OPERATION Trinity – in which Fisheries Victoria officers patrolled peninsula and bayside beaches over summer targeting shellfish offences in the intertidal zone – has netted a number of offenders. One hundred and seventy two inspections detected 41 offences. These resulted in 25 verbal warnings, 11 official warnings and 28 infringement notices. Four court orders were issued. Fisheries Victoria executive director Travis Dowling said the pending court cases related to the illegal taking of abalone. “Several instances involved alleged offenders taking more than 40 abalone – when the bag limit is five per person. “Three cases involved individuals taking more than…
Author: Stephen Taylor
THE startling and growing problem of seniors’ abuse is the focus of a forum in Hastings next week. Discussion will centre on protection of seniors’ rights and their money, will and powers of attorney. Seniors’ Rights Victoria manager Jenny Blakey said the Mornington Peninsula’s increasing number of elderlies were often victims of abuse by family members, neighbours and former friends. Their age, infirmity, reliance on others and over-riding desire to “do the right thing” makes them vulnerable. “It’s unfortunate that people on the peninsula are experiencing this sort of abuse,” Ms Blakey said. “We know about child abuse but the…
BALNARRING cricketers Lachlan Barton and Jackson Hannah are gearing up for the trip of a lifetime: they have been selected to play in the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association under-15s touring England in June. They are among 28 players in two squads nominated by clubs from all over the peninsula and chosen at an MPCA carnival in December. The trip costs around $7800 each – an amount some of the players’ parents find difficult to afford. “We’ve had a garage sale to raise some money, and I’ve been putting away some more from my part-time job training the Hastings Football Club…
MT MARTHA resident Sue Smith has returned home after four years in the Solomon Islands as a self-funded volunteer helping small villages. “Life for people in these communities is very hard in so many respects,” she said. “There is no electricity, no refrigeration, few comforts and the burdensome daily task of water collection is often tedious and demanding.” The hazards of island life were highlighted last week when a 7.7 magnitude earthquake raised the risk of tsunami waves in the region. Luckily, the danger passed. Ms Smith’s main role was helping train local people in hospitality and tourism, small business…
FRENCH Islanders may have to wait more than two years before their complaints about the ferry service are tackled by the state government. Public Transport Victoria says it is considering re-tendering the ferry service, but not until the current contract expires in June 2017. The ferry which goes to Stony Point and Phillip Island services the island’s 123 permanent residents, although breakdowns and rough weather have led to claims of businesses losing money and schoolchildren being stranded on the mainland. Residents say they have been cut off from reliable access to Stony Point and Phillip Island “for more than two…
THE discovery of 100kg of copper wiring in a stolen car in Hastings is allegedly part of a 20 tonne haul, valued at $250,000, looted from a Tullamarine industrial estate. The find has led to a Tyabb man, 38, being charged with theft, and other men facing possible charges, in an ongoing investigation. He has been bailed to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court in July. Detective Senior Constable Nick Sweetman, of Hastings CIU, said Carrum Downs highway patrol members using number plate recognition technology detected the unreturned Nissan hire car on Graydens Rd on 19 March. They queried the driver…
CRUISE ship passengers will again visit Mornington Wednesday on the second P&O stopover in a month. The same ship that arrived on 24 February – the 63,700-tonne Pacific Pearl – will cruise direct from Sydney to the peninsula and return on a four night, one-stop voyage. This second visit is a vote of confidence in the town’s ability to interest and entertain its 1700 passengers, with most – again- expected to remain in Mornington enjoying the town’s attractions, while 30 per cent are expected to visit Peninsula Hot Springs or ride the Mornington Explorer bus to Arthur’s Seat and Sorrento…
MORNINGTON Community Information and Support Centre is reeling from massive funding cuts. Manager Lisa Elliott said federal government support was last week cut from $102,000 to $50,000 – meaning a third of the money earmarked for food vouchers for the needy was now gone. Money to fund case managers to assist the needy had also been cut. “We will have to shift the funding around to fill the void,” she said. “Our focus is on helping the needy and the homeless to buy food and pay rent. We fill the gap between Centrelink payments and what low income earners need…
WHAT a difference a day makes: the weather at Mornington pier on Monday at 10.30am was wet and cold with a blustery southwesterly whipping up Port Phillip. Not the day for a visit… By Tuesday morning, the sun was out, the water calm and passengers from the cruise liner Pacific Pearl could walk comfortably up Main St in shirtsleeves to sample the town’s delights. Thank heavens for Melbourne’s changeable weather. Mornington Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Kim Rowe said most of the 1500-odd passengers to disembark stayed in the town rather than being bussed to tourism hotspots around the peninsula. “They…
A CROWD of 60-70 people attended Friday’s auction of the Bay Hotel, 62 Main St, Mornington, which was sold for $6.1 million. Vinci Carbone auctioneer David O’Callaghan sold the 1880s former Commerce Bank in conjunction with Jacobs & Lowe’s Russell Murphy. It later became a silver service restaurant and then a hotel. The new owners, a group of investors from Balwyn, bought the two-storey building of 732 square metres and land area of 552 square metres with rear laneway access. “They are happy and the vendors – a group of locals – are also happy,” Jacobs & Lowe’s Peter Skewes…
A FRANKSTON police officer has been honoured for saving the lives of three people – one a troubled 17-year-old girl – about 250 metres offshore from the lifesaving club last February. First Constable Cameron Wallace, 35, of Hastings, received the Police Medal of Courage last week from Acting Chief Commissioner Tim Cartwright at a ceremony at the police academy. Before the rescue, police had been called to the foreshore by reports of a swimmer in trouble about 10.40pm. Constable Wallace rushed to the scene and jumped into the water and swam to assist the girl – and then discovered two…
MAIN St Mornington will be a hive of activity on Tuesday (24 Feb) as locals welcome passengers from the P&O cruise liner Pacific Pearl. The 63,875-tonne ship is due to arrive from Eden, on the NSW south coast, at 8am and berth about 1.6km off shore – weather permitting – or 3.2km out if it is too rough near shore. Its 1800 passengers will be ferried to shore in tenders for a day’s sightseeing and shopping in the town, bus trips to Sorrento and Portsea, drinking at wineries, as well as dolphin, swimming and paddling excursions. A Plan B scenario,…
THE Between the Bays festival at Penbank School on Saturday is more than just a music treat – it has a much higher calling… Money raised goes towards fostering the close relationship between the Moorooduc school and Wugularr Primary School in the Northern Territory. It helps pay for the airfares, accommodation, food and activities of the Aboriginal students who visit Penbank on cultural exchanges and for the whole Wugubank partnership – an amalgam of the schools’ names. Popular singer James Reyne will headline this year’s festival, alongside Mark Seymour, Custard, Wagons, Sweet Jean, Combo La Revelacion, Indiginous Hip Hop Projects…
A LITTLE black dog spotted floating face down off Fisherman’s beach was all but gone until some quick thinking brought him back to life. Sammy, the Maltese-poodle cross, was enjoying a walk and a paddle near the boat ramp with owner Maggie Brown on Tuesday when, to her horror, she looked up to see him about eight metres off-shore – and motionless in the water. “I thought: “’Oh my god’, and I was trying to run through the water to reach him and hoping he would pop his little head up but he appeared drowned,” she said. “I grabbed him…
MORNINGTON poet Theresa O’Dea’s book Someone’s Child is a poetry anthology on grief and loss. It has been written to raise funds for the Luke Batty Foundation and the Forgetmenot Foundation. It will be launched on Wednesday 18 March at the Mornington Library in Vancouver St, from 5-7pm, and sell for $50 each. Ms O’Dea started Poet’s Corner in Mornington many years ago “when it was just a small township”. “When Luke Batty was murdered in February last year, I was brought into a higher power by his spirit to compile a book of poetry from other poets,” Ms O’Dea…
PRE-DAWN raids by police in Frankston and Seaford last week resulted in five people being arrested and charged in relation to a “significant” heroin trafficking enterprise. They have been charged with trafficking heroin and profiting from the proceeds of crime. Warrants were executed on houses in Frankston North, Seaford and Frankston on Wednesday at around 4am as a result of a long-term investigation. It is believed police used cameras to record the group’s activities during their investigations. An amount of cash was also seized. Twelve detectives from the crime investigation unit arrested Tien Le and Carmel McGarrigle, who have both…
AFTER 18 months of refurbishment, the former pilot cutter MV Wyuna is gearing to depart Beauty Point, Tasmania for Victoria – but not to Hastings as originally planned. The 1953 vessel will, for the time being, be berthed at Docklands as a floating tourist attraction. Western Port Oberon Association president Max Bryant said the boat would make its way around to Hastings when permits were approved for a permanent home in Western Port. The 48-cabin vessel was donated to the association in 2013 for display at the Victorian Maritime Centre/Museum currently at Crib Point. She was envisaged as being part…
STAFF cuts at the Royal District Nursing Service’s Frankston and Rosebud offices will not affect patients, according to the service’s management. The organisation says there will be “no change to patient-care”. The offices are being replaced by mobile care teams equipped with laptops to make house calls. Administrative functions at the existing 14 suburban offices will be consolidated into four regional hubs – with the closest to Frankston and the peninsula being Moorabbin. The RDNS office in Beach St, Frankston, will close in April. No decision has been made regarding the continuation of the Cairns St, Rosebud, office “at this…
MORNINGTON’S Main St traders are being asked their views on the “iconic” Wednesday market. A survey is being sent out this week to 400 traders by Mornington Chamber of Commerce, and Mornington Peninsula Shire to assess the market’s impacts and economic benefits on Main St. The survey asks if the market is fulfilling its role of attracting shoppers and visitors to the town, if its stalls compete too rigorously with established shops, if it creates a desirable atmosphere, where it should be located, whether customers who don’t come to Main St on a Wednesday because of the market would come…
NEW Australian of the year Rosie Batty has vowed to use her award in her continuing fight against domestic violence. The 52-year-old mother of slain son Luke received the honour from the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, at Parliament House, Canberra, on Sunday night. The tragedy for Ms Batty is that events leading up to her award began on that fateful day in February last year when 11-year-old Luke was murdered by his father at Tyabb oval. Since then her tireless campaign for family safety – and her eloquence in championing its cause – has made national headlines. It has given…
PASSENGERS aboard the P&O cruise ship Pacific Pearl visiting Mornington and the peninsula on Tuesday 24 February will get a warm welcome: members of the town’s chamber of commerce will be at the pier to greet them. The visitors will receive local tourism information and advice on nearby places of interest. Chamber staff will coax them into seeing the town’s sites and encourage them to dawdle up and down local streets taking in the scenery and atmosphere while, hopefully, spending money. The ship’s captain and crew will even be invited to a civic reception at The Rocks Restaurant in Schnapper…
THE horrendous fines just keep on coming for the Rosebud West man caught driving his motorised car fridge alongside Point Nepean Rd on Saturday. On top of receiving a $738 fine for driving while unlicensed, and $738 for driving an unregistered vehicle, he will be hit with another $500 release fee by the shire. That makes for an expensive – $1976 – trip to the shops … Hastings Highway Patrol police apprehended Chris Ryan, 29, driving his 49cc motorised esky on the footpath gave him a roadside breath test which came back negative. His four-wheel petrol-powered esky was then impounded…
A NEW era in tourism is about to enrich Mornington – and the whole peninsula – with the regular arrival of P&O cruise ships from next month. The harbour town has been chosen as one of three regional ports on the iconic company’s new regional tourism itinerary. The first visit – by the Pacific Pearl – is part of an eight-night cruise departing Sydney on Saturday 21 February and calling at Eden, Mornington, Portland and Kangaroo Island. The 63,786 tonne ship is due to arrive here at 9am on Tuesday 24 February and depart at 6pm for Portland, which is…
MORNINGTON Peninsula shire will continue clean-up efforts to remove debris caused by storms which hit Somerville and Tyabb last Wednesday. Sixty buildings were damaged and more than 200 homes lost power. Trees were knocked down, and several roads blocked by fallen trees. Some properties remained without power until Saturday. The shire is removing debris – predominantly green waste – from roads and roadsides. This includes vegetation from private property that has fallen onto the road or roadside reserve. Somerville Mechanics’ Hall lost its roof and the hall has been closed. Mornington Peninsula Shire issued a news release saying it is…
MORNINGTON Peninsula residents and visitors have been warned to be ready with bushfire survival plans. The warning from the mayor Cr Bev Colomb followed a 120 hectare blaze at Hastings that razed much of Warringine Park after a desperate battle by fire fighters to save houses. Cr Colomb said residents and visitors should “remain aware of the importance of acting on the fire danger ratings and having a bushfire survival plan”. Hastings had “dodged a bullet” despite the Saturday 3 January fire which swept through the bushland reserve, the chair of the shire’s municipal emergency management planning committee, Cr David…
THE death of a Mornington Peninsula child after drinking raw cow’s milk has prompted Frankston and Mornington Peninsula health officers to visit retailers suspected of selling the product. Frankston CEO Dennis Hovenden said Environmental Health team officers had attended 10 premises last week. They ranged from health food shops to specialist delis and grocers in Frankston, Karingal and Seaford. “None of the premises inspected had any brand of bath milk available for sale,” he said. “One retailer had previously sold this type of product, but confirmed it would not be sold in future due to the inherent health risk.” Mornington…
A NEAR-miss between a light plane attempting to land at Tyabb airfield and a car on the Mornington-Tyabb Rd is being investigated by Peninsula Aero Club. The incident on Saturday night last week was witnessed by a family in the car immediately behind. Speaking on radio 3AW, a caller who identified herself as Dawn Baker, said she and her husband, Ken, and son, Jimmy, watched in amazement as the descending aircraft narrowly missed the roof of the car in front. Aero club president Peter Bernardi said the incident – recorded on CCTV – was being investigated by the club and…
THE proprietor of a Hastings car yard burgled and torched early on Saturday morning says he has “no idea” who is behind the attack. Gerry Marciny, who has owned Longbeach Autos in Marine Pde for four years, said the fire “could have been a mistake”. “We don’t have any disgruntled customers as far as I know,” he said. He said the arsonists broke into the office before stating the fire. They stole a laptop and model cars. The firebugs also scrawled the words ‘dogs’ and ‘pedifile’ (sic) across the bonnets and doors of several cars reminiscent of an attack on…
MOTOR racing for Graeme Bell is a family affair. His three children – Sean, 26, Chris, 24 and Jess, 22 – are all keen racers who compete with him at club events throughout Victoria and New South Wales. Mr Bell enjoyed motor racing in the mid-1990s in a BMW 323 but, like many parents, had to put his own activities on hold while his children were little. Now they have grown up, the family races as a team at state level championships under the name of Graeme’s company, Bell Motorsport, in Marine Pde, Hastings. Racing BMWs this year Sean, of…
CATCHING a large stingray off Portsea pier last week was probably a legal – but not socially responsible – act, fishing writer Paul Pingiaro said last week. Smooth back rays are not protected as long as the angler plans to eat his catch – and not just leave it to die on the beach, according to Fisheries Victoria. In the incident, a group of Asian men had caught the stingray – known as Old George by locals – and dragged it down to the beach before being coerced into releasing it by a passer-by. It reportedly then swam back under…