ALLEGATIONS of sexual impropriety have shaken the usual calm surrounding the Shiva School of Meditation and Yoga at Mt Eliza. American-born ashram director Swami Shankarananda, also known as Swamiji (formerly known as Russell Kruckman), is alleged to have had sexual relations with more than 40 women attending the ashram. Free confidential counselling is being offered to “anyone who needs assistance” while a sub-committee has been appointed to write a code of conduct for everyone working for the ashram, including Swami Shankarananda. “It breaks my heart that our beautiful Satsang [gathering for the truth] has been shaken and split by anger…
Author: Keith Platt
FILMMAKER Sean Cousins and his GP wife Steph Ryan were a bit surprised when their driver in Papua New Guinea took what appeared to be a diversion and drove into the grounds of a school. Once inside the school the driver’s purpose soon became apparent: he knew of a teenaged girl in need of medical assistance. That diversion in the town of Popondetta, near the Kokoda Valley, will have a sequel in March when 15-year-old Coco arrives in Australia for corrective surgery to one of her feet that was badly mangled in a car accident. Allowed to heal on its…
PORTS Minister Luke Donnellan intends talking with “all parties involved” about the government’s plans for the Port of Hastings. The government has announced Infrastructure Victoria will assess the merits of expanding Hastings or building a new port north of Geelong in Port Phillip, despite Labor candidates going into the November election with promises of “no container port in Western Port”. However, now in government, Labor is taking a much softer line. “As a government we do have time and we need to get the decision right on the location of Victoria’s next container port; that’s why we will commission Infrastructure…
AS tens of thousands of holidaymakers descend on the Mornington Peninsula over summer, official statistics show record numbers of residents are out of work. While locals may appear to be on holidays, the federal electorate of Flinders – covering most of the peninsula from Mornington south and across to Hastings and including Phillip Island – has had one of the highest jumps in unemployment across Australia. A drop of 4.8 per cent in job participation rates puts Flinders as the second worst hit electorate in in the country. Neighbouring Dunkley (Mornington, Mt Eliza and Frankston), saw a 3.1 per cent…
DESPITE the new state government’s apparent lack of enthusiasm to build a major container terminal at Hastings, Liberal MP Neale Burgess maintains the port expansion will go ahead. He believes the Labor government led by Daniel Andrews will establish a panel to evaluate Hastings and the so-called Bay West area in Port Phillip before announcing it will go ahead with long-held plans for Western Port. The government says no decision will be made until after a review by the yet to be formed Infrastructure Victoria. The new body will assess the merits of developing the state’s next container port at…
THE Labor Party may have won government in Victoria, but the Mornington Peninsula stayed where it has been for years: solidly behind the Liberal Party. Saturday’s poll held no election surprises on the peninsula, with all three Liberal candidates being re-elected with safe margins. David Morris was back for Mornington with 62.39 per cent of the vote; Martin Dixon in Nepean, with 57 per cent; and Neale Burgess, Hastings, 57.67 per cent. While Labor made inroads in all three seats – Mornington (3.8 per cent swing), Nepean (6.67 per cent) and Hastings (1.93 per cent) – the outcome never seemed…
THE state government is under fire over secrecy surrounding an agreement for a major commercial development with Point Nepean National Park. The Nepean Conservation Group and Nepean Historical Society has accused the government of keeping the community “in the dark” on critical details of the plan which includes a 99-year lease over the Point Nepean Quarantine Station to a Portsea property developer. And the National Parks Association of Victoria is “deeply concerned” about the creation of a “private enclave” within the national park. It says the public will have to pay to use most of the “facilities and activities” in…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire CEO Michael Kennedy believes he is “the very best person” to continue in the role he has held for the past 15 years. A newspaper advertisement campaign for the job launched on Saturday said the successful applicant would need to “deliver inspirational and visionary leadership”. Whoever gets the $350,000 a year job will also be expected to “drive strategic change” and have the “ability to see things from a fresh perspective”. One day after councillors surprisingly decided to test the market rather than reappoint him, Dr Kennedy emailed staff – “team-mates” – with the results of his…
WHILE every author draws on life experiences to form a narrative, not every author has such a rich and at times dark background as Klaas Kalma. His upbringing within a dysfunctional family in war torn Holland, journeying to Australia and learning how to speak English among strangers provides a rich lode to be mined and woven into the fabric of his first novel, Creeping Shadows. Written at the urging of a close friend, the self-published book has sold more than 10,000 copies online and, according to a librarian, has no time to gather dust on the shelves at the lending…
TIM Wood, navy commander, Queens Counsel, retired County Court judge, has won the Red Hill ward byelection. When counting ended on Saturday night Mr Wood had nearly 55 per cent of eligible votes after preferences were distributed from the record 17 candidates seeking a seat on Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. On Sunday he told The News he wanted to hear the views and represent all community groups within the ward – “I’ve identified more than 20 already”. Mr Wood said he was ready to begin duties as a councillor this week, despite indications that the shire “management” wanted him first…
THE Labor Party is promising a detailed economic study to determine the best site for Melbourne’s next major port if it wins the November election. “Hastings requires substantial investment in road and rail funding to get goods in and out, and without that additional investment the Nepean Highway and Dandenong Rail corridor will be flooded with trucks and trains 24 hours a day,” the party’s ports spokesperson Natalie Hutchins said. Ms Hutchins’ comments were included in a statement issued last week after being briefed on the container port being planned by the Port of Hastings Development Authority. Port Minister David…
A PROMINENT Portsea family is behind a $100 million plan to make Point Nepean National Park “a world-class tourist destination and education precinct”. The Premier Denis Napthine was at the park’s Quarantine Station on Friday to announce government backing for the bid to develop the precinct by the Point Leisure Group. The group’s directors and Myer family members Richard and Trine Shelmerdine said their plan would “transform Point Nepean’s historic Quarantine Station in a way that shares and maintains its unique heritage and natural environment”. They predict Point Nepean will become a “world-class destination … combining its natural beauty and…
VOTERS participating in the August poll for a new Red Hill ward councillor are being urged to “look for character and ability and try to see through the inevitable running mate strategy of politicised groups”. The tips for choosing the right candidate come from David Gill, a one-time shire president of the former Shire of Mornington and member of the Balnarring Beach Community Association. Mr Gill, who has criticised state government planning policies on the Mornington Peninsula, told The News on Monday that “at this stage I won’t be a candidate”. At this stage, it will be a three-way contest…
FOUR architectural firms have been invited to compete in a design competition for the $40 million Southern Peninsula Aquatic centre planned for Rosebud foreshore. Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors last week endorsed an officer’s report recommending concept proposals, drawings and presentation images be sought from Cox Architecture, Peddle Thorp, Suters Architects and Williams Ross. The firms will each be paid $20,000. As well as designs they will provide cost estimates for construction of the complex as well as their services to be “independently checked by the shire’s appointed quantity surveyor”. A 71-page report to council by project manager Davis Langdon “defines…
CRUNCH time is coming for young sports star Chelsea Ford. The 13-year-old from Frankston North is in the Victorian girls’ under-13 soccer team, has won five out of six boxing bouts and swims in a squad. While there is no doubting her capabilities in each of these sports, her mother Cathy Steele says Chelsea must soon decide which one to pursue. Before the deadline for that decision, Chelsea, who plays for the Peninsula Strikers, will represent Victoria in the under-13 girls’ national soccer championships at Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales north coast. “She needs to make up her…
THE MT Martha quarry reserve is on the list of land to be sold to help pay for a swimming pool complex at Rosebud. With no guarantees of any significant government grants Mornington Peninsula Shire is scrambling to raise money for the Southern Peninsula Aquatic Centre (SPA), as its projected cost escalates towards $40 million. Architectural firms Cox Architecture, Peddle Thorp, Suters Architects and Williams Ross will be asked to participate in a design competition for the foreshore aquatic centre. The shire withdrew from a 2003 bid to rezone the quarry and several blocks of land above it after opposition…
NICK Caudwell has high expectations for a project that’s taken nearly a decade to complete. In the next few months he plans to fly a Sopwith Snipe biplane that he has completely built from the ground up using original blueprints. He has handcrafted the timber frame, and meticulously and laboriously shrunk and coated linen with about 10 layers of dope (plasticised lacquer) for the plane’s outer skin, which is stitched to the frame. The one original specification not followed is the engine. “I couldn’t get an original Bentley AR 1 rotary engine and have instead used a Second World War…
THE murder of 11-year Luke Batty by his father Greg Anderson at Tyabb on Wednesday last week released a wave of anguish and anger that swept around the world. Luke was killed by his father as the two played cricket at Bunguyan Reserve after the boy had trained with his team. The boy had asked his mother Rosie Batty for permission to spend a few more minutes with his father. Ms Batty won praise and admiration for her measured and eloquent grief, carefully explaining her estranged husband’s long-term, undiagnosed mental illness while describing a fun-loving son who adored both his…
THIEVES have dealt a blow to members of Hastings Men’s Shed by stealing about $8000 worth of tools and equipment. A section of the outside wall of the metal-clad building was prised open by the robbers last Thursday night or early Friday morning. Once inside, the thieves were able to carry the mainly woodworking tools and equipment out of the back door. The haul also included a TIG welder, desktop computer, mobile phone and some toolboxes of members. A safety light on the neighbouring Hastings Community Hub building was smashed, providing cover of darkness for the break-in. Men’s shed secretary…
PLANS are being drawn up to fill in the missing links on the Bay Trail between Dromana and McCrae. Cyclists are forced to leave the trail at the busiest time of the year because of caravans on the foreshore reserve. Unless they want to push their bikes through the crowded camping area, riders must go on Point Nepean Rd, despite there being no designated bike lane around the cliff base at Anthony’s Nose. A draft plan for the Bay Trail to be made alongside the road on the outside of the camping reserve will be released in July. Mornington Peninsula’s…
SOIL samples and surveys began this week on land likely to be used for the planned expansion of the Port of Hastings. The 30 drilling sites are just north of Hastings within the BlueScope Steel area and around Whitneys Rd, Somerville. Core sampling and surveys have been underway in Western Port since December, mostly in the proposed port area and North Arm channel, and will now continue throughout all survey areas, including the Western Channel and anchorage. Port of Hastings Development Authority CEO Mike Lean said the survey results would provide “detailed knowledge on the soil composition, geological characteristics and…
WHILE Mornington’s hotels, cafes and restaurants are often overflowing with patrons, the town has a hidden army of hungry people. Virtually unseen are the hundreds of people being fed through vouchers, the SecondBite program, and breakfasts and lunches for schoolchildren. Free dinners are now being served on Mondays and Fridays at Bellamy Hall, behind St Peter’s Church in Queen St. Holidaymakers enjoying Mornington’s many attractions would be unaware that Mornington Community Information and Resource Centre handed out 60 per cent more food vouchers in the past two weeks than over Christmas, its traditional busiest time. “Many families have exhausted their…
NO fires can be lit in the open across the Mornington Peninsula or in Frankston as from Monday. The CFA last week declared the Fire Danger Period (FDP) for both municipalities and warned residents to be “fire ready”. French Island has also been included in the fire ban. During the danger period, fires cannot be lit in the open air without a written permit from the CFA or the municipal fire prevention officer at Mornington Peninsula or Frankston councils. Anyone lighting a fire in the open without a permit faces fines of $17,000 and/or 12 months in jail. Barbecues and…
HOW easy is it on a hot day to go for a swim or lie on a surfboard? Not very, if you happen to have a physical disability. On Saturday 18 January, close to 300 people at Pt Leo Beach were given an insight into each other’s lives when Disabled Surfers Association Mornington Peninsula held its first event for 2014. More than 230 volunteers made it possible for 41 disabled surfers to know the feeling of being on a board pushed along by the natural energy of a wave. The simple joy of being hit by a wave can be…
RESIDENTS have been watching the slow march of nature reclaiming habitat in what was once an explosive industrial site – the Mt Martha quarry. Peregrine falcons use the exposed rock faces as nesting sites while white-faced herons prowl among puddles for tadpoles and frogs. However, the fenced-off quarry is seen as an “asset” by Mornington Peninsula Shire, land that can be sold and developed. Until a few months ago, the shire had allowed the quarry on the Esplanade between Mt Martha and Safety Beach to be used as storage for rocks and soil destined to combat erosion at McCrae. But…
ASBESTOS has been removed from vacant land in central Mornington, leaving a neighbour fearing that fragments of the deadly substance have been carried from the site by truck tyres. The former industrial land at 73-75 Barkly St is being prepared for townhouses. The land is next to Mornington Primary School and Josh Dawson, assistant manager of the Gillon Group development company, said asbestos removal was timed to coincide with school holidays. In a “courtesy” letter to nearby residents, Mr Dawson said asbestos on the vacant land was “limited to sheet fragments” and was classified as “non-fibrous and does not present…
SELLING recycled water from Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant near Carrum could raise at least $240 million a year. Clean Ocean Foundation president Peter Smith says South East Water is failing to adequately market the Class A quality water being poured daily into the sea at Gunnamatta on the Mornington Peninsula. Mr Smith for years led the battle that last year finally saw Melbourne Water lift the quality of water being discharged from the outfall. But with that battle won, Mr Smith says Clean Ocean is now concerned at the environmental effects of billions of litres of fresh water going…
THE announcement that publication of the Frankston Weekly and Peninsula Weekly will end this month will see a narrowing of dissemination of news and events in the region. Five sister publications across the eastern and southern suburbs are also being killed off. The Dandenong Journal is the only paper in the group’s former eastern division to survive the cull of mastheads by the 50 per cent Fairfax-owned MMP Media Publications. It appears just one of the 10 part-time and full-time staff at the company’s Mornington office will have a job with the company after the papers’ final editions on 18…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire denies any responsibility for delays and costs associated with a $6 million affordable housing project on contaminated land at Hastings. The shire issued a planning permit for 20 houses to be built at the corner of Marine Parade and Church St but says it was up to the applicant, Low Cost Housing Pty Ltd, to say if there were any problems with the site. “It is incumbent on the permit applicant to submit all information relative to the proposed development including information about the existing conditions of the land in order to allow a full and proper assessment…
CONTROLLED burns to reduce the risk of bushfires on French Island created a spectacular cloud formation late Saturday afternoon. From Rosebud the cloud appeared to be hovering over the top of Arthurs Seat and alarmed some people travelling across the peninsula toward Hastings until they saw it was emanating from fires on the island. The Department of Sustainability and Environment has earmarked 671 hectares on the island to be burned and locations including Clump Lagoon (70ha), near the airstrip (101ha), the cemetery (138ha) and McLeod West (362ha). Other burns are planned at Devilbend Natural Feature Reserve near Moorooduc (50ha), Arthurs…