MORNINGTON pier was the focus of the town’s attention on Saturday as it provided a safe berth for vessels from the past. Tied to the pier was the 27-metre Enterprize, a replica of the sailing ship used to bring European settlers from Tasmania to found the city of Melbourne in 1835. Unfortunately, offshore winds prevented the volunteer-crewed schooner from offering pleasure cruises that would provide insight into life aboard a 19th-century sailing ship. However, the attention of visitors to the pier was diverted as a boat from a completely different era was craned into the water to secure a mooring…
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WESTERN Port Community Support prepared 350 hampers of food and toys to be handed out on 13 December during its annual Christmas Giving Program. Businesses, churches, schools, community groups, and individuals helped donated and helped pack and hand out hampers. The Hastings-based group is the largest provider of emergency relief and crisis support in the region, including food, material aid, housing and homelessness support. Executive officer Georgia Hourn said rising living and rental costs were forcing vulnerable community members into greater financial hardship, exacerbated at Christmas when there are additional expenses. The 20 volunteers who helped sort toys, pack and…
PEOPLE in need on the Mornington Peninsula and beyond will receive a helping hand this Christmas with South East Water employees raising almost $12,000 through their annual appeal. The Christmas Giving Appeal supported three charities – including Ford For Change in Mount Martha and Clayton, and Seaford-based Mums Supporting Families in Need (MSFIN) – to provide food, clothing, clean drinking water and health care. MSFIN marketing and fundraising manager Kim Michod said it was exciting to see donations of toys, clothes and essential food hampers left under the organisation’s Christmas tree to be distributed. “Thanks to the employees at South…
ON Monday Mount Eliza’s Toorak College celebrated some outstanding results from the class of 2022, with more than 40 per cent of students in the top 10 per cent in Australia by achieving ATARs over 90. The school reported a median ATAR of 87. School spokesperson Emma Castles said the dux of 2022, Anna Franklin, achieved an ATAR of 99.8. Dux proximus, Sophie Dahlenburg, with 99.2 was among 12 students with ATARs over 95 at Toorak College. “We couldn’t be more proud of our year 12 students who have role modelled for their younger peers that anything is possible,” Castles…
IT was a day of celebration at St John’s Anglican Church, Flinders on Sunday 4 December, when the Archbishop of Melbourne, The Most Reverend Dr Philip Freier, dedicated a stained-glass window created by renowned glass artist David Wright OAM and his wife Sue McPhee. The window, titled The Light, is the third in a project of three windows titled Sea Windows that now grace the southern side of the 130-year-old King Street church. Each window weaves the Christian story of Jesus with the fragile ecological environment of Flinders and its surrounds. This window celebrates the rough and magnificent coast on…
WHEN Melbourne-based doctor Graham Cato decided to open a clinic in Balnarring around 43 years ago, the best indicator that he and his wife had made the right move was the area’s unquestionable sense of community. Cato, who retired at the end of November, says that after four decades of providing GP services to Balnarring and patients as far away as Flinders and Red Hill, the warmth and openness of the communities remains the highlight of his career. “When we decided to start up a practice in an empty shop in Balnarring in 1979, the area was so quiet you…
CHRISTMAS is coming but there will be little to celebrate for many of the four-legged homeless this year at the Pearcedale RSPCA. The peninsula shelter is bursting at the seams with dogs, like many shelters across the state, and has come up with a promotion to help find them new homes. Throughout December, in an effort to rehome some and to make room for animals that are expected to arrive over the coming months, the RSPCA is running “mates rate”, where all adult dogs are available for $200. An RSPCA spokesperson said that since the promotion started, there had been…
IT’S beginning to look a lot like Christmas as the Mount Eliza community takes hold of the festive spirit. As part of a tree yarn bombing project, Mount Eliza Chamber of Commerce has invited the public to decorate the town centre’s trees in the Christmas spirit. Chamber spokesperson Alison Doherty said the tree decoration project had created interest from residents and shoppers from further afield, with young and old stopping to observe, touch and admire the different designs. More than 60 trees in the main Mount Eliza business area have been decorated by volunteers, including school groups, families, individuals and…
OFTEN seen behind the camera, Glenys Slade was part of the picture when this shot was taken by Bev Lowe at Mornington’s Wednesday market. Slade, a consistent contributor to The News with her photographs recording scenes around the town – flowering street trees, roses and catches at Mornington pier – plays piano accordion in Jack’s Band. With Jack Kirby on guitar and banjo and Bruce Mitchell on ukulele, the band entertains during celebrations at aged care centres as well as performing regularly at the market. “We met at the market and play old time music including such singalongs like It’s…
A GROUP of women at Sorrento has been stitching in time for 25 years, making up to 100 quilts a year to raise money for charity. The women meet at Sorrento Portsea Senior Citizens Centre and last week, while celebrating their long time together with a lunch at Blairgowrie, they were presented with a book by Amanda Stuart that “highlights the joy and companionship they have shared over so many years”. “They all feel the same – every member is kind, supportive and always on hand to help when needed. And everyone loves the afternoon tea,” Stuart, the group’s vice-president,…
IT’S not surprising that there has been a lot of bee activity around the Mornington Peninsula lately, with spring being the busiest time of the year for the pollinating insects. Just like many other living creatures, bees spend this time of the year restocking on food, as well as starting new colonies and moving around to find new territory. But there is no reason to panic, according to Mount Eliza beekeeper Christopher Watson, who says bees are generally placid and deserve human respect for the benefits they bring to the environment. Watson only became interested in beekeeping a few years…
MORE than 80 women trekked 60 kilometres from Frankston to the Cape Schanck lighthouse for the Women’s Spirit Project’s annual Frank2Schanck walk. Over three days (18-20 November) the group walked the length of the peninsula in all weather conditions – rain, shine, flood and mud – as part of a mission to help women transform their lives through accessible fitness, health and wellbeing activities. For many, the weekend’s walk was a life-changing event, said program manager Jodie Belyea. “So many women achieved personal bests after months of training having never attempted such an adventure,” Belyea said. As part of the…
By Judith Graley MEMBERS of the Southern Women’s Action Network (SWAN) are compiling the story of the group’s history of more than 26 years of social activism. SWAN was founded by a group of Mornington Peninsula women looking to learn more about the justice issues facing women and working together to bring about social change. Over the years SWAN boasts an impressive roll call of activism. For example, members have campaigned for the release from jail of Heather Osland; organised an Islamic women’s fashion parade; and marched in rallies to promote human rights, to protest against family violence and to…
THE sale of nearly 2000 doughnuts has raised $1600 for the Disabled Surfers Association Mornington Peninsula branch. Using the lure of doughnuts to help people with a disability go surfing was the method of choice of members of Haileybury College’s Aikman House. “Haileybury College has supported our surfers for many years before the COVID pandemic, and they were super keen to fundraise again this year,” DSAMP president Pea Saunders said. “Along with fundraising, Aikman House students volunteer their time at DSAMP’s January event at Point Leo where they assist people with different abilities to experience the joy of being in…
RECENT storms and widespread flooding across the Mornington Peninsula have prompted calls for more SES volunteers, after emergency services were stretched to the limit in the most recent flooding event of Sunday 13 November. As the control agency for flooding in Victoria, VICSES volunteers from Hastings, Sorrento, Chelsea and Frankston jumped into action last week when the peninsula was hit by wild weather on the weekend, particularly overnight Sunday. SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said there were 397 calls on the peninsula related to flooding, 253 for fallen trees, 98 for building damage and 36 flood rescues. Wiebusch said…
FINGAL resident Lyndsay Takacs is having fun while paddling toward good health with her teammates from the Dragons Abreast Patterson Lakes Pink Lotus club. Takacs, the club president, said members were from all parts of the south east, and all were breast cancer survivors who wanted to be part of an informal support network. “We enjoy the fitness aspect, but it’s also about the friendship and emotional support, we all have that relation to breast cancer in common; we are all cancer survivors, supporters or partners,” she said. Takacs said the boat they paddle fits 20, but more members were…
THERE’S no doubt staff are hard to find on the Mornington Peninsula these days, but one business owner says he can’t even open his new business. Barber shop owner David Serra wants to open his new business in Main Street, Mornington next week, but not without workers to cut hair. “I’ve advertised for weeks on many places but not one applicant, and we are even willing to offer above award wages,” he said. “We also run a barber shop in Mount Eliza, and the story is the same, although at least we can open that one. “I don’t know where…
MEMBERS of Safety Beach Dromana Men’s Shed have been keeping busy during the COVID years, getting involved in some community projects that make a difference. A replica chateau is now being raffled to raise money for an extension of the Pier Street, Dromana shed. Secretary Denis McKeegan said the model (pictured right) was based on the Hotel Chateau Du Grand-Luce in the south of France, which was built in 1760, and was a classic example of the architecture of the era. Most of the model is made from 3mm MDF, with some intricate details that also include curves and steps.…
RSLs and war memorials around the Mornington Peninsula were a place for solemn reflection on Friday, 11 November, as hundreds of people gathered on Remembrance Day to pay their respects to those who died in the line of duty. Remembrance Day is a memorial day held since the end of World Ward I and commemorates the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts. On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, one minute’s silence is observed and dedicated to those who have died fighting to protect the nation. First published in the Southern Peninsula…
EVERY year since 2002, COVID aside, the residents of Mornington Peninsula have put their running shoes on for the 6.7 kilometre Arthur’s Seat Challenge. In recognition that people are still trying to stay COVID-safe, the Arthur’s Seat Challenge is being run virtually from 1 to 30 November. The charity set up to support the Fit to Drive Foundation, started in 2001 by a group of Mornington High School principals following a series of road deaths of young students. One of the Fit to Drive founders and principal, John Keysers, said that in 1999 road trauma involving the loss of young…
THINK book club, and think literary discovery, conversation, friendship and the odd glass of wine. But why should the adults have all the fun, says a new generation of avid readers and critical thinkers. Mornington mum Danielle Binks is facilitator to a different kind of book club, where a group of grade five students – including her daughter Liliana – get together on the weekend to read books. For fun. There’s no wine, but there’s always snacks, toasted sangers and plenty of in-depth analysis. Binks says she has been impressed by the level of intellectual discourse, where the St Macartans…
BALNARRING Pre School was recently joined by Balnarring Primary School, Balnarring Early Learning Centre and St Joseph’s school to celebrate and honour First Nations’ Peoples cultures by participating in The Little Long Walk. The event is part of the Bundjil Nest project that involves learning about cultures through a variety of experiences. Karen Anderson from the pre school said Steve Parker welcomed the group with a smoking ceremony that involved him playing the yidaki and clapping sticks. The students helped to create banners that they carried on the walk through the Balnarring Primary School grounds to Balnarring village, waving to…
TEN 100-year milestone birthdays were celebrated at a lunch at Mornington Peninsula Legacy Club last Wednesday (2 November). The centenarians included nine of the club’s 20 war widow beneficiaries and two reserve Legatees (who between them have given 71 years’ service to Legacy). Club president Ed Kennedy said the lunch at the club’s premises in Nepean Highway, Mount Eliza, recognised the widows’ longevity and their husbands’ military service. Mornington Peninsula Legacy supports 730 beneficiaries – 16 with a disability and is helping five children through school. In 2023, Legacy Australia will be celebrating its own centenary by holding the Legacy…
PEARCEDALE visual artist Janice Mills says transposing the colours, shapes and images of what she sees and loves onto canvas has always been an important element of her landscape painting. So, when she learned several years ago that her eyesight was fading, she was confronted by a range of fears, insecurities and self-doubts that only people who had trodden that dark road of imperfection will know. “I’ve been painting since I was a child, it’s something I took to naturally and something that became a huge part of who I was,” Mills said. “So, to start to lose my sight…
MORNINGTON Peninsula businesses and residents are again being asked to support the annual Food For All Christmas Appeal. The appeal began in the wake of poverty forums arranged by the former Shire of Flinders in 1991. Apart from individual members Food for All’s management committee includes church representatives and the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Food is collected through churches, community organisations and from Food for All bins in supermarkets. Schools support Food for All by arranging kick-in-a-can days. An average 85 food parcels are packed every Thursday morning at the distribution centre. The parcels contain a packet of…
THE “witch of Rye” didn’t disappoint this Halloween, entertaining dozens of families in Rye with her theatrical antics and best efforts to look scary. District nurse Karen Fleming has drawn on her theatre experience and love of acting to make 31 October a special occasion in Felecia Street for years, putting on performances in her front yard for trick or treaters, or anyone who likes a bit of neighbourly fun. Son-in-law Brad Harris said Fleming loved the show as much as the audience and stays in character from the moment the night starts at 6pm on Halloween until it’s time…
PUT together two friends, unexpected questions, spare time and what could sound like a recipe for a quiz over a very long afternoon has turned into publishing opportunity for two Mount Martha men. Don Kemp has always written poems, but it was time spent fishing and boating with his two sons that prompted one of them, Rob, to suggest a book based around questions youngsters ask. Rather just asking a straightforward question, the Kemps decided to frame it around “With friends like these, who needs an anemone?” Kemp then approached his friend Perry Fletcher with the idea of producing a…
A BUSINESSMAN who spearheaded plastic recycling in Victoria is hoping to turn a tip on the Mornington Peninsula into a multi-million dollar “recycling park incubator”. Urban Mining Industries managing director Edward Meysztowicz said his idea came from seeing the need for a circular economy, jobs creation and sustainability, and realising that the recycling industry could address all three issues. Meysztowicz says his idea will create jobs for the future on the peninsula and support the development of the hydrogen economy by converting waste plastic into hydrogen. The proposal includes relocating Melbourne-based food, plastics and tyre recycling plants to the Tyabb…
THE Anglican Parish of All Saints Rosebud and St Katherines McCrae are holding a raffle of an artist-inspired doll’s house to raise money for Southern Peninsula Community Support, which works directly with the homeless in Rosebud. The Reverend Lynda Crossley said homelessness was a significant social issue in the area, and the raffle was one way to help with support and resources. The doll’s house was donated by her aunt, artist and writer Anita Sinclair, and was inspired by Sinclair’s time in Cornwall during the World War II as an evacuee. Southern Peninsula Community Support runs many programs, including the…
STUDENTS from St Mary’s Primary School, Hastings are taking a hands-on approach to creating a healthy environmental with the help of the wider community. The school is creating an outdoor learning space and permaculture garden that will include a community garden, wetlands and a labyrinth to give students a chance to be “stewards of creation and responsible learning”. Permaculture leader Marissa Egan said the school is hoping to get as many businesses and companies as possible to partner with them to create an award winning “one-of-a-kind garden” unlike anything the peninsula has seen before. “This project supports the development of…