ALTHOUGH its influence and interests are national and International, Clean Ocean Foundation remains a part of the Flinders community, where it started more than 20 years ago. “The Flinders community supported us in our first 10 years of campaigning and now we’re giving back,” president Pete Smith said when announcing the foundation would sponsor Flinders Cricket Club’s women’s team.” The foundation is also hoping the wider community of the Mornington Peninsula will get behind its continuing efforts to finally clean up the sewage outfall at Gunnamatta (“Taxpayers’ cash ‘pours into the ocean’” The News 29/8/22). Successful in its early campaign…
Author: Keith Platt
A SELF-confessed latecomer to hiking, Red Hill artist Michael Leeworthy managed to turn the restrictions of COVID-19 into positives: publishing three books on walking around the Mornington Peninsula. Weaving narratives derived from his own observations and research Leeworthy has colourfully illustrated each book with his own paintings, many featuring creatures that can be encountered on the various trails. “What started as something to do during COVID-19 became a true labour of love. Having so many walking trails at my front door was a blessing,” Leeworthy said. “When we were allowed to go further than five kilometres, I took the opportunity…
A SPECIAL administrator has been appointed to bring the Frankston-based Bunurong Land Council (Aboriginal Corporation) back to “good health”. Peter McQuoid, who was appointment in early September, has told the land council’s members that someone in his role “helps to fix problems such as money trouble, service delivery problems or poor governance”. “… The special administrator’s aim is to work with the corporation to fix internal problems and restore it to good health. When I achieve that, I will appoint a new board of directors and hand back control of the corporation to its members.” Under the terms of his…
WESTERN Port Biosphere Reserve Foundation and OzFish Unlimited have formed a partnership to “build awareness of the reserve’s environmental significance and encourage behaviours that will protect its marine ecosystems for future generations”. The partnership between the not for profit OzFish will extend the biosphere foundation’s reach beyond its resident communities and deliver important environmental information and advice to millions of boating enthusiasts and recreational fishers who annually visit the reserve, according to biosphere CEO Mel Barker. She said the organisations shared similar values, “founded on a shared vision to ensure local communities and visitors are well informed and equipped to…
SUMMER may be just around the corner, but users of Sunnyside Beach North, Mount Eliza fear they are being left out in the cold by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. The beach is renowned for being the only one on Port Phillip where public nudity is legal, but the shire has been accused of ignoring safety in making the beach difficult to access and is about to introduce paid parking. Sunnyside, an isolated beach between Mount Eliza and Mornington, is one of three peninsula foreshore parking areas chosen for this summer’s paid parking trial (“Permanent paid parking to depend on trial…
SURFING has a history and the Vintage Surf Day being held at Pt Leo is much more than being “about a bunch of antiquated surfboards”, according to Paul Trigger. Trigger, of Trigger Bros. Surfboards, says the day provides a chance to “meet the people that created and rode” those surfboards. George Rice, one of the biggest surfboard manufacturers in the 1960s will be attending along with an early team rider Gail Couper, winner of 10 Easter Bells women’s titles. “There will be mind blowing surfboard collections from as early as the 1950s through to signed surfboards ridden by the professionals.…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillor Susan Bissinger says she is “not a pariah or a bully” but was last week about to start personal development training at ratepayers’ expense. She says the training was ordered by the mayor Cr Steve Holland after two mediation sessions involving him and CEO John Baker. “The first one with him [Holland} worked out well, but the second one not so good.” She said Baker had since barred her from directly contacting council staff, with the exception of a select few senior officers. This was something she found “very strange, as members of the public can…
THE former owner of Yaringa Boat Harbour at Somerville is hitting the trail for retirement in Frankston, but not without praising the area’s bushland areas and taking a swipe at authorities for ignoring them. “Everyone I know who likes a bit of bush walking and appreciating nature hops in their car and drives somewhere else,” Borzecki, who has lived most of his life in Somerville, said. “I am continually amazed at how few people know that we have more than 10 kilometres of pristine bush fronting onto the coast of Western Port, complete with large bush reserves. “The area is…
TWO words may be the deciding factor to hold an environment protection biodiversity conservation (EPBC) assessment into plans to build and ship infrastructure for a Bass Strait wind farm from the Port of Hastings. The Save Westernport group wants the project classified as a “controlled action” to trigger investigations into the environmental effects of a renewable energy terminal on Long Island. The group’s secretary Julia Stockigt says acceptance of the term by the federal government would see investigations “necessary to determine whether the potential impacts of dredging and land reclamation on Western Port’s fragile environment can be managed”. The state…
VOTING patterns in the Voice to Parliament referendum on the Mornington Peninsula were close to those recorded across Australia, resulting in a clear No. The latest counting on Monday morning showed 57.89 per cent of No votes on the peninsula (60.59 nationally) and 42.11 per cent Yes (39.41 nationally). Neighbouring Dunkley, which includes Mount Eliza, recorded 50.07 per cent No and 43.61 per cent Yes. There were some pockets on the peninsula where Yes votes triumphed – Mount Martha and around the Red Hill area – but No votes dominated elsewhere, from Portsea and Sorrento to Dromana and across to…
PENINSULA Aero Club says that it has applied for a planning permit to “carry out maintenance works” on Tyabb Airport’s north-south runway. PAC president Stephen Braim said work on the runway’s 21-year-old sealed bitumen section of would ensure that it “remains safe and operational for many years to come”. He said the 45 metre wide runway was included a 10 metre sealed bitumen section with three meter rock shoulders and a grass section on the remainder of that width. Flyers distributed to residents by Tyabb resident Brewis Atkinson say that widening the. Runway “paves the way” for more aircraft movements…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors may hold discussions in secret about whether they should publicly release advice they receive during their scheduled secret briefings. A bid by Cr David Gill to have the issue debated at the council’s Tuesday 3 October public meeting was stymied when the mayor Cr Steve Holland ruled that it could not be discussed in urgent business. Holland quoted part of the council’s governance rules which stated, “the chairperson must not accept any motion which is vague or ambiguous or outside the powers of council and … must not accept any motion question or statement which is…
WITH voting already under way and Saturday being the final day for Yes or No votes to be cast in the Voice to Parliament referendum, four Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors have publicly stated their views. Just four of the shire’s 11 councillors issued a declaration stating they will vote Yes, although all of their colleagues were given the opportunity to add their name in support of the Voice. The four councillors – Despi O’Connor, Sarah Race, Simon Brooks and David Gill – are urging ratepayers to follow their lead and also vote Yes. A statement issued by the four councillors…
PENINSULA Aero Club wants to widen the north/south runway at Tyabb Airport. In a planning application to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council PAC asks permission to add three metre wide constructed shoulders to either side of the 10 metre wide runway. Long time airport watcher Brewis Atkinson believes the widened and strengthened runway will lead to more commercial and training aircraft using the airport. Atkinson wants objectors to the plan to urge the shire to impose curfews on the use of the airport by non-emergency flights; set an annual cap of 18,000 take-offs and landings (with touch-and-go counting as two movements);…
A FRIDGE magnet is being used to let vulnerable people and families know where to get help. The magnets being distributed to all households in Capel Sound are designed for those “struggling with social isolation, ageing, mental health issues and economic concerns”. A small sub-group within the Capel Sound Community Group identified people facing those issues as being the most vulnerable and also the most likely to not know where to find help. “Our local community centres can help with that, but people needed support to even find who to ask,” group secretary Bettyanne Foster said. “We had lots of…
THE Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula wasted no time last week in congratulating Jacinta Allan on her new job as state premier. The lobby group said Allan’s appointment was an opportunity to “collaborate” with the government on a “long list of major advocacy projects” for Frankston and the peninsula. “The committee seeks a renewed focus and consultative approach by the state government on addressing the major challenges and opportunities within our region, including better connectivity and public transport, more funding for housing on the peninsula, unlocking port-zoned land to create local jobs, better access to health and education opportunities,…
THE search is on for a builder to take over the partially completed clubrooms at Civic Reserve, Mornington following the collapse of the of the project’s main contractor, Allmore Constructions. A decision to wind up the Tullamarine-based company on 7 September has forced Mornington Peninsula Shire to find a builder to take over and complete the multi-million dollar project. Last Friday, a uniformed guard was the only person near the unfinished building. The mayor Cr Steve Holland said a new builder would be appointed “as quickly as possible”. “It is yet to be determined whether there will be any shortfall…
A PROMINENT Liberal Party leader and the CEO of the Hastings-based Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association joined forces last week in urging a Yes vote in next month’s Voice to Parliament referendum. Former Liberal ACT Chief Minister, Kate Carnell AO, said it was “a very Liberal thing to do, to vote Yes on 14 October”. Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association CEO Peter Aldenhoven said the referendum offered “hope, change, opportunity and possibility”. Carnell and Aldenhoven spoke at the second Voice public forum held at Rosebud by the Southern Women’s Action Network (SWAN). SWAN member Judith Graley said all speakers at the forum…
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…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have rejected a call that would have allowed officers to be questioned in public about the contents and possible consequences of their reports. The bid by Cr David Gill to clear the way for the public questioning of officers was defeated last week on the casting vote of the mayor, Cr Steve Holland. With one councillor absent, the vote was tied five all and Holland, in line with accepted procedure, used his extra vote as meeting chairperson to retain the status quo, which prevents the officers being questioned at public council meetings. In the lead up…
PETER Dawson readily admits to joking when he says members of the Flinders Icebergers are “the real icebergers, because we swim in the ocean”. He’s admiring and complimentary of everyone who swims all year. A year-round swimmer, or iceberger, for 30 years, Dawson started at Mentone and says the Flinders group grew as people sought companionship during the COVID pandemic. There are now 65 members of the “unofficial” Flinders group, with as many of them as possible taking the plunge at 7.30am daily near the pier. Individual swim distances vary from 600 metres to two kilometres and the only major…
Review results delivered behind closed doors MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors are being urged to improve “transparency” in the wake of the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigation into allegations of corruption at the City of Casey. IBAC’s Operation Sandon report tabled in state parliament on 27 July this year “found clear evidence of two [Casey] councillors accepting personal benefits from making or influencing council decisions related to planning or land use”. IBAC’s launch of Operation Sandon saw Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors order a review of development planning decisions made by the shire over the past two decades. The move directed that…
THE unpredictability of the trajectory of a small round ball after being hit by a flat surface has been highlighted by the need for a safety net on one of the Mornington Peninsula’s prestige golf courses. The owners of the two-course Moonah Links in Fingal say insurance companies have demanded a 13 metre high net be installed on the sixth hole of the championship Legends Course to protect a house in The Ridge Road from errant golf balls. The decision to allow the net could have been made under delegation by Mornington Peninsula Shire officers but Cr David Gill “called…
ALTHOUGH it has refused to drop Flinders from its paid parking trial, Mornington Peninsula Shire has refined its approach to make the experiment more acceptable to residents. Changes to the rules include a business parking permit for “select volunteers and club members” and a permit for staff of “directly adjacent businesses”. As well as near Flinders pier, the parking trial will be held over summer at Schnapper Point, Mornington, and Sunnyside Beach, Mount Eliza. Peninsula residents can apply for up to five permits a household but must abide by parking time limits. Anyone else parking at the three beach side…
ALTHOUGH Mornington Peninsula Shire has found little joy in the results of its the past two annual community satisfaction surveys, the same cannot be said for one of its most high profile contractors. Waste collectors Solo Resource Recovery has been able to issue a news release saying the latest local government community satisfaction survey “highlighted the exceptional success of waste management services [in the shire], rating second overall behind art centres and libraries”. The news release From trash to treasure: waste management services praised by locals, from Brisbane based BBS Communications Group, said the peninsula’s community, “young and old, have…
THE now-amalgamated committees for greater Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula appear to have the endorsement of MPs from state and federal governments and both major parties. Josh Sinclair, CEO of the Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula, said “extremely supportive comments” had been received from the seven MPs whose electorates cover Frankston and the peninsula. “This level of support from our local Labor and Liberal MPs shows the committee is bipartisan and a serious advocacy body for our region,” Sinclair said. “It also comes in addition to the significant membership/partnership the committee now has with corporate gold member, Mornington Peninsula…
THE state government has nominated the Port of Hastings as the best place for a terminal to assemble and from where ship offshore wind farms. A decision has yet to be made on whether an environmental effects statement (EES) will be required, although the government has been warned that any delays could adversely impact on meeting timelines for its offshore power generation targets. The planned Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal’s inland buildings and quayside assembly area cover 43 hectares with a 600 metre long by 100 metre wide wharf. If approved, the terminal will be the largest industrial development at the…
CARRUM Downs artist Jaq Grantford’s portrait of a actor Noni Hazlehurst has won the People’s Choice Award in this year’s Archibald Prize. The win marked Grantford’s first time as an Archibald Prize finalist and her work will be on display with 56 other portraits at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery from 15 September to 5 November. Events being held at the gallery to align with the Archibald Prize: The gallery’s cafe partner Commonfolk will serve coffee and “seasonal tucker”. The Archibald Prize 2023 will be on display at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Civic Reserve, Dunns Road, Mornington from 15 September to…
A MAJORITY of Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors have emphatically shown that they want car parking near Flinders pier to be part of a paid parking trial. A move by Cr David Gill to have Flinders removed from this summer’s trial was defeated by a vote of seven to two at last week’s public meeting (8 August). Cr Antonella Celi was Gill’s sole supporter. Councillors against excluding Flinders from the trial were Despi O’Connor, Anthony Marsh, Lisa Dixon, Susan Bissinger, Debra Mar, Simon Brooks and the mayor Steve Holland. Parking at Flinders, Schnapper Point, Mornington, and Sunnyside beach, Mount Eliza will…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have been told that investigating dropping the car park near Flinders pier in a paid parking trial would have “serious implications” for the entire project. Flinders, Sunnyside Beach, Mount Eliza and Schnapper Point, Mornington are the three car parks earmarked for the paid parking trial over summer. Major project coordination team leader Marcus Harris, in a report to this week’s public council meeting (Tuesday 8 August) said excluding Flinders from the trial would delay quotes for the vehicle identification cameras to be used in the paid parking trial. Harris said Flinders and Sunnyside car parks were…