Day: July 25, 2016

FRANKSTON councillors have finally adopted a united front against any possibility of sky rail along the Frankston line after unanimously backing rail under road as Frankston Council’s official position on level crossing removals. Councillors last month deferred a decision on opposing elevated rail last month. Frankston Council’s decision to formally oppose elevated rail follows neighbouring Kingston Council’s stance against sky rail adopted in May. At last week’s council meeting Frankston councillors voted to tell the state government tthey did not support elevated rail to separate rail and road at Seaford Rd in Seaford and Skye/Overton Rd crossings in Frankston. But…

ROSEBUD resident Thelma Appleford celebrated her 100th birthday with her sons, daughter, grandsons, granddaughter and great grandchildren on Saturday 23 July. Also there to celebrate were her nephews, great-nephews, cousins and neighbours.    Congratulatory letters were received from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and the Queen Elizabeth. Born Thelma Jean Brown on 23 July 1916, Mrs Appleford grew up and married in the Coburg area. She experienced the tough times of the Great Depression when she and husband Edwin lived in Greensborough. In January 1939 she recalls standing in a grassy paddock holding her little son Don’s…

AFTER a year’s break, the Mornington Peninsula Hinterland Scarecrow Festival and Trail is about to return with Shawne Rubinstein already having someone in mind for his scarecrow. Mr Rubinstein and wife Lisa Panuccio, of Red Hill, are busy building a scarecrow of cricketer Shane Warne. “He’s Australia’s most popular cricketer, favourite larrikin and the best bowler this country has seen,” Mr Rubinstein said. The couple is hoping to do justice to Warnie with a double-sided scarecrow. They plan to inject some humour by immortalising a few infamous off-the-pitch moments – including his love of baked beans. “They say imitation is…

ROSEBUD resident and amateur historian Ray Gibb has spent years researching and documenting the history and people of the Mornington Peninsula. He believes it is important for us to appreciate the roles of pioneers in making the peninsula what it is today. A recent Mornington Peninsula Shire decision to name 70 tracks along the foreshore caused him to take a stand. The aim of the naming is to better assist emergency services when incidents occur during the peak camping season. Tracks within camping areas at Rosebud, Rye and Sorrento managed by the shire will be named after local flora, reptiles,…

FOLLOWING months of accusations and claims of accounting inaccuracies and overspending, Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors are struggling to agree on the definition of expenses. The expenses are separate to councillors’ $28,000 yearly remuneration; $85,000 for the mayor. Shire officers last Monday asked for an extra month to prepare a draft of the councillor expenses policy by 31 August. Legal advice in March cast doubt on the validity of a previous policy which limited each councillor to spending up to $4000 a year on such things as conferences, seminars and courses, giving a total $16,000 over a four-year term. Included in…

THREE of Mornington Yacht Club’s four nominations won prizes at the annual Yachting Victoria Awards held at Sandringham Yacht Club, Sunday 19 June. The awards celebrate sailing in Victoria and recognise the achievements made through various programs and regattas. Nick Sharman and James Grogan were named Youth Sailors of the Year and selected to represent Australia at December’s World Youth Championships in Auckland. Sophie Ciszek was named Yachting Victoria’s Female Sailor of the Year. This follows her success as a competitor in the 2015-16 All Women’s team in the Volvo Around-the-World Ocean Race. John Mills, Tanya Lawton and Jason Ettridge…

MORE than 1550 jobs are expected to be created in the disability sector in the Bayside and Mornington Peninsula regions over the next three years. A report by the National Disability Insurance Agency on the impact of the National Disability Insurance Scheme says the number of people working in disability care is expected to double by 2020. At that time the scheme is expected to allow people with a disability to have a greater say in their own support. Victorian NDS state manager David Moody said the jobs boom will be powered by demographics and the rollout of the NDIS…

THE lure of the Outback is calling long-standing Variety Club Big Bash contestants John Crossin, John Mackie and Geoff Adshead. The Mornington men are looking forward to another drive with their “family of 320 people from all walks of life” when they head for Darwin, Wednesday 10 August, and – hopefully – arrive at the Top End, Saturday 20 August. The drive takes in scenic country from Mildura to Wilpena Pound, Coober Pedy, Eridunda, Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, Tennant Creek and Katherine. Over the past 13 years the men’s Car 86 has raised $242,000 for special needs kids on its…

PARKS Victoria says it has “full confidence in the structural integrity and longevity of Mornington pier” despite losing nine wave screen panels, top deck planking, handrails and a seat in a storm two weeks ago. The 15 tonne concrete panels were torn from the pier during the Tuesday 12 July storm when 60 knot winds were recorded. Port Phillip and Westernport chief ranger Reece Taranto said damage was restricted to the wave panels attached to the $18 million pier – not the structure itself. He said a marine contractor made an early morning assessment the day after the storm and…

A MT ELIZA mother has taken a stand after being  “horrified” at the number of drivers disobeying road rules, ignoring 40kph school speed zones and disregarding flags at school crossings. When her daughter was nearly run over at the unmanned crossing near Mt Eliza Secondary School, Jo Kidder decided to form the Mt Eliza Community Safety Group. It was a cry from the heart which many in the community are now heeding. Ms Kidder wrote to the police, school and Mornington Peninsula Shire to get things moving. In her letter she said: “These cars are coming from the village up…

WE call special attention to an advertisement in another column announcing the holding of a Public meeting at the Mechanics’ Hall, Frankston, on Thursday, August 4th at 8 p.m., to commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration of the War by England.   The meeting will be held in response to a request from the Premier of Victoria, that meetings should be held at the Centres throughout the whole State to commemorate the event.   After two years of this ghastly war, waged by the Allies for freedom, truth, justice and the fulfilment of honorable agreements between nations, it is fitting…

PENINSULA LEAGUE LANGWARRIN proved once again on Saturday that it is not far off becoming a consistent competitive outfit after leading all afternoon to beat Pines. The Kangaroos, who again had five Under 19s playing, jumped out of the blocks and snatched an early lead, one that they didn’t give up for the entire match. Karingal assistant coach Leigh Poholke told the RPP Footy Show on Saturday morning that he thought the Kangaroos could “get the Pythons on the outside with their leg speed on the open spaces of Lloyd Park”. Poholke was absolutely right. Many say that Langwarrin should…

NEPEAN LEAGUE RYE’S season is over. The Demons are now a game and a half outside of the MPNFL Nepean Division top five, as well as a whopping 31 per cent after being humiliated by Rosebud by more than 100 points on Saturday. After a mid-season slump that saw them look right out of contention, Rye responded to public criticism and got themselves back into the finals hunt. However, a loss last week against an emotionally-charged Devon Meadows and then a 102 point belting on Saturday has ended their season. This is the second season in succession that the Demons…

Entry into all Mornington Peninsula News Group competitions published in print, online or social media is free. Entries must be submitted by the due date and time as requested in the individual competitions as follows… Entry is open to Australian residents over the age of 18 years only, excluding employees of the promoter, publisher and associated parties. Competition entry opening and closing dates as outlined in each specific printed/posted competition. Winners are selected at Random. Winners for print competitions will be notified by phone/mail/email, online competitions by email and Social Media competitions by private messaging on Facebook/Instagram and noted on the…