A WINE from Nazaaray Estate, Flinders, won the People’s Choice Award at the 17th Cool Climate Wine Show at Mornington Racecourse last week. The Meakins Rd winery’s reserve pinot noir 2015 was judged best in its class. More than 540 wines – up 30 per cent on last year – were judged by a 16-member team chaired by master of wine Meg Brodtmann. The 29 classes include sparkling wines, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, pinot grigio, riesling, pinot noir, shiraz and two new Italian classes. “It is good for the region to host these winemakers and judges and to give…
Author: Stephen Taylor
RESIDENTS opposed to 281 retirement units being built at Bittern have voiced their concerns to planners at Mornington Peninsula Shire. About 40 residents have objected to Steller Lifestyles’ application to build the units on the eastern side of Frankston-Flinders Rd. During a meeting at the shire’s Hastings offices on Thursday 11 May the residents listed their main concerns as being the development’s high density and its effect on the area’s “village feel and neighbourhood character”. An earlier public meeting attended by 80 residents at the Bittern hall, called by Cr Kate Roper, sought to clarify the scope of the proposal…
STAFF at Flock Cafe in Mornington arrived at work Monday morning to find shards of glass spread all over the floor after burglars had smashed their way in through a glass door overnight. Owner Amy Caulfield said there was “literally glass everywhere in the shop – even in the kitchen”. “We were trying to clean it up while serving customers their morning coffees at the same time,” she said. The thieves had stolen $450 from the tips jar and the $300 float from the till. “We are learning from that,” she said. “We won’t be leaving so much in future.”…
RYE, Rosebud and Hastings are just three out of seven Melbourne suburbs where single parents on a low income can avoid what are described as “severely unaffordable” rents. The latest rental affordability index put out by the Council to Homeless Persons shows that a single parent on a low income would still experience rent stress even in these suburbs where rents are described as “unaffordable”. “It’s a dire situation to be in if you’re a single parent, struggling to look after children, scraping by on a low income and trying to find a place to live,” the council’s CEO Jenny…
THERE’S still no sign of fencing to close off the popular swimming spot the Pillars – as decreed by a Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meeting on 24 January. At that meeting, councillors voted to erect temporary fencing to close off the site for a two-year trial, pending discussions with Aboriginal Affairs Victoria and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. They also voted to appoint an officer to promote awareness and educate visitors on the need to close the Pillars to protect its cultural heritage, preserve the natural environment and reduce the number of visitors jumping from the cliff…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is being urged to borrow almost $5 million over the next 15 years for a bulk street lighting LED upgrade. The new energy-saving lights would pay for themselves over the long-term with annual cost savings expected to be $616,576. The lights would also be a “significant step forward” in achieving the shire’s carbon neutral policy adopted in February last year, energy and carbon management officer Chris Yorke said. Councillors will consider the proposal at tonight’s (Tuesday 23 May) meeting. If adopted, works could begin as soon as October on what is described as “the single largest greenhouse…
ABOUT 100 Western Port Basketball Association supporters sent out a clear message to the Mornington Peninsula Shire on Saturday – they want their stadium at Somerville rebuilt as soon as possible. The rally, described by the association’s operations manager Tyler Molloy as “awesome”, sought to galvanise support and generate action on rebuilding the 25-year-old stadium which burnt down 12 months ago. “Certainly it shows people are passionate about getting a new stadium up and running,” Mr Molloy said. Association president George Yerondais said those at the rally were impatient for action on rebuilding the courts. “We’ve been waiting so long…
SECONDARY schools in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula are set to be shortchanged by millions of dollars in federal funding over the next two years, according to figures released by the Victorian Department of Education. The schools are among 70 statewide slated to receive up to $1.1 million less in the short term than would have been the case under Better Schools funding, also known as the Gonski agreement since businessman David Gonski reviewed schools funding for both the previous Labor and current Coalition federal governments. A “Gonski 2.0” funding agreement officially announced in last Tuesday’s federal budget by…
THE need for a considered and comprehensive approach to alcohol management is underscored by statistics showing Mornington Peninsula residents are more at risk than elsewhere in the state. The draft management plan states that the lifetime risk of alcohol-related harm impacts shire residents at a higher rate than in the southern metropolitan region and Victoria as a whole. The shire has more alcohol-related road accidents, more ambulance call-outs to alcohol-related incidents, more hospital emergency department presentations and more hospital admissions as a result of alcohol than other areas. “While alcohol consumption is widely recognised as a legitimate social activity, alcohol-related…
A CAPEL Sound WWII navy veteran had his 12 service medals stolen the day before Anzac Day. Ron Bergman, 89, couldn’t believe it when he discovered his seven Australian service medals and replicas of his five US service medals had been taken from his Ronlyn St home. Detective Senior Constable Alex Montgomery, of Somerville CIU, said thieves let themselves in through an unlocked front door on Monday 24 April. They stole replicas of his US medals from a bedroom and his Australian medals from a display cabinet he was making in his carport. “The shock didn’t set in until later,”…
YARINGA Boat Harbour owner Stefan Borzecki has put the Western Port marina on the market six months after receiving state government approval for a proposed $95 million redevelopment. Selling agent Duncan McCulloch, of CBRE, has reportedly received of inquiries from local and overseas developers for the site near Somerville which he values at around $15 million. An expressions-of-interest campaign closes 3pm, Tuesday 6 June. Planning approval was received in November for the 24.6 hectare site, including an inland waterway lined with 180 apartments with their own berths and promenades similar to Mt Martha Cove at Safety Beach, conference centre, and…
WESTERN Port Basketball Association members are meeting on Saturday to protest at the lack of action and transparency in the rebuilding of the Somerville stadium which burnt down 12 months ago. Association officials say they have heard “rumours” but had no official word from Mornington Peninsula Shire Council about when a new stadium will be built to cater for their 1300 members. Basketball operations manager Tyler Molloy said the association received “many phone calls daily” from members asking for updates. “We can’t give them anything because we haven’t been told anything,” he said. “Even an email now and again [from…
A SPECIALIST family violence court to be established in Frankston is among a raft of state budget measures that MP Paul Edbrooke says “commit more to the prevention of family violence than the whole nation put together”. The new court – expected to be at the magistrates’ court in Fletcher Rd – was included in a $1.9 billion package to tackle family violence across the state. Other similar courts will be established at Ballarat, Shepparton, Moorabbin and Heidelberg magistrates’ courts at a cost of $90 million over five years. “There’s no sugar coating the fact that we are confronted with…
THE Road Safety Camera Commissioner has backed the performance of the Peninsula Link speed cameras and reproached motorists contesting their fines. The commissioner, John Voyage, was asked to investigate the cameras by Police Minister Lisa Neville after “public disquiet about the system” – most noticeably by members of the 108 group who claimed they had “set their vehicle’s cruise controls and so the detected speed reading was in error”. Mr Voyage stated in his report that he was “unable to find any error in any of the aspects of the road safety camera systems along Peninsula Link”. His investigation covered…
POPPIES picked on Flanders Fields, France, during WWI have been found in the pages of a book donated to the Victorian Maritime Centre Museum, Crib Point. Honorary member Norman Oates donated the book Seamanship Manual Vol I, 1932, to the museum among a number of items that had been left to him by his father, R J Oates. Mr Oates (senior) picked the poppies at Flanders Fields and pressed them in the book where they have remained ever since. The Victorian Maritime Centre’s Di Maloney said the poppies still showed tinges of red in their petals – even after 100…
STORM damaged wave panels on Mornington pier were removed by a specialist marine contractor last week. P W Johnson Constructions, of Carrum Downs, used a floating barge and hydraulic crane to remove the remaining five 15 tonne wave protection panels. Some of the panels, dislodged in July and October storms, were recovered from the sea bed before winter. In January, the firm removed the first of the loose wave panels, created a safe walking surface on the damaged section of the pier deck, and installed a temporary edging fence to allow the damaged area to be re-opened. Parks Victoria admits…
A PROJECT to strengthen the nature link between two of the Mornington Peninsula’s largest parks: Greens Bush and Arthurs Seat, was launched on Saturday 29 April. Greens Bush, between Arthurs Seat and Cape Schanck, is the largest remnant of bushland on the peninsula. Surrounded by farmland, the area contains a variety of vegetation types, making it a wildlife haven and excellent place for nature walking. Arthurs Seat State Park is a prominent feature in the landscape at 314 metres. Apart from views of the bay, city skyline, You Yangs and Mt Macedon, the park is home to species including the…
A COMEDY being filmed at Seawinds Hub makes fun of the country’s welfare system. Rosebud actor Steve Bastoni is producing the film, called Welfare, whose cast includes funny man Peter Helliar, Laura Jane Emes, Damian Walshe-Howling and Pia Miranda. The web series takes a satirical look at the bureaucracy surrounding our welfare system. It is hoped the series will be picked up by a television network. “We’ve all dealt with government systems and processes at some point and I think most people will relate to the humour,” Bastoni said. Co-producer Emes, who also stars in the comedy, came up with the…
A reversal of “devastating cuts” to funding for community legal centres has been welcomed by federal Isaacs Labor MP Mark Dreyfus. Planned federal government funding cuts that had been planned to take effect on 1 July but federal Liberal Attorney-General George Brandis announced last week the government will provide an extra $55.7 million over the next three years to the legal services sector as part of the 2017-18 budget. About $39 million of that money will go to community legal centres and $16.7 million to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services. The National Association of Community Legal Centres also…
WET weather didn’t dampen community enthusiasm for last week’s Anzac Day commemorations – it may have even enhanced the solemnity of the occasion. Large crowds flocked to dawn services and gunfire breakfasts across the Mornington Peninsula, and marchers of all ages showed their support for veterans and their sacrifices overseas. Mornington saw “possibly the largest crowd we’ve ever had” at the dawn service, gunfire breakfast and march. Venue manager at Mornington RSL, Keith Buddle, said the Virginia St club was “full to overflowing” for breakfast and refreshments with a game of traditional two-up adding to the excitement at lunch. Main…
A TOUCHING short film by Mt Eliza filmmaker Michael Raso will screen at the internationally renowned Cannes Film Festival next month. His six-minute entry, Solitude, sponsored by the American Pavilion of Emerging Filmmakers Showcase, is part of a “festival within a festival” highlighting the works of the “next generation of filmmakers”. It is among just 20 short films selected by a panel of industry judges to be screened at the Cannes showcase. Raso, 32, was inspired to make Solitude while waiting for a train at Junee, a picturesque country New South Wales train station. He decided to make a film…
A LIFE-CHANGING visit to Borneo to help rear endangered orangutans came about after a Somerville woman was asked to “do something for yourself”. Medical scientist Leonie Butler, of Somerville, said she had experienced the full “wife-mum-career thing” when her own mother suggested she take some time off and do something she really wanted to do. That led Ms Butler to spend most of March enriching the lives of captive orangutans and sun bears at the world renowned Samboja Lestari rescue centre in East Kalimantan. The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation is a 2000 hectare restored rainforest orangutan sanctuary created to provide…
PLANS to redevelop the former Masters’ site in Mornington into a 4250 square metre supermarket, six retail outlets over 6950 square metres and a 100 square metre cafe, has received strong backing from Mornington Peninsula Shire officers. The application, by Home Investment Consortium Company, will be discussed at the Wednesday 26 April Mornington Shire Council meeting. A report by planning services team leader David McPherson considered the “strategic justification” of a supermarket exceeding the “as-of-right” 1800 square metre floor area; changes to the Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme by the state government; the impact the use would have upon other activity…
IT’s just a hat – a Digger’s slouch hat – but the memories it stirs in Mornington veteran Laurie Hill go back 70 years to the dark days of World War II. Mr Hill, 91, joined the Australian Imperial Forces in 1943 – a month after his 18th birthday – among five of six brothers who enlisted and who all returned home safely. An infantry signaller in the jungles of Bougainville, Papua-New Guinea, he recalls daring escapades, including tying up a Japanese prisoner with signalling wire and tapping into Japanese phone lines to eavesdrop on enemy communications. He fondly recalls…
A SURPRISE visit by an interviewer from the Australian Bureau of Statistics last week made a Rosebud resident feel uneasy. The interviewer appeared at Helen Turner’s unit in Rosebud, saying she was there to conduct a personal survey, supposedly after Ms Turner had been sent a letter alerting her to an impending visit. Ms Turner says she did not receive notification and took umbrage at the officer asking what she regarded as “personal” questions. “I was originally told that the data would assist in improving education, transport, hospital and aged care,” Ms Turner said. “When the actual interview commenced there…
STAFF at Mornington Peninsula Shire will stay on their existing enterprise agreement after knocking back an agreement put forward by CEO Carl Cowie. The 803 eligible members of general staff voted 330-227 against the shire’s offer when the ballot closed, 5pm, Tuesday 4 April; 256 aged and disability services staff voted 124-62 against; 163 sport and leisure staff voted 45-22 against, while the shire’s 42 nurses voted 20-6 in favour. Many staff in the four departments abstained from voting. Mr Cowie said in a statement to staff: “The nurses’ agreement has been supported by staff and will proceed to ratification…
THE value of building permits issued on the Mornington Peninsula last year was up more than 40 per cent up on the previous year. Data released by the Victorian Building Authority shows the value of permits was $1.08 billion – well up on 2015’s $769.2 million. It showed the value of building permits issued in the state was a record $32 billion – up 7.6 per cent on 2015. The shire recorded growth in the value of all building use categories other than Industrial, which fell despite an increase in the number of permits for the category compared with 2015.…
HUNDREDS of sick and dying birds at the Civic Reserve in Dunns Rd, Mornington, may have been infected by avian botulism. The naturally occurring, but highly toxic, bacteria is believed to have contaminated waters in the lakes near the Dunns Rd entrance to the reserve. Scientists from the state government’s Animal Health and Welfare Unit, along with the Department of Health and the RSPCA, are investigating the cause. Volunteers from Wildlife Help on the Mornington Peninsula have been collecting affected birds to stop the disease from spreading and taking them to the East Mornington vet hospital for treatment. Dr Jodi…
THERE was no suggestion the high number of votes not counted in the recent Mornington Peninsula Shire elections had influenced the outcome, a Victorian Electoral Commission spokesman said last week. Mike Lagastes, of the VEC’s communications department, was speaking after residents on social media sites complained they had been sent infringement notices for not voting when they were adamant they had. The fine is $78. The spokesman said there had “been a lot of cases” where ballot material had been returned to the VEC after the deadline of 6pm 21 October. He said there were “no reports of mass delays…
A JOCKEY was found dead during morning track work at a Tuerong horse stud last week. Brian Mason, 50, was on a three-year-old filly at Denistoun Park, Balnarring Rd, when he appears to have suffered a heart attack. Stable manager Trevor Andrews and another staff member became concerned when he did not return at 8.15am and walked out to find him slumped on the ground with the horse standing quietly beside him. He was unconscious and not breathing. Mr Andrews performed CPR until paramedics arrived and took over. Mr Mason, of Walpeup, was pronounced dead at 8.57am. He was wearing…