Somerville Highway Patrol are appealing for witnesses after a driver failed to stop at a breath testing site and subsequently crashed leaving three people injured in Baxter last night. Officers were working the site on Moorooduc Highway and waving cars in when an officer signalled for the driver of a Jeep Wrangler to enter the site about 6.50pm. The driver ignored the officer’s direction and sped off narrowly missing a police member who had to jump out of the way. The driver of the 2018 wagon continued towards the Sages Road intersection where he ran a red light and collided…
Author: MP News Group
PUBLIC submissions for the 2022-23 Mornington Peninsula Shire budget have soared this year, with footpaths and walking trails leading the way with 908 votes out of 1500. Submissions close at the end of March, but Cr Steve Holland says the huge jump in submissions already reflected a change of resident’s habits post lockdowns, and a stronger appreciation of the peninsula’s walking spaces. He said the shire usually would receive fewer than 100 submissions, “but the new budget is proving very popular”. Cr Holland also conceded that the new “Shape” online platform made it more accessible to residents and potentially captured…
IT should become clearer later this week if Morgan Jonas will remain a candidate for the seat of Flinders at the coming federal election. Mr Jonas last week resigned from the United Australia Party “thus withdrawing my nomination”. However, he did not say if he would contest Flinders as an independent or under the banner of another political party. Mr Jonas said he would later announce “our exciting plan moving forward”. The UAP’s backer Clive Palmer said Mr Jonas “joined the party to promote his own self-interests”. “We note he has never been elected to parliament and is seeking to…
HOMICIDE Squad detectives have charged a 49-year-old Baxter man over a fatal shooting in Baxter in 2017. The man was arrested on Friday 4 March and has since been charged with one count of murder. The charges follow an incident on 16 September 2017, when a 64-year-old Baxter man was fatally shot at his Station Crescent home. The parties involved were known to each other. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 8 March 2022
MEMBERS of the Peninsula Chamber Musicians are tuning up for this weekend’s return to playing music to public audiences. Their 2022 orchestral and chamber ensemble series will be launched on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 March. The first concert will be at All Saints Church, Rosebud on 12 March followed by one at Mount Eliza Community Centre on 13 March at 2pm. The musicians will perform Haydn Symphony No 100 and Mozart’s Symphony No 40 along with contemporary Australian composer Elana Kats-Chernin’s Moon Feather Magic. Performances are also planned at Flinders, Mornington and the Peninsula Hot Springs, Fingal. Booking and…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Anthony Marsh visited Flinders last week to show his support for the Save Flinders Pier campaign. Cr Marsh said that the pier was a valuable tourist attraction to and should be saved. The mayor’s comments are similar to those voiced last week by Flinders MP Greg Hunt (“Liberal support for ‘save pier’ campaign” The News 22/2/22). He also visited the cargo shed historic display, a small museum at the beginning of the pier run by volunteers. The mini museum, dedicated to the history of the pier and its precinct, operates from a restored cargo shed…
Somerville Highway Patrol officers are appealing for public assistance after a car crashed and burst into flames on Peninsula Link in Moorooduc last night. Police have been told a black Ford Falcon sedan was travelling southbound on Peninsula link near the Moorooduc Highway just before 9pm. It is believed the driver lost control and crashed into a safety barrier and concrete bollard when the car caught fire. Luckily witnesses stopped at the scene and pulled the male driver from the vehicle before it burst into flames. A 27-year-old Dromana man was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Investigators are…
THREE Mornington Peninsula cinemas will share in $130,000 of federal government money to support the recovery of the arts and entertainment sector after three years of COVID-related disruptions to operations. Peninsula Cinemas Rosebud and Sorrento, as well as the Dromana 3 Drive-in, received between $35,000 and $60,000 each under the second round of the $20 million Supporting Cinemas’ Retention Endurance and Enhancement of Neighbourhoods (SCREEN) fund. Dromana 3 Drive-In owner Paul Whitaker said the drive-in had weathered the “perfect storm” of difficult times and was grateful for the support. “COVID-19 has seen us under mandatory lockdowns of more than 300…
HASTINGS police have caught nine illegal mini bike riders and seized their bikes in and around Hastings and Crib Point. Acting Sergeant Andrew Ross said the community response to a police request for assistance had been “very welcome”, as it was “local information” that often helped solve crimes. Sergeant Ross said illegal mini bikes which were not registered or had not passed safety tests were a danger to pedestrians, other road users and their riders. Having a mini bike impounded can be expensive, with owners given 28 days to collect them from the wreckers before they are crushed. Collecting them…
A 51-YEAR-OLD Rye man who allegedly had a loaded gun in a vehicle that was tracked to High Street, Frankston on 17 February has been charged with firearms and driving offences. Officers patrolling Frankston-Flinders Road about 9.30pm spotted a speeding car, which was then followed by the air wing to an address in High Street, Frankston. Police allege the male driver and female passenger dumped the car and ran. After a brief chase on foot officers arrested the pair nearby, and a search of the vehicle allegedly revealed a loaded handgun in a bag on the back seat. The woman…
POLICE are appealing for public assistance in relation to a series of crimes around Mt Eliza between 19 and 20 February. Detectives from the Mornington Peninsula crime investigation said a number of burglaries, thefts and an assault around Koornalla Crescent, Barton Drive, Walkers Road and Kunyung Road occurred over that weekend. Between 10pm on Saturday 19 February and 2am Sunday 20 February police say a group of youths embarked on a “crime spree of offending” where they stole vehicles, took items from vehicles, attempted to gain entry to various residences in the Mount Eliza area, and assaulted a youth. Investigators…
By David Gill* STRATEGIC planning for the use of land is the biggest issue facing Mornington Peninsula.. The peninsula is recognised in state planning policy as an area of significance and that there should be only moderate to low levels of housing growth. Our biggest protection to the character and liveability of the peninsula are the urban growth boundaries around our towns and villages which prohibit any reduction of green wedge-zoned land. The main planning issues that I see are: A general lack of understanding and sympathy from the state government (politicians and bureaucrats) that the peninsula is different…
GARDENS for Wildlife is finally up and running on the Mornington Peninsula. The program, which was impacted by COVID restrictions, is a network of community groups and councils working together to care for native plants and animals on the peninsula. It is designed to encourage and support residents in creating a haven for local wildlife using indigenous plants in their gardens and is a partnership between Mornington Peninsula Shire and community members and groups that share the common goal of protecting and promoting native flora and fauna. Much of the peninsula’s flora and fauna is rare or endangered and gardens…
THE first Mornington Peninsula Art Competition “work in progress” by students at St Joseph’s Primary School, Sorrento is under way. The competition has been designed to raise awareness among students and the community on how to care for the peninsula’s marine environment and shoreline precincts. The school’s entry has been inspired by environmental advocate and past Mornington Peninsula Shire Citizen of the Year Josie Jones, known for diving for rubbish under Flinders Pier. Ms Jones was also a recipient of the local Hero Award in the Australian of the Year Awards in 2020. Sustainability leader at St Joseph’s Primary School,…
ORGANISERS of the weekend’s March4Justice event against gendered and family violence shone a light on the shocking rate of this type of violence on the Mornington Peninsula. In the first six months of 2021, 817 women reported incidents of family violence to police across the peninsula, almost double the Victorian local government area average. March4Justice is a national movement pushing for equality, justice, respect, and an end to gendered violence. On Sunday, participants marched from Rosebud pier, and along the Bay trail to the Village Green, where people with slogans called out for an end to family violence and speakers…
A man has been arrested after a police vehicle was rammed while attempting to intercept a car in Capel Sound on Tuesday, 22 February. Police observed a purple Toyota Landcruiser allegedly driving erratically on Point Nepean Road about 10.55pm. The Toyota was seen failing to navigate a left turn onto Johnson Street and crashing into a tree. Police pulled over the vehicle which had continued travelling along Johnson Street. The Toyota came to a stop before allegedly reversing into the police vehicle, causing damage to both cars. A 33-year-old Rosebud man was arrested at the scene and has been taken…
HASTINGS police have been busy dealing with illegal behaviour on motorised bicycles and have warned that parents and riders need to know the rules for taking motorised vehicles on the road. In two of the most recent incidents, police impounded an illegal motorised bicycle after a male was caught doing monos in Hastings on 12 February. Just after 5.30pm, police were called by a resident who had filmed the bike’s rider lifting the front wheel off the ground while riding on a public road. A divisional van went to a Hastings address where police found the bike, but found the…
A SECTION of Bentons Road in Moorooduc is open to traffic, but with a bitumen made from recycled tyres instead of the previously announced Plastiphalt. Contractors and Mornington Peninsula Shire agreed on the new crumb-rubber asphalt pavement for the 1.6 kilometre stretch of the road. “It’s been a challenging ride with storms, material delays and COVID-19 isolation setting us back along the way. But we got there in the end, enjoy the road and drive safe,” Cr Lisa Dixon said (“Patience runs out as drivers ignore road barriers” The News 7/2/22). The 1450 tonnes of asphalt includes about 9200kg of…
POINT Leo surf life savers demonstrated their prowess in the water last weekend to win the water events in the 2022 Victorian Masters Championships at Lorne. Competitors from Mornington Peninsula, aged 31 to 76, came from clubs at Mount Martha, Point Leo and Portsea. Point Leo won the overall club points for the water events with 276 points, while Portsea came third with 117. Point Leo backed this up on day two to take out the beach competition with 2016 points, with Portsea fifth (55 points) and Mount Martha seventh (47). Life Saving Victoria general manager education, sport and club…
VOLUNTEERS are standing by ready to help evacuate more than 500 kangaroos trapped on private property near Cape Schanck. The kangaroos, once under threat of being culled, are fenced in and cannot access their usual habitat of Greens Bush National Park. Members of the Save the Mornington Peninsula Kangaroos group say the animals have been there since last September “with limited feed and shelter”. Mary Waterman says the group has a “kangaroo movement plan” and has offered to provide one-way gates “for their safe removal from the property”. She accuses the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning of not…
STUDENTS from St Macartans Primary School, Mornington, have again given the boat at Schnapper Point Park a facelift and a fresh new look. The school’s grade 5/6 art students were involved in an upgrade of the boat in 2014, so the school jumped at the chance to refresh its look. Art teacher Kristy Hayes took on the project, liaising with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and then working with the students at the end of last year to brighten up the marine animals on the boat. “We wanted to be involved in the spruce-up of the park again, so the council…
By Hugh Fraser* DAMAGING cultural issues have developed within Mornington Peninsula Shire Council that are having a significant impact on the democratic rights of the community and good governance of the Shire. I believe the risk of this development could have been avoided with timely advice by management to council when making critical decisions, as required by the Local Government Act 2020. One issue includes the right of the community to be heard and consulted on what were proposed as the rules governing council meetings procedure. These governance rules, as they now stand, are patently undemocratic. They dispense with council…
THREE people were taken to hospital after a two-car accident in McCrae on 3 February that saw one vehicle overturn and land on its roof. The accident, which happened about 3.35, occurred on the busy intersection of Flinders and Cairns streets. Although police data only shows one crash at the intersection in the past five years, residents say it is an accident hot spot and often the scene of accidents and near-misses. A man in his 60s was taken to Frankston Hospital in a stable condition with minor injuries and a woman in her 70s was taken to hospital in…
MORNINGTON Peninsula community and charitable organisations can apply for South East Water’s 2022 Community Grants program until 4 March. The $500 to $10,000 grants are available to help groups undertake community projects. Projects must support the health and liveability of Port Phillip and Western Port bays and nearby areas, such as beaches, creeks and wetlands. Now in its third year, the program has so far granted $134,000 to 34 community groups. In 2021, the program helped buy equipment for Mornington Life Saving Club and Baxter Fire Brigade, pay for education programs at the Australian Marine Mammals Association, environmental activities at…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is considering allowing families and friends to erect memorials to their deceased loved ones in public places. The shire is asking for public comment on the temporary roadside memorials of crosses and flowers as well as more permanent structures, such as benches, trees and art works. A news release issued by the shire stated that memorials provided “comfort in having a place to visit” and that public memorials were seen as “a tribute to someone who meant a lot to them”. In the lead-up to updating public memorials policy the shire is inviting comment on: Should members…
STAND-UP paddle boarders are being advised to check weather conditions before venturing into the water around the Mornington Peninsula. Last month, two teenage paddle boarders had to be rescued at Mount Eliza after being blown nearly five kilometres offshore, and a 12-year-old boy at Frankston had to be rescued after he was unable to paddle his board back to shore. There have also been incidents at Dromana and Rosebud, including on Friday (21 January) when five people in a blow-up boat and paddle boards took to the water in windy conditions and could not get back to shore. Mount Eliza…
By Tony Duboudin RETURNING to her home village of Flinders after more than 20 years in Western Australia was the catalyst for Robbie Freia, above, to complete her first book. “I remember driving on the peninsula when returning to Victoria in 2017, the contrast of the blue sea, the green trees and the wonderful smell of the dark earth. I remember, too, thinking how did I ever leave this place that felt so much like home to me,” she said. Freia had returned to Victoria to nurse her sick sister and reconnected with Flinders where her mother was born; her…
THE developer of a $190 million battery storage system at Tyabb expects it to be completed by mid-2023. Renewables company Maoneng has been given development approval to build its proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) adjacent to AusNet’s substation in Thornells Road. The BESS is designed to draw and store energy from the grid during off-peak periods and release enough back to the grid during peak periods to power the equivalent of 40,000 average homes. Maoneng says its BESS will improve the reliability of electricity “in an area that is particularly exposed to fluctuations in demand, primarily as a result…
MORNINGTON Peninsula police are calling on the public to help in a crackdown on monkey bikes and other unregistered motorised bikes. Senior Sergeant Kirby Tonkin, of Hastings Police, said neighbours and residents were being asked to report any illegal riding in their streets. In recent incidents a 12-year-old boy was intercepted by Hastings police riding a dirt bike along Victoria Street, Hastings, about 6.25pm on 7 January. The bike was seized, and the rider issued with a caution for unlicensed driving, using an unregistered vehicle and failing to wear a helmet. Five days before, at 3.35pm, a 15-year-old male was…
POLICE have praised the behaviour of boat and jet ski operators after a drug and alcohol testing operation at boat ramps and Rye and Safety Beach on Saturday 22 January. No offences were detected with police administering 30 alcohol tests and 29 drug tests after checking 22 boats and eight jet skis. Four infringements were issued however, including for having an unregistered vessel, out-of-date flares and two for people not wearing a life jacket. Police spoke with 58 people and were pleased with behaviour on the water generally, especially boat and jet ski operators adhering to the rules and carrying…