Compiled by Cameron McCulloughA LARGE deputation waited on the council on Friday last with the request that action be taken to provide adequate drainage for the residential area from Beach Street to Overton Road, Frankston.Cr. Gray read a letter from Mr. E. A. Evans, asking him to introduce the deputation of residents affected by the recent floods, and it was evident from the commencement that the deputation had the sympathy of the whole council.Under the circumstances it was extremely unfortunate that Mr. W. Milvain, who was absolutely “straining at the leash” in his eagerness to address the council, should have…
Author: mpnews
Need to protect the ‘gem’ that is Western Port I was shocked to read that “the Ramsar information sheet for Western Port has not been updated since 1999” (“Forum a chance to protect Western Port’s future”, Letters, 9/4/2024). In that 25-year period, climate change has worsened considerably, and several species have moved from vulnerable to endangered, even critically endangered – the step before extinction.Growing industrial pressure, all energy related, has also increased the threat to the internationally acclaimed wetlands and heightened the need and urgency to conduct new “baseline environmental studies”.I sincerely hope that the Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has…
AUTISM crusader Bianca Appleford died on Friday 12 April after a battle with cancer.The mother of four was renowned for her work in the autism field. In 2012 she founded Light-Up Autism Foundation to introduce improved teaching aids into southern peninsula schools so students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and those with other learning difficulties, could more easily stay happy, and focused, in the mainstream system.The Rye resident, who has an autistic son, received an Order of Australia Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2020 for “service to people living with autism”. Mrs Appleford had previously been honoured by being…
SOMERS landscape designer Ellen Freeman has won two awards at this year’s Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show with Eclipse, her entry in the Challenger Achievable Gardens section.Eclipse won a gold medal and the specialist award, Best Use of Plant Life. One side of Freeman’s creation comprises silver and blue toned plants while the other side has purple, red, and black plants. The two sides are separated by a white limestone path and circle. Textures also add contrast between the two halves of the garden, with more matte plants on the lighter half and shiny leaves opposite. Plants chosen by…
A MEMORIAL garden space at the former Bembridge Golf Course, Somerville is having a “sunflower spectacle” to promote its green credentials and honour a friend.The concept of paying for a plant or tree to be planted in honour of a loved one, with ashes treated and made environmentally safe, is relatively new to Australia. But the owners of Mornington Green, Luke Roberts and Rob Amro, say the uptake has been great since opening in 2022.The green wedge zoned land was a market garden before becoming a golf course in 1995. Roberts said the idea for memorial gardens came to him…
PRIVATE, agricultural and planned burns are likely to take place on the Mornington Peninsula and across Victoria in the coming weeks. While current conditions are considered ideal for burning, weather patterns may cause smoke to linger over parts of the state overnight and through to early morning.Forest Fire Management Victoria chief fire officer Chris Hardman said it was crucial fire agencies took advantage of favourable conditions when they presented. “Planned burning on public land is one of the tools FFMVic uses to keep Victoria safer from bushfires,” Hardman said. “While we burn to the conditions not the calendar, autumn generally…
TOURIST trips to the Mornington Peninsula are 5.7 per cent below December 2019 levels, while international visitor numbers remain below pre-COVID levels.Nepean MP and Shadow Minister for Tourism, Sport and Events Sam Groth said there had been 40,000 international visitors to the peninsula in 2023. In calling on the state government to not impose any more taxes in its upcoming budget Groth said tourism on the peninsula remained below pre-COVID levels, with many businesses “struggling to operate”. Groth said one of the most high-profile businesses which had announced it would close was the Donna Maria restaurant in Flinders. A spokesperson…
Compiled by Cameron McCullough THERE is no doubt the autumn of 1924 will be long remembered as the wet autumn.Again we have had another soaking downpour, with the result that all the low-lying land is again under water.Our representative paid a visit to a number of the places affected, and points out that something will have to be done, and done immediately, to bring about an end to this state of affairs.Quite a number of houses are practically unapproachable, the only dry means being by a vehicle or by boat. Some places have fixed planks to walk on, and woe…
Forum a chance to protect Western Port’s future The upcoming Future Forum by the Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula (CFMP) will provide an opportunity for the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny to announce new funding for our region, including funding to protect our local environment.Since 2014, the state government has deprived the Mornington Peninsula of infrastructure funding while providing hundreds of millions of dollars around the Geelong region – this is unacceptable. However, any new developments must not be at the expense of our green wedge zone or marine and coastal environment.The Port Phillip Bay Fund has provided over…
Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was located with serious injuries in Bittern on April 6. It is understood a man, who is yet to be formally identified, was located on the side of Frankston-Flinders Road, near the intersection of Coolart Road, just after 4am. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Investigators believe that a NSW registered white Mitsubishi express van that was located nearby, may be linked to the man. The circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be determined and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who has seen the Mitsubishi van in the area,…
NEW Wave 24 is an exhibition at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery that showcases the works of local VCE and VCE VET art, visual art, media arts, fashion, design and technology students within the Mornington Peninsula Shire. The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, multimedia, ceramics, installation and more by a new generation of young artists. The show offers students the opportunity to participate in a group exhibition in a public gallery and serves as inspiration for other senior students to see the work and ideas of local students.Also on display at MPRG is New Exuberance, a Jam Factory touring exhibition focusing on…
THE creative director of the Share Sustainability Agency has won third place in the Melbourne international flowering garden show border garden design competition.Josie Jones, of Rye, said that stepping into the realm of the competition was “a complete leap of love”.The Mornington Peninsula clean-up hero, who daily picks up litter from the beach and heads rubbish awareness programs, drew on her love of the rare weedy seadragon and gardening to create a garden bed that impressed judges.“As someone who has quietly nurtured a passion for gardening my entire life, the joy and humility I feel in securing a place on…
TWO young men from the Mornington Peninsula have made a spectacular entrance into the electric vehicle market, armed with nothing but a bright idea, a modest amount of savings and a lot of faith.Twenty-four-year olds Toby Batters-Holding and Daniel Henry, who became friends while students at Western Port Secondary College, have launched a mobile EV charging business that has attracted interest from media around the country.Before taking their idea to the market, Henry, an electrician, and Batters-Holding, a boiler maker, spent 12 months learning about the EV industry. Although they did not own EVs themselves, they knew enough to see…
By Max Bryant* WESTERN Port Oberon Association has celebrated the 100th birthday of its oldest member, Duncan Lamont Mackinnon.Born on a sailing ship, the steel barque Garthsnaid, on 5 December 1923 while it was moored in the Yarra River, Mackinnon is the oldest member of the association, which operates the Victorian Maritime Centre at Crib Point.To attend school in Port Melbourne he had to row a dingy with his bike aboard across the Yarra and cycle to school.At the age of 10 his mother took him to Scotland where they lived for three years.Aged 14 at the start of World…
Compiled by Cameron McCullough AT the Frankston Court yesterday, before Mr. W. G. Smith, P.M.; and Messrs. C. Gray, P. Wheeler, and J. Brown, J.’sP., Miss Irene Galt sought an order from the Court to compel J. B. Jolly to erect a six foot paling fence between their respective properties on Melbourne Road, Frankston.Mr. Robertson appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. J. Hogan for Mr. Jolly.Irene Galt said she was the owner and occupier of property on Melbourne Road, Frankston. Mr. Jolly occupied the property on the north side of her place.The properties at present were divided by a fence…
Parks vegetation provided its own protection There is a small bush reserve between Shire Hall and Mills beaches encircled by a popular walking track. Recent notices erected advise that the “Friends” are restoring the bush”, which means they are removing introduced species which are not natural such as tea-tree and replacing them with grasses and shrubs.A further notice advises “Management” requests visitors to stay out of the area to protect the vegetation which, if the area had not been “opened up” in so many places and the scrub had remained dense, there would be no reason to stray off the…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has buckled under pressure and introduced some changes to its controversial paid parking trial after receiving a backlash from businesses and drivers.It is believed the council has introduced a 50 per cent discount for people who pay through the PayStay App, and also recently offered a 24-hour grace period from the date of parking. But a popular waterside Mornington restaurant which has spearheaded a petition to the state government is calling for a bigger revamp of the parking trial. Robert De Santis, who owns The Rocks restaurant and a separate cafe next door, at Schnapper Point,…
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…
A DRAFT plan for the Sorrento’s pier and harbour is open for community comment. Parks Victoria says the Sorrento Local Port Area Plan outlines improvements for the pier precinct, balancing and enhancing existing uses, creating new, safer recreation opportunities and shoring up the future for Sorrento pier. Feedback from the public will be considered in the development of the final plan to be released mid-year.“Sorrento Pier is a popular destination for locals and tourists, fishers and boaters, and a valued feature of the Mornington Peninsula,” Parks Victoria’s regional director Jodi Heath said. “As a vital part of the planning process,…
Compiled by Cameron McCullough UNDER the above heading an inaccurate and obviously partisan statement regarding the proceedings in the County Court last week, when Cr. Oates sued W. C. Young, publisher of “The Standard,” and Mrs. Wilson, dairywoman, appears in another paper, which, by reason of its ridiculous partiality is referred to by an amused public as “Oates’ Weekly.”The newspaper referred to, in its garbled statement of the case, omits to state that the offer to quash proceedings at the eleventh hour came from Oates’ counsel, and that the only disclaimer asked for was a general assurance from Mr. Young…
Removing seastars to help the bay’s health On Saturday 16 March, 25 residents, ecologists, ecology and marine biology students gathered on Mothers Beach, Mornington to do what they’ve been trained to do. That is to identify and remove as many northern Pacific seastars as possible from Mornington harbour.These invasive pests are decimating parts of the bay where they aggregate in their thousands. They have a voracious appetite, especially for small marine organisms which would ordinarily be the food source for many other marine creatures.In the absence of these seastars, the bay has a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem which is what helps…
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a fatal road accident in Pearcedale on Thursday 21 March. Police were told a car travelling on Tyabb-Tooradin Road collided with a truck approaching in the opposite direction at about 4.50pm.The male driver of the car, the sole occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene. The truck driver was not injured and stopped at the scene. The circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be established and an investigation is ongoing.Anyone who witnessed the collision, with dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au First…
POWERLINES in high fire danger areas on the Mornington Peninsula could be placed underground as part of a package of new “resilience measures” being tested and considered by electricity distributor United Energy. The distributor is looking at how it can make its network in Melbourne’s south-east and the peninsula stronger and more resilient in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather events.United Energy representatives last week met with community members in Red Hill to hear their views on the proposals and road test a range of scenarios as part of a five-year business plan, with a draft to be submitted…
SUPPORTERS of the campaign to redevelop Rosebud Hospital made their message clear at a rally on Friday (15 March) holding signs reading Frankton Too Far.Drivers in cars, buses, trucks and ambulances tooted, honked, or flashed their lights and sirens to support the cry that the hour’s drive to Frankston is too far for people on the south end of the Mornington Peninsula when they need care. Supporters lined the road south of the hospital waving at passersby and traffic and listened to stories about people’s hospital experiences. Hospital supporter Jan Gilbert, who organised the rally, said she and others would…
THE Tiny Home Expo is coming to Mornington Peninsula, and Expo Organisers say the event is gathering more and more interest as people seek alternative solutions to a multitude of pressures from rental stress, the housing crisis, and also aged care alternatives, and options for young people wanting to save rental money.“Whilst initially the Tiny House Movement was in the realm of a alternative lifestyles, a greener solution and coming from the aspect of having less ’stuff’, in more recent years it has attracted a much wider audience in search of solutions to an array of issues, the most obvious…
Compiled by Cameron McCullough A DEPUTATION from the Frankston and Hastings Shire Council, consisting of Councillors W. J. Oates, F. H. Wells, C. Gray, and J. Bradbury, accompanied by Mr. D. J. Quartermain, the manager of the Council’s Electric undertaking, waited upon the Electricity Commission today, with regard to the many interruptions in the service that have been experienced recently.The deputation pointed out that, during the month of February there had been no less than eight stoppages – some of them being of quite a lengthy period.The case of the all day Sunday stoppage was specially stressed, as this stoppage…
Shire’s advertisement lacked information It should be noted that Mornington Peninsula Shire Council had a full page ad in this newspaper only a few days before the free green waste weekend (News dumped, Letters 12/3/24). This ad raved on about all the services the shire had to offer and all that it was doing, but not a hint of the approaching “freebie”. The council never mentioned its previous free weekend either, so I’ve been monitoring its home page on the internet ever since.The lack of the normal traffic congestion made it easy to get to the check-in point but you…
LATE-career painter Stewart Westle, from Red Hill, is holding an exhibition of 45 of his works at Manyung Gallery’s art and design studio in Progress Street, Mornington.Westle’s work features a series of panoramas from Flinders to Sorrento, with one painting composed of 10 works over almost 15 metres. The exhibition, Sail With Me, will run for 12 days from Saturday 16 March, and can be viewed 11am to 4pm Tuesday to Friday. Details: manyunggallery.com.au First published in the Mornington News – 12th March 2024
Frankston Sexual Offences & Child Abuse Investigation Team detectives have arrested and charged a male in relation to four alleged separate sexual assault incidents, across the Mornington Peninsula, during January and February. The first incident occurred on The Boulevard in Somers on 22 January about 10.30am. The second incident occurred on Tasman Road in Somers on 31 January about 6.10pm. The third incident occurred on Peterson Street in Crib Point on 1 February about 5pm. The fourth incident occurred on Sandy Point Road in Balnarring on 13 February about 5pm. In each of the incidents it is alleged the male…