THE impact of European settlement on Australia’s Indigenous people, from Queensland to the Mornington Peninsula, was outlined in historic and personal terms when Peter Aldenhoven delivered this year’s Human Rights Oration in Mornington. His talk incorporated a series of stories illuminating the impacts of European “invasion” of his own people (the Nughi tribe from Quandamooka, Moreton Bay, Queensland), family experiences of racism and dislocation, and provided an historical context for the Bunurong and Aboriginal community now living on the Mornington Peninsula. Mr Aldenhoven, president of Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association and director of indigenous education at Woodleigh School delivered the Human…
Author: Keith Platt
MORNINGTON Peninsula and Frankston councils want to be able to take family violence and “alcohol-related harm” into account when considering applications for new liquor stores. The two neighbouring municipalities have joined seven others in lobbying the Planning Minister Richard Wynne for increased planning powers to control “packaged liquor outlets”. If their efforts are supported, liquor shops will have to provide social impact statements along with their planning applications. Under current planning laws “potential harm” caused by the proliferation of liquor outlets does not present a strong enough reason to refuse a permit. The councils want the planning rules changed so…
A RELIGIOUS leader of a Muslim community based in Langwarrin has accused other leaders of having “failed their people”. “Muslim scholars have failed their followers, hijacking a religion which literally means peace and leading masses astray for personal interests, pursuit of power and domination,” Imam Wadood Janud told a peace symposium at the Baitul Salam Mosque, Langwarrin. Imam Janud, leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Victoria and Tasmania, made his accusations while delivering the keynote address at the ‘World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace’ symposium which focused on the rise of extremism and nationalism. The Sunday 3 December symposium…
THE Blairgowrie marina is now able to add “fish friendly” to its description. Although “friendly” may not be the description used by a fish hooked within the marina, it is a title bestowed on the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron-owned marina for “protection and enhancement of marine habitat”. Blairgowrie is the first Victorian marina to get the Marina Industries Association accreditation and the 33rd in the Asia Pacific region. This latest recognition follows Blairgowrie being recognised as an international clean marina in late 2016. At Blairgowrie attention has been given to the monitoring and recording of marine species. “Melbourne University marine biology…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire CEO Carl Cowie was among the high profile guests aboard a luxury liner cruising the Mediterranean for a so-called “conception party” of prominent businessman, Lindsay Fox, a year-and-a-half after accepting council’s top job. The cruise was made in July 2016, an appropriate time before Mr Fox’s 80th birthday was celebrated in April this year with far fewer guests at Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove at Red Hill South. The boundary of Mr Fox’s sprawling Portsea property was contentiously extended across the beach by the Titles Office on Christmas Eve 2013 after a build-up of sand increased the…
BEACH box owners and users of Mt Martha Beach North want the state government to pay about $30,000 for a “modelling” of a plan to save the eroded beach. A public meeting at Mt Martha Lifesaving Club (Saturday 25 November) called on the government to more fully investigate building a 25 metre long groyne designed to bring sand back to the beach and protect the crumbling cliffs. Land and built environment program manager for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Cass Philippou, said on Friday the proposal “is currently being considered”. “Construction of a rock revetment to stabilise…
A “TEAM” from Mornington Peninsula Shire has returned from overseas with “invaluable information” to help the shire “address and respond to climate change”. Cr Simon Brooks, CEO Carl Cowie and project delivery manager Derek Rotter attended a conference in Germany, while Mr Cowie also went to Sweden and Malta. The latest overseas by council representatives comes as the shire moves towards meeting its target of being carbon neutral by 2021. Cr Brooks and Mr Rotter went first to a conference in Essen, Germany and then were joined by Mr Cowie for a United Nations conference in Bonn. “Our team…
THE state Liberal Party has stepped in to save plans for a memorial service to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt. Mr Holt was last seen by friends on 17 December 1967 wading into the water off Cheviot Beach at Point Nepean near Portsea. Plans by the Harold Holt Memorial Committee, auspiced by the Nepean Ratepayers’ Association, for a memorial service on 17 December this year looked like being scrapped after little interest was shown by either federal, state or local governments. However, the state Liberal Party president Michael Kroger this week has sent…
EARLY morning walkers at Safety Beach on Friday were horrified and saddened to see the white underbelly of a large dead stingray lying in the shallows. Several passersby thought it was one they had often admired from the beach. Regulations to protect stingrays, skates and guitar fish came into force on 7 November making it illegal to catch the fish from or within 400 metres of any man made structure. Fisheries officer Rod Barber, who on Friday was checking boats at the Safety Beach launching ramp, found a round wound behind the dead stingray’s head. “If they’re not going to…
STRICTER planning rules are likely to be brought in for land around Western Port threatened by rising sea levels. The need to add a “land subject to inundation” (LSIO) overlay to the Mornington Peninsula’s planning scheme follows the release more than two years ago of a report identifying areas that will be affected by coastal erosion, flooding, sea level rises and storm surges. The updated report identifies 710 properties that need to be covered in the overlay, including 136 houses at Hastings, 85 at Balnarring Beach and 13 at Somers. There are 40 commercial properties facing clouding at Hastings and…
BEACH users, beach box owners and residents will next Saturday be presented with options for combating the sand loss and cliff erosion that has led to the closure of Mt Martha north beach. A study into the latest erosion that came on the back of two severe storms in winter 2016 has found that the crumbling cliffs threaten the stability of the Esplanade. The problems at the beach and possible remedies are contained in a report prepared for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning by consultants, Water Technology (“Beach ‘repairs’ could cost $4m” The News 31/10/17). The report…
THERE was more shooting the breeze than shooting the curl when thousands of surfers descended on the Mornington Peninsula’s most popular surfing beach, Point Leo. Organisers estimate there were more than 2000 visitors to the Sunday 12 November Surf Vintage Day organised by the Disabled Surfers Association Mornington Peninsula. “More than $7000 was raised for the DSAMP, which will ensure the continuation of the popular surf days for people with disabilities held at Point Leo each summer,” organiser Rod Jones said. “My personal highlight was seeing such a large gathering of the tight knit peninsula surf crew and hearing the…
Flat bottom, sharp or blunt nose, swallow tail with flyers and rounded rails near the shoulders, and lots of rocker. Descriptions can be misleading, but all those words are part of the vernacular of surfers when describing a surfboard. They are words that will be freely used among the crowds expected at the Vintage Surf Day at Point Leo on Sunday 12 November. It is the third vintage day at Point Leo and sees the display of boards of all shapes, sizes and ages. And every board has a story. Bob Smith, honorary historian at the Torquay Surfworld Museum and…
IT could cost up to $4 million to prevent further erosion of the cliffs and beach at Mt Martha beach north. If not fixed, the crumbling cliffs will remain a threat to the stability of Esplanade and the beach. Already closed to the public, the beach will remain inaccessible and dangerous. The problems and possible remedies are contained in a report prepared for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning by consultants, Water Technology. The report recommends removing all boat sheds at Mt Martha north unless action is taken to stop further erosion of the cliff and beach. Options…
JOHN Schultz knows a thing or two about football jumpers. He’s grabbed plenty as their wearers flashed past on the footy field. But he also knows they were once the best thing to keep you warm in the surf. Young surfers of today wouldn’t know about the footy jumper-in-the-surf trick. They have the luxury of being able to choose wetsuits for summer and winter, or even a spring suit for the in-between seasons. One of the footy jumpers former Footscray ruckman Schultz wore in the surf at Point Leo back in the early 1960s has a history. The tradition of…
JOHN Clarke made a name for himself as a stalker of politicians and hypocrites. He managed to pour scorn with a twinkle in his eye and a half smile, leaving his target little choice but to respond in the same way. Sometimes his barbed comments were so sharp his victim would be impaled before he or she had a chance to realise the space they now occupied. But Clarke, who died Sunday 9 April this year, also enjoyed a sometimes-solitary pastime that also involved a great deal of subterfuge and stalking. The cutting comedian photographed birds. He had a special…
A STAINED glass window by renowned artist David Wright has been installed at St John’s Church, Flinders. The design by Wright, who has a studio and lives at Flinders, incorporates the emblem of St John, the golden eagle, and represents the Bun Wurrung people with indigenous plants. Glass used by Wright in his windows is layered and moulded in the kiln to produce “rich colour and texture”. The window can be viewed by the public in the Kings St, Flinders church on 4 and 5 November during the annual flower festival. Wright, whose past commissions include work for the new…
TWO of the four MPs whose electorates cover Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula voted against the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill passed by the Victorian Parliament’s lower house. The upper house is expected to vote on the bill in the next few weeks. Mornington Liberal MP David Morris and Frankston MP, Labor’s Paul Edbrooke, voted for the bill. Mr Morris’s Liberal colleagues, Neale Burgess (Hastings) and Martin Dixon (Nepean) were against. MPs of all parties were allowed a conscience vote for the contentious legislation proposed by the Andrews Labor government, which took four days to debate before it was passed 47…
TRAINS on the Stony Point line have set a new low when it comes to reliability, according to Hastings MP Neale Burgess. In a news release headed “Stony Point line snags some horror results” Mr Burgess says the train from Frankston to Stony Point fails to meet targets set by train operator Metro Trains. “The Stony Point train line has recorded some of the worst results for reliability and punctuality in the state, with the most recent figures showing the service is not meeting its targets,” Mr Burgess stated. He said the 99.3 per cent reliability recorded when the Labor…
A CAMPAIGN is underway to short circuit a $3 million road making scheme in Mt Martha. Signatures are being collected on a petition opposing the proposal and councillors are being lobbied in a bid to stop it before it appears on a council agenda for approval. The scheme to seal Augusta St and the adjacent Mark, Mathew and Gregory streets may be placed on hold pending release of a review of the shire’s policy of requiring property owners to pay part of road and footpath construction costs. Under the present policy the shire can proceed in the face of resident…
AGL Energy’s plans to use a floating gas terminal at Crib Point will be outlined later this month at Port Phillip Conservation Council’s annual general meeting. The power retailer’s community relations manager Jay Gleeson will provide a presentation on AGL’s assessment of options for shipping liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Crib Point from interstate and overseas. The company plans to inject the LNG into a pipeline supplying south-eastern Australia. Crib Point, in Western Port, was chosen for the floating terminal after an assessment sites around Australia (“Crib Point choice for gas terminal” The News 15/8/17). Mr Gleeson will outline of…
THE history of a koala rescued from a mooring near Warneet and its safe delivery back home to nearby Quail Island can be traced back to the 1920s. Research by Hastings historian and author Ruth Gooch tracing the rise and fall of the island’s koala population shows that the one picked up on Sunday 8 October by the Coast Guard is one of just a few still calling the island home (“Soggy koala finds solace in blanket” The News 10/10/17). Gooch’s book, Quail Island, Western Port, Victoria, tells of campers in the 1970s hearing koalas “bellowing” during the night and…
DESPITE strong opposition, Mornington Peninsula Shire is determined to force a massive increase in the rent it receives from the Hastings Cricket and Football Social Club. Councillors last week decided to advertise their intention of offering the club a new 21-lease lease, but with a rent increase from $4000 a year to $42,000 in the first year. The rent will rise $5000 a year for the following two years and then three per cent a year until expiry of the lease. The latest offer, which will be advertised and open for public comment, is virtually the same as that proposed…
THE backyard swimming pool is covered in plastic to keep away messy ducks. The wind, swell and tide are not quite right at the beach, but Rod Jones is a satisfied surfer. Better known as Dr Surf to listeners of radio station 3RRR, Jones sits on a creaking, weathered cane chair besides the pool at his Mt Eliza house flipping through old magazines where he identifies waves and recognises surfers. Inside his house there are surfboards in various rooms, they’re perched on the top of book cases, stashed on the floor behind couches, stored in purpose-built racks and decoratively hung…
THERE is little interest being shown from any level of government for a memorial service in December to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the disappearance of then Prime Minister Harold Holt from a beach at Point Nepean. Mr Holt was presumed drowned at Cheviot Beach on 17 December 1967, although his body was never recovered. Neither the federal, state or local governments have agreed to pay for a proposal by the Harold Holt Memorial Committee, auspiced by the Nepean Ratepayers’ Association, for a service at the beach on this year’s anniversary of his disappearance. A recommendation that Mornington Peninsula Shire…
PROPONENTS of a new memorial for former Prime Minister Harold Holt are hoping for a major commitment from the federal government on 17 December, the 50th anniversary of his disappearance. Mr Holt’s body was never found after he went swimming with friends on that day in 1967 at the restricted Cheviot Beach. The beach was within the then-Portsea Officer Cadet School, and now forms part of the state-run Point Nepean National Park. A small stone memorial with a commemorative plaque sits above the beach while another plaque has been fixed on the underwater reef where Mr Holt was last seen.…
COAST Guard volunteers based at Hastings had an unusual passenger on Sunday – a koala rescued from a mooring off Warneet. The koala was picked up after being found shivering on the mooring about 100 metres from the jetty. The rescue boat was on its way back to Hastings at about 9.30am after towing two men in a tinny to Warneet whose engine had broken down off Crawfish Rock. “I saw the koala on the mooring and at first thought it was a stuffed toy,” rescue boat crew member Sean Hannam said. “We turned the engine off and I threw…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is continuing to look far and wide for innovation and inspiration with two councillors and its top executive preparing to pack their bags for overseas and interstate travel. In November, CEO Carl Cowie and Cr Simon Brooks propose being in Germany for an international climate change conference and Cr Julie Edge wants to be in Brisbane for a forum on disasters. If approved by councillors at last night’s meeting (Tuesday 10 November), before arriving in Bonn for the United Nations’ COP23 conference, Mr Cowie will have already been to Sweden and plans to later head south for…
A RATEPAYER lobby group says plans to widen the sealed section of the main runway at Tyabb airfield are “highly premature” as a precinct plan is yet to be adopted by Mornington Peninsula Shire. “The Tyabb airfield precinct plan has not yet been finalised and certainly not approved,” Tyabb and District Ratepayers Business and Environmental Group president Stefan Berson stated in a letter to the shire CEO Carl Cowie. Mr Berson asked Mr Cowie if widening the runway would be subject to “a full public planning process” in line with a decision by councillors in 2005. Mr Berson’s letter followed…
THE state government is being asked to explain the future use of hundreds of hectares of land set aside to cater for the demands of the now abandoned container port at Hastings. The land around Western Port is now mostly used for agriculture at Hastings, Tyabb, Somerville and Crib Point. Facing a shortage of large industrial sites within 10 years, Mornington Peninsula Shire is about to ask the government to explain what type of development it wants on the swathes of “port-related” land. The coming shortage of industrial land is outlined in one of two draft strategies presented to councillors…