EIGHT people have died at Mornington Peninsula beaches and waterways over the last year.There were more deaths in Mornington Peninsula coastal areas between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 than there were in any other Victorian municipality. Surf Life Saving Australia’s annual National Coastal Safety Report, released last week, showed that eight people died on the Mornington Peninsula in that timeframe.In total, Surf Life Saving Australia recorded 258 coastal deaths nationally in 2023/2024. 150 died from drowning, with 26 of those drownings occurring in Victoria. More than 80 per cent of drowning victims nationally were male, and every single…
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THE RSPCA’s sweetest annual event Cupcake Day is back for its 16th year to raise money for the welfare for its four-legged pals. Schools, businesses, and residents of the Mornington Peninsula are being encouraged to don their aprons and help raise funds to support the RSPCA.“Cupcake Day is a wonderful way for everyone to connect with their community while making a real difference to support animals in need,” RSPCA Victoria events manager Kate Kasby said. “All funds raised go directly to our vital work in rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals across Victoria. “Your participation means the world to us and,…
GOLF enthusiasts in Mornington are getting ready to hit the green for a good cause.X-Golf Mornington (virtual indoor golf) has launched its inaugural Starlight Scramble to help brighten the lives of sick children. The fundraiser will run every day until 12 October with the national goal of funding five life-changing Starlight wishes at $7500 per wish. While X-Golf’s sights are set high at raising more than $35,000 they’re confident punters will join in to support the little ones.X-Golf’s Peter Nolan said when sick kids’ worlds are filled with hospitals and treatments, a Starlight Wish was an incredible gift of happiness.…
DAMAGING winds lashed the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston areas last week, causing significant disruption and destroying iconic beach boxes.From 7pm on Sunday September 1 and 3pm on Tuesday September 3, the SES received more than 1500 calls for help in the southern metropolitan region. Of those, 1100 were related to downed trees and more than 400 for building damage. Frankston was the hardest hit with 285 jobs. Hastings SES were called to 176 jobs while Sorrento SES had 130 requests for help.Many beach boxes were severely damaged or ripped apart particularly along Shire Hall Beach after wind speeds as high…
PETER Mitchell spends a lot of time chasing cartoon characters, especially Big Bird from the popular TV series, Sesame Street. He may also be found tracking Bart Simpson, Kermit the Frog, and Snoopy as well as bicycles, running shoes and even circumnavigating New Zealand.Mitchell’s journeys may sound a bit esoteric, but they are all carefully traced, digitally, on a map. The Safety Beach runner follows what he calls a “creative pastime – GPS Art”. Before setting out on a run Mitchell draws his course on a map of the area which is then able to be called up on his…
A DEDICATED team of Peninsula Health doctors and nurses have returned from a journey to Papua New Guinea as part an eight-day medical expedition led by the ‘No Roads Expeditions Foundation’.As one of the world’s most underdeveloped nations, Papua New Guinea grapples with some of the world’s worst health statistics. The country’s fragile health system, compounded by extremely poor health and immunisation outcomes, means there are difficulties accessing adequate health services and facilities.“I was eager to join in on another health expedition in Papua New Guinea as a way of giving to communities that I know are in desperate need,”…
IT is with deep gratitude, and a sense of sadness, that we say goodbye to our friend and colleague, Keith Platt, who is retiring this week.Life can feel like a strung-together series of wins and losses, randomly thrust upon us by an ambivalent universe.One of our great wins was that Keith came to work for us at Mornington Peninsula News Group in 2012 as our group editor.Keith has spent his entire career working in journalism across newspapers, magazines, television and documentary making. When he came to MPNG he was already well-known in the community for his long years at the…
ROSEBUD has been named as one of Australia’s top ten places to retire.Financial technical company Citro says research into retirement destinations showed Rosebud came sixth out of 30 based on such “key factors” as affordability, access to quality health care and a range of lifestyle options. Citro said that with a population of more than 14,000, Rosebud offered “a laidback allure, beachside living and a busy and welcoming community”.Armidale in New South Wales, Ingham, Queensland and Maryborough, Victoria top the rankings as potential retirement destinations.Citro predicted that “regional lifestyle property markets will flourish as more Australians than ever hit retirement…
NEW mum Jessica Baguley was pleased to learn that her newborn daughter Poppy’s birth will help save the life of a helpless baby in Uganda. Jessica’s obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphinstone makes a donation to a charity called Baby Watoto for each baby that she delivers, after discovering the plight of orphaned babies and vulnerable mothers in Watoto, Uganda.Dr Elphinstone gave Jessica a hippopotamus toy, handmade in the Watoto Village, as a keepsake and reminder of this special gift. “I feel so good knowing that my daughter’s birth has helped another pregnant woman and baby who are less fortunate,” said Baguley.…
TRAINS and dancers were on time at the station when Mornington Tourist Railway held its annual rock and roll day at Moorooduc. Above the tracks dancers from Team Richards Dance Studio made their moves to the sounds of the Rockin Daddys Band while the car park featured antique cars, including those from the Ford V8 Club.“Rock and Roll Day has become an annual event at the railway,” tourist railway committee member Owen Paden said. “We work in conjunction with Grant and Maryanne Richards from Team Richards Dance Studio and they bring dozens of dancers to our platform to perform. Some…
IT has been long journey for Judy Tricker to get to her first art exhibition. One where she had to separate herself from other’s expectations, and follow her heart.“As a teenager, I remember being told my drawings were not very good,” said Tricker. “As a result of that, I spent most of my life thinking I wasn’t artistic. That I wasn’t good at art.” Everything changed when, just four years ago, one of Tricker’s friends convinced her to accompany her to an art course. “I went with the usual ‘I can’t paint, I can’t draw, I don’t have an artistic…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s Music Industry Summit on Monday 12 August was a day of collaboration and connection for our music industry. The event, held across five venues in Mornington, brought together prominent musicians, music venues, and industry professionals who shared their invaluable insights and expertise in workshops and panel discussions throughout the day.Attracting some heavy hitters from the Australian music industry, such as Frontier Touring director Gerard Schlaghake, Brad Hinds from OzTix, singer-songwriter Katie Noonan, rocker Dallas Frasca, and Something for Kate’s Clint Hyndman, delegates learned about current trends and opportunities.Panel discussions were lively and centred on various issues currently…
JANE Edmanson, a presenter on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia, handed out cuttings from her own garden when speaking to members of the Peninsula Parkinson’s Peer Support Group at Mount Martha last Tuesday (6 August). The cuttings, delivered in time for spring planting, were made as Edmanson acknowledged the problems of planting coastal areas.“I love coming to the Mornington Peninsula, but I know gardening here can be a challenge,” she said when speaking at Mount Martha Community House. “There are lots of vagaries. It’s often very windy, and salt spray can be damaging to plants. Sandy soil can also be a…
MARINE biologist Dr Sue Mason has launched an educational program to support and inspire female secondary school students who want to be scientists.Mason, former research director at the Hastings-based Dolphin Research Institute, said female students faced barriers to studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).While remaining involved with research at Deakin University, Mason has started Cetacean Sisters to help secondary school students connect with other like-minded girls. “The program aims to advance the scientific skills and knowledge of cetaceans — whales and dolphins — of the participants,” she said.“Set against the picturesque shores of Port Phillip, these five, two-hour sessions…
TUCKED away in a room at Mt Martha Community House is a little group about to notch up it’s 50th year.Mt Martha Model Railway Club Inc was founded in 1975 and has run continuously with only the occasional derailments, one of which was covid.“We run train afternoons every Tuesday and Thursday from 2 – 4. And soon we are starting a Saturday afternoon session from 2 – 4,” said president of the model railway club, Bob Geeves.“We are a member of the Men’s Shed organisation, and it is mostly men who come along,” said Bob. “To be honest, we don’t…
THE Rev Father Geoffrey McIlroy will be swapping his priestly vestments for motorbike leathers when he joins an estimated 2000 fellow riders converging on Canberra in September. McIlroy plans to join the annual Wall-to-Wall Ride for Remembrance to honour fallen colleagues, raise money for police legacies and promote safe and lawful motorcycling.A priest at St Macartan’s Catholic Church, Mornington, McIlroy is also chaplain to police stations from Mornington to Sorrento. “I feel privileged in both roles – to serve the parishioners as their shepherd and to serve the police who serve us, as their multi-denominational padre,” McIlroy said.A motorbike rider…
RYE Pier is back open to the public. After months of anticipation and dedicated work by Parks Victoria, the iconic pier has been beautifully restored and is now ready to welcome visitors again.The restoration has revived the pier’s historic charm and introduced several exciting new features. Among the highlights are the interpretive signs installed along the pier, which showcase the area’s rich marine life. These signs provide fascinating information about the local sea creatures, making your visit enjoyable and educational.In addition to the interpretive signage, new benches crafted by the Point Nepean Men’s Shed have been strategically placed along the…
NEW 4K video cameras will help doctors at The Bays Hospital in Mornington perform keyhole surgeries and endoscopies.The hospital has spent $1.2 million upgrading its theatre complex this year. Its two new portable 4K cameras will allow doctors to take better images for diagnostic purposes and to show patients afterwards.A new fleet of endoscopes, including gastroscopes and colonoscopes, were purchased by the hospital this year for the upgrade. In a statement, The Bays Hospital said “endoscopes now feature artificial intelligence functionality, which aids in the early detection and identification of polyps.”The Bays Healthcare Group CEO Jade Phelan said the upgrades…
MISSING dogs are not an unusual occurrence on the Mornington Peninsula, as any look at local social media attests to. But some pull at the heart strings more than others.The case of lost dog Fifi has another layer of sadness, with the pooches’ owner Nicole Kenyon finding out about the dog’s escape on 14 June, when she was stuck in hospital for several weeks and helplessly unable to do anything. Kenyon had placed her beloved Maltese x Shitzu dog in the hands of a dog minder, but as often happens when dogs miss their human, the 11-year-old pet escaped an…
THE life, times and environmental benefits of bandicoots will be explained at the next meeting of the Red Hill South Landcare Group.Eilish Roberts, southern brown bandicoot outreach officer at Cranbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, works to help protect this once widespread marsupial and support local communities in creating bandicoot-friendly suburbs.When digging and scratching while foraging for food bandicoots make “beds” for seeds to germinate and help break down organic matter in which other organisms can live.The public is invited to attend the bandicoot talk which will precede the Landcare group’s annual general meeting, starting at 2pm on Saturday 20 July at…
MOONLIT Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park in Pearcedale opened its new reptile centre on Thursday, 4 July. The sanctuary’s newest attraction includes venomous snakes, pythons, a freshwater crocodile, green tree frogs, and a range of lizards in purpose-built reptile habitats.Each habitat in the new reptile centre has been designed to cater to the specific needs of its inhabitants, with precise requirements for temperature, humidity, water quality, and lighting. The centre has seven climate-controlled zones that provide basking, climbing, and camouflage areas. The enclosures replicate south-eastern bushland, Central Australia, and the scrubland of Western Australia.The sanctuary’s owner and director Michael Johnson said…
A RARE and endangered orchid once found in parts of the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston was last week given a helping hand to return, thanks to a team of experts and passionate volunteers. The Frankston spider orchid, Caladenia robinsonii, is regarded as being critically endangered, with 347 plants remaining in Frankston, Rosebud and Rye as a result of habitat destruction.Laboratory-raised plants from the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria nursery have been reintroduced to their natural habitat on the peninsula with the assistance of staff, and volunteers from the La Trobe Botany Society and ANOS Vic.Lead researcher Dr Noushka Reiter, senior research…
DROMANA engineering apprentice, Callum Robertson, was named Apprentice of the Year at the 10th annual Chisholm Award on Tuesday 25 June for his work with STEG Engineering and his mechanical engineering studies at TAFE’s Dandenong campus.Robertson’s TAFE teachers said he had a passion for engineering, always tried to achieve and had invented some engineering tools to solve problems. They described his technical skills and proficiency with machinery as excellent.“I just go about doing what I’m trained to do … but if I’m going to do a job, I’ll give it my best shot,” Robertson said.Chisholm communications spokesperson Allison Troth said…
THE Western Port Biosphere Foundation and Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park are seeking public support for a three-year joint project to ensure healthier and more resilient wildlife populations.The two organisations aim to build a network of naturelinks, or wildlife corridors, within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The links will provide safe pathways for native animals through and between significant areas of native ecosystems, and will build on the work done by the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation group, and the Mornington Peninsula, Western Port and Bass Coast Landcare Networks and other Landcare and Friends groups, as well as councils. Naturelinks help native…
THREE environmentally aware entrepreneurs with a shared vision are quietly spearheading an innovative ‘superfood’ business that is taking the culinary world by storm.Mornington Peninsula‐born entrepreneur Cameron Hines, who co launched his first business Mountain Goat Brewery in 1997 while in his 20s, started Southern Seagreens with his partners in 2022 with the grand vision of seeing seaweed products become a staple of every Australian pantry, and potentially feeding the world.The fledgling Dromana‐based business is just two years in, but its seaweed products are already being incorporated into the dishes of some of the best chefs in Victoria, including the team…
A TRAINING program at Rye Community House is training dozens of people to work in the hospitality industry and creating a network of employment paths for those seeking work. The Coffee Connection program is an example of community groups and businesses working together to strengthen employment prospects for young people through targeted training.Dale Newman heads the program which started as a three-month trial last year supported by a grant from Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. Since April last year the program has trained 30 people of all ages and backgrounds. “We are so pleased with the way it’s evolved and is…
DOG ownership in Australia is at an all‐time high, with more than two million households getting a pooch since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. But with the increase in dogs comes the inevitable increase in dog‐related issues, such as lost dogs, barking dogs, naughty dogs, roaming dogs and bored dogs. Animal trainers say dog training has never been more important for both the enjoyment of the owner and the happiness and security of the dog.Mornington Obedience Dog Club secretary Irene Scott is one of the many volunteers from dog clubs around the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston who help to…
TWELVE-year-old Zoe Whitbourne and her father Craig will be walking more than 80 kilometres to raise money and awareness for the type 1 diabetes research being carried out at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research (SVI) in Fitzroy.Craig Whitbourne was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 25 years ago when he was 15 and was devastated when Zoe received her diagnosis in 2022 at the age of nine. “Type 1 diabetes can be unpredictable and time-consuming. Despite my experience living with this disease, watching Zoe navigate the grief, anger and sadness of this diagnosis is very difficult,” Mr Whitbourne said.Type 1…
THE reality of life for people doing it tough can be unseen and unimaginable to those in warm homes and with food in the fridge.Georgia Hourn, CEO at Western Port Community Support ‐ the largest provider of emergency relief in the Western Port region ‐ said the centre was seeing a massive increase in people needing support. “We have just witnessed the worst six months on record in terms of demand in our agency’s 43-year history and we don’t expect things to improve any time soon,” she said. “But as an agency we are a strong team of five paid…
THE Wednesday market in Main Street, Mornington has drawn hundreds of visitors every week for close to 40 years but, like many businesses since COVID-19, it is feeling the pinch of post‐pandemic consumer habits. Organisers hope all that is about to change, with a renewed push to make the market great again and entice consumers back to Victoria’s longest‐running street market.Mornington Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Alex Levy said the market had seen a change of faces in recent years, with some traders retiring or simply moving on, and consumers being more cautious with their cash. From its peak of around…