Primrose’s pain: A hernia on Primrose has been operated on, and she is recovering well. Pictures: Supplied A CHARITY helping dogs who need life saving treatment has accused Frankston Council of cutting off communication with them after accepting their donation. Primrose was impounded by Frankston Council after being found with a huge growth next to her stomach, and council called charity service Rescued with Love to help pay for the necessary surgery. Rescued with Love founder Kae Norman said that Council cut off communication with the organisation once they accepted a $2000 donation for the dog’s surgery and had a…
Month: January 2019
Former Liberal MP Julia Banks is rumoured to be considering standing against her former colleague, Flinders MP Greg Hunt in this year’s federal election. Ms Banks told The News two weeks ago that she had yet to make up her mind “on my next steps”. Mr Hunt, the health minister, has held Flinders for the Liberals since 2001. The seat was previously held for the party by Peter Reith. The Labor Party is expected this week to announce the name of its candidate for the election expected in May. Recent polling reported by a Melbourne daily newspaper last weekend showed…
POWER company AGL’s corporate logo is increasingly being attached to a growing number of community activities on the Mornington Peninsula. As well as sponsoring the Hastings Gift foot race in November, the company has bought the naming rights to the Peninsula Film Festival (at Rosebud on Saturday, 2 February) and the following day’s Musiqua Festival on Hastings foreshore. The Mornington Peninsula News Group, publisher of this newspaper, is also a major sponsor of the film festival. AGL says it is “common” for it to be approached for support by groups “when we start operating in a community”. AGL spokesperson Mike…
A MAN extensively damaged the United service station at Tyabb yesterday (Tuesday) by driving a utility through the front glass doors and windows. The ute did a three point turn inside the shop before being driven off. Owner Simarjeet Virdi said CCTV showed the older model, dark-coloured, single cab tray ute with bull bar ramming four glass panels three times bringing down shelving and part of the ceiling, 4.30am, Tuesday 29 January. The extent of the damage was unclear but Mr Virdi said it could be $15,000-$20,000. He said he knew of no reason for the incident at the service…
MORNINGTON Cycling Club member Jack Marshall took on some of the country’s brightest talent in the 2019 Road National Championships at Ballarat on Friday 5 January. The Joel Hawkins scholarship holder had been dreaming of riding in the race for the past year and as a bottom aged under-23 rider, the experience of competing at such an elite level had always been the goal. Marshall missed the cut for the under-19s by just a few months but held his own in the older age group despite getting caught up in a crash along with most of the field. “My plan…
MORNINGTON-based racehorse trainer Jerome Hunter scored his third career stakes victory with speedy sprinter, Belwazi, at Flemington headquarters on Saturday 19 January. On her first attempt up the Flemington straight, the five-year-old mare put pay to her group performed rivals to score a half-length victory in the $140,000 Listed Kensington Stakes (1000m) over equal favourites, Glenall and Champagne Cuddles. Belwazi was a late-nomination for the race but it was a decision that has clearly paid off for trainer Jerome Hunter. “It had been three weeks between runs and I wanted her to go to something else but there just wasn’t…
HOT Shots kids from the Mount Eliza Tennis Club had what can only be described as a “memorable day” at the Australian Open on Friday 18 January. As part of the Australian Open’s Kids on Court experience, 10 lucky juniors were given the opportunity to have a hit on show court seven prior to the round two match-ups as well as gaining ground passes for the day. Unfortunately their on-court experience wasn’t to be with the courts getting hit with rain throughout the morning. But with their bad luck also came good luck as they unexpectedly got the chance to…
SOCCER IT’S Mornington’s dream team and the one that the Seagulls hope will take them into the upper echelons of Victoria’s elite club competition. Senior coach Adam Jamieson calls himself “a winner” and assistant Nathan Peel calls himself “a builder”. They both have strong grounds to support their claims, Jamieson having won championships with Mornington and bringing a high expectation of success to the club while Peel has earned a reputation as one of the pre-eminent teachers and developers of young players in the local game. Peel’s CV says it all having played as a professional with Preston North End,…
CRICKETERS again donned the white uniforms as two day cricket returned this weekend. Carrum got off to a dream start against Seaford, putting together a brilliant first innings total of 5/259. Corey Hand scored 86 runs, while John Mitchell scored 99 not out, hitting 10 boundaries along the way. Seaford will have a big task ahead of them to catch up next week. The bowlers were in fine form at Delacombe Park on Saturday, as the home side battled Heatherhill in a low scoring clash. Heatherhill won the toss and chose to bat first, putting 112 runs on the board…
AUSTRALIAN singer – songwriter, Ella Hooper will lead known and loved acts during an afternoon of great music on Sunday Feb 3 at Musiqua, a new live music event kicking off for the first time at the Hastings Foreshore Reserve. Hooper is heralded for her impressive Aussie rock story from childhood to contemporary shows and gigs. Originally from Violet Town in country Victoria, she was the lead singer of Killing Heidi when they won triple J’s Unearthed competition in 1996 at the age of 13. The decade that followed saw the release of three studio albums, a handful of ARIAs…
SYDNEY based brothers, Oliver and Louis Leimbach of Lime Cordiale are excited to announce their first headline shows of 2019. The MONEY TOUR comes from a huge demand for more live shows. Lime Cordiale will continue on from their sold out 27 date Aust and NZ ‘Dirt Cheap’ tour which closed out 2018 as the biggest year yet for the band. The band has been playing all over Australia and now is aiming to stretch it even further. “We played a lot of shows on our last tour but you just can’t make it everywhere. Every show on the last…
DURING the progress of the Gymkhana at Frankston on Monday. Professor Stracey, who was taking part in one of the jumping events received a nasty fall. The horse he was riding made a mistake at one of the hurdles and came down. Stracey, falling on his head, was rendered unconscious for some time. Captain Surgeon Martin and Dr Atkinson were fortunately at hand, after which the injured man was removed to St. Pancras Hospital. He made a good recovery and was able to leave the institution next day. *** CONTRIBUTORS to the “Standard” are requested to send in reports of…
While Mornington Peninsula Shire is looking at its management plans for the entire Mt Martha coastline, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has honed in on the major trouble spot of Mt Martha Beach North. In the past few years loss of sand, unstable cliffs and erosion have led to the beach being closed and beach boxes demolished. With rocks in been place at the base of the cliff to stop further erosion, the department is “investigating potential options for maintaining sand and cliff stability” (“Beach repairs could cost $4m” The News 30/10/17). Previous attempts to rebuild…
A DRAFT plan with the ultimate aim of “enhancing and protecting the Mt Martha coastline” has been released for public discussion. Recommendations in the plan include producing brochures so coastal property owners “understand the benefits to the foreshore reserve in the removal of environmental weeds from their properties”. The necessity for this education campaign becomes clearer when reading parts of the report which call for the closure of “ad hoc goat” tracks behind beach boxes and an end to “vegetation vandalism” to create bay views. Other recommendations in the draft plan are aimed at combating erosion as well as introducing…
Awarded: Clockwise from top left, Diane May Falconer, Neil David Armstrong, Sonya Loader, Ricky Charles Cooper, Bronwyn Eleanor Hughes, Judith Roberta Pettitt and Robert John Fergusson. Pictures: Yanni, Gary Sissons and supplied. SOUTHERN Peninsula Food For All stalwart Diane May Falconer, of Mt Martha, has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the General Division in this week’s Australia Day honours list for service to the community through charitable organisations. Ms Falconer has been secretary of the Southern Peninsula Community Fund since 1998, a member of the executive committee since 1986, and a volunteer since 1986. She coordinated…
DANCERS and musicians will next month perform under the emerging stars in the Arts at Twilight concert at The Briars property, Mt Martha. The show (with food trucks) involves artists from Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, including dancers from Spark Youth Dance Company, Tim Podesta’s Projection Dance Company, freelance dancers Dominique Cowden and Jacinta Martorella as well as The Briar String Quartet, Luke Severn and Elyane Laussade – a cello and piano duo and a peninsula-based clarinet quartet. Spark Productions director Alex Dellaportas said The Briars property “provides the perfect setting for live arts entertainment to meet the beauty of…
WHAT could be more fun than competing in a billy cart derby? Point Nepean Men’s Shed members have got together with Rye Community House by holding a Buy a Bale Billy Kart Derby to help struggling farmers. The derby, to be held in Wilby Street, Sorrento, 9am-4pm, Saturday 16 March, also aims to revive the time-honoured art of billy cart making. Feature races will be held for children aged 6-11 racing karts built to a specific design but with their own decoration. Men’s shed member Terry Phippen said he got the idea for the derby when collecting donations. “I saw…
SIGNS to help motorists estimate how long it will take to reach the southern Mornington Peninsula are being installed along Point Nepean Road and Browns Road. The signs by Mornington Peninsula Shire and VicRoads estimate travel times for the coastal and inland routes. Beacons will detect road users with Bluetooth-enabled devices to calculate actual travel times. Signs will then display the times of each route so drivers can choose their best option. “[The signs] provide us with valuable data, such as traffic congestion levels and driver behaviour, which helps us strategically plan for future transport solutions on the southern peninsula,”…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire will seek restoration of vegetation and rectification of earthworks after a Tyabb landowner was convicted of carrying out earthworks and clearing native vegetation without a planning permit. The landowners and their contractor were fined $29,000 with costs of $18,000 in Frankston Magistrates Court late last year. In mid-2017, the council’s planning compliance officers began investigating allegations that unapproved works were being carried out at the property. They saw that a significant amount of native vegetation had been cleared. The mayor Cr David Gill said the council worked hard to investigate illegal building works to protect the amenity…
The Mornington Peninsula has featured in many of the 20 drownings since the start of summer, which also saw deaths at Phillip Island, Gippsland, the Grampians and Brighton Beach. The most recent drowning occurred at Bushrangers Bay, near Cape Schanck, when a young musician was swimming with a friend, Tuesday 22 January. They got into trouble about 5pm. Police and emergency services found the man in the water about 6.30pm and attempted to resuscitate him, but he died at the scene. His female friend was able to swim back to shore. Life Saving Victoria spokesperson Blair Morton said the…
Changes have been made to the running of the Mornington Peninsula leg of this year’s Jayco Herald Sun cycling tour. Entrants scheduled to race a circuitous route from Cape Schanck to Arthurs Seat last week faced an unexpected barrier when businesses complained about roads being closed. It is the second time this month that Mornington Peninsula Shire has come under fire for backing events that require roads to be closed. With less than a fortnight to go before the event, organisers of the Herald Sun tour last Wednesday readily agreed to reduce the time roads would be closed. However, a…
VICTORIA’S premier anti-corruption commission has laid 79 charges, including obtaining property by deception, making false documents, using false documents and misconduct in public office, against a former Frankston Council manager. The charges were laid on 14 January after an IBAC investigation into whether “improper procurement practices were used to obtain Frankston City Council funds.” A supplier of services to council, an owner of an electrical company, was on 7 January charged with 78 similar offences. The investigation was opened after Frankston Council self reported suspicions of a possible breach. An IBAC statement said that “under mandatory notification requirements that came…
ENVIRONMENTALIST and anti-litter campaigner Josephine Jones is Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Citizen of the Year. Ms Jones, of Rye, is a campaigner and advocate for cleaner beaches. She inspires others around the community to reduce litter entering Port Phillip and to help protect marine life. Her current focus is on reducing cigarette butt litter. She has delivered anti-litter education campaigns to schools, community groups and businesses in an effort to raise awareness of the harm litter, and especially plastics, can do. Her belief that every child deserves to experience the environment untouched underpins her work. Young Citizen of the Year is…
NEW ZEALAND international Luka Prelevic trained with Aspendale Stingrays last Thursday and the State 5 South outfit is making an audacious bid to sign him. If it succeeds it will have completed the signing coup of the season as Prelevic is only 23 years old and it is unprecedented for a top-flight player of that age to drop down six league levels. Prelevic has been on the books of Port Melbourne and Melbourne City and last season made 19 appearances for Pascoe Vale, which finished fourth on the NPL ladder. He was in New Zealand’s under-23 squad that competed in…
THE notional “opening” of a new Rosebud train station on the weekend was an opening salvo in a campaign for a rail link along the western side of the Mornington Peninsula. Past estimates have put the cost at $5 billion and any bid for public money will come at the same time that Mornington Peninsula Shire says priority should be given to the electrification of the line from Frankston to Hastings. Frankston Council, meanwhile, is content for the line to be electrified as far as Langwarrin or Baxter. However, urban and regional planner Robert Whitehill says a railway to Rosebud…
A man has drowned while swimming at Bushrangers Bay Beach near Cape Schanck this afternoon. The man was with a friend when they both got into trouble about 5pm. Police and emergency services located the male in the water about 6.30pm. Attempts were made to resuscitate the man however he died at the scene. The female swimmer made it back to shore safely. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr David Gill wants members of the public to tell the state government they do not want a giant supermarket at “the gateway to Mornington”. A PUBLIC meeting to discuss the proposed Kaufland store in Nepean Highway will be held at the Mornington Shire Offices, Queen Street, 4pm, Thursday 14 February. Those attending will hear about the advisory committee process, the scope of the proposal and details of council’s submission to the Kaufland Stores in Victoria Advisory Committee. The council is concerned that the proposed development, which is outside the designated Mornington activity centre, has been…
FISHING and boating minister Jaala Pulford is tipped to make an announcement on the future management of six Mornington Peninsula boat ramps next month. This comes after a promise by Premier Daniel Andrews on the Channel 31 Talking Fishing show to create a stand-alone boat ramp authority and abolish boat launching and parking fees on the Mornington Peninsula. It was the premier’s only “live” television appearance during the 24 November state election campaign. David Kramer, who hosts the Fishing Show, had earlier said called the shire’s boat ramp management a shambles. “It astounds us that the Mornington Peninsula Shire is…
A new boardwalk, ramp onto the beach and special polyester matting made it easy to get wheelchairs onto the sand at Point Leo on Saturday. It was the first surf event for 2019 held by the Disabled Surfers’ Association Mornington Peninsula branch and the upgraded beach access saw 99 surfers enjoying time in the water with the help of a record 300 volunteers. DSAMP president John Bowers described the turnout of surfers and volunteers as “fantastic”. “Everything that that happened was just so good. The boardwalk enabled regular wheelchairs to be taken onto the beach, whereas before people could only…
Mornington Peninsula Shire is seeking public feedback on a new plan to help manage, protect and enhance biodiversity on the peninsula. The draft Biodiversity Conservation Plan outlines strategies and actions to help achieve “best practice environmental stewardship” and draws on the Shire’s State of Biodiversity Report. Biodiversity is regarded as being the variety of plants and animals in a particular area, with high levels seen as important for a healthy habitat. The draft biodiversity conservation plan details data from scientific, government and community sources – essential reading for anyone interested in the peninsula’s natural environment. The mayor Cr David Gill…