SENIOR police on the Mornington Peninsula are pleased with the drop in crime across almost all categories over the past 12 months. Crime Statistics Agency figures for the year ending 31 December 2017 released last week show reported crimes in the region were down from 9123 to 8483. Mornington Peninsula Local Area Commander Janene Denton, based at Rosebud, said it was “good news that crime is trending in the right direction”. “We live in a very safe area,” she said. “There is good community spirit on the peninsula and no reason for people to feel unsafe.” Crimes Against the Person…
Author: Stephen Taylor
PARENTS, pupils and staff at Tootgarook Primary School were in shock on Friday after learning of the death of eight-year-old Brodie Moran. The body of the popular grade 2 pupil was found at his Alma Street home, 1.30pm, Thursday 8 March. Floral tributes and cards from grieving school friends and parents covered the front yard and pupils were being offered counselling. Seven police cars and 13 officers rushed to the house following a 000 call reportedly made by his mother, Joanne Finch. Ms Finch, 42, appeared at an out-of-sessions hearing at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court later that day charged with one…
AN old TV set, ceramic pipe, umbrella, bike helmet, 900-amp jump starter and two plastic drums were added to the 28 bags of general rubbish collected by BERG Mt Martha members at last week’s Clean-Up Australia Day event. Also picked up were another 20 bags of discarded underclothing, dirty wipes, beer and soft drink bottles and takeaway wrappings at popular The Pillars rock jumping site. Spokesman Barry Morris said 82 volunteers turned up to help in the mass annual clean-up – including 54 adults (31 females and 23 males), 28 children, and nine BERG members, with others helping at Bird…
TWO brothers out fishing in a “tinnie” two kilometres off Mornington are lucky to be alive after being rescued by the crew of the racing yacht Phoenix, Saturday 3 March. The Mornington men, in their 20s, were in the water for about 30 minutes after capsizing in the afternoon’s windy weather and feared they would drown. Luckily, a crewman on the Mornington yacht, skippered by Bill Bennet, saw them waving and the boat hurriedly changed course to pick them up. Spotting the men in the rough conditions was made even more difficult by the glare from the late-afternoon sun. Mornington…
THE triathlon which turned Mt Martha’s main road into a racetrack last weekend was described as an overwhelming success by organisers and a blow to business by traders. “It was a sell-out with 650 competitors – including 100 kids on the Saturday – and we couldn’t have fitted any more in,” said Sufferfest owner Scott Hollow, who runs similar events all over Australia. “We have got feedback from competitors and just about all said it was one of the best they had been in – on perhaps the best course in Australia.” The triathlon saw the Esplanade between Mt Martha…
SHEY Osborne “still doesn’t have words” to describe her emotions after searching for, and finally meeting, her father Michael Thorne for the first time on Sunday 25 February. The joys of that day at a Sorrento cafe continued into the next week she was introduced to all her new found aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. It has been a long but fruitful search for the 31-year-old hairdresser who began looking for her “lost” dad 11 years ago after being told about him by her mother. Mr Thorne had had a relationship with Ms Osborne’s mother in Sorrento all those…
FRANKSTON’S Bayside Shopping Centre has been earmarked for one of 12 new police “shopfronts” if the Liberal Nationals coalition wins the November state election. The $7.2 million plan to put police inside some of the state’s main shopping centres is described as a “new approach to policing and community engagement providing a more visible police presence to deter crime”. Bayside’s executive general manager Justin Mills said the opposition’s proposal was “another way we can build on our longstanding partnership with Victoria Police, to engage our communities, and make our centres destinations people love to visit and connect with.” The shopfronts…
PARENTS of children who attend child care and playgroups at Mornington Community Contact House were in limbo on Friday after liquidators moved in and closed the centre. Parents were only told the night before or Friday morning that the Albert Street centre was insolvent. Some had already paid for the year and were unsure whether they would get the money back. They also had no idea where they will take their children this week. Georgie Beck, of Mt Eliza, and Keli Wallace, who runs Daytripper Tours in Mornington, said they had both paid nearly $2000 for four terms of three-year-old…
AN 18-year-old Mornington woman has been remanded to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 14 March charged with robbery, carjacking, criminal damage by fire and theft of a motor vehicle. A 15-year-old Rosebud boy appeared at Frankston Children’s Court on Friday charged with similar offences from the same incident. A third man is still at large. The charges follow an alleged road-rage attack at Rosebud early Thursday (1 March) in which two teenagers say they were rammed by a four-wheel-drive and robbed. The pair, aged 18 and 17, told police a maroon 1999 Toyota four-wheel-drive was “deliberately” driven into their…
A PSYCHOLOGICAL thriller set in the small fictional beachside town of The Dunes on the Mornington Peninsula is being made by Martin Copping, who grew up here but now lives and works in the film industry in the US. The film, now in its final production stages, follows Los Angeles journalist Nicholas Rice who returns home to settle some family issues and sell property. While he’s here, a “mysterious figure from his past re-emerges and threatens his entire existence”. Copping promotes the story as a “cautionary tale: people need to face up to their problems and not run away from…
BALNARRING residents appear to have won their “battle” to keep their village’s medical practice after fears they would lose doctors unwilling to move into new premises on the same site. Balnarring Medical Centre has operated in the village for more than 30 years, and from the building at the corner of Frankston-Flinders Road and Russell Street since 1998. This building will be demolished to make way for the new development – possibly including a larger medical clinic – when the doctors’ lease expires in early 2019. Doctors say they and the developer were at loggerheads over lease terms, proposed longer…
THERE is no better way to invest in future generations of sailors and get as many members enjoying sailing than to get them into Pacer yachts like those at Mornington Yacht Club. The club launched six Pacers on 16 February, bought by club members. The preferred equipment for school and youth team racing, Pacers are a two person centreboard dinghy with three sails: main, jib and spinnaker, however the spinnaker is not used during racing. The boats are distinctive with their blue sailcloth, with three racing boats having the standard blue jibs and the other three having white jibs as…
A TRIATHLON based at Mt Martha aiming to attract up to 1000 athletes plus their supporters this weekend will clash with the long-established Clean-Up Australia Day effort along the foreshore. Organisers of the four-year-old Sufferfest triathlon – previously held in November – have applied for a permit from Mornington Peninsula Shire to stage the event on 3-4 March, with the new date allowing them to take advantage of more stable weather patterns in autumn. But, in a late development on Friday – and despite planning for the event being well advanced with courses mapped, dates locked in, entries received and…
Mornington Peninsula Shire is being accused of ignoring the business case for an alternative “more sensible” 25-metre pool at Rosebud. Retired businessman Colin Watson says building a 50-metre pool will be a waste of shire money while Mornington Peninsula Ratepayers’ Association secretary Dr Alan Nelsen sees a larger pool as being “over the top”. Shoreham Community Association says money being earmarked for the larger pool are jeopardising its entire 2018-19 budget submissions. Mr Watson, a Portsea resident, said the business case supporting a 25-metre pool by consultants GHD Pty Ltd “could not be clearer that a 50-metre pool would be…
A MORNINGTON hairdresser of more than 30 years fears troubles with her NBN connection could jeopardise her business. Nonie Harvey, of Hair on Barkly, said her landline had been disconnected since 10 January after problems with her NBN connection. Repeated calls to service provider Optus always include what she termed “the usual run-around” as she is passed around departments – with no result. “It has now been five weeks since I was supposed to have the all-fabulous, fast, and very affordable NBN system installed into my business,” Ms Harvey said. But, so far, all she has received is frustration. “Who…
TWO men used a concrete block to smash their way into the Mercedes-Benz car dealership at Mornington, 5.45am, Thursday 15 February. The men, wearing dark-coloured hoodies and carrying backpacks, were captured on CCTV throwing the block through a window at the Mornington-Tyabb Road premises and forcing open a door. Dealer Chris Thoday said the men then ransacked the showroom, smashing open glass cabinets with hammers and stealing $5000 worth of Mercedes watches, t-shirts, aftershave, perfume, caps, keyrings and laptops. “There’s glass everywhere,” Mr Thoday said. “The boulder is still on the floor.” Mr Thoday said the men looked familiar. “We…
DROMANA and District Historical Society members are reeling from the overnight break-in at the Dromana Old Shire Offices in which a range of historic items, as well as photographs, were stolen by burglars who “seemed to know what they were looking for”. Secretary Janet Egglestone said the offenders broke into cabinets and stole 36 selected items and cut pictures from their frames, possibly so they could be rolled up for carrying, Wednesday 7 February, (“Vandals hit historic offices” The News, 13/2/18). Society members are “frustrated” by the lack of CCTV in the Mornington Peninsula Shire-managed buildings, saying it would have…
A PENSIONER’S fears that he could be evicted from his fourth rental property in as many years struck a chord with readers – and it seems help is at hand. Larry (surname withheld) said he feared becoming homeless if the new owners of his Hastings unit decided to renovate or move in themselves – or perhaps re-let it at a higher rental. Either way he would be forced to look for a new home – with the few available being offered at rents he could not afford (“Renters face tight vacancy rates, higher rents” The News, 6/2/2018). A reader has now…
HOLIDAYS spent camping on the foreshore allowed Kath and Jack Whiston and their young family to discover the beauty of the West Rosebud area (as it was known then) back in 1951. Staying in a hired caravan at first, and then in a caravan Jack made, the family enjoyed the simple pleasures of singalongs, sailing and fishing in the days before electric lights and home appliances. “You looked out for the iceman coming through the tracks each day with his horse and cart,” daughter Kaye said. “Dad made his own van and the tradition of camping on the foreshore continued…
SEAROAD Ferries last week got the go ahead to build a new terminal at Sorrento. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council on Tuesday 13 February approved the works following public exhibition of the plans and review by an independent panel. The decision followed a planning services committee meeting the previous week which adopted the Sorrento Ferry Terminal Planning Scheme Amendment C209 which will guide the works. Extra conditions cover road upgrades and traffic infrastructure upgrades by VicRoads. The terminal will include a maritime museum, café and lounge, toilets and small shops for souvenirs and ticketing. Searoad Ferries CEO Matt McDonald said the…
ROSEBUD’S Barbara and Bruce Worme celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last week. The couple has lived in Ceres Street since Mr Worme, 83, retired in 1989, moving into the family’s holiday house. “We had another holiday house in Seabrook Avenue, Rosebud, since the 1960s when it was the only house in the street,” daughter Trudy Worme said. “Back then Rosebud was a rural area so mum and dad have seen the area change a lot over the years. “They are both active members of the community, with mum, 81, still running the social tennis at Rosebud Tennis Club in Hove…
VOLUNTEER Marine Rescue crews at Western Port received an urgent call for assistance from the Water Police, 8pm, Wednesday 7 February, after a man and his son fell off their jet ski out from the Anderson Street boat ramp, Phillip Island. The VMR vessel Alwyn Tamo headed out with navigator Ted Lindner saying: “Luckily, we had calm conditions and were able to make a good speed of 41 knots (74kph). After a brief search the pair was spotted about 800 metres offshore.” VMR crews were told the father had fallen off and was unable to get back on the jet…
A CRIB Point business has gone without its phone, internet and fax for the past three weeks because of a telecommunications fault that Telstra can’t seem to fix. Crib Point Cellars proprietor Danny Bemelen said the loss of telecommunications meant that since 24 January he has been unable to properly cater to his customers, estimating his losses at “thousands of dollars”. Mr Bemelen said his bank had provided an EFTPOS machine with a sim card allowing him to trade over the 4G network. He said he had pleaded with Telstra to fix the problem to no avail. “They have been…
WITH a recent history that includes 17 crashes requiring emergency services, the intersection of Western Port Highway and Robinsons Road, Langwarrin, is receiving an overdue upgrade. A roundabout at the intersection is expected to be completed in June. Of the 17 crashes during the five years to June 2015, 14 involved cross traffic which resulted in seven serious injuries and two fatalities – one involving 19-year-old Olivia Steadman-Meconi, of Mt Eliza, who crashed in May, 2015. Her death heralded the start of a campaign for a roundabout. At the time, Hastings MP Neale Burgess delivered a petition to parliament urging…
THE shortage of safe, long-term accommodation for those affected by mental illness in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula has one man fearing for the plight of a family member. John Bradford, of Mt Martha, said “issues with drugs and alcohol” five years ago had forced him to try to find alternative accommodation for a relative with a mental condition. A search for suitable government-run accommodation proved fruitless and the alternatives, such as privately-run boarding and rooming houses, were often unsafe and cramped. The family member, a man whose name has been withheld, prefers to sleep on the streets of…
RESIDENTS opposed to a proposed $50 million “retirement village” in Roberts Road, Mornington, say it will look like a “trailer park”. The land is in a recognised horse precinct with easy access to Mornington racecourse. “According to the developers’ plans, the 371 two-and-three bedroom dwellings will be constructed of Colorbond and timber. That’s similar to caravan park units. Their design will devalue properties in the area,” nearby resident and spokesperson Christine Pingiaro said. “There will be loss of native habitat, potentially massive impact on the Balcombe Creek catchment, and encroachment on conservation reserves. There is no plan about what vegetation…
WILDLIFE groups are breathing a little easier after a meeting with VicRoads officers on Tuesday 9 January thrashed out a “redesign of works” for clearing trees from the median strip on the Mornington Peninsula Freeway. In what was slammed as a “scorched earth” vegetation clearance last October, the authority’s “forestry machine” mulched its way through hundreds of metres of established median-strip trees and shrubs in preparation for the laying of steel-rope barriers along the length of the freeway. As the barriers require at least three metres of “flex” space, wide swathes of bushland became collateral damage with stressed animals and…
VANDALS trashed and robbed the historic old shire offices at Dromana, overnight Wednesday 7 February. Mornington Peninsula Shire officers said “significant damage” had been caused to the well-used community space in Pt Nepean Road. The offices house the Rotary Club of Dromana, Port Phillip 4WD Club, U3A Southern Peninsula, Dromana and District Historical Society, Dromana Potters Group and Country Women’s Association. During the break in, several valuable pieces were stolen from historical society collections. “I am angered by this senseless act on such a well-loved community space,” Cr Simon Brooks said. “We will work to help rectify the situation wherever…
THE futile search for a swimmer missing off Portsea back beach on Sunday last week was an emotionally and physically draining exercise for Volunteer Marine Rescue crews from Mornington and Hastings. They were unable to find missing Narre Warren engineering student Khalil Nabizadah, 23, whose body was washed up at Portsea on Wednesday afternoon. Police are preparing a report for the coroner. Two other men were rescued: a 22-year-old Cranbourne West man was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and said to be in a stable condition, while a 23-year-old Cranbourne man did not require medical treatment. The rescue attempt…
MORNINGTON Peninsula residents are being invited to have their say on plans for the proposed $30 million Rosebud aquatic centre. A business case on the proposed Rosebud Aquatic Centre handed to Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors late last year outlined three concept plans: a 25-metre indoor pool; 50-metre indoor pool; and a 50-metre outdoor pool with associated health, fitness and wellbeing facilities. Residents provide feedback on the summary and key findings of the business case and indicate their preference for either a 25-metre or a 50-metre pool. The deadline is Wednesday 28 February. The decision for a 50-metre indoor or outdoor…