WHEN’S a dog not just a dog? When it’s a story dog helping children learn to read, of course. Story Dogs is a nationwide charity in which volunteers take their dogs into schools to listen to children read and help improve their literacy. Victorian sponsorship development officer Kim Croft said when children read to a dog the outcomes are amazing. “When they are in a non-judgmental setting, the children’s focus improves, their literacy skills increase and their confidence soars,” she said. “The accepting, loving nature of dogs gives this program its magic and helps children relax, open up, try harder…
Author: MP News Group
THE Peninsula Studio Trail Exhibition attracted a good crowd of art lovers to Southern Buoy Studios last month. Organiser John Trebilco said: “The sales were good, with many small-to-medium-sized works sold, so we were pretty happy. “We now have the Open Studio Weekends coming up on 16-17 and 23-24 November when the 20 artists in the group will have their personal studios and display areas open to the public. Peninsula Studio Trail has been running this annual event for 11 years. Members of the public are invited to visit the various studios over the two weekends to speak to the…
POLICE are investigating the burning down of a second beach box at Rosebud, 2.30pm, Wednesday 30 October. The cause of the blaze is not known. CFA crews donned hazmat gear when it was discovered the corrugated iron box was lined with weatherboard and asbestos sheeting. “This was an extra danger,” Rosebud CFA duty officer Greg Chapman said. “Our people had to wear breathing apparatus and be totally washed down afterwards with their clothing bagged, tested and scrubbed to ensure no asbestos fibres remained.” The beach box contained a destroyed couch-bed, table, games and other items. The blaze took the fire…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s older community has no plans of slowing down as shown at the annual Delys Sargeant Age-Friendly Awards. The awards held on Tuesday 22 October recognise individuals, clubs, services or businesses that contribute to building stronger communities for older people. The peninsula has the second highest older population in Victoria with more than 30 per cent of residents aged over 60 – compared to the metropolitan average of 17 per cent. The shire was one of the first councils in Victoria to develop a strategy to promote positive ageing and aims to continue leading the way by recognising…
MORNINGTON Peninsula police and the water police are stepping up their campaign to make our bays safer and reduce the number of marine safety incidents this summer. Acting Sergeant Steve Drew, of Rosebud police, said: “Local police attended an increased number of drownings or near drownings last summer with many involving visitors to the area who didn’t appear to have a full understanding or appreciation of how treacherous the water can be on our local back-beaches. “This is particularly so on days with off-shore northerly winds and two-plus-metre swells, when the ocean looks completely flat between sets of waves. “Even…
SORRENTO Primary School was in damage control last week after the second incident involving offensive student behaviour. Angry parents contacted The News to say a grade three student had taken what they described as a BB gun to the school, threatened other students before allegedly pointing it at the head of a prep girl, and allegedly shooting another boy in the foot when he tried to take the gun away. The pellet did no damage and the boy was unharmed. This incident follows weekend mayhem when children from the school were accused of jumping the fence of the Sorrento Early…
RED Hill Op Shop has become a drop off and collection point for new and slightly used bras. Red Hill resident and op shop volunteer Marianne Findlay said: “We now collect bras for Uplift, an Australian-based organisation, which sorts and sends bras to women in need. “As this is in keeping with our philosophy of recycling used and unwanted goods so that landfill may be reduced, and helping our fellow beings, we support this project wholeheartedly.” For many women in poorer parts of the world, bras are unaffordable, but necessary, in providing the benefits of health, dignity and protection. Bras…
Police are appealing for witnesses to a car crash in Frankston South last night. Police received reports two cars were travelling north along-side each other prior to one of the cars crashing into a tree on Frankston-Flinders Road about 7.45pm. The sole occupant of a black Honda was entrapped in the car and had to be extracted by emergency services before being taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver, a 20-year-old Frankston South man, is yet to be spoken to by police. The sole occupant of the second car, a black Subaru Forrester, was interviewed by police at…
VANDALS who jumped the high fence at Sorrento Early Learning Centre’s playground last week broke into the storage shed and “generally got into mischief”, Sorrento Community Centre manager Heather Barton said. “They were throwing stuff around, removing the bikes and riding them around the car park – where they were in danger of being hit by cars, I’m told – destroying stuff and using seats as Frisbees.” Ms Barton said she saw a picture of one of the youths skylarking on the centre’s new shade sails which had only recently been installed following “lots of fundraising”. “That’s a very dangerous…
PROCEEDS from the sale of the Hastings Police Senior Citizens Register 20th anniversary calendar are going to a good cause. Money raised will assist in the fight against post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among police officers. Register coordinator Denise Palmer said clients of the register had already bought 400 of the 1000 calendars for 2020 printed with the remaining 600 expected to sell quickly. “We thought we were ambitious in aiming for fundraising of $10,000 but we are on target and will achieve it with the sale of the last 600 calendars,” she said. The calendars are available at Hastings police…
PROOF of the success of Hands-on-Learning as a worthwhile career path for youngsters came with the launching of a students’ pizza oven at Western Port Secondary College last week. Former Frankston High School H-o-L student Liam Sweeney, now the purchasing manager at high-end peninsula hotel Jackalope, worked with the Western Port H-o-L students at the launch of their pizza oven to feed a large group of staff, students, parents and community and local business people, Friday 25 October. Liam, who has worked on several projects with the students, arrived with Jackalope head chef Andy Bryant, carrying all the food, including…
A MORNING tea to honour Mornington Peninsula Shire’s previous Australia Day Awards Citizens of the Year was held at the Rosebud offices on Friday 25 October. The mayor Cr David Gill hosted the event to “recognise and celebrate the recipients’ significant contributions to the enrichment, improvement and advancement of the Mornington Peninsula community”. Special guest was the shire’s Citizen of the Year Josie Jones, who was last week awarded the 2020 Victoria Local Hero award at a ceremony at Government House. She was among about 20 previous winners representing all award categories at the event. A staunch environmental and litter…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol intercepted a 38-year-old Rye man driving without headlights or taillights along Frankston-Dandenong Road, Seaford, 2am, Saturday 19 October. The man was driving the same blue Commodore sedan issued with a defect notice in August still with the same wiring extending from the battery up through the bonnet and in through the window to provide a charging port for his phone. The man returned a positive drug test and his car was found to have suspended registration due to his not complying with the previous defect notice. He allegedly told police he was driving to Seymour to drop…
A MAN who answered an advertisement to buy a mobile phone from a Facebook Marketplace page snatched it from the seller, ran to a waiting car and drove off, Sunday 22 September. Rosebud police are looking for the man, pictured, who took the new Apple iPhone 11 valued at $1720 which was still in its box, and drove off in a white Toyota Camry. The victim could not make out the registration number. The man is described a Caucasian, dark hair, dark eyes, and wearing a distinctive top. Anyone with information is asked to call Senior Constable Leanne Marshall at…
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal collision which occurred in Rye Sunday evening. Emergency services were called to Nepean Highway about 10pm after reports a pedestrian had been hit by a car. On attendance police found a man, believed to be in his 20s, with critical injuries. First aid was provided but the man died. The driver of the car stopped at the scene and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the collision or with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Provisional Lives Lost: 2019: 226 2018: 170 Victoria Police News -…
By Doreen Jeremiah JOHN Jeremiah, together with his wife, Joanna and large family, took up land in Old Tyabb in 1894. Consequently there have been Jeremiahs in the Western Port area for over 120 years and I welcome this opportunity to tell a little of our family history. The tricky bit is that so many of my ancestors were called “John” but I will do my best to avoid any confusion. *** Welsh Beginnings The first ancestor I have been able to find was John Morgan who was born in Brecon, South Wales. John was a shoemaker and,…
THE Elvis Beach Party starts on Friday evening on The Village Green where for four and a half hours patrons can indulge in all things Elvis. It’s all part of Rosebud’s four-day Foreshore Rockfest and kicks off with the fabulous 14-piece Elvis Big band. Their two-hour show will see them perform all three decades of The King’s music including hits from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. This high energy show, complete with hula girls, is fronted by Logan Jeffs who performs Elvis vocals to a tee and is backed by top musicians from bands including The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, The…
WHILE successfully straddling the line between commercial success and managing to keep their Alternative Music roots secure, over their career, Eskimo Joe have racked up a long list of impressive stats. With 6 studio albums under their belts and sales in excess of 750,000, in Australia alone, the band has seen 3 of those albums debut at number 1 on the ARIA charts, with juggernaut ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ shining for a monster 62 weeks in the Top 50 and “Foreign Land”, from their fourth album ‘Inshalla’, bringing home 2 APRA Awards, for Most Played Rock Song on Australian radio…
A MORNINGTON Peninsula teacher who trained in Brisbane with former US Vice President Al Gore as part of the Climate Reality Project spoke to members of Berg Mt Martha earlier this month. Sharon Rogers said Mr Gore posed three questions on climate change and the future. The first was: Do we have to change? “We are spewing 110 million tonnes of man-made global warming pollution into the thin shell of the atmosphere every 24 hours as if it were an open sewer,” Ms Rogers said. “This trapped heat is leading to stronger storms and more extreme floods. The many associated…
VANDALS scratched large ‘X’ marks on various panels of eight cars and a coffee trailer at Mornington, overnight Saturday 12 October. Senior Constable Meg Morgan, of Mornington police, said residents in the Nepean Place, Fulton Avenue and Strachans Road area reported the criminal damage the following day. In other incidents, six cars had their tyres slashed at Mt Martha, 28 September-3 October. The cars were parked near Dominion Road, Glenisla Drive, Ferne Place and Marguerita Avenue. Between 15-18 October, police received three reports of tyre slashing to two cars and one trailer in Hyperno Way and Ramsay Court, Mt Martha.…
A VISUAL artist based on the Mornington Peninsula who has experienced several chronic illnesses, including being diagnosed as being bipolar last year, says she expresses herself, her body and her mind through her art. Specialising in oil painting, Emma Holt, right, said that at just 20 her life experiences had a major impact on who she was as an artist. “At the age of nine l began my first art class,” she said. “I was home schooled from the age of 14 due to health issues. “Then, at 16, I studied visual arts for two years, despite the world telling…
THE first 164 years of European settlement on the Mornington Peninsula had no shortage of dramas and historical events. History was recorded in books and diaries, then newspapers, photographs and eventually by radio and television. These days, events that make their way onto the internet will also become part of a history. Over the past four weeks Mornington-based radio station RPP FM (98.7) has been broadcasting a 10-part dramatised Time Capsules series on radio and as a podcast. The radio plays are being aired at midday every Wednesday for 10 weeks. “While listening to Time Capsules, an in-house created series,…
SOUTHERN Peninsula Players’ latest production is set in an elegant top floor London flat in the 1970s. Move Over Mrs Markham at Rosebud Memorial Hall is described as a hilarious play about misunderstandings, mix ups and mistaken identities. It revolves around respected, straight-laced – and happily married – Philip and Joana Markham. Farce descends when Mr Markham’s business partner, Henry, also married, convinces him to let him use the flat one night to enjoy a tryst with his latest conquest. Meanwhile, Henry’s wife, Linda – who knows all about his affairs – decides to have a fling herself. At the…
CAPE Schanck-based artist Di Crawford has explored many mediums in her career. Works from her “early days” with colourful silk threads to acrylics on paper and canvas to her latest painted mannequins are being shown to the public in her studio until Sunday 27 October. The works are part of her 12th solo exhibition and visitors (including children) are invited to explore the property which adjoins Mornington Peninsula National Park. Some of the proceeds from sales will towards drought relief for farmers. Di Crawford’s exhibition is open 10am-5pm daily until Sunday 27 October (opening at midday Saturday) at 360 Rogers…
THE recently introduced Rural Living Rate was a hot topic at last week’s Red Hill Community Association annual meeting. The new category has added an extra 20 per cent (up to $1000) to the rate bills of about 700 properties of between 0.4-2 hectares in the green wedge. About 40 residents turned up at Red Hill Mechanics Hall to voice their concerns to Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr David Gill and CEO John Baker, Saturday 12 October. The residents claim the new rate is “unfair and discriminatory”. They say the council should devise policies to survey, audit, interview and assess…
A PENINSULA Teenage Art and Fashion Exhibition at Dromana Secondary College this week attracted a record number of garments designed and produced by students. Parents and Friends Association president Natalie Derri, who organised the Monday 21 October event, said: “We had entries from Toorak College, Padua, Rosebud Secondary College, Elisabeth Murdoch and, of course, Dromana College students. “Four esteemed fashion designers critiqued the students’ creations last Sunday and prizes were awarded at the exhibition. “It was an amazing event with the VCAL students also supplying the catering on the night.” First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 22 October…
Mornington police are hoping to identify a woman after a mobile phone went missing from a local store last week. The mobile phone, belonging to a shop worker, was stolen from a Main Street store on Thursday October 17. Police believe that the woman in the pictures can assist them with their inquiries. The female is perceived to be Caucasian in appearance with dark hair and medium build. Anyone with information is urged to contact Mornington Police on 5970 4900 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au Victoria Police News – Monday, 21…
SUPER Koorie Kids Bush Playgroup and Balnarring Preschool have been named as finalists in the 2019 Victorian Early Years Awards. The awards celebrate the contributions that individuals and organisations make to improving the learning and development of young children and their families. Super Koorie Kids Bush Playgroup and Balnarring Preschool were nominated in the Creating Collaborative Community Partnerships category, which will be awarded next month. Since 2016, Mornington Peninsula Shire has worked closely with Willum Warrain Aboriginal Gathering Place to provide Super Koorie Kids Bush Playgroup, a culturally welcoming bush playgroup for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.…
MEET Igor, a part-time scarecrow and part-time electrician who is very good at changing light globes and passing solar panels up onto roofs. The gentle giant is a big supporter of Somers Primary School and will put himself up for auction at the 16th Annual Somers Arts Fair, 10am-5pm, Sunday 27 October. His sale proceeds will go to the school. Made from recycled Oregon studs, pallets and old bocce balls, the 3.6-metre Igor has fully articulated limbs and is finished in a mixture of linseed oil and boiled gum turpentine to protect him from the weather. His creator, David Colcott,…
A DEVICE that reduces the risk of a spark from a powerline causing a fire is being installed at a Dromana electricity substation. The rapid earth fault current limiter is expected to be ready in time for summer. This is the third device to be installed in the United Energy network area. The first system was used to lessen the risk of bushfires at Frankston South as part of a 2009 trial and the second was installed at Mornington in November. The devices have so far automatically activated more than 530 times on the Mornington Peninsula, which is one of…