Day: June 4, 2018

PAST Peninsula Surfriders Club champions Calum Nicholson and Mikey Barber set the performance bars high at the Peninsula Surfriders second aggregate competition on Saturday 26 May. A breaching Southern Wright whale signified the start of the competition which returned to Gunnamatta’s first carpark, as Cal Nicolson took a narrow lead over his competitors early in the senior men’s division. His competitors weren’t able to reel him in, but the back-to-back heats took their toll on Nicholson in the Open final as he settled for fourth. An energised Mikey Barber took out first place, while Sean McDevitt and Lachy McDonald filled…

SOCCER LANGWARRIN coach Gus Macleod says Langy fans have much to look forward to after clinching the signature of attacking midfielder Mehdi Sarwari late last week. The 21-year old previously played with Melbourne City, Dandenong Thunder and Oakleigh Cannons. “He’s a huge signing for us, a very exciting player and I think the fans are going to like what they see,” Macleod said. Langwarrin also received clearances for central defender Lloyd Clothier (Malvern City) and goalkeeper Jeremy Sandoval (South Springvale) and they join Queensland strikers Chris Swain and Matt Heath in a strengthened first team squad. Heath is recovering from…

DIVISION TWO DROMANA’S undefeated start to the year nearly came undone in a scrappy contest at home, as they were almost overrun by a plucky Langwarrin side in MPNFL Division Two action on Saturday. Dromana, who pumped their opposition by over 100 points last week, started well to take a 13-point lead into quarter-time but were put on the back foot as Langwarrin struck back to cut the deficit to just one goal at the main break. The third quarter was all Dromana, but despite their dominance, they couldn’t punish Langwarrin on the scoreboard, as they only scored two goals…

DIVISION ONE SORRENTO have maintained their spot on the top of the MPNFL Division One ladder with a thrilling two-point victory over Edithvale-Aspendale on Saturday. The highly anticipated clash between the league’s first and third placed teams took place at Sorrento’s David Macfarlane Reserve, and it was the home side that came rushing out of the gates with a strong first term. Despite looking the stronger team with a two-goal lead at the first break, it took no time at all for Edithvale-Aspendale to work their way back into the contest, thanks in part to their accuracy in front of…

THIS weekend will see the sixth year of the Mornington Winter Music Festival, held both in venues and outdoors along sections of Main Street. Treat yourself to some of the ticketed or free awesome events from Friday 8th to Monday 10th June. Main Street Mornington is renowned for it’s great choice of dinning venues and during the festival, National and local bands will descend on Mornington to deliver superb entertainment which goes hand in hand with delicious food and wine! With 15 venues and over 35 acts there is something for everyone, and that doesn’t include the weekend lineup of…

A MEETING of the Frankston residents was held on 17th September, 1917, to decide upon a site on which to plant an honor avenue of trees, to commemorate the self–sacrifice and bravery of each true Frankstonite, who heard the call of his country in distress, and who hurried across the seas to stand in the ranks with the men of our dear Motherland, side by side with the just nations of the earth to stop the enemy in their dream of world supremacy. After the most painstaking deliberation and exhaustive discussion of the suitability of the various roads leading into…

TWO single mums who admit they would normally have trouble putting money aside for important expenses – such as their children’s education – are singing the praises of a savings plan backed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence. Small business woman Keli Wallace, of Mt Eliza, has three children and is saving for their education, and Fiona Castles, of Mt Martha, is saving for her child’s swimming lessons while she studies for a bachelor of social work. The women are among more than 1300 Mornington Peninsula and Frankston residents who have taken advantage of the Brotherhood’s Saver Plus program which…

MT ELIZA boxing trainer and fitness coach Ron Smith certainly “carries the reminders of ev’ry glove that laid him down …” as the song says. But the 74-year-old is much more than just a former amateur boxing champion: he was also a jockey, ultra-marathon runner, high rise construction site manager, government safety inspector and, more recently, a personal trainer with a strong local following. He is now an author with his autobiography The Boxer on sale at Petersen’s Bookstore, Hastings. Ron and his wife Sharyn run the Centre for Lifelong Health & Fitness and Mt Eliza Boxing Centre, in Kunyung…

TO the north, cliffs are eroding and sand has disappeared from the beach. In the south, the sand accumulates near a rocky headland. Balcombe Estuary effectively divides Mt Martha’s two beaches with differing fortunes. This state of play is reflected in the asking prices of beach boxes at the two beaches. While plans to shore up the cliffs with rocks at Mt Martha North beach have been put on hold until later this year, Mornington Peninsula Shire has announced it is developing a coastal management plan. The shire is inviting public comment “to support the improvement and management of the…

EIGHT fire trucks and 20 firefighters fought a fire at a house under construction in Mt Martha, 1.30pm, Thursday 31 May. The two- storey timber house in Park Road was well alight when crews from Mt Martha, Mornington, Dromana, Moorooduc and Bayswater brigades arrived. It took firefighters half an hour to bring the fire under control but some remained on the scene until about 6pm to ensure spot fires did not flare up again. Mornington Senior Station Officer Simon Mildren said the fire extended from ground level up into the roof. He said the cause was being investigated. First published…

A PLAN to oversee public access to The Pillars and identify ways to manage its hordes of visitors while protecting cultural and environmental values is up for public comment. Mornington Peninsula Shire acknowledges that the effect of visitors on the vulnerable site – and its impact on residents – is “still a major issue for council”. The mayor Cr Bryan Payne said given the increasing popularity of the site “we need to protect it from further impact”. “This plan aims to achieve this.” Input for the plan has so far come from DELWP, Parks Victoria, Bunurong Land Council, Victoria Police,…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have given themselves the right to get legal advice from lawyers other than those recommended by council officers. A $3 million legal services tender, which specifies six legal firms to be used by the shire for legal advice, was signed off on 6 March under delegation by council CEO Carl Cowie. Councillors at their Tuesday 22 May meeting voted to be able to “obtain legal advice from any legal firm it chooses” outside of the Legal Services Panel Tender. They also ordered “a formal and independent investigation” into the process that led to the appointment of…

MORNINGTON Peninsula fungi-foragers are being advised to watch out for poisonous mushrooms springing up after recent rains. Lisa Gray, of Somerville, said she found “loads” of deadly death cap mushrooms in her backyard last week – not long after her pet dog died of a heart attack. “It may be related,” she said on social media. Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Charles Guest said foragers risked picking up poisonous varieties which may appear similar to edible varieties. The warning comes as winter rains encourage the growth of fungi in the still-warm earth. Two of the most dangerous varieties are death…

POLICE have warned residents about scammers pretending to be from a government agency, including police. They said the scammers’ aim was to scare victims into parting with their money or personal information, threatening them with fines, taking them to court – even deportation. Those contacted unexpectedly and threatened by someone who says they’re from a government agency or trusted business, should always consider the possibility that it may be a scam – then stop and check if it’s for real, the police said. For more tips and information about these scams, where to get help or to report a scam,…

THE musician headlining the Melbourne Cabaret Festival credits former Eastbourne Primary School teacher Sally Walsh with his success. Drew Downing was a “quiet little boy who always sat in the front row in class”, said Ms Walsh, now teaching music at Boneo Primary and writing music for the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. “At age five you could tell he was going to be a musician because he was streets ahead of everyone else.” She was right. Downing says he knew he would become a professional musician by the time he left school and went on to study at Melbourne…

AMATEUR whale spotters are being called on to provide data on the number of whales swimming past the Mornington Peninsula. With the help of these citizen scientists the Two Bays Whale Project was last year able to estimate that 458 individual whales were seen in and around the peninsula and Port Phillip and Western Port bays. The project has been running since 2015 in collaboration between the Hastings-based Dolphin Research Institute and Wildlife Coast Cruises. Experts list the best land-based whale observation points in the Two Bays region as being Barwon Bluff; Port Phillip Heads; Cape Schanck; The Nobbies, Pyramid…

THE Hastings-based Dolphin Research Institute has a grand plan to improve and maintain the health of Port Phillip and Western Port bays. This week the DRI launches its “i sea, i care communities” project which, according to the institute’s executive director Jeff Weir “invites the five million of us living around the bays to commit to simple actions that will help to protect our marine treasures”. “If we can get only a fraction of us always picking up after our dog, reducing what we allow to drip, drop or blow into streets which is then flushed into the bay, then…

A FORUM held at Rosebud last week to discuss traffic noise and its effect on residents living near the Mornington Peninsula Freeway “went very well”. Organiser Wayne Ashley said there was a “full house” at the Rosebud Country Club, Wednesday 30 May. “We had a very good question time and a lot of ideas and issues to pursue,” Mr Ashley said. “Letters have been sent to the state health minister identifying the ongoing health issues emanating from increased traffic, pollution and noise causing health issues, anxiety, depression and dementia.” Mr Ashley said residents of Dromana, Rosebud, McCrae and Safety Beach…

OPPOSITION by the Greens to a parliamentary amendment that would have given the Mornington Peninsula its own planning statement has been described as “so lacking in common sense as to defy belief”. Peninsula Speaks co-founder Christine Haydon was furious after the Greens backed the Labor state government in opposing a Coalition planning and environment amendment which they believe would have given teeth to attempts to overturn an already implemented 11-metre, three-storey height limits. The contentious issue was the subject of several township meetings organised by Mornington Peninsula Shire over the past 12 months held to alert the community to the…

IT’S never too late for love. And the proof is in the eyes of a Rosebud couple who are planning to tie the knot at Sorrento this month. Shirley Ulmer and Michael Metherell – both well into their 80s  – will say “I do” at the Sorrento Historic Gardens rotunda on Saturday 23 June. The path to love for this active couple came through the U3A Southern Peninsula’s Happy Wanderers group. “We are in the U3A walking group and I’m a fast walker and didn’t usually see Mike,” Ms Ulmer said. “On the day we met, Mike was leading the…