Browsing: Hastings

THE 20-year-old Pelican Park Recreation Centre at Hastings will be closed for four to six months from October.Mornington Peninsula Shire Council the closure is needed for such “vital works” as replacing plant equipment including heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and boilers and repairs to the pool shell. The centre should reopen in March or April 2025.These works are necessary to ensure our community can continue to enjoy visiting Pelican Park into the future.Mornington Peninsula Shire will provide regular updates while we work towards enhancing the facilities at Pelican Park Recreation Centre.“The maintenance and renewal of Pelican Park Recreation Centre is crucial…

RSPCA Victoria is inviting exhibitors to connect with hundreds of passionate pet owners at this year’s Million Paws Walk at Hastings. The Mornington Peninsula is home to one of the RSPCA’s main dog walking events, which provides the opportunity for businesses to make contact with dog and pet lovers, while raising money to end cruelty to animals.Event and community fundraising manager Kate Kasby said this year’s event was a special milestone. “We’re very excited for this year because it marks the 30th anniversary of Million Paws Walk and we are planning an amazing day out for all pet lovers,” Kasby…

ANGRY car owners out of pocket thousands of dollars are demanding compensation after their engines were damaged by contaminated diesel fuel at a Hastings service station. Several vehicle owners have told The News that their vehicles either stopped working or malfunctioned after buying fuel in the past two weeks from the United petrol station at 1996 Frankston-Flinders Road. The petrol station franchisee Ram Vidiyala has acknowledged there was a water contamination and that the outlet had shut down the diesel pumps as soon as he was made aware until repairs are made. Vidiyala said he had received the first report…

VETS for Compassion, a not-for-profit organisation of vets and assistants, spent more than a week trying catch a skinny and wheezy ginger cat hanging around a factory at Hastings. After many attempts, the crew was finally able to capture the scared and hungry cat, which was treated by the vets and is now in care with Forever Friends Animal Rescue until it is ready for adoption. The animal, which was suffering from a respiratory illness, had been hiding under machinery, coming out from time to time at workers – almost asking for help. Vets for Compassion is a registered charity…

THE state government has announced that a terminal to assemble offshore wind turbines will be built at Hastings while at the same time saying there will be “a thorough environment effects statement (EES) process” before the project progresses. In a statement issued on Sunday (10 September) the government says the terminal will be built at the Old Tyabb Reclamation Area and be equipped “for the receival, assembly and installation of offshore wind foundations, towers and turbines as a multi-user facility, with new berths, heavy duty pavements and major supporting infrastructure”. Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio and Ports and Freight…

A HOUSE on High Street Hastings was damaged after a vehicle ploughed through the front fence and hit the building on Saturday 12 August. Two Hastings CFA units responded to the incident, which happened about 4.30pm. Ambulance Victoria and police were called to the scene where the driver was treated for minor injuries. First published in the Western Port News – 16 August 2023

A man who rammed police and civilian cars overnight and the front garage of a home, has been arrested by police in Hastings. The man first came to police attention following reports he was asleep at the wheel of a parked car in Beilby Court about 10.50pm. Officers checked the car and confirmed the Holden Statesman was unregistered and the registration plates stolen. Police were initially unable to wake the man, so they moved in and placed tyre deflation devices in the vicinity of the car. Once awake the man ignored several and repeated requests by police to get out…

A HASTINGS laundromat has been temporarily shut down after a fire last Thursday (3 August) destroyed machinery and stock. The fire broke out at the Westside Laundrette in Victoria Street overnight and was responded to by Hastings and Bittern fire brigades as well as Fire Rescue Victoria. Firefighters were on the scene in minutes and crews donned breathing apparatus so they could begin working to contain the fire. It was a multi-service response, with Somers Fire Brigade turning out breathing apparatus support vehicle before Fire Rescue Victoria was called in for support and a ladder platform from Dandenong arrived to…

HASTING’S resident Melissa Stevens’ life could have had a vastly different outcome if not for the openness of her employer, The Hastings Club, to employ someone with a recognised disability. The 46-year-old has low lung capacity, a side effect of the autoimmune disorders she lives with and struggles with shortness of breath and fatigue. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to work. The opportunity to get back into the workforce has given the hospitality worker a new lease on life, new friends, new energy and best of all, new-found confidence. Stevens had previously worked in the cleaning industry for…

THIRTY-five years after first being mooted, and after countless effort by volunteers, and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent, the plan for a sound shell on the Western Port foreshore has officially been killed off. The proposal was left off the Hastings Foreshore Masterplan last year, and the Mornington Peninsula Shire has confirmed it will not go ahead. One of the long-term proponents of the project and a member of the Western Port Soundshell Committee, Brian Stahl OAM, has expressed his disappointment and dismay at the outcome. “Those involved in the project are at a loss that after so many…

HASTINGS Coast Guard captain Jeremy West has etched his name in CFA history, becoming the first deputy group officer to be elected in a coast guard-brigade associated group. Joining the management team of the Western Port group, West will begin the role on Saturday, 1 July. “It’s the first time since we’ve established the Coast Guard Brigades that we’ve had representation at this level within the CFA and it’s going to be really beneficial moving forward,” West said. “I’m looking forward to bringing more of a focus to inter-agency services and showcasing the diversity of emergency situations that we respond…

HUNDREDS attended Sunday’s annual Reconciliation Walk run by the Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association at Hastings. The walk and celebrations that followed at the Pound Road gathering place followed this year’s theme: Be a Voice for Generations. The welcome to country was conducted by Bunurong Land Council’s Mark Brown followed by speeches from Willum Warrain president Jeanette Kaindel, Hastings MP Paul Mercurio, Mornington Peninsula Shire’s deputy mayor Cr Debra Mar and Willum Warrain CEO Peter Aldenhoven. “After the formalities were over we were entertained by Djalu dancers featuring Ganga Giri and our good friends from Mullum Mullum who come every year,…

A HASTINGS to Mornington bus service is one step closer after the state government announced an extra $36.4 million in this year’s budget to improve bus services in growth areas. Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll and Hastings MP Paul Mercurio were in Hastings on Wednesday to announce that planning is underway for the cross-peninsula bus link. No details have been released on when work might start on the bus route. There are currently no direct bus connections linking Hastings to Mornington, with trips requiring lengthy travel via Frankston. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council last year used the results of a community…

A DISASTER was narrowly averted after a heavy street light plunged more than 10 metres onto High St Hastings in the midst of busy late-morning trade last week. The light fitting broke off a 10-metre pole in high winds at about 11.30am on Monday, crashing to the roadway outside the ANZ Bank at the corner of King St. Staff members at a nearby business said it was only good luck that saved someone being seriously injured or killed. “It just came crashing down all of a sudden. There was a loud smash; it sounded like a car accident,” said an…

The operators of Waterfront Cafe in Hastings have placed the business into voluntary liquidation. Part of the shire-operated Pelican Park, the current operators of the cafe won the tender to run the business last year and took over on 1 July 2012. The operators of the cafe are believed to have been in dispute with Mornington Peninsula Shire over their plans to sell the cafe. The closure has resulted in the loss of four full-time and 10 casual staff. A sign in the door of the cafe advises the business will be closed until further notice.

A TEMPORARY roundabout will be installed at the high-risk intersection of Graydens and Boes roads in Hastings. The decision by Mornington Penin­sula Shire comes after an increasing number of accidents, including three in June (The News, 2/7/13). Federal Coalition MP Greg Hunt has weighed in to the issue after a near-miss at the intersection on Monday last week. Mr Hunt, who has an office in Hastings and lives at Mt Martha, has been enlisted by the shire council to lobby federal Transport Minister and newly elected Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Mr Hunt’s media adviser, Tina Mc­Guffie, said the shire…

THE Otama submarine will be brought ashore within 18 months, says West­­ern Port Oberon Association. At the launch of the Victorian Maritime Centre Project in Hastings on Friday, project development team chairman Jim Schaefer said the submarine would be the centrepiece of the centre. It will be next to the southern end of the Western Port Marina seawall in Hastings on reclaimed land. Next to the sub on the seaward side will be the maritime centre building and memorial walls. There will be a parking area for 120 cars nearby. The association was given in-principle approval to use the site…

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…

THE proposed expansion of the Port of Hastings was given a boost on Wed­nesday when the state government promised $110 million over four years. New Premier Denis Napthine visited Hastings with his new Ports Minister, David Hodgett, and said the money would help “complete the work re­quired to start building a world-class container port with land-side transport connections at Hastings”. The money would be spent on “com­pletion of preferred scope”, design, transport connection planning, early work to support environmental approval processes, business case de­velopment and “procurement and deli­very strategies”. Dr Napthine said the port was a key component of Victoria’s…

DRIVERS of electric scooters and people with walking frames are being forced onto the road by building works at the corner of Marine Parade and Church St in Hastings. The footpath is blocked by safety fences erected around the $6 million “affordable” homes project. Work stopped on the 20 homes last year after builders unearthed a disused fuel tank, forcing project owners Community Housing Ltd to have soil tested to gauge the extent of contamination from the tank left over from an old service station. However, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better, with the state…

HASTINGS Rotary Club has stepped in to save the weekly market in High St. Stallholders feared the market would close following the collapse of Western Port Lions Club, which had run it for some years. The club closed late last year due to lack of members (‘Limited Lions call it a day’, The News, 18/12/12), and the market permit issued by Mornington Peninsula Shire ran out on Tuesday 9 January. Signatures were quickly being added to a “save the market” petition when the Rotary club offered to take over its management. “There were all sorts of rumours and conspiracy theories…

SECURITY cameras outside a shop in High St, Hastings, caught this dramatic image of the aftermath of a serious assault in Hastings. The victim, on the right, can be seen leaving a trail of blood on the footpath as he moves up the street with a friend after being glassed in King St about 12.30am on Saturday. Hastings police said the man, aged in his 20s and a resident of the Western Port area, sustained “extreme injuries” to his face and eye area and was taken to Frankston Hospital where he underwent emergency microsurgery. Detective Leading Senior Constable Darren Sherren…

HASTINGS police are searching for a man aged in his late 30s who is alleged to have grabbed an 11-year-old girl by the arm as she was walking to school. The girl told police she was in William St at about 8.10am on Monday when approached by the man who asked her to go with him. The girl says that after refusing him she was grabbed by the arm but managed to break free and run to the Kmart shopping centre. The girl reported the incident to principal Richard Mucha when she later arrived at St Mary’s Primary School. Senior…

HASTINGS police have uncovered an amphetamine laboratory allegedly ope­rating in a factory in Marine Parade. A private house in Hastings was also raided as part of an ongoing investigation into amphetamine manufacture and trafficking in the Hastings area. Detective Sergeant Ron Fauvel of Hastings crime investigation unit said the six-week operation was conducted with members of the clandestine laboratory squad. As a result of the raids on Friday 30 November, two Hastings men aged 36 and 37, and a 48-year-old woman of Templestowe were charged with multiple offences relating to the manufacture and trafficking of amphetamines. The woman and the…

THE Victorian Labor Party has rejected more than six years of planning for an expanded Port of Hastings. Last week it released a jobs and investment strategy dumping its support of Hastings in favour of the so-called “Bay West” option, a new port proposed for the western side of Port Phillip between Geelong and Werribee. The decision is a massive about-face as the ALP proposed building a three-stage port at Hastings when it was in government. Hastings Liberal MP Neale Burgess said “Labor has abandoned more than 40 years of bipartisan support for the Port of Hastings, deserted the people…

DELIBERATELY lit fires wrecked two cars and damaged a third in Hastings early Saturday morning. The cars were torched within two hours of each other, although police have been unable to link the crimes. In the first blaze a Toyota Camry station wagon was burnt out on a nature strip in Villawood Drive, Hastings. Heat from the burning vehicle seriously damaged a Land Rover Discovery that was parked alongside the Camry. Detective Leading Senior Constable Nick Sweetman, of Hastings CIU, said the owner of the Discovery, a volunteer Hastings CFA firefighter, was awakened by his pager calling him to the…

FEDERAL politicians are about to get a colourful reminder that polio survivors still exist. The disease was declared eradicated in Australia in 2000, but it has left a legacy of complex health issues for an ageing population of survivors. Hastings resident Fran Henke is one of 46 people with post-polio syndrome going to Canberra next week to lobby politicians for more money to support Polio Australia. They will be dressed in orange and have appointments to meet with MPs from their respective areas, in Mrs Henke’s case Flinders MP Greg Hunt and Dunkley MP Bruce Billson. “There are hundreds of…

THE $6 million “affordable” homes project in Marine Pde, Hastings, will not be finished until next year. A halt was called on work to complete the 20 homes earlier this year when builders unearthed a disused fuel tank. Since then the land has been extensively tested to gauge the extent of contamination from the tank left over from a former service station. “It’s really sad this has happened,” state manager for Community Housing Ltd Brett Wake said on Monday. “We’re very confident we’ll be able to finish the project, but it won’t be until the next calendar year.” Mr Wake…

BLUESCOPE’S wharf will fall silent in November as the last wharfies are paid off and the last steel-carrying ship leaves Hastings. Wharf operator Patrick is set to issue redundancy notices to the last nine permanent stevedores, 11 guaranteed wage employees and 14 casual workers. Patrick runs the wharf for BlueScope, which has been using chartered bulk carriers to bring hot rolled coil steel from Port Kembla since the Iron Monarch made its final voyage to Hastings last October. Iron Monarch carried slab steel from Port Kembla for rolling at BlueScope’s Hastings hot strip mill. The company closed the mill, commissioned…

A WOMAN found with severe head injuries in thick scrub next to Hodgins Rd in Hastings has been placed in an induced coma. A man and his wife found the Hastings woman after hearing cries for help at about 12.30 Monday morning. Detective Leading Senior Constable Darren Sherren, of Hastings CIU, said the woman, aged in her 50s, had been taken by ambulance to the Monash Medical Centre. After undergoing surgery she had been placed in an induced coma and was now in the intensive care unit. “We believe she was walking home from doing some shopping,” Detective Sherren said.…