A WATERLOGGED kangaroo rescued by two policemen in rough seas off Safety Beach on Saturday afternoon was happily “hopping around” at a cosy refuge on Monday, a carer said. Animalia wildlife rescue group president Michelle Thomas said she collected the distressed male roo from the Rosebud police station lock up later that evening, Saturday 27 October, and took him to a specialised kangaroo shelter for some much-needed TLC. The roo’s bayside rescue, by Rosebud police Sergeant Chris Russo and Senior Sergeant Kirby Tonkin, who stripped off and waded into the waves, made TV news bulletins on Saturday night. Ms Thomas…
Month: October 2018
A COLOURFUL hardback described by ABC gardening guru Peter Cundall as “the ultimate book on tomatoes, brimming with information based on experience” is about to be launched in Hastings. Tomato: know, sow, grow, feast by Somers author Penny Woodward specifically celebrates Australian heirloom tomatoes which she describes as “colourful gems full to bursting with juicy deliciousness and enjoying a renaissance in Australia today”. The book aims to lead experienced and aspiring gardeners through the practice of organic heirloom tomato growing and explores the history of heirloom tomato varieties in Australia. Summing up, Cundall added: “The book covers everything anyone ever…
Flinders MP Greg Hunt took the first steps on a planned 500 kilometre walk on Monday. The walk around his Flinders electorate will no doubt be a welcome change to the past few months in Canberra which saw him fail to attain the deputy leadership in the bid for the top job by Peter Dutton. In the turmoil that followed, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was eventually replaced as the leader of the Liberals, and Australia, by former treasurer Scott Morrison. Both Mr Hunt and Mr Dutton were subsequently reappointed to their respective portfolios – health for Mr Hunt and home…
PENINSULA MOOROODUC have failed to make the most of a poor Long Island innings as the first two day clashes of the 2018/19 MPCA season took place. Andrew Tweddle top scored for Long Island with a lowly score of 17, as Moorooduc bowler Reece Cordeaux starred by running through the top order and claiming figures of 4/23 with 7 maidens. Long Island ended up all out for 75, but were let off the hook by a shaky Moorooduc, who lost their first two wickets for 4 runs. Moorooduc finished the day at 5/98. At Ditterich Reserve Crib Point were sent…
SOCCER BAXTER and Frankston Pines have hit the ground running with preparations for next season. Last week Baxter announced that Robert Mathieson was the new assistant to head coach George Hughes while the makeover of the Pines squad by gaffer Kevin “Squizzy” Taylor got underway in earnest. Mathieson played with Mulgrave, Croydon, Springvale City and Dandenong City before joining Langwarrin 27 years ago eventually becoming a long-serving assistant to legendary senior coach Gus Macleod. He spoke to other local clubs before accepting an offer from Baxter gaffer George Hughes. “I get on well with George and we share the same…
SOUTHERN Peninsula Sharks director of coaching, Gerard Hillier, has taken the Australian Youth Girls three-by-three team all the way to a bronze medal at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Thursday 18 October. The youth girls side, made up of Suzi-Rose Deegan, Sara-Rose Smith, Ruby Porter and Alexandra Fowler, secured Australia’s first piece of international silverware in three-by-three basketball with a 16-13 victory over top-ranked China in the bronze medal game. The Australian side entered the tournament which went for almost two weeks as the last women’s seed (20th) and sat at 36th in the world rankings prior…
AUSTRALIAN body builder and owner of Empire Fitness gym in Rosebud, Paul Jayilian, will be travelling to America to defend his WFF NABBA World Title on Saturday 3 November. Jayilian, 43, has been competing in the sport of body building since 2008, and has spent the past five years undefeated on the national and international circuit. The former kick boxer said he is super confident heading into this year’s world championships. “I think I’ve got it covered,” he said. “I’ve just had a slight change in diet and training heading into this year’s one but I’ve put on probably 6kgs.…
MORNINGTON-based trainer, Wez Hunter, will be out to keep his unbeaten run this season at Mornington alive, as his talented gelding Call It A Day lines up in the Peninsula Cup (1600m). Despite stepping up to the distance for the first time, Hunter is confident Call It A Day can keep the hot-streak going in the Peninsula Cup. “His record on his home track is really good, and he’s had three starts [this preparation] for two wins and a second,” he said. “He’ll drop to the minimum and it’ll be his first time at the mile, but his form around…
ACCORDING to present calculations the naval base at Westernport will be supplied with water by the new year. While the main efforts of the Water Commission have been concentrated on providing the supply for the naval base, regard has been made for the needs of towns on the route of the service, and it has been found that the whole of the area as far as Mentone at least fall naturally within the scheme. It has now been agreed to extend the scheme northwards so as to include a supply to the whole of Mordialloc and Mentone. *** WE are…
BACK in April, Basketball Victoria ran a competition for the best redesign of the Hoop Time All Star grand final winner and runners up t-shirts for 2018. Getting into the action, two Mt Eliza Primary School year 6 pupils printed off entry forms and handed them out to their peers. Principal Brett Bell signed off on all the forms and entries were sent away. This month the school was told a design by Will Leonard had been chosen as the winner. This led to the school being treated to a day of basketball clinics and a visit from the Melbourne…
THE state government is handing the German supermarket chain Kaufland an “unfair advantage over local shops by going around local government planning processes”, a rival operator has claimed. Co-owner of Mt Martha SUPA IGA for 30 years Rod Allen – who is president of the MGA Independent Retailers – said the retail giant had “completely bypassed six local councils and communities and had taken its proposal to re-zone land direct to the state government by lobbying planning minister Richard Wynne”. The MGA is a national retailer association whose 2700 members include independent supermarkets and stand-alone liquor stores across Australia. Mr…
THOUSANDS of Poppy Appeal volunteers all around Victoria – including from Mornington RSL sub-branch – will begin selling the iconic red poppies soon with all proceeds going to support needy current and former service men and women. RSL Victoria is hoping to raise $3 million in this year’s appeal, with 2018 marking 100 years since the guns fell silent on the Western Front ending what became known as the Great War. Poppies were among the first plants to bloom in the war-ravaged fields of France and Belgium and, since 1921, they have been used to remember those who fell during…
THE milestone of welcoming half a million visitors to the Arthurs Seat Eagle was reached on October 21. The attraction has been soaring the heights of Arthurs Seat on the Mornington Peninsula since December 2016. With guests enjoying the scenic views across Port Phillip Bay and beyond as they ride the state of the art gondolas from the base station near Dromana passing over beautiful State Park to the summit, 314 metres above sea level. “This is such an accomplishment for The Eagle, after less than two years in operation we have welcomed our 500,000th guest.” said Madonna Walters, General…
By Cat Nadel AGL will have to do more to convince the Western Port community if it wants us to believe that a 300 metre, toxic gas import terminal at Crib Point is either safe or necessary. Claims that daily dumping of 450,000,000 litres of cold and chlorinated water will have no impact on the bay’s marine environment are misleading, unproven and designed only to benefit AGL’s business interests. A recent Australian Marine Ecology report commissioned by Environment Victoria and the Victorian National Parks Association uncovered serious omissions and inaccuracies in AGL’s “experts reports.” It found AGL’s report on chlorine…
PSYCHOLOGIST Vanessa Thiele has chosen to use a dog as the main character of a book aimed at fostering children’s “social and emotional intelligence, work ethic and grit”. Thiele says these are “mindset skills that are of particular interest to parents and teachers”. The man vehicle for these character traits is Biggles, a Jack Russell. In real life Biggles “worked” on farms for 15 years alongside Thiel’s husband Tim and his brother. “Tim worked all over the Mornington Peninsula and had lots of clients, many of who would remember Biggles,” Thiele, who practices in Hastings, says. “I was inspired to…
Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors have given themselves the right to stay in five-star accommodation. An amendment to the Councillor Expenses Reimbursement, Resources and Facilities Policy adopted at the Tuesday 23 October council meeting allows councillors to be reimbursed for “accommodation at a five star venue when they are also attending a conference or event in their official capacity at the same five star venue”. A report by senior policy advisor Anthea Hastie said it was “important that the councillor role attracts and retains a wide cross section of people and the policy recognises individual needs and circumstance”. The policy being…
Contract managers at Mornington Peninsula Shire have been banned from accepting “gifts, benefits or hospitality” from companies or individuals supplying the tens of millions of dollars in goods or services bought each year by the shire. The shire has tightened up the rules to avoid conflicts of interest between staff and suppliers following internal audits and receipt of a probity report of its buying and contract procedures. Gifts that have been offered and declined must be recorded in the staff gift register. Staff and advisors directly involved with any tender evaluation panel will need to declare “any relationships or connections…
THE threatened felling of a large pine tree at the rear of a Rosebud property has neighbours fearing for the plight of an active magpie nest. Kerry-Anne Ledwidge, of The Broadway, who lives next door to the property, says the tree is slated for removal to make way for houses – a common occurrence in the developing suburb. Australian Wildlife Protection Council secretary Eve Kelly said while regulations required a permit from the Mornington Peninsula Shire to remove vegetation, the protection of wildlife was covered by the Wildlife and Cruelty to Animals acts. “I would like to know how these…
FOUR of the five board members of the Seawinds Community Hub have resigned in what is being described as a “turbulent” period for the centre which opened in 2012. This follows the lodging of a petition with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council signed by 78 volunteers, staff, and members of community groups unhappy with events leading up to the departure of former CEO Martin Cowling. The petitioners said they were “concerned with the current board and the perceived discrepancies between what the board wants and what the volunteers, employees and community groups of the Seawinds Community Hub want for the operations…
ROSEBUD Astral and the Rosebud Theatre Group will be presenting a joint theatrical event next month that the cast says is “not to be missed”. The merged theatre group is presenting The Bald Soprano – a play with only one performance … but there’s a kicker. It goes for 30 hours straight and is an officially recognised Guinness World record attempt for being the world’s longest play. Pre-sale tickets are available for the launch and for the finale, and walk-in tickets are $5 at all other times. The show is directed by Brendan Croft and the entire event is run…
Rosebud police were on hand at Safety Beach on Saturday afternoon to give a lost kangaroo a second chance. They responded to numerous calls that a kangaroo was in the water just off Marine Drive about 5pm yesterday. The kangaroo had made it back to the beach upon their arrival and had been covered in a blanket by a member of the public. Police were monitoring it but it decided to turn around and hop back into the surf. It began to swim but got into difficulty in the swell and breaking waves and went under water a couple of…
Police have arrested Caleb Pavlovic who was wanted on warrant after he allegedly escaped from the Frankston Magistrates’ Court yesterday (23 October). The 20-year-old Hastings man had been remanded in custody and was awaiting transfer from court when he allegedly ran from the court complex about 4pm. Pavlovic was arrested in Hastings just before 1am on Tuesday 24 October.
Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate Caleb Pavlovic. A warrant has been issued for the 20-year-old’s arrest after he escaped from Frankston Magistrates’ Court this afternoon. The Hastings man had been remanded in custody and was awaiting transfer from court when he escaped from the court complex about 4pm. He was last seen running along Beach Street towards the Frankston railway station. Police have released an image of Caleb in the hope someone recognises him and can provide information on his whereabouts. Anyone who sees Caleb or has details on his whereabouts is advised not to approach…
By Kelly Parkinson AGL’s Crib Point gas import jetty aims to help bring more affordable gas to Victoria, in a safe and environmentally responsible way. From the start, we’ve been clear. We will follow all assessment requirements that are asked of us by the Victorian government and all regulatory bodies. AGL has always been comfortable being held to these standards. Our sense of urgency on this project has always been driven by concern for security of supply of gas for the years ahead. As with all AGL projects, we take community consultation seriously. Since announcing Crib Point as the preferred…
A CRIB Point woman whose now-adult son was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at age seven has written a book about her experiences. “We had many years of behavioural issues that left me wondering what I was doing wrong as a parent,” Elsie Bourke said. “I was often told he was ‘just naughty’, but knew in my heart that this wasn’t true and there had to be an underlying issue. “With the diagnosis, I made it my mission to find out all I could about ADHD and began to keep my own notebook of what worked and what…
“SUPERNATURAL encounters” being held at Crib Point may not suit the faint-hearted. “Evenings of spiritual connection, magic, crystals and music” being run by professional medium Shirley Sienna Coventry allow her to “utilise her mediumistic self to communicate and bridge the worlds of living and those in the spirit world”. The Crib Point resident says her “highly accurate and intuitive psychic abilities” enable her to help people connect with their spirit guides, discover their higher selves and explore past life experiences. The spiritual world is a familiar place for Ms Coventry, who says she was born into a family which was…
Temporary works to protect cliffs at Mt Martha North Beach from erosion by the sea and the public from landslides have been finished. If the work passes a “practical completion inspection” this week control of the beach will be handed back to Mornington Peninsula Shire. Access to the beach and beach boxes was closed during the works contracted by the Department of Environment, Land, water and Planning (DELWP). “The temporary works involved placing large rocks and a geotextile at the foot of the cliff to prevent high tides from further eroding the bottom of the cliff, and to provide protection…
BALNARRING residents describe an aged care home planned for their street as “an invasion”. Janet Eyles, who hosted a residents’ meeting last week, said they believed the building of an Arcare 75-bed aged care home in Brooksby Square was “quite unsuitable for our street as it is a quiet residential area”. She said she and her husband Phil had door-knocked the 30 homes in the street and found all residents “overwhelmingly disapproved” of the proposal. “One question that came up was why the main entrance was in Brooksby Square? The main entrance should be in Balnarring Road,” she said. Plans…
THE Mornington trainers made their presence felt at Caulfield for Blue Sapphire day by claiming back-to-back stakes races on Wednesday 17 October. Written By, for Pinecliff-based trainer Grahame Begg, continued his unbeaten preparation and maintained his undefeated status at Caulfield by claiming the $350,000 Group Three Blue Sapphire Stakes at his second run back from a spell. The Group One Blue Diamond winner bought up his fourth victory from four starts at the track and continued his progression towards the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on Saturday 3 November. The three-year-old son of Written Tycoon scored a comfortable…
QUEENSLAND-based professional golfer Aaron Pike has won his first professional tournament, taking out the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort on Sunday 14 October. Pike, who began the final round two shots off the lead, shot 2-under 68 to finish at 10-under the card with rounds of 71, 65, 66 and 68. It was far from a straightforward finish however, as he faced a nervous wait as New Zealander Ryan Chisnall played the 18th hole in the group behind needing a birdie to force a playoff. Chisnall could only manage par giving Pike the biggest win of his…