Author: MP News Group

Police are investigating a collision between a truck and cyclist at Mornington this morning. It is believed a concrete truck was travelling north-west on Beleura Hill Road when it collided with a cyclist travelling in the opposite direction around 6.45am. The cyclist, a 34-year-old Mt Eliza man, was hit by the truck and knocked from his bike. He has been airlifted to The Alfred hospital suffering life threatening injuries. The 57-year-old male truck driver, from Woodleigh Vale, is currently assisting investigators with their enquiries. Beleura Hill Road is currently blocked between Barkly Street and Shandon Street while police investigate. Investigators…

Police are investigating a sexual assault which took place on the Frankston foreshore two weeks ago. The incident happened on Sunday 22 February around 3.35pm when the victim, a 15-year-old girl, was walking along a makeshift footpath on the southern bank of the Kananook Creek near the boat hire dock. The victim has told police that she was approached by a young man who attempted to strike up a conversation with her. The girl found the man hard to understand due to his accent and attempted to continue on her way. The man approached her and grabbed her inappropriately several…

Frankston Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Team detectives are appealing for witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted at a bayside shopping centre last month. The incident happened in a lift at the Beach Street shopping centre on 8 February around 5.15pm. The victim, a 42-year-old woman who is employed as a cleaner at the centre, was in the process of cleaning the lift when two men entered on level one. One of the men struck up a short conversation with the woman while the second man grabbed the victim by her hand. The victim tried to pull away from…

THE opening of Frankston’s Hospital’s new $81 million building has been hailed “an important milestone” by Peninsula Health. Health Minister Jill Hennessy visited the hospital last Tuesday (17 February) to officially open the new emergency department and three additional wards. Patients began being accepted to the new wards last Thursday. “The opening of this new building marks an important milestone in Frankston Hospital’s proud 74 year history. The last five years have seen more than $150 million invested in capital works for critical care, emergency medicine, and general medical services,” Peninsula Health chairwoman Nancy Hogan said. Known as Frankston Stage…

IT DOESN’T take much to get a plein-air painter out of the house. If it’s a Thursday and there’s a chance of the sun coming out it’s a safe bet the Mornington Peninsula Plein Air Painters are someplace scenic putting on canvas what they see before them. Asked why they choose to paint in the open away from their studio they will say that you can never capture the feeling and the colours from a photo or a pre-determined image that you can on site. Visitors can see this for themselves over three days from Friday 6 March at the…

Sexual Crimes Squad detectives are appealing for information following a sexual assault which is reported to have occurred in 1982 at HMAS Cerberus. The female victim, who was a junior officer within the Navy, was taking part in a course at the training facility when the assault occurred on the night of a ‘mess dinner’ sometime between March and June. It is believed that a Steward, who was working on the particular night of the attack and involved in the ‘mess dinner’, entered the woman’s sleeping quarters in the Gunroom and sexually assaulted her. Detectives have been investigating the matter…

CELEBRITIES including Actors Lachy Hulme, Michala Banas, Nadine Garner, Samuel Johnson, along with The Water Diviner Producer Andrew Mason and KIIS FMs Jane Hall will be head to Rosebud this February to take part in the Peninsula Short Film Fest, proudly presented by Peninsula Hot Springs. Held on Saturday February 7 at the Village Green Rosebud, the FREE outdoor film festival will showcase a selection of 12 short films. These shorts will be judged live on the night by the celebrity judging panel and will compete for a first prize of $5K with second prize of $2.5K and third prize…

NINE Mornington Peninsula residents received honours on Australia Day from the Governor-General – five OAMs, two AMs and two AOs. Liz Barraclough of Balcombe Estuary Rehabilitation Group (BERG) was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her “service to conservation and the environment, and as a volunteer educator”. Ms Barraclough was the Mt Martha conservation group’s inaugural field officer, appointed in 1997, and a key part in the revival and rehabilitation of the estuary. She has been a member of Mt Martha foreshore advisory group since 2007, a member of the community reference group for South East Water’s…

‘HIGH and dry’ is the best way to describe this Coast Guard patrol boat (pictured) which ran aground on Elizabeth Island, Western Port Bay, early last Thursday morning. The crew was returning from Corinella about 3am when they crashed on a high – 3.1 metre – tide. No one was injured. Coast Guard spokesman Jeremy West said a Marine Safety Board inquiry would determine the cause of the accident. “All the crew are safe and well and that’s the main thing,” he said. “They followed the correct processes and procedures and the boat has been taken back for repairs.”

When a grieving mother spoke out calmly just hours after her son’s murder, she gave voice to many thousands of victims of domestic violence who had until then remained unheard. Rosie Batty has risen above her personal tragedy and the great loss of her 11 year old son, Luke, who was the victim of domestic violence at the hands of his father in a very public assault. Rosie’s story jolted Australia into recognising that family violence can happen to anyone.  Victorian Police Chief Commissioner, Ken Lay, praising Rosie as the most “remarkable victim” he has ever met, says Rosie has…

TOP line equestrian events, The Boneo Classic, will be held at Boneo Park Equestrian Centre from 22–25 January. The event will feature the Pacific League World Cup Dressage Final and the final round of the Show Jumping World Cup Series. Winners of each discipline will represent Australia at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in April. Mornington Peninsula mayor Cr Bev Colomb welcomed local riders Caroline Wagner and Jamie Coman at Boneo Park last week. Wagner, of Somerville, won the 2014 Sydney International Dressage Event. She will compete in the Pacific League World Cup Dressage Final at the Boneo…

Detectives from the Frankston Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team are on the hunt for a man who exposed himself to an elderly woman in Carrum Downs last year. Investigators have been told the 65-year-old woman was walking south on Lyrebird Drive when she was approached by a man who appeared to be fiddling with his fly around 7.15am on 13 November. As he got closer, the woman noticed that he had exposed himself and she ran away in alarm. As she began jogging towards home, the man jumped in his car and drove past her. Detectives believe the…

THE annual general meeting of the Frankston Mechanics’ Institute will be held on Thursday, January 28th. *** OWNERS of horses suitable for artillery or remount purposes, who wish to dispose of them are notified that Messrs A. Scott and Co will hold an inspection at Tanti yards, on Monday next, at 12 o’clock. *** MR P. Wheeler notifies by advertisement the hours in which the Frankston Pharmacy will be open for business, he also notifies that in special cases he will dispense medicines at any hour, day or night. *** THE anniversary of the Frankston Methodist Church will be held…

THE audience on top of Rye pier ducked the splashes as more than a dozen sets of arms and legs flailed around in the water below, scrambling for a piece of timber tossed into their midst by a man wearing an intricately woven cloak and wearing an impressive headpiece. Reverend Father Eleftherios Tatsis of the Greek Orthodox Church Panagia Kamriani at Red Hill was back on the pier for the annual Epithany, or blessing of the water ceremony. And the people splashing around in the water were church members eager to be first to seize the wooden cross tossed by…

Homicide Squad detectives have charged a man with murder over the 2013 death of Barry Gray in Rye. 72-year-old Barry Gray was found deceased by police at his property in Parson Street on Friday 17 May about 9.40am. Detectives investigating the case successfully applied to both the Victorian and New South Wales Attorney General’s Department’s for the 23-year-old man’s movement into Victorian jurisdiction, from a NSW correctional facility, to face the charge. John Woodruff appeared before the NSW Local Court in August where it was determined he would serve his current sentence, in relation to other matters, in Victoria. He…

RYE Community Centre’s Betty Jennings shows off her painting of Oosterschelde, one of the tall ships to enter Port Phillip. The paintings is one of many at the centre’s annual art and craft fair this Saturday 13 September 10am-3pm. Everyone is invited. Entry is by gold coin donation. The fair showcases and celebrates the creative achievements of participants. Social art is on Mondays 12.30-3.30pm, patchwork on Tuesdays 9.30am-11.30am, social drawing group Tuedays 1-3pm, craft group on Wednesdays 9-11am and watercolours Thursdays 9.15am-noon or 12.30-3pm.

A NINE-year-old Rosebud girl has told police a man driving a white Toyota utility tried to grab her by the arm as she was walking to school on Friday morning. Detective Sergeant John Coburn, of Rosebud CIU, said the incident occurred on the northern side of Besgrove St, next to the soccer fields, at 8.50am. The vehicle, being driven on the wrong side of the road travelling west, stopped next to girl. The driver – the only occupant – said “come here kid” but the girl refused. The man then allegedly attempted to grab her from the driver’s seat. The girl says she…

MORNINGTON Toy Library is celebrating a big birthday next week – 25 years of lending funny, colourful, interesting and creative toys to boys and girls from its Albert St premises. Staff members are planning an open day on Saturday 6 September to mark the occasion. Councillors Bev Columb, Anne Shaw and Andrew Dixon will be there from 9.30-11.30am, with speeches and a “cutting of the cake” at 11. There will be balloons, giveaways and activities for the children. The toy library began in 1982 and operated from the Community Contact House in Albert St and then from the children’s section…

THE shire council is calling on peninsula residents to have their say on the preferred design for the $34 million Southern Peninsula Aquatic Centre. The aquatic centre is planned for the Rosebud foreshore and will feature a 25 metre pool, warm water program pool, leisure pools, aqua play area, sauna, gym, and café. The SPA centre will also incorporate Rosebud Memorial Hall’s community meeting spaces. The mayor, Cr Antonella Celi, said four architects had been selected to work on a council design brief for the aquatic centre, with each concept reflecting the council’s “commitment to design excellence, innovation and environmental…

Police were left powerless to move on a loitering visitor, on account of it weighing over 30 tonnes. The members were called to a whale sighting off the coast of Mornington to ensure the safety of the whale, little did they realise how close they would come. It’s believed the whale was migrating north for the mating season, however it seems it may have taken a fancy for the water police boat on the way. “Our members stopped a few hundred metres away as to not disturb the whale. They turned their engines off to minimise noise and vibrations and that is…

Police are investigating a spate of armed robberies which occurred in Melbourne’s southern suburbs this month. Officers believe that three men are responsible for at least five separate armed robberies at service stations. Detectives believe the crime spree started at a service station on Thompsons Road in Patterson Lakes on Sunday 3 August just after 8.30pm. Two men entered the premises and threatened the attendant with a knife before demanding cash and cigarettes. The pair then fled the scene with cash and cigarettes. Investigators believe that the same trio committed a further four service station armed robberies at – •…

Police are appealing for the public’s help following recent hair-raising burglaries targeting factories in Somerville and Carrum Downs. The bearded burglar has had a few close shaves and was captured on CCTV at three separate industrial areas where CCTV cameras were damaged. The first two incidents occurred at a factory area on Simcock Street in Somerville where a CCTV camera was damaged at 5am on 20 May and then on 17 July a camera was also damaged. The most recent incident occurred on 1 August at a factory area on Access Way in Carrum Downs when a CCTV camera was…

FOR the best part of a century, few but the most studious of history buffs were aware of the momentous role an artillery crew stationed at the southern tip of the Mornington Peninsula played in the chronology of events rapidly unfolding following Great Britain’s declaration of war against Germany in 1914. History records the shot they fired across the bow of a fleeing German merchant ship, SS Pfalz, as the first shot of the British Empire in World War I. But it took the arrival of the one hundred year anniversary of the outbreak of that war, and the approach…

PENINSULA LEAGUE By Toe Punt FRANKSTON YCW humiliated Mornington in front of their own crowd to win by more than ten goals in the Peninsula League match of the round on Saturday. Inaccuracy saved Mornington from further humiliation, the Stonecats dominating from the first bounce to have 35 scoring shots to just 11. The Stonecats had an even spread of contributors, which went a long way to the 14.21 (105) to 6.5 (41) victory. Frankston YCW coach Scott Mathers said when his side got their hands on the footy and started to win it, they were able to gain control…

NEPEAN LEAGUE IN an extraordinary tale of events, Rosebud is a realistic chance to play finals this year after beating Red Hill on Saturday. Despite losing four games by less than a goal this season and being struck down by injury to some key players, the Buds are now just a game outside of the top five with two matches to play. The Buds (111.77 per cent), sit in sixth position and have a superior percentage over Rye (106.37), who currently hold down fifth position. Rosebud face Tyabb this weekend, before finishing the season with a match against Devon Meadows…

By Cr David Gibb DAVID Harrison continues to talk hogwash. Unfortunately readers, just because you read it in the paper, it doesn’t make it true. He talks about a 6:5 split with me in the imaginary six. And yet how is it that a few amendments to motions that I have put up recently have been defeated, or motions that I’ve moved have been supported by councillors in his imaginary five? Tim Rogers and I have always voted together on the issue of dwellings in the green wedge. Voting was all over the place on the controversial freeway service centre,…

MISS Galaxy Australia title holder Jessica Martini is all set to jet off to the United States next weekend to compete for the international Miss Galaxy crown. The 26-year-old Hastings resident, who represented the Mornington Peninsula when she won the Miss Galaxy Australia crown on the Gold Coast earlier this year, will compete against national winners from across the globe in Orlando, Florida, from 2-12 August for the prestigious international beauty pageant crown. In the lead-up to the international final, Ms Martini said she had been working hard to help raise funds for the competition’s chosen Australian charities, Make a…