THE support, comfort and offers of accommodation to more than 1000 Mallacoota bushfire evacuees over the weekend came together through the efforts of more than 200 staff and volunteers from Mornington Peninsula Shire, state government emergency agencies and community organisations. The mayor Cr Sam Hearn said shire staff had joined members of the Red Cross, CFA, VCC chaplains, St John Ambulance, police and RSPCA to assist the 60 arrivals aboard MV Sycamore when it docked at Hastings followed by about 1000 more – many with pets – who arrived later aboard HMAS Choules. “Today’s efforts ensured this evacuation ran smoothly…
Author: Stephen Taylor
WHERE would we be without volunteers? It seems every aspect of our society depends on these unsung heroes who want nothing more than to get involved – usually in the background – help out wherever they can and take nothing away other than the knowledge that their services are appreciated. Point Leo Life Saving Club long-standing member John Horwood is a case in point, with his services acknowledged at the 2019 Premier’s Volunteer Champion Awards – Service, held on 2 December. Mr Horwood, who turned 80 on Friday 20 December, was honoured for his commitment to the lifesaving club “in…
RYMAN Health Care has submitted plans for a proposed retirement village in Kunyung Road, Mt Eliza, with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. Seventeen documents outlining plans for 10 four-level buildings, including 55 serviced apartments and 124 aged care beds accommodating 500 people, were lodged on 25 November. Ryman Health has been undertaking community consultation with Mt Eliza residents over the redevelopment of the site which is within a Special Use Zone (Schedule 2) and identified within a heritage overlay pursuant. A proposal from the shire to rezone the site to green wedge is said to still be sitting on the desk…
THE Moorooduc Highway, Western Port Highway and the Frankston Freeway are among roads to be equipped with wire rope barriers next year in a bid to prevent lane change, head-on crashes and run-off-road crashes. They are among roads around Melbourne set to receive about 340 kilometres of the contentious barriers on high-risk roads adding to the 2300 kilometres already installed. The upgrades are part of the $1.4 billion Towards Zero road safety strategy. About $226 million of upgrades will begin in 2020 in a concerted bid to tackle the soaring road toll. Minister for Roads, Road Safety and the TAC…
THE cost of cleaning up after vandals and illegal rubbish dumpers is costing Mornington Peninsula ratepayers $1. 5 million a year. This amount includes about $400,000 on repairing, repainting and restoring buildings, council furniture, signs, parks, roadsides and natural systems. It costs a further $300,000 to remove graffiti. The largest amount – $800,000 – is spent taking illegally dumped waste to the tip. Infrastructure services manager Jessica Wingad said the infrastructure maintenance team removed 32,000 square metres of graffiti a year. “We do see a spike in both vandalism and graffiti in all school holidays and this is across the…
THE family of a Mount Martha woman who died in a horrific collision in Seaford last week has praised her as a “loving wife and mother to her beautiful 10-year-old son”. Rose Kelly, pictured, 43, died when a Nissan Navara ute being driven by a P-plater veered onto the wrong side of Nepean Highway and slammed into her, 6.30am, Thursday 5 December. A 20-year-old Sandringham man, arrested at the scene by an off-duty police officer, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He has since been charged with one count of dangerous driving causing death. Ms Kelly’s grieving family said…
JUDO expert Harrison Cassar is on a mission to win the required number of ranking points to gain selection into the Australian Olympics team to compete at Tokyo in July. Described as an “elite athlete” by his coaches at Mornington Judo Club, Cassar has been a dedicated club member since he was eight. Now 20, he has wins at both state and national championships behind him and placings at recent international events. His most recent success was a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Open, ranking him number one in Australia for his weight division. Cassar, of Dromana, is confident…
PLANS to develop a 4.85MG solar farm in the Dromana industrial estate have received support from Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. The Dromana Clean Energy Farm in Collins Road is the first regional solar farm on the peninsula and aligns with what the council sees as a practical response to its declared Climate Emergency stance. Cr Simon Brooks said after the planning services meeting, Monday 18 November, that councillors had applauded the “effort that the applicant had gone to in bringing the proposal to this point”. “The location is ideal for grid connection into the southern peninsula electricity grid,” he said.…
SOMEONE with an intimate knowledge of the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery’s latest exhibition Sublime Sea – Rapture and Reality won’t be around to admire the paintings. In what is seen as a shock move by the close-knit peninsula arts community, gallery director Jane Alexander was made redundant on Friday 8 November, after 16 years with Mornington Peninsula Shire. Programs and invitations to Sublime Sea – which opens on Saturday (14 December) and is billed as a fitting tribute to the gallery’s 50th anniversary year – still bear her name and best wishes. Indeed, Ms Alexander commissioned Dr Vivien Gaston to…
THE CFA says there is “still a short window of opportunity” for properties across the Mornington Peninsula to be cleaned up before the start of declared fire danger times on Monday 16 December. If fire is being used to clean up properties it must be registered. “So far this year, out-of-control burn-offs and unregistered burn-offs have caused unnecessary call-outs for brigades,” CFA District 8 operations manager Jamie Hansen said. He said there should be no burning off in strong winds or if they were forecast “not only on the day of your burn but for the days afterwards”. Mr Hansen…
PAINTING the Dermot O’Toole mural at Hastings has given artist Justine Wallace an insight into her subject as well as the Hastings community. While the mural in O’Toole Lane depicts milestones in the life of Mr O’Toole, who was murdered by an armed robber in his jewellery shop in early 2013, Wallace says it is the supportive comments of passers-by that has made the work more special. “The experience of creating this artwork as a tribute to the life of such a widely loved gentleman is really special,” Wallace said last week. “O’Toole Walk is a busy thoroughfare and so,…
A TYRE slasher is costing Mt Martha motorists thousands of dollars in repairs and replacements. Using a box cutter or sharp knife the man has slashed the tyres of 23 cars parked outside their owners’ homes – often slashing more than one tyre on each car. Black and white images captured on a resident’s CCTV camera show a hooded man striding purposely along the street. One victim, who did not want his name used, said he had spent $1800 replacing nine tyres. “My daughter’s had seven tyres slashed and I’ve had two,” he said. “If there’s a next time I’m…
WITH more than 25,000 properties on the Mornington Peninsula relying on septic tanks to process their waste water it’s no wonder there are concerns about pollutants entering ground water and waterways. Many of these systems were approved decades ago and are long past their use-by dates. The mayor Cr Sam Hearn said it was important to ensure the health of septic tanks systems year round. “A poorly kept septic system is a health risk to our family, friends, waterways and the wider community,” he said. “This also applies to wastewater systems at commercial premises which also contribute to contaminating local…
IN a two-year trial the speed limits on 38 shire-managed, high risk sealed rural roads will be reduced to 80kph from mid-December. The state government last week approved appeals from Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to cut the speed limits to reduce the soaring road toll. So far this year there have been 14 deaths and more than 100 serious injuries – seven on high risk sealed rural roads – compared to two deaths in 2018. Many of the roads chosen for the trial have a history of crashes and have high-crash-risk factors, including narrow lanes, large trees close to the…
TAKING part in the Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities competition was a “really positive experience” for students at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Crib Point. The awards aim to “encourage, motivate and celebrate sustainability achievements of rural and regional communities across Australia”. Each year regional and state winners are announced between August and October. The school’s grade 3/4s Sea is my Best Friend project was a finalist in the Active Schools category. It aimed to teach and connect them to the local environment, Jacks and Woolleys Beaches and nature reserves. Students learned about Western Port Bay being a Ramsar site and…
SEVERAL hundred people marched through Hastings last Friday (22 November) to show their disgust of family violence. The fifth Taking a Stand Against Family Violence march organised by Westernport Respectful Relationships Group was formerly known as the White Ribbon March. The annual march raises community awareness about family violence and “helps the community to unite and take a stand together”, Cr Kate Roper said. Speakers at the march included Cr Roper, Hastings Senior Sergeant Andrew Horscroft, family violence survivor Melissa, who shared her own story, and shire staff member Mandy Roche, who gave an overview of the shire’s Gender Equality…
RESCUING a swimmer struggling in rough water under Frankston pier was all in a day’s work for policewoman and Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Julie Morris. The senior constable (pictured) and her sergeant responded to a distress call on the pier during Thursday 21 November’s strong north winds and 40-degree temperatures. A young man taking a dip before work was unable to climb back onto the pier and wedged himself between pylons and the pier’s roof at about 11.30am. Waves crashing through the pylons were knocking him around and he was barely able to hang on and was forced to hold…
A GROUP of nine women who have grown up together over the past 75 years enjoy nothing better than getting together fortnightly on the Mornington Peninsula. Elaine and Anne Madill, Elaine Haynes, Lorraine Scott, Judith Tindale, Rose Martin, Thelma Morgan, June Hill and Dorothy Evans wouldn’t miss their “girls’ day” lunches for the world. Last week they celebrated 60 years of meeting for lunch at the home of one of their friends’ daughters, Sue Fontana, at Mt Eliza. Two of the women started prep together, and five met up at primary school before joining the Highett Ladies Basketball Club and…
VICROADS may be a major barrier to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s calls to trial 80kph speed limits on roads throughout the peninsula. The roads authority says it prefers to tackle speed issues on a case-by-case basis. VicRoads last week said it “regularly explores safety upgrades, including speed limit changes, in consultation with the community and our road safety partners including Victoria Police and the TAC”. “Speed limits on all Victorian roads are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but we always welcome feedback from the community on how we can continue to make our roads safer,” a VicRoads spokesperson told The…
THE devastating impact of raging bushfires, especially in NSW and Queensland, has generated discussion about the effects of climate change and the dangers Australia faces in a warming environment. Politicians, depending on their political hue, either want to dampen debate on global warming in the emergency, saying it’s “not the right time to talk about climate change”, while others are keen to use the topic as a means of pressing their point on the “new reality”. Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Cr Simon Brooks said it’s “never a wrong time to speak about climate change”. “With the year-on-year trend of native forests…
A NEW way of reducing the breeding grounds of mosquitoes, such as in stagnant water, is being trialled in the fight against the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer on the Mornington Peninsula. The “source reduction method” is an alternative tactic to those proposed as part of the study aimed at reducing mosquito numbers and evaluating the effect on the spread of the ulcer which has infected dozens of residents since migrating from the Bellarine Peninsula over the past five years. The source reduction method involves mosquito experts going door-to-door to advise home and business owners on how to identify mosquito breeding sites…
TWO dogs were seized by Mornington Peninsula Shire rangers after chickens and a sheep were mauled and killed on properties at Bittern last week. The kelpie-type dogs, one red and one black and tan, are being held at the pound while the council investigates attacks at three properties. Environment protection manager John Rankine said the rangers received reports of two dogs at large, Wednesday 13 November. “[The rangers] patrolled the area in search of the dogs and received further reports of serious dog attacks on a sheep and chickens,” he said. “Local residents assisted the officers to find the dogs.…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council, Red Frogs Youth Support Program and police are planning to ramp up their services during Schoolies Week, 23-30 November. This includes setting aside a section of the Rye foreshore for school leavers during the notorious party week. The aim is to give shire officers and police a greater oversight of schoolies’ activities, particularly at night. Cr David Gill said the increase in services was needed to address the influx of visitors and heightened community concerns caused by last year’s episodes of anti-social behaviour. “While the shire is not promoting the Mornington Peninsula as a Schoolies destination,…
A INCREASING road toll has reinforced Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s call for blanket speed limits rather than just on specific roads. Former mayor Cr David Gill said an 80kph limit should be trialled in dangerous areas in a bid to reduce road deaths which have spiked on the peninsula over the past 12 months. So far this year the toll stands at 13 dead and 100 seriously injured. The deaths include six drivers, a motorcyclist, four passengers and two pedestrians on freeways and country roads. Last year there were two deaths in line with the long-term average. Cr Gill wants…
SAM Hearn was elected mayor of Mornington Peninsula Shire 2019-20 at the Tuesday 13 November council meeting. His deputy is Cerberus Ward’s Cr Kate Roper. Cr Hearn, who represents Briars Ward, said that when he was involved in voluntary work through schools and other youth initiatives he “learnt that we live in an incredible place filled with amazing people”. “However, over the past three years in which I’ve been privileged to be part of the council, it has broadened my understanding of how many people we have who are constantly looking outside of themselves to give, serve and lead for…
A MAN found clinging to the upturned hull of his boat off Mornington, Sunday 17 November, was lucky to be seen by passing boaters who initially thought it was a partially submerged jet ski or tinny. It was only when they came closer and circled that they saw the man clinging on with one arm and holding up his car keys, phone and wallet in the other. The Rosebud man, about 40, was taken to Frankston Hospital with hypothermia. The drama unfolded in moderately-rough water 200m metres off-shore when a top bung failed in the 5.5 metre aluminium plate hull…
THE brutal – but as yet unsolved – murder of a girl at Mt Martha 66 years ago drew a team of Swinburne Online forensics-criminology students to the peninsula last week in a search of clues as to her killer. The purpose of their investigation – chosen at random from other cold cases – was to move closer to identifying the man responsible and uncovering more leads to prompt the police to reconsider the case. Shirley May Collins was a 14-year-old Reservoir girl driven to Mt Martha on the night of 12 September 1953 and bludgeoned to death in the…
ADVOCACY, community connection and financial prudency were cited as features of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s 2018-19 annual report released last week. The mayor Cr David Gill said a major council initiative over the past year had been the creation of an innovation and advocacy unit to help it “advocate effectively on behalf of the community”. He said this had enabled the shire and community to work successfully with Flinders MP Greg Hunt to help secure about $170 million in election-related funding, budget commitments and election promises. “Other major advocacy initiatives include the Better Buses campaign, jet ski reform, more jobs…
WESTERN Port Men’s Shed can’t take a trick. The club is reeling for the second time in months after another callous robbery at their clubhouse in Frankston-Flinders Road. This time burglars stole the $6000 in tools generously donated to replace the last lot stolen. Shed president Colin Proud said this latest robbery, overnight Sunday 27 October, came at an especially bad time as members had several community projects in the pipeline. “It’s a real kick in the guts,” he said. “I got a hell of a shock when I got here yesterday and saw they’d knocked off another load of…
THE collapse of a Sorrento holiday booking agency has left scores of potential renters and landlords out of pocket. Dozens of scathing reviews on the Marshall’s Holiday Rentals’ website give some clues as to fate of missing deposits and dashed holiday plans. The company’s office in Ocean Beach Road has been closed for months and the phone disconnected, but the company’s website still appears to be active. It is believed bookings have until recently been taken online. The News was unable to contact the company’s principal, Faye Lorraine Marshall, despite repeated attempts. Getaway Mornington Peninsula’s Harriett Fenney said the demise…