HORSES from a Mornington Peninsula property are among animals from around the state that have recently died from a mystery illness being investigated by health experts. Agriculture Victoria on Sunday confirmed 10 horses had died suddenly on properties on the peninsula, in south-east Melbourne and south-west Victoria since 4 July. It has been reported the affected horses died shortly after suddenly falling ill, and local vets and experts are working with the government body to identify possible causes. Victoria’s chief veterinary officer Dr Graeme Cooke said the investigation was in its early stages. “It is not yet known what has…
Author: Liz Bell
ONE of Victoria’s top police officers says the Mornington Peninsula is a “safe place” to live despite media reports. Mornington Peninsula Local Area Commander, Inspector Terry Rowlands gave this assurance last week (13 July) after the release of community sentiment survey results which recorded community perceptions about crime and safety. Victorians had been asked since 31 March to report their community safety concerns, engagement preferences and experiences of local police. The inspector said that media speculation on reporting of serious and violent criminal offending, “and more specifically the ‘sneak in’ type of home invasions”, could heighten fear in the community. …
AN accident involving at least three cars crashing into a fallen tree near Tuerong has strengthened calls for more stringent pruning of roadside trees. But the call has been questioned, with some residents believing that driver behaviour and speed is at fault. The issue has highlighted the great divide between Mornington Peninsula residents who want to retain its “green credentials” and moderate driver behaviour, and people who want a more urban-like environment where they can drive at speed. In the latest incident, several cars are believed to have hit the fallen tree in Balnarring Road during wet conditions, around 6pm…
DETAILS are still emerging about a collision between a bus and a truck at Safety Beach on Wednesday 5 July. The bus was carrying up to 20 passengers when the collision occurred mid-morning at the intersection of Dromana Parade and Prescott Avenue. The 44-year-old bus driver and a 17-year-old male passenger who is believed to have lost several teeth in the crash were taken to Frankston Hospital. Several passengers were treated at the scene. It is believed the smash caused the bus to career into a property’s front fence before it ploughed into an adjoining fence and home. One witness…
AN application for a $48 million dollar “action sports” centre on 80 hectares of green wedge land in Boneo has been submitted to Mornington Peninsula Council. The proposal is to amend the permit for a camping and horse-riding business, previously known as Ace-Hi, then The Ranch, which has been operating for the past 40 years. It is believed the revamped facility at 810 Boneo Road will accommodate up to 700 people at a time – close to double what is currently permitted – with plans for a wake boarding dam, artificial snow, a skateboard park, convention centre, seven-day liquor licence…
THE overturning of a permit refusal for a large, illuminated sign at the gateway to Mornington has angered residents and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. VicRoads gave the go ahead to a planning permit for the double-sided billboard, it was opposed by council but approved by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2020. Before the appeal hearing VCAT members visited the site and the applicant Drive By Developments agreed to reduce the height of the 18.5 metre sign by five metres and the display area of 15 metres to 12 metres. VCAT member Michael Deidun found the commercial site was…
OBITUARY Kim Save, 20/1/1953-15/6/2023 ROSEBUD identity Kim Save was remembered on Sunday 25 June in a colourful send off at Rosebud Funeral Services and later at the Peninsula Beer Garden that celebrated her zest for life. Mourners were asked to dress in colour, in a fitting celebration of a colourful life. Kim Save was known for her unique sparkle, loud voice, and infectious spirit. She was wife to Bill, loving mother to Kate, Jane, and Billy, and devoted grandmother to Chloe and Mia. Her daughter Kate said Kim lived a vibrant and joyful life. Many will know Kim from her…
THE state government’s plan to continue its Kangaroo “harvesting” program and potentially increase the cull rate on the Mornington Peninsula has angered wildlife advocates who say the peninsula’s native marsupials should be protected. Victorian harvesting quotas are based around population figures of seven zones, with controversial aerial surveys last year estimating that kangaroo numbers in the Gippsland zone, which includes the peninsula, Wellington Shire and South Gippsland, had increased since 2018 to 17700, and across Victoria to 2,418,000. The Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Change recently announced the culling program – which put the kill quota of eastern grey…
INCREASING numbers of pet owners on the Mornington Peninsula are giving up their animals because they can no longer afford to look after them. Pet rescue groups say they are overflowing with unwanted and surrendered animals, while social support groups report that they are getting many requests for help to feed pets. Rising household costs and power bills mean there is nothing left in many family budgets to feed animals. The last straw is when animals need veterinary care, or owners have to pay expensive release fees if their pet ends up in the shire’s animal pound. Western Port Community…
PET owners are being warned to be vigilant when walking their dogs and to keep them on leads, after several incidents involving animals being poisoned on the Mornington Peninsula. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is investigating but unable to give further details of the poisoning of a dog in Tootgarook. It is not the first-time pets have been targeted, with a number of dogs poisoned in recent years in Mount Martha and Mornington after eating animal remains believed to be baited with rat poison. Mornington Peninsula Dog Rescue group is warning of a spike in dog baiting. The group is aware…
GROWING numbers of “middle class” Mornington Peninsula families are lining up for food support and help paying bills. Support services across the peninsula say a perfect storm of high rents, rising interest rates and burgeoning household bills is forcing a new wave of individuals and families to seek help. Mornington community support centre is hoping its winter appeal will raise $50,000 by the end of June to help deal with the crisis. CEO Ben Smith said there was unprecedented demand for support services, with all agencies and services reporting being stretched to the limit. “We are experiencing at least 20…
TEN years ago, Luke Cooper was having trouble finding a convenient and affordable way to dispose of old mattresses when he was struck with the realisation there was a gap in the market that he could fill. But even better than filling a need, was the fact that he could create a business that was actually good for the environment by keeping tonnes of components out of landfill every year. It was a slow and costly process to build his dream, but 10 years later the former mattress salesman’s mattress and furniture recycling company Bedrecycle is one of the Mornington…
BAXTER Men’s Shed volunteers have been waiting seven months to get back to helping the community and supporting member’s wellbeing and mental health. The men’s shed had been operating successfully for around eight years until a fire destroyed the workshop in Baxter-Tooradin Road in December. Despite being insured and having had contact with insurance assessors and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council officers, the men’s shed remains in limbo. Shed president Bill Wood says there were about 80 members at the time of the fire, but that numbers had dropped since COVID restrictions and then its forced closure. He said members were…
ELECTRONIC permits issued during a nine-month paid parking trial will be linked to individual licence plates to prevent them being shared. The plan to charge visitors to the Mornington Peninsula for parking in foreshore areas has sparked a hostile reaction from many residents, despite other Port Phillip bayside councils already having paid parking in place. While the trial will begin in summer and run for at least six months, the shire says it will use feedback and results to decide whether to make it permanent. The shire has allocated $1.16 million over two budgets to pay for the paid parking…
A MORNINGTON Peninsula father who says his 13-year-old daughter was “physically and verbally” bullied at school is encouraging parents with concerns about schools to make a submission to the parliamentary inquiry into Victoria’s state education system. The man alleges most of the bullying incidents occurred last year at Rosebud Secondary College, and that the school’s “poor” response showed there was a culture of not taking bullying seriously and “victim blaming”. “As a parent I don’t believe the school has fulfilled its legal responsibility to provide a safe learning environment,” he said. The parent claims his daughter had been physically and…
A SIX-month paid parking trial will be extended across all Mornington Peninsula foreshore areas if it is considered “successful”. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has allocated more than $1 million over two annual budgets for the trial to be run in three popular tourist spots. Despite paid parking being the norm across all other bayside councils, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is being criticised over its plans to charge $6.20 an hour for timed parking at three locations next summer. The plan has been slammed by people who live, work and holiday in the shire, with claims it will cripple businesses and…
IT’S well recognised that hands-on learning is one of the best ways to interest students in their education, so it’s no surprise that the coastal school program at Sorrento Primary School is such a big hit. All foundation (prep) students at the school spend one day each week at Point Nepean National Park as part of a program of discovery, exploration and learning. Principal Elaine Lesiuk said the program, a natural progression from the “bush and beach” program run by Sorrento Preschool, had cross curriculum relevance and helped students develop a sense of identity and connectedness to the natural environment.…
THERE may not be a lot of cost-of-living relief in the state budget for Mornington Peninsula residents but depending on which side of the political spectrum you’re on it’s not all bad news. Hastings Labor MP Paul Mercurio was busy last week making announcements about infrastructure and service improvements, particularly for boating and transport. Apart from Wednesday’s promise of a cross-peninsula bus service, the budget provided $271,000 to replace the northern pontoon at Hastings boat ramp, $100,000 for Community House Network Southern Region, $1 million each for Somers and Somerville primary schools for basketball court covers, $900,000 to upgrade the…
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…
IN a world where colours come to life and imagination takes flight, there exists a mastery that can transform mere air into whimsical wonders. Welcome to the realm of balloon art, where skilled hands and fertile minds twist and shape the ordinary into the extraordinary. It may seem like child’s play, but this is an art form that requires mental and physical dexterity and more than a little imagination, as Mornington couple Tammie and Trevor Timmers can attest. The couple, currently battling it out on Channel 7’s Blow Up Australia to vie for the crown of national champions, has been…
A TEAM of fit and somewhat ambitious men from Peninsula Kung Fu are limbering up for the 2023 Push Up Challenge. The men are aiming to complete 3144 push-ups each over 23 days in June to raise money for suicide prevention and awareness of men’s mental health. The targeted number of push-ups is how many Australian lives were lost to suicide in 2021 – and helps shine a light on the prevalence of male suicide across the country. Peninsula Kung Fu’s Sarah Hanna said participants will get together each Friday during the challenge for a few sets of push-ups. “We…
A MOUNT Eliza homeowner who found out she was not covered for theft by cleaners is urging people to check their policies before letting workers into the home. The woman – who did not want to be named – recently discovered jewellery worth about $50,000 was missing from her house and, after checking security footage, was shocked to see that two agency cleaners working together were responsible. But when the woman tried to make a claim through her insurer, she discovered a clause that invalidates claims if the theft is perpetrated by a person “invited into the home”. After alerting…
THE Chatty Cafe movement is gaining momentum on the Mornington Peninsula, helping people connect with others over a cuppa and combatting the “loneliness epidemic”. Under the umbrella of the Chatty Cafe Scheme Australia, the charity encourages hospitality venues across the peninsula, such as cafes, restaurants, clubs, pubs, community centres, libraries, churches, schools, aged-care residences, retirement villages, neighbourhood houses, pubs, hotels, clubs, wine bars and art galleries to provide a shared Chatty table where people can sit if they are happy to talk to other customers. Peninsula coordinator Jacky Howgate said May was a good time to warm up over a…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is investigating the positioning of dozens of signs along the path through Mornington Park on Sunday by anti-vax protesters. People out enjoying the weather could not avoid walking past the confronting signs while a small group of anti vaxxers remained in the park to talk to onlookers. The signs purportedly tell the stories of people who have had adverse vaccine reactions and claim that people are being “conned”. One woman who took photos of the silent protest said she felt the signs were “misleading” and should not have been placed in a public space. “I didn’t believe…
MORNINGTON busker Robert Klaas Kalma is making a bid for national fame. Kalma, who busks most Sundays in Main Street to raise money for charity, has become a familiar face to many Mornington Peninsula shoppers and visitors over the past four years. The 83-year-old didn’t take up music until he was 70, without ever having a lesson, but is now confident enough to vie for the top prize in the Australian National Busking Championships open mic jam. He is heading to northern Victoria for the Rutherglen heats on 13 May, with the winners invited to perform for the title of…
DUST, noise, blocked traffic and even private fences being pulled down are among the complaints stemming from a large residential subdivision in Mount Eliza. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is urging people who have concerns about the subdivision works at 19-43 Wooralla Drive to contact them, as it investigates claims about noise and refers dust complaints to the Environment Protection Authority. The eight-hectare block opposite Peninsula Grammar is being developed into around 34 blocks of between 875 to 2651square metres. One nearby resident, who did not want to be named, said the vegetation removal and other associated subdivision work had been…
THE Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation group has teamed with other volunteer organisations across Victoria to ramp up protection and advocacy for dwindling koala populations. The new Koala Alliance Victoria is made up of organisations and individuals involved with koala welfare, including groups on the peninsula, Gippsland and western Victoria. Belinda Eden from MPKC said koalas on the peninsula faced many threats, including starvation due to tree loss. “On the Mornington Peninsula, a koala is likely to die from starvation as her trees are cut down due to lax planning laws. As a direct result, she then experiences stress-induced illness, often…
HUNDREDS of high-quality fake identification cards have been seized from young people in Mornington over the past 12 months as police crackdown on underage drinking and anti-social behaviour. Acting Sergeant Daniel Patten, who monitors liquor licensing in the Mornington area, said easy online access to fake IDs was contributing to the problem of underage drinking and, in turn, violence. “There is clearly a link between alcohol and violence in high-traffic areas like Main Street and so we are focussing our attention on working with young people and trying to stop the drinking,” he said. Patten said fake Western Australian driving…
THE saying “Only in Sorrento…” is quickly becoming a national catchphrase, after some traders suggested the town should secede from Mornington Peninsula Shire. Apparently fed up with being “ignored” by the council, some traders have been pushing for Sorrento to break away from the shire with a realignment of municipal boundaries. A few are wearing The Republic of Sorrento t-shirts in a tongue-in-cheek gesture highlighting their alienation from the current council. The disgruntled businesses, upset over the council’s decision to allow a fresh fish food truck on the foreshore, have whipped up the secession frenzy in some parts of the…
FOR bicycle restorer Tim Hrambo, a recent vintage bike restoration brought with it an unexpected twist that has left him feeling humbled and curious. Hrambo had “rescued” an old, rusty bicycle from the tip seven months ago and while scraping off some paint was fascinated to discover the clearly printed name Len Sloman. He could also see that the bike – thought to be around 60 years old – had been sold from a Blackburn bike shop, making Hrambo curious to know if he could return it to the original owner or at least discover its history. After posting on…