THE discovery of a metre-long tiger snake behind a Dromana fish-and-chip shop was an unwelcome surprise for proprietor June Wu, Wednesday 27 February. “A delivery guy came in and said: ‘Do you realise you have a snake out the back,’” she said. “It was in the gas meter. I went out and it was the first time I’ve ever seen a snake outside of the zoo.” Ms Wu, the proprietor for 10 years, said she called snake catcher Barry Goldsmith who was able to quickly bag the reptile for release “within five kilometres”. Mr Goldsmith said the snake was the…
Month: March 2019
Fire-fighting appliances, as well as three Elvis air cranes and two helicopters, tackled a fast-moving bushfire at Shoreham, Thursday 28 February. An emergency warning was issued for people living south-east of the blaze about 1.45pm, however this was downgraded to a watch-and-act about 4pm. A CFA spokesperson described the fire in a plantation off Punty Lane, between Shoreham and Mornington-Flinders roads, as a “dynamic scene” confronting firefighters on the ground and the helicopters operating out of Tyabb Airport. She said the fire was threatening homes on Tucks Road and moving south fanned by fresh northerly winds towards Western Port and…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol nabbed 239 motorists speeding during Operation Hisser, which ran from December to mid-February. It targeted speeding on high risk or high speed rural roads on the Mornington Peninsula. Of those pulled over 41 were prosecuted for low level speeding (less than 10kph over the limit) and 11 were detected at loss-of-licence speeds. Acting Senior Sergeant Dave Collins said that while the number of detections was high, the “majority of motorists were travelling within the speed limit, which contributed to lower trauma on our roads, with only one serious-injury collision on the targeted roads in the operation”. He…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol officers are appealing for witnesses after two incidents – one fatal – in Somerville and surrounding suburbs last week. In the first incident a motorcyclist in his 50s died when he collided with a utility in Somerville, 4.30pm, Monday 25 February. Police said the white Holden ute was being driven erratically, first in Bungower Road about 4pm, and then travelling north on Tyabb-Tooradin Road, when it collided with the southbound motorbike at 4.25pm. A black Holden Commodore then crashed into the utility. The driver of the utility and the female passenger in the Commodore were taken to hospital…
MORNINGTON Peninsula residents are being asked to help the police disrupt the manufacture and supply of drugs in the community by reporting anything they know about offenders. The nation-wide Dob in a Dealer campaign paid for by the federal government aims to stop the supply of drugs, such as methylamphetamine (ice), cocaine, MDMA, heroin and cannabis. It also gives residents an opportunity to support their friends, families and colleagues by voicing their suspicions about who is dealing in drugs in their area. Crime Stoppers Victoria’s Cassandra Joyce said public support played a crucial role in police intervention against criminals and…
The battle for the seat of Flinders in the May federal election became a three-cornered contest on Friday with Labor announcing Josh Sinclair as its candidate. Mr Sinclair was campaign manager for Chris Brayne, who won the seat of Nepean in last year’s (24 November) state election. He was later appointed as Mr Brayne’s office manager. Mr Sinclair’s official endorsement by Labor follows reports last month that Tracee Hutchison would be the party’s candidate. However, Ms Hutchison, a broadcaster and journalist, later said she would not be a candidate despite giving it serious consideration and being “flooded” with support and…
The CSIRO is leading studies into the likely effects of climate change along the Port Phillip coastline. “This project is an important piece of the puzzle in understanding what climate change means for Victoria’s natural and built environments,” Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) project manager, Dr Tamara van Polanen Petel said. The department is one. The project – which involves government departments and bayside municipalities – will assess the extent of three key coastal hazards: inundation, coastal erosion, and groundwater change – under several climate change scenarios. “We know that climate change is happening, and we know…
ADAM Mill has a trademark beard. He’s known in the Rosebud area as a swimming instructor and, more recently, as a leader with Rosebud Sea Scouts. However, he’s now decided to sacrifice his distinctive facial hair to raise money for leukemia research. Mr Mill says the tragic consequences of the disease were brought home to him 18 months ago when a friend of his wife’s died “leaving a widow and five amazing children”. Sea scout Rachael Wood and cub Blake Kelso have also raised their hands to lose their hair to help the leukemia foundation. Rachael’s hair will be made…