Former Liberal MP Julia Banks is rumoured to be considering standing against her former colleague, Flinders MP Greg Hunt in this year’s federal election. Ms Banks told The News two weeks ago that she had yet to make up her mind “on my next steps”. Mr Hunt, the health minister, has held Flinders for the Liberals since 2001. The seat was previously held for the party by Peter Reith. The Labor Party is expected this week to announce the name of its candidate for the election expected in May. Recent polling reported by a Melbourne daily newspaper last weekend showed…
Author: MP News Group
A MAN extensively damaged the United service station at Tyabb yesterday (Tuesday) by driving a utility through the front glass doors and windows. The ute did a three point turn inside the shop before being driven off. Owner Simarjeet Virdi said CCTV showed the older model, dark-coloured, single cab tray ute with bull bar ramming four glass panels three times bringing down shelving and part of the ceiling, 4.30am, Tuesday 29 January. The extent of the damage was unclear but Mr Virdi said it could be $15,000-$20,000. He said he knew of no reason for the incident at the service…
AUSTRALIAN singer – songwriter, Ella Hooper will lead known and loved acts during an afternoon of great music on Sunday Feb 3 at Musiqua, a new live music event kicking off for the first time at the Hastings Foreshore Reserve. Hooper is heralded for her impressive Aussie rock story from childhood to contemporary shows and gigs. Originally from Violet Town in country Victoria, she was the lead singer of Killing Heidi when they won triple J’s Unearthed competition in 1996 at the age of 13. The decade that followed saw the release of three studio albums, a handful of ARIAs…
SYDNEY based brothers, Oliver and Louis Leimbach of Lime Cordiale are excited to announce their first headline shows of 2019. The MONEY TOUR comes from a huge demand for more live shows. Lime Cordiale will continue on from their sold out 27 date Aust and NZ ‘Dirt Cheap’ tour which closed out 2018 as the biggest year yet for the band. The band has been playing all over Australia and now is aiming to stretch it even further. “We played a lot of shows on our last tour but you just can’t make it everywhere. Every show on the last…
Awarded: Clockwise from top left, Diane May Falconer, Neil David Armstrong, Sonya Loader, Ricky Charles Cooper, Bronwyn Eleanor Hughes, Judith Roberta Pettitt and Robert John Fergusson. Pictures: Yanni, Gary Sissons and supplied. SOUTHERN Peninsula Food For All stalwart Diane May Falconer, of Mt Martha, has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the General Division in this week’s Australia Day honours list for service to the community through charitable organisations. Ms Falconer has been secretary of the Southern Peninsula Community Fund since 1998, a member of the executive committee since 1986, and a volunteer since 1986. She coordinated…
DANCERS and musicians will next month perform under the emerging stars in the Arts at Twilight concert at The Briars property, Mt Martha. The show (with food trucks) involves artists from Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, including dancers from Spark Youth Dance Company, Tim Podesta’s Projection Dance Company, freelance dancers Dominique Cowden and Jacinta Martorella as well as The Briar String Quartet, Luke Severn and Elyane Laussade – a cello and piano duo and a peninsula-based clarinet quartet. Spark Productions director Alex Dellaportas said The Briars property “provides the perfect setting for live arts entertainment to meet the beauty of…
SIGNS to help motorists estimate how long it will take to reach the southern Mornington Peninsula are being installed along Point Nepean Road and Browns Road. The signs by Mornington Peninsula Shire and VicRoads estimate travel times for the coastal and inland routes. Beacons will detect road users with Bluetooth-enabled devices to calculate actual travel times. Signs will then display the times of each route so drivers can choose their best option. “[The signs] provide us with valuable data, such as traffic congestion levels and driver behaviour, which helps us strategically plan for future transport solutions on the southern peninsula,”…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire will seek restoration of vegetation and rectification of earthworks after a Tyabb landowner was convicted of carrying out earthworks and clearing native vegetation without a planning permit. The landowners and their contractor were fined $29,000 with costs of $18,000 in Frankston Magistrates Court late last year. In mid-2017, the council’s planning compliance officers began investigating allegations that unapproved works were being carried out at the property. They saw that a significant amount of native vegetation had been cleared. The mayor Cr David Gill said the council worked hard to investigate illegal building works to protect the amenity…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr David Gill wants members of the public to tell the state government they do not want a giant supermarket at “the gateway to Mornington”. A PUBLIC meeting to discuss the proposed Kaufland store in Nepean Highway will be held at the Mornington Shire Offices, Queen Street, 4pm, Thursday 14 February. Those attending will hear about the advisory committee process, the scope of the proposal and details of council’s submission to the Kaufland Stores in Victoria Advisory Committee. The council is concerned that the proposed development, which is outside the designated Mornington activity centre, has been…
Mornington Peninsula Shire is seeking public feedback on a new plan to help manage, protect and enhance biodiversity on the peninsula. The draft Biodiversity Conservation Plan outlines strategies and actions to help achieve “best practice environmental stewardship” and draws on the Shire’s State of Biodiversity Report. Biodiversity is regarded as being the variety of plants and animals in a particular area, with high levels seen as important for a healthy habitat. The draft biodiversity conservation plan details data from scientific, government and community sources – essential reading for anyone interested in the peninsula’s natural environment. The mayor Cr David Gill…
A MAN, 71, was seriously injured and later died in hospital when the boat he and a woman were riding in capsized off Blairgowrie, Friday 11 January. Police and emergency services were called to the beach at 10am after a passing boat picked up the stricken couple and took them to shore. An ambulance rushed the man to Frankston hospital in a critical condition. The woman was not injured. Senior Constable Alistair Parsons, of the Media Unit, said police were yet to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. The investigation was ongoing. First published in the Western Port News – 16 January 2019
DO you dream of reliving the good old days? Were you a fan of The Everly Brothers, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, The Bee Gees and The Hollies? Well don’t miss The Robertson Brothers Variety Show featuring Simon Brook McLachlan from the original cast of Jersey Boys. This amazing interactive live Variety TV style Show will have you singing, dancing, laughing and crying! Take a trip down memory lane with The Robertson Brothers, Australia’s own vocal dynamic duo! Oh What A Night….. you’ll have! The Robertson Brothers grew up in a home that appreciated the Variety TV Show. When…
KISSTROYER started in Melbourne in 2001, formed by two brothers Andrew and Stephen Kyriacou. On a staple diet of steady shows and more media attention than most tribute shows could ever hope for, KISSTROYER has grown into one of the largest touring Rock Tribute Act in the Country. Testament to this is the much talked about stage show. Three eras of authentic KISS costumes, over 15 authentic KISS guitars a massive Functional light up KISS logo and stairs withall the blood spitting, fire breathing, Guitar smashing and smoking mayhem that has brought fame to the KISS name over the past…
A drink driver has had her car impounded after driving on the wrong side of the Nepean Highway in Mornington this morning. Local officers were patrolling the area about 1.50am when they noticed a car coming towards them on the wrong side of the divided highway. They intercepted the car and gave the driver, a 52-year-old woman, a preliminary breath test. She then underwent an evidentiary breath test and returned a reading of 0.247%. Her licence was suspended and her car impounded with towing costs of $1010. The woman is expected to be charged on summons with drink driving, dangerous…
THE driver of this Peugeot 307 convertible was slugged with a $645 fine for a “substantial load breach” after being spotted carrying an old gate in the back seat along Bittern-Dromana Road last week. The Rosebud woman told members of Somerville Highway Patrol she was planning to use the wooden panels in a renovation project. She said she thought the load was safe as she was “only driving slowly,” police said. First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 15 January 2019
A WOMAN in her early 20s was airlifted to The Alfred hospital from Somerville oval last week after the car in which she was a passenger crashed into a power pole. After being assessed she was found to be “not as badly injured as first thought”. Police said the late model Holden station wagon was travelling at up to 100kph in a 60kph zone along Frankston-Flinders Road, in the early hours of Saturday 5 January. They said they were not pursuing the car but caught up to it only after it crashed at the intersection of Bungower Road. The driver,…
THE theft of petrol from a service station on Pt Nepean Road, Tootgarook, in mid-December, was one of a string of thefts and burglaries allegedly committed by a Cranbourne North man arrested Wednesday 9 January. Detectives from the Cardinia CIU, Special Operations Group and the Dog Squad nabbed the 30-year-old in Hampton Park over the incidents which occurred between October-December across the south eastern suburbs and Ballarat. During the arrest the man was injured and taken to hospital under police guard. He faces 38 charges relating to an aggravated burglary at Ballarat East, burglary at a Beaconsfield Upper hotel, burglary…
Boat owners using Port Phillip and Western Port are being asked to make sure they are not spreading marine pests that can “cause significant harm to the health of marine ecosystems”. Parks Victoria’s Chief conservation scientist Dr Mark Norman said it was vital to protect the state’s marine waters which supported more than 12,000 species of plants and animals, “90 per cent of which are found nowhere else in the world”. “Marine pests are highly invasive animals and plants, usually from other parts of the world that have become established in Victoria and cause significant harm to the health of…
The judge at this year’s Mornington Art Show is Lynne Mellady, a professional artist of beach and landscapes for over 30 years. Mellady is a pastel artist with examples of her work represented in government collections in Australia and Japan. She has won many awards and has been teaching and judging art for more than 20 years. Cathy van Ee and David Brayshaw are this year’s “feature artists”. Van Ee, who is also a tutor, specialises in portraits and landscapes in oil and pastel. Her career in the arts has included working in the corporate sector in magazine and book…
THREE talented juniors from the Mount Eliza Tennis Club will finally get their chance to assist the world’s best tennis players at the Australian Open on Monday 14 January. Having spent the past nine months undertaking rigorous training and testing, Sam McComb, Hope Backx and Sophie Farish will step out onto the court alongside some of sporting’s greats. It’ll be Sophie’s second time assisting as a ballkid at the Australian Open, while 14-year-olds Sam and Hope will be having their first go at the trade. It’s no mean feat to make it through to the final group of 312 ballkids,…
MORNINGTON-based racehorse trainer Rod Grantley has his speedy mare Waterford Sound flying this preparation having claimed three of her past four starts in country Victoria. The eight-year-old mare made it back-to-back victories at her home track, Mornington, on Thursday 27 December and her trainer Rod Grantley has put the success down to the mare thriving with the addition of beach work. “She’s a lovely mare to train,” Grantley said. “We spent a lot of time down at the beach in Dromana with her and I think that is what has helped her through everything and has really helped with her…
JUNIOR and Senior athletes will be out to kick off the New Year with a bang when they line up in the 44th annual Rye Gift and Rye Junior Gift on Saturday 13 January. The Rye Gift and Athletic Carnival is set to lure over 600 professional runners from across Australia down to the RJ Rowley Reserve, Rye (Rye Football Ground) as they begin to build up towards the lucrative Stawell Gift in April. The Men’s Gift and Women’s Diamond will be worth a total of $5,100 and $3,000, respectively, while the junior competitors will run like the wind in…
OBSESSION: Devil in the detail examines our fascination with the meticulous and micro, the real and the hyperreal and brings together a range of historical and contemporary works under three broad themes of still life, portraiture and landscape. The exhibition seduces us with the power of realism and intricate detail and showcases 65 works across sculpture, painting, photography, drawing and video. Long before the onset of photography in the 19th century, painting was the means to realistically capture the world around us, with the technically brilliant artists of the Renaissance set the benchmark for realism. In the late 1960s photorealism…
COLOURFUL glasswear created by Leisa Wharington will be on display and for sale at this year’s Mornington Art Show. Wharington worked from her studio in Merricks North for more than 30 years, that evolved into an open, creative space for jewellers and painters. An annual market was held on the rural property. Glass blower Wharington and painter Julie Niekamp have now transported that same idea over to the new Studio & Co in Marine Parade, Hastings. Although Wharington’s environment has changed, she says her work and creativity has not. The “countless colours, shapes, and ideas” in her natural surroundings feed…
A MAN arrested over a series of burglaries of businesses and churches across the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston over the past four months has been remanded in custody to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court at a later date. The 37-year-old, arrested by Detective Sergeant Adrian Mizza, of Mornington Peninsula CIU, at his Rosebud home last week, is facing 28 charges over 14 alleged burglaries involving more than $60,000. The man appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday on unrelated charges but detectives will apply for the burglary charges to be heard at Frankston Magistrates’ Court. More charges are pending as…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council’s recently adopted Wastewater Management Plan 2018-2023 aims to address the “environmental and public health risks posed by residential and commercial wastewater on the peninsula”. The term wastewater covers liquid waste from toilets, kitchen sinks, showers and basins. The peninsula’s environment is especially affected by wastewater because of the high number of properties serviced by septic tanks. In these cases, householders are responsible for installing and maintaining their own treatment systems. “The shire has the highest number of septic systems of any Victorian council, leaving over 22,000 properties across the peninsula without reticulated sewerage,” the mayor Cr…
A MOTORBIKE rider who tried to do a runner from police ended up getting his friend’s bike impounded, Tuesday 18 December. The incident occurred when Somerville Highway Patrol officers in Lyrebird Drive, Carrum Downs, spotted a motorbike with a false plate “RUNA” attached. The rider allegedly failed to stop and was clocked at more than 80kph in a 50kph zone before being pulled over in nearby Quarrion Drive. The rider, 18, of Skye, was found to have never held a licence and the bike was unregistered. He told police it was a friend’s bike, and that he hadn’t initially pulled…
NEW meeting procedure rules adopted by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council set “a new benchmark for local government”, according to a lawyer. Terry Bramham, of Macquarie Local Government Lawyers, who helped write the new rules, said “the protocol establishes a new benchmark for local government, with [the shire] leading the way”. Adopted at the shire’s Tuesday 11 December public meeting, the Meeting Procedures Protocol 2018 is described by the mayor, Cr David Gill, as being “a more transparent and accountable decision making process”. “I believe that the reforms will make MPSC the leader of municipalities in Victoria regarding open, fair and…
DESPITE publicity and the pleas for parents to use common sense, every year in Australia more than 5000 children are rescued after being left alone in hot cars. In the year to the end of August, Ambulance Victoria was called to 1587 cases of people locked in cars in Victoria – the majority being toddlers and babies. Last week, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and Kidsafe Victoria launched its Kids in Cars awareness campaign at Seawinds Community Hub, Capel Sound, ahead of the annual influx of an estimated 140,000 visitors over the summer holidays. The temperature inside a parked car could…
BELGRAVIA Leisure has been hired until 2022 to run the soon-to-be-completed $9 million Somerville Recreation Centre. The deal extends Mornington Peninsula Shire’s partnership with the sports management company which already runs the Pelican Park Recreation Centre, Civic Reserve Recreation Centre, Crib Point Pool, Western Port Gymnastics at Hastings Hub and All Access outreach programs. Belgravia will take over management of the Somerville stadium operation from 1 January with the rebuild expected to be completed by April. Somerville Health and Fitness Studio will cease operation and wellness programming will be provided from the new centre. The mayor Cr David Gill said…