A PUSH to rid the Mornington Peninsula of plastic straws is gaining traction. The Peninsula’s Last Straw community group promoting the use of less harmful paper straws asked cafes in Dromana to replace their plastic straws with paper ones – for free – to reduce plastic pollution. This followed the success of the Peninsula’s Last Straw project which won a Keep Victoria Beautiful Gift Fund award of $1000 last year. Afterwards the project was launched in Rye and is now included in the shire’s Best Bites food award program. Mornington Peninsula Citizen of the Year 2019 Josie Jones said the…
Author: MP News Group
Mt Martha Primary School plays host to LEGO exhibits from Brickvention’s Master Builders as part of the School’s Carnivale this Saturday 10am to 3pm. Around 15 LEGO exhibits will be on free public display including the Phantom as pictured by Trevor Clark and Sue Ann Barber from MUGS (Melbourne LEGO User Group). Martin Page, Principal at Mt Martha Primary says ‘we are delighted to have teamed up with MUGS this year and be able to offer a unique and interactive LEGO experience for our school and community. Visitors can try their hand at the speed LEGO building competition and even help…
Wildlife carers say the deaths of hundreds of possums earlier this month could have been avoided if suburban gardens were made more wildlife friendly. The aftermath of successive days of high temperatures will see young orphan possums needing care for months to come. Wildlife carers and educators Janet Wheeler and Paula Rivera, from Living with Wildlife, say gardens can be easily modified to provide wildlife with food, water, shelter and “pathways to find a mate”. Their organisation Living with Wildlife will hold a free Gardening for Wildlife workshop 10am-midday this Saturday (23 March) at Karingal Place Neighbourhood Centre, 103 Ashleigh…
MEMBERS of the Somerville Community House and several community groups and the Sage family met on Saturday 23 February to share insight into the late Annie Sage. They watched on as a copy of her portrait, originally painted by Nora Heyson, the first woman to win the Archibald Prize, was unveiled by her great nephew Alan Sage. The print was bought from the Australian War Museum in Canberra with money raised by the Somerville Family Day Committee. Annie Moriah Sage was born in 1895, schooled at Somerville and worked in the local grocer’s shop. Encouraged by her grandparents, she moved…
HEY Rock & Roll music fans the wait is over – “Let’s go back to where it all began” as we relive the magic & the great hits of legendary music icons Buddy Holly & The Beatles Together Live In Concert. Buddy Holly & The Beatles shook the world in the 50’s & 60’s with their massive chart hits that are still timeless & popular 50 years on with over 400 million record sales between them this will be a concert experience not to be missed with hit after massive hit. After sold out concerts in Australia audiences will absolutely…
A PICTURE-perfect Red Hill day set the scene for the announcement of the 2019 Montalto Sculpture Prize winner: Moonah by Kylie Stillman (above). Montalto owners, the Mitchell family, were joined by fellow judges, artists and guests at the event, Sunday 24 February. The $40,000 acquisitive award aims to encourage artistic pursuit in a public forum. Moonah is a free-standing stack of hand-cut fence palings. The imposing work maintains Stillman’s use of everyday materials and follows her use of books and papers to form the objects into which she carves. These often enigmatic “blocks” have a presence in themselves. In this…
A 24 YEAR old Frankston man was arrested in Hastings on 11 March after a series of alleged car thefts. Frankston Crime Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant Luke Holmes said the man had been “prolific in his offending in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula area.” It is alleged that the man would meet up with people looking to sell their cars on the website Gumtree, and ask to test drive their cars. The man would then allegedly drive off. Police allege his offences occurred in the Frankston, Seaford, and Hastings areas between 19 February and 11 March. The man allegedly would…
SOMERVILLE Highway Patrol nightshift had a busy time Wednesday 13 March pulling over five drivers with drugs in their systems. One had his car impounded. Leading Senior Constable Greg Wolfe said those intercepted included a 30-year-old woman from Southbank who tested positive to methamphetamines, and being an unaccompanied learner driver with no L plates. A Frankston North man, 39, tested positive for methamphetamine in Excelsior Drive, and a Baxter man, 24, tested positive for the same drug in Klauer Street, Seaford. His car was impounded as his licence had already been suspended. A Frankston man, 37, tested positive to methamphetamine…
Mornington Peninsula Shire has agreed to a developer paying $5000 for a thin strip of land overhung by a first-floor balcony. The balcony is part of a three-storey building on the Esplanade, Mornington that has been built next to the shire-owned car park in Vancouver Street. Senior property officer Jonathan Chivers told council’s Tuesday 12 March meeting that it “is not possible” to remove the offending tensioned steel reinforced concrete balcony. He said the solution to the overhanging balcony was to sell the developer a 25-centimetre-wide strip of the shire’s land. The development at 786 Esplanade has shops on the…
Labor candidate for Flinders, Joshua Sinclair, has moved quickly to climb aboard the electrification of the rail line to Baxter project. With the results of a $3 million federal government-financed business case due soon, Mr Sinclair last week “reaffirmed that a Shorten Labor government will move quickly to deliver the much-needed Frankston to Baxter rail upgrade”. “A federal Labor government will electrify and duplicate the track [from Frankston] to Baxter, giving commuters better access to high quality public transport and park-and-ride options,” he said. “Shadow Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese said the project was part of Labor’s commitment to increase public…
“IT was good to see people still have good hearts.” Elderly Rosebud resident Maureen Baldwin was speaking after strangers came to the aid of her husband Ron after he fell and cut his head last week. “They were holidaymakers from West Footscray camping on the foreshore for the weekend, but they came over and did all they could to assist us,” she said. “One went and got my car while the others comforted Ron and another waited at the end of the street to tell the ambulance where we were. “Even their little children came over to see if they…
MORNINGTON Pirates Baseball Club has been part of the Mornington sporting scene since 1975. Based at C B Wilson Reserve on Wilsons Road, they fielded eight teams last year across mens, womens and juniors. With the 2019 season just around the corner, they are having two ‘come and try’ days to attract new participants to the sport. “We are hoping to grow the number of teams we field this year, so are calling for anybody out there who’d like to come and see what we are about”, said Jo Schutt from Mornington Pirates. Mornington Pirates pride themselves on being a…
THE newly re-branded Southern Peninsula Sharks could be in for a big year if their pre-season matches are anything to go by. The Sharks’ men’s Big V team have won all three of their pre-season games with their most recent victory coming over Mornington on Saturday 23 February while their women’s team is going just as well having won all bar two of their matches. Those two games were a draw against Frankston and a loss against Waverly who are both NBL 1 league teams. Despite losing several key players at the end of last season, Southern Peninsula Sharks basketball…
THE Pat Carey-trained mare, Swift Sis, broke through for her first victory in Victoria on Saturday 2 March. After making the move from Western Australia, the now eight-time winner stepped out for her second start in Victoria and stormed past her rivals to record a narrow victory down the Flemington straight (1100m). Donning the iconic Makybe Farm silks, worn by three-time Melbourne Cup champion Makybe Diva, Swift Sis lifted in the final 100m to nab the Jason Warren-trained mare Miss Toorak Flyer who had run past her at the 600m mark. Despite going around at the odds of $31, Mornington-based…
ITALIAN Opera is filled with popular and well loved highlights which have stood the test of time and remain the most beloved items in the classical repertoire. In this rousing afternoon, the acclaimed 40 piece Melbourne Opera Orchestra conducted by and introduced by Greg Hocking AM will perform the most popular operatic arias, duets and ensembles. Featuring stars from the opera, this concert will transport you to eras gone by and famous characters of the best known Italian operas. Highlights of the programme include from Verdi’s La Traviata the famous Drinking Song (Libiamo) and of course many of the most…
WITH no end in sight to the recycling crisis Mornington Peninsula Shire has backed the Municipal Association of Victoria’s plan for a “well-designed container deposit scheme”. This would go part way to preventing recyclable rubbish going to the tip. (“Recyclables go to landfill” The News 27/2/19). The shire’s executive manager infrastructure services Jessica Wingad said the move would “increase recycling rates and reduce litter by providing a financial incentive to consumers to return their cans and bottles”. Ms Wingad said councils were “stepping up to identify local solutions” in the row, which included more investment and greater regulation of the…
Slow ahead: The Safety Beach Coast Guard tows the stricken boat back to calmer waters out from the Rosebud Motor Boat Squadron, above; the rescued fisherman was hooked by his own line, top left, while his boat was left to sink off Rosebud with a marker buoy attached. Pictures: Supplied SHARP eyes at Rosebud Motor Boat Squadron helped save the life of a fisherman whose boat sank in rough seas last week. Member Mitch Delic saw the boat being swamped and raised the alarm with the Safety Beach Coast Guard and police before heading out himself, Wednesday 6 March. Gale-force…
Nathan Lesslie, pictured, has been named as the Australian Greens candidate for the seat of Flinders in the May federal election. Mr Lesslie stood for the seat of Hastings in last November’s state election which was won by Liberal Neale Burgess. In his bid to become a federal MP Mr Lesslie is standing against long time Flinders MP, Liberal Greg Hunt, Labor’s Josh Sinclair and former Liberal and now independent Julia banks. Mr Lesslie, 32, married with two children, has been working as a social worker for the past 10 years. He says seeing the barriers faced by the families…
A SWORD was thrust through the security door of a Mornington house during a dispute, 10.10pm, Wednesday 6 March. Detective Acting Sergeant Peter Drake, of Somerville CIU, said a resident of the house in Coimadai Close, aged 30, heard a noise outside. He opened the front door to investigate – leaving the security door locked. On the porch a man, carrying a sword, and a woman, demanded he hand over “property”. The resident refused. As the man tried to force open the security door the sword was thrust through the wire mesh. Two women, aged 30 and 48, were also…
A HASTINGS man was severely injured in a dispute with another man while riding his bike in Hastings, 11.20am, Tuesday 5 March. The details are unclear, but Detective Acting Sergeant Peter Drake, of Somerville CIU, said the 19-year-old victim went to a Hastings house where he was involved in an argument with the occupant. When the teenager fled on his bike the other man allegedly drove after him and may have struck him from behind at the entrance to the walkway between Mary Grove and High Street. Detective Drake said the silver coloured VW Jetta got stuck in a barrier…
PLANS by a Mt Eliza couple for a lifestyle change have been shattered by the finding of a woman’s body found floating in the water at Martha Cove marina, 9.30am, Thursday 7 March. Senior Sergeant Kirby Tonkin, of Rosebud police, said the woman, 60, who was fully dressed, may have fallen and hit her head before toppling overboard from the boat overnight. Her husband raised the alarm after noticing she was missing in the morning. He found her body in the water near Martha Cove Boulevard with their pug dog nearby. It was taken to the vet suffering hypothermia. It…
A 25-hour theatrical performance at Rosebud has proved that absurd ideas can have rewarding outcomes. In November, cast and crew from the Southern Peninsula Players (SPP) and Rosebud Astral Theatre Society performed the “classic absurdist play”, The bald Soprano. Their efforts raised more than $1000 for housing and support service, SalvoCare Eastern Rosebud, and have led to the merging of the two companies into the Rosebud Theatre Group. “We performed an absurdist play, for an absurd length of time, with a cast and crew who ended up absurdly tired, but even after all that, it is still less absurd than…
WHEN the Birds Come In is a multimedia retrospective of stories shared by women living on the Mornington Peninsula. Curated and crafted by Carole Patullo, Jane Bayly and Melanie Beddie, audiences will travel through several created environments and spaces. Performers from three generations, including young actors from Dreamhouse Theatre Company, Rosebud Secondary College, SPARK Productions and The Music Industry will work alongside professional actors to reimagine stories and songs collected through the festival, A Woman’s Place. “There is something very special about storytelling; and when those stories come from lived experiences and transformed into theatre, the response from communities is…
After the huge success of last year’s annual event, we are seeking to make this year’s Somerville Family Day even better. We estimate around 20,000 people attend the day where we provide loads of free entertainment and over 80 market stalls. There will be plenty of delicious food vans on site, rides for the children, Scouts activities, free activities for the kids, D.J., storm troopers and lots, lots, more…. A record number of sponsors came on board this year, without which we simply cannot run the event. So we are hoping to get everyone back again plus any new local…
Police want to remind the community to enjoy themselves responsibly across the Mornington Peninsula area over the Labour Day long weekend. As part of Operation Unity there will be a highly visible police presence proactively patrolling the Mt Martha, Safety Beach, Dromana and Rye foreshores to ensure everyone can enjoy the weekend safely. There will be a strong focus on detecting offences relating to anti-social behaviour, drinking in a public place and dangerous use of Personal Water Craft (PWCs) which includes jet-skis. Local Area Commander Inspector Janene Denton said this time of the year was one of the busiest times…
SOUTHERN Peninsula Sharks players Jaz Shelley and Olivia Pollerd will join the under-19s Australian squad in preparation for the under-19s World Championships in Bangkok in July. The two Sharks’ players were selected to be apart of the World Championship team camp two weeks ago. The girls will join some of Australia’s best junior basketball talent for a weekend long camp in May. Southern Peninsula Sharks basketball operations manager Lucas Allen said they were both incredibly excited to join the squad. “For Jaz, she’s been to two World Championships already including the under-19s as a double bottom age. She’s been to…
ANTHONY Freedman’s stable stars Santa Ana Lane and Shoals stepped out in a handy jumpout at Balnarring on Wednesday 27 February. The talented pair, who have recorded seven Group 1 victories and just shy of $6 million between them, finished first and second in the second heat of the morning and look right on track for their return to the races. Santa Ana Lane was allowed to find his feet at the back of the small field before working home powerfully to finish two lengths off his stablemate Shoals, who led from start to finish, in the 1000-metre gallop. Pinecliff-based…
FOR many visitors to Mornington and for many of its residents, Alexandra Park is the place at the top of Main Street to play footy, cricket and netball. Most people drive past Alexandra Park on the way to sampling the delights of “the street”, or to drop off the kids for their weekend sport. Few, if any, give a second thought about the history that permeates every sod, every blade of grass, every brick and every plank that make up the community space. For those lucky enough to remember before World War I, Alexandra Park would mean more than bristling…
‘IN the valley’ is an exhibition that highlights the beauty and fragility of our natural environment. Observing and documenting the changing landscape of significant areas of the Mornington Peninsula, artists Rosie Weiss, Jean Langley, Merryn Lloyd, Christine Lloyd, Michael Favaloro and Siri Hayes reveal their personal connections to the landscape and the strong links to place that exists across generations. The ‘In the valley’ exhibition coincides with the Mornington Peninsula Shire moving towards zero net carbon emissions across all its operations by 2021 and supporting long-term climate change resilience across the community. The exhibition is presented as part of ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE…
ERIC Clapton’s career has spanned over 6 decades. Lauded as being the greatest guitarist of all time, his roots are firmly & obviously embedded in the blues tradition of which he remains both a student & visionary. In his unforgettable ‘Unplugged’ Concert, Clapton paid homage & respect to his roots & those fellow legends that influenced his playing so significantly. The music was minimalist, alternating between his reworked pop songs such as Layla, the traditional blues of Robert Johnson & Bo Diddley, and new songs , including Tears in Heaven, that were an outpouring & expression of a very difficult…