Month: April 2017

A TOUCHING short film by Mt Eliza filmmaker Michael Raso will screen at the internationally renowned Cannes Film Festival next month. His six-minute entry, Solitude, sponsored by the American Pavilion of Emerging Filmmakers Showcase, is part of a “festival within a festival” highlighting the works of the “next generation of filmmakers”. It is among just 20 short films selected by a panel of industry judges to be screened at the Cannes showcase. Raso, 32, was inspired to make Solitude while waiting for a train at Junee, a picturesque country New South Wales train station. He decided to make a film…

A LIFE-CHANGING visit to Borneo to help rear endangered orangutans came about after a Somerville woman was asked to “do something for yourself”. Medical scientist Leonie Butler, of Somerville, said she had experienced the full “wife-mum-career thing” when her own mother suggested she take some time off and do something she really wanted to do. That led Ms Butler to spend most of March enriching the lives of captive orangutans and sun bears at the world renowned Samboja Lestari rescue centre in East Kalimantan. The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation is a 2000 hectare restored rainforest orangutan sanctuary created to provide…

A PAIR of wedge-tailed eagles has moved into Pearcedale and, with the birds’ known longevity, they are almost certain to be long term residents. The eagles are living in a specially-constructed aviary at Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park and cannot be released into the wild because of being domesticated while under treatment for injury. The 30-metre aviary is based on a raptor rehabilitation design that is free of any wire and includes slatted wooden sides and a seven-metre high dome with double netting, to ensure the huge birds – Australia’s largest birds of prey – do not injure themselves and…

By Teresa Murphy THE retro brown-brick facade remains and crowds still queue for fish ‘n’ chips at peak holiday times, but much has changed at Balnarring Beach’s general store. Now called Tulum Store, after Balnarring’s original name*, the historic store and cafe was reincarnated in 2016, closing for six months for extensive renovations and reopening for summer. It was a baptism by fire for new owner Cath Haylock, who oversaw the makeover with local tradies, created new menus, hired staff and dealt with the summer chaos – all while being a mum of two young kids. Tulum Store is a…

A MOTORCYCLIST who died after colliding with a minibus on French Island on Sunday 23 April was not wearing a helmet. Leading Senior Constable Lauren McNiece, of Somerville Highway Patrol, said the man, 27, of French Island, was riding east along Tankerton Rd around a left-hand bend when he crashed into a minibus travelling west, 4.20pm. She said speed may have been a factor as the motorcyclist appeared to have been unable to take the bend on the dirt road before running head on into the minibus. He was not wearing a helmet and died at the scene. The driver of…

PLANS to redevelop the former Masters’ site in Mornington into a 4250 square metre supermarket, six retail outlets over 6950 square metres and a 100 square metre cafe, has received strong backing from Mornington Peninsula Shire officers. The application, by Home Investment Consortium Company, will be discussed at the Wednesday 26 April Mornington Shire Council meeting. A report by planning services team leader David McPherson considered the “strategic justification” of a supermarket exceeding the “as-of-right” 1800 square metre floor area; changes to the Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme by the state government; the impact the use would have upon other activity…

THE not-for-profit club which has been running Devilbend Golf Course for the past 43 years may be sidelined to make way for a commercial manager. Mornington Peninsula Shire officers have told councillors that appointing a manager for the 18-hole golf course in Loders Rd, Moorooduc would create “a reasonable commercial return to council”. The recommendation to advertise for a manager follows a request for renewal of its 21-year lease by the 450-member Devilbend Golf Club. The club has six full time and seven part time staff and last year showed a net operating profit of $71,642 from a turnover of…

PENINSULA LEAGUE KARINGAL champion Michael Burke played his 300th game on Sunday against Frankston YCW. The six-time best and fairest winner, premiership player and league medallist became only the 18th player in MPNFL history to be awarded life membership for 300 games. Burke joined the likes of Guy Stringer, Robert Jackson, Daniel Smith, Gordon Hendry, Mark Hustwaite, Brendan Long and Brett Wright in the elite and prestigious 300 club. Burke has captained and coached Karingal FC and his loyalty has never wavered. The godfather of Karingal FC, Daniel ‘Digger’ Watts, aptly described Burke as the most loyal, honest, humble and…

NEPEAN LEAGUE RED Hill made it two wins on the trot on Saturday when it dominated for much of the afternoon to beat Rosebud at Olympic Park for the first time since 1985. Rosebud led inside the first minute of the match when Keegan Downie goaled but from that moment on, it was all Red Hill. The Hillmen’s dominance from the half back line and blistering pace through the middle of the ground was just too much for the Buds to handle. The inevitable match-up between Red Hill’s Chris Irving and Rosebud’s Greg Bentley did take place from the first…

MR R. T. Picking and family, after spending the summer months in Frankston, have removed to their residence at Glen Huntly. *** THERE was a good attendance at the “Australian” Club dance on Saturday evening last, the financial result of which should add materially to the funds. *** THE Floral Fete in aid of the Church of England funds, was opened in the hall, Frankston, on Friday afternoon, and will continue this afternoon and evening. A meeting of the members of the Frankston Branch of the National Federation will, be held in the Mechanics’ Institute, on Monday next. Members are…

THE old rule that nurses “live in” during their training years ago forged bonds which are still strong today. This was apparent when 35 out of a group of 50 former nurses at the Royal Melbourne Hospital met in Mornington earlier this month for 50-year reunion celebrations. They included an open house at Maureen O’Brien’s home near Fisherman’s Beach, a cocktail lunch at the Royal Hotel the next day and an afternoon tea at Chris Knott’s home in Rye the day after. “Discipline was harsh when we began training in April 1967,” Ms O’Brien recalled. “The hours were long and…

THE Mornington lodge of Freemasons Victoria last week gave $10,000 to help the Luke Batty Foundation’s advocacy for “a government that supports and respects victims of domestic violence, and holds perpetrators accountable”. The donation was accepted at the lodge in Barkly St on Thursday 20 April by Rosie Batty whose son Luke was killed by his father Greg Anderson at cricket practice, on Wednesday 12 February 2014. Since the Luke Batty Foundation’s inception, Ms Batty has continued to be a voice for victims while campaigning for systemic change, by ensuring family and domestic violence remains a priority on the political…

PATIENTS and staff at Peninsula Health’s The Mornington Centre have made a poppy trail for the Mornington Secondary College’s WWI avenue of honour as part of the school’s Anzac Day celebrations. “I think it’s very clever and it’s nice to do something in remembrance of Anzac Day,” said patient Audrey Whelan. Jenny Mann, of Mornington, encouraged patients at the centre to get involved, along with students from local schools and visitors to the store, as she wanted to “do something special” to commemorate Anzac Day. “I wanted to get different members of the community involved so it’s a community poppy…

LEARNING the ropes takes on a new meaning when it’s backed by a court order. For the past 10 years many young offenders have been “sentenced” to teaming up with police to take on the challenges posed by a giant swing and tree top ropes. And the results, according to the Ropes Program organisers at the YMCA’s Camp Manyung, Mt Eliza, is that 90 per cent of the young participants have not reoffended. The program was established under a partnership between Victoria Police, Dandenong Children’s Court, Sport and Recreation Victoria and YMCA Camp Manyung to give first time offenders under…

ALAN Day, pictured, was last week again preparing to join the ranks of veterans being driven around the MCG before the traditional Anzac Day clash between Collingwood and Essendon. It is the second time that he has been invited to be a passenger aboard the cavalcade of cars once reserved for veterans of the Gallipoli landings. However, with survivours of that campaign long since gone, the role has fallen to survivors of other landings. In Mr Day’s case it was Balikpapan on the east coast of Borneo when the Australian Seventh Division struck on 1 July, 1945; he represents all…

IT’s just a hat – a Digger’s slouch hat – but the memories it stirs in Mornington veteran Laurie Hill go back 70 years to the dark days of World War II. Mr Hill, 91, joined the Australian Imperial Forces in 1943 – a month after his 18th birthday – among five of six brothers who enlisted and who all returned home safely. An infantry signaller in the jungles of Bougainville, Papua-New Guinea, he recalls daring escapades, including tying up a Japanese prisoner with signalling wire and tapping into Japanese phone lines to eavesdrop on enemy communications. He fondly recalls…

INFORMATION panels at Red Hill Station Reserve tell the story of the area which has become a hub for families, walkers, and bike and horse riders. The panels were put up by Manton and Stony Creeks Landcare Group and Red Hill Community Association. Historical information came from the Shire’s Bittern – Red Hill Railway Conservation Management Plan 2014 with old photos provided by the Dromana and District Historical Society. The park was opened in January last year after a large number of wilding Monterey pines and woody weeds were removed and the area was revegetated with 2000 indigenous plants. It…

THE Hastings Cricket and Football Social Club is contesting plans by Mornington Peninsula Shire to increase its rent by more than 900 per cent. The club says it “cannot be a signatory” to the proposed lease as it is “a contradiction of the Gambling Act (2003)”. Councillors last month agreed to increase the annual rent for the club’s Marine Pde, Hastings, premises – which also houses gaming machines run by The Hastings Club – from $4000 to $42,234 for the first year of a new 21-year lease (“Rent rise tied to pokies”, The News 11/4/17). The club will then face…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is expected to approve changes to its planning scheme to allow a two-storey ferry terminal to be built at Sorrento. The terminal is part of a $30 million proposal by Searoad Ferries to extend and update buildings and car parks at both Sorrento and Queenscliff. Under present zonings the transport terminal at Sorrento should be run by Parks Victoria, but the shire is likely to agree to amend the planning scheme and override the prohibition. The proposed terminal will be 9.5 metres high and include a cafe, shop, souvenir shop, “Museum at the Bay” and offices for…

The Wittingslow family have released the following statement after the tragic news of the death of a boy injured on Easter Monday at the Rye Carnival *** It is with great sadness that we confirm that the child injured in the accident at Rye on Easter Monday 17th April has passed away this morning. Our hearts and sincerest thoughts remain firmly with his family at this sad time, as well as their friends and extended family here and in New Zealand. We grieve with them and we are doing everything we can to ensure everyone gets the support they need.…

A HASTINGS man will be charged with failing to stop and render assistance after his car collided with a pedestrian in Coolstore Rd, Hastings 6.55pm, Monday 17 April 2017. Sergeant Peter Martin, of Somerville Highway Patrol, said the man, 30, claimed he swerved to avoid a dog just before the incident. The victim, 23, of Langwarrin, suffered life threatening injuries when he was struck, just east of Wallace Drive. He was flown to The Alfred hospital with life-threatening injuries and was in a critical condition on Tuesday. The driver attended Hastings police station soon afterwards and alerted police. Investigators were…

THE state government says banning dogs from the coastal Mornington Peninsula National Park has already proved its worth in protecting the endangered hooded plover. Parks Victoria says eight chicks survived the most recent breeding season compared with one two seasons ago. The controversial dog ban was put in place along the 42 kilometre coastline in November 2016 to protect the hooded plover and its habitat. Banning dogs has also enabled Parks Victoria to extend fox control programs to help protect the 32 other fauna species of conservation significance that also inhabit the park. Parks Victoria is undertaking regular targeted patrols…

THE refurbished Annie Sage Community Centre includes three community meeting spaces, kitchen, two child and family health consulting rooms, office and toilet and storage space. The refurbishment included replacing the roof, and adding a new facade and entry porch. This project received $270,000 from the state government’s Growing Suburbs Fund, $496,000 from Mornington Peninsula Shire and $75,000 from Somerville Community House. The centre at 21 Blacks Camp Rd, Somerville, is the new home of the Somerville Community House after the burning down of Somerville Recreation Centre. It houses the shire’s maternal and child health team, which provides services to about…

RESIDENTS of Peninsula Parklands, Hastings are preparing to commemorate Anzac Day even though age may be wearying some of them. There are 340 residents at the High St retirement village and last year some of them found it physically hard to attend the town’s official Anzac Day march and ceremonies. This year they will be at a ceremony in their own community hall, which is also being used to exhibit a display of wartime memorabilia, including medals and a set of World War I cavalry spurs worn by a soldier from Somerville. Background music from the wartime era will help…

SPANISH classical guitarist Matthew Fagan and pianist Isaac Mouskovias will perform classical music at its emotive and technical best at 3pm, Sunday 30 April, at St Johns Church, 23 King St, Flinders. The 10-string classical guitar and concert piano will feature arrangements by Vivaldi, Rodrigo’s Guitar Concierto de Aranjuez and Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Also featuring is Mouskovias baritone voice in Celtic and English folk songs arranged for the Spanish guitar and voice, including the Water is Wide, Scarborough Fair, Greensleeves, She Moved Through the Fair and more. The classical, flamenco and Celtic program will be performed with passion, renewed vigour…

A NEW memorial will be unveiled during Tuesday’s Anzac service at Balnarring. The memorial comes four years after Commander Matt Keogh, above, discovered that there was no official place set aside to honour the more than 35 people from Balnarring and district who “were sent to fight for the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) in World War I – seven never returned”. “The only acknowledgement of their sacrifices is a list of names on honour boards located in the Balnarring hall and in St Marks Church,” Commander Keogh said. “I felt that they, and those who followed them in subsequent conflicts…

PENINSULA LEAGUE FRANKSTON YCW got the chocolates on Good Friday against Mt Eliza and once again stamped themselves as the team to beat in Peninsula Division. Billed as the grand final replay, the Stonecats completely controlled the game for all but five minutes in the second quarter when Mt Eliza kicked three unanswered goals to open up a 19 point break. By the end of the first term, the Redlegs didn’t add to their onslaught while the Stonecats dominated and booted 4.8 to lead by 12 points at the big break. The margin was 12 points at three quarter time…

NEPEAN LEAGUE FORMER Sydney Swans premiership captain Barry Hall booted eight goals for Pearcedale in its thrilling five point victory against Frankston Bombers on Saturday. ‘Big, bad, bustling’ Barry lived up to all the hype and excitement, putting the Dales in front after converting a right foot snap with less than a minute left in the match. It was a fitting conclusion to what was a high-quality contest. Pearcedale led for much of the afternoon, thanks largely to the conversion of Hall, who booted his eight goals from just eight kicks. The final score was 18.3 (111) to 15.16 (106).…

SOCCER By Craig MacKenzie WHILE Mornington has been forced to call off the Josh Hine deal Skye United was welcoming the arrival of English recruit Jacob Scotte-Hatherly. Skye United officials greeted the 22-year-old midfielder at Melbourne Airport last Wednesday night and are excited about what he could bring to the State 3 South-East side. Scotte-Hatherly’s last club was Bovey Tracey AFC in Division 1 East of the South West Peninsula League and the attacking midfielder from Newton Abbot in South Devon has won two player-of-the-match awards in just nine appearances this season after joining the club in late December. He…

IT is a regrettable fact that thirteen dinner knives, which had been lent for the occasion, mysteriously disappeared while the entertainment of French soldiers, was in progress, on Sunday, last. Two songs “My little Gray Home in the West” and “Coming Home” are also missing. This kind of thing is contemptible in the extreme and will be well guarded against on future occasions. *** The report of the Mornington Shire Council’s last meeting will appear in our next issue. *** The Church of England Floral Fete will be opened at 3 30.p.m, on Friday next, in the Mechanics’ Hall. ***…