way of attracting submissions and petitions addressed to Mornington Peninsula Shire. In the latest round of footpath special charge schemes approved by the shire objectors were mostly losers, although one case has proved costly to the shire. A “typographical error” has seen a 42 per cent blowout in the cost of a footpath in South Rd, Rosebud. Under the council’s own rules, any cost variation above five per cent has to be paid by the shire and cannot be passed on to contributors to the…
MATT Mackay spends a lot of time taking note of the weather and its effects on the scenery. A surfer based in Sorrento, he seeks out tide times and wind speeds. As a photographer, he uses all this knowledge to compose scenes through a camera lens. “I’ve built up a strong connection with the Mornington Peninsula’s coastal and marine environment,” he says. “My main focus is on nature and landscape photography, that’s what inspires me photographically and it’s where like to spend much of my time.” Mackay says this connection to the environment is necessary to “truly capture its essence”.…
THE News Mornington Art Show opening on Thursday 21 January and running through to Australia Day will feature a display and sale of recycled oak barrel furniture. The concept of creating quality furniture from used wine barrels is a creative initiative of Frankston based furniture maker Carl Smith. After completing school and working in the construction industry for more than decade, Mr Smith decided on a career change to capitalise on his passion for working with wood. On seeing a fruit bowl made from the staves of a used wine barrel at Christmas a few years ago he realised he…
THE oil and gas drilling rig that towered over the low lying foreshore of Phillip Island before appearing to hover for days in the early morning mists of Port Phillip is finally on its way back home to Singapore. With its drilling duties for Origin and Hibiscus Oil in Bass Strait completed, the rig was last week taken on board by the heavy lift vessel Hawk before heading out of Port Phillip on Tuesday. Equipment was taken from the rig before it was welded to the Hawk’s deck for transport. The 223 metre, 44, 700 tonne Hawk sails at about…
THERE is an old adage in television about not working with kids or animals, but that is exactly what Mt Eliza Rotary Club plans to do next year for its two main fundraising events. On Sunday 6 March the club will hold its Dogs in the Park expo, with plenty of family fun and many “not too serious” competitions for dogs and their owners. There will be food and coffee stalls, face painting for children and an animal farm 11am-2.30pm at the John Butler Reserve, Mt Eliza. Entry is free and there will be a small fee for participation in…
MORNINGTON Peninsula secondary schools are pleased with their students’ ATAR results in the recent VCE examinations. Here is a sample of schools and scores. Mornington Secondary College YEAR 12 student Saskia Bauer Lodge was named Mornington Secondary College dux after scoring an impressive ATAR of 95.6 in this year’s VCE exams. “This result is down to hard work, great friends and the support of my teachers and family,” she said. The college celebrated record breaking VCE results with seven students achieving an ATAR score of 90 and above. Saskia was joined in the 90s club by Stuart Boyd, Hannah Chambers,…
THE Salvation Army is planning to bring peace to Main St Mornington over six normally hectic summer Saturday nights. Starting on Saturday 2 January, the Salvos will create a “safe zone” based around a yellow food van where young people can take time out. Once at the van they will be offered a free bottle of water, a snack and even advice. If successful, the safe zone will be continued beyond the first six Saturday nights of 2016. “We want the people in our community to have a good time, but we also want them to have a safe time,”…
THE Mornington Peninsula has been recognised internationally as one of “two leading Australian councils” for its efforts to minimise climate change. An invitation for the shire to commit to a Compact of Mayors follows the attendance at this month’s Paris climate talks by the mayor Cr Graeme Pittock, Cr Hugh Fraser and the shire’s renewable resources team leader, Jessica Wingad, who was there to “learn the latest global trends and their potential application locally”. However, two councillors have now publicly criticised the Paris trip as being a waste of time and money. Cr Pittock and Cr Fraser have said they…