MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have rejected a call that would have allowed officers to be questioned in public about the contents and possible consequences of their reports. The bid by Cr David Gill to clear the way for the public questioning of officers was defeated last week on the casting vote of the mayor, Cr Steve Holland. With one councillor absent, the vote was tied five all and Holland, in line with accepted procedure, used his extra vote as meeting chairperson to retain the status quo, which prevents the officers being questioned at public council meetings. In the lead up…
Browsing: Mornington Peninsula
Carrum Downs artist Jaq Grantford has been named as the Archibald Prize 2023 ‘People’s Choice’ winner for her winning portrait of former Playschool presenter and beloved Australian personality Noni Hazlehurst. This month, the highly anticipated Archibald Prize 2023 opens at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery – the only Victorian destination for this popular event. Thousands of art lovers and curious cultural adventurers will head to Mornington to see the 57 portraits hanging side-by-side, including Jaq’s now famous portrait and this year’s winning work of Montaigne by Julia Gutman. Portraits have always intrigued the viewer: the eyeline, the position of the…
The Voice: Residents look to councillors for leadership I attended the 5 September public meeting of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meeting with the expectation that councillors would debate whether they should support a Yes vote in the forthcoming referendum. I was deeply shocked and disappointed that questions regarding the referendum were dismissed, with the CEO advising that council would not be taking a position on this matter. Local councils play a pivotal role in representing and reflecting the sentiments of their community. The shire has previously shown its support for Indigenous rights and reconciliation in its Reconciliation Action Plan, so…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is calling for nominations for its 2024 Australia Day awards. Nominations of a friend, family member or colleague in the categories of Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year until Friday 17 November if they have made an outstanding contribution to the community. Last year’s Citizen of the Year was Jack Van Der Zwart, in recognition of his work caring for foster children, cooking for the homeless in Rosebud and providing meals for the needy. There is also an opportunity to recognise events, through the category of community event of the year. The…
THE St Andrews Beach Brewery is on the market, with agents calling it a “significant coastal land-banking” opportunity and say they expect interest from throughout Australia. The former horse training centre once owned by the Freeman brothers is on 37.2 hectares and includes a wholesale business as well as restaurant and bar. The property is being offered for sale and expressions of interest are being sought by J L L Hotels and Hospitality’s Will Connolly, Peter Harper and Lachlan Persley. Formerly known as Markdel, the Fingal property was redefined in 2017 to create a hospitality venue and on-site brewery. It…
A SPRING cold front caused havoc across the Mornington Peninsula overnight Thursday (8 September) and into Friday (9 September), bringing rain and strong winds, as well as general misery for football fans ahead of the AFL finals. Gale force winds downed trees and dislodged anything not tied down as blasts swept across the southeast and the peninsula over Friday and Saturday. On Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology issued wind warnings for Western Port and Port Phillip, but for some boat owners they came too late. The extreme weather also saw emergency service volunteers, and CFA and SES teams clearing trees…
ARTISTS who regularly open their studios along the Peninsula Studio Trail are holding their annual combined art exhibition at Mornington. The annual studio trail started 15 years ago and includes about 30 artists working in a variety of mediums, including painting, textiles, ceramics, printmaking and sculpture. New works will be displayed at this month’s exhibition and visitors will have a chance to meet and speak with the artists. The exhibition is being held at The Studio, 91 Wilson’s Road, Mornington. Tickets to the opening night on Friday 22 September are $15 a person and include food and wine and entertainment…
RISING food bills, vet bills and the surrender of dogs and cats “adopted” during the COVID pandemic have created a “sad situation”, according to Rosy Fischer. Fischer, of Mornington, has compiled a list of pet organisations that may help pet owners who are struggling to keep their pets. “Many people are surrendering their pets with most shelters and rescue groups overwhelmed with pets,” she said. “I regularly see people posting online pets for rehoming and asking for pet food, or assistance with vet bills. “Financial constraints due to increased costs of living, vet fees, lack of pet friendly rentals, COVID…
THE removal of at least five trees at Tyabb Primary School has left some residents distraught at the loss of a piece of the area’s heritage. Contractors for the Department of Education removed the trees from the school yard, including English oak, Norfolk pine and desert ash. Former student Alden Collins said he was devastated to see that the Norfolk Island pine gifted to the school by Harriet Benton, a sewing mistress for the school and part of an early pioneering family, had been razed. The tree was planted with Benton’s class in 1908 as she was leaving to go…
WARNINGS to use only wildlife-friendly baits for rats and mice have been issued after at least six birds of prey, including tawny frogmouths, owls and goshawks have been found dead on the southern Mornington Peninsula. The birds did not show any signs of injury and all except one were dead when discovered. Peninsula marine advocate and researcher Kent Stannard said birds of prey dying from baits was a long-standing issue in the area, but mainly on the back beach and national park. Stannard said he recently found several dead birds near the Whitecliffs foreshore camping ground and suspected they may…
WELFARE services say it is “time to act” on homelessness, with the Peninsula Voice adding its views with a report “Working together on the homelessness crisis on the Mornington Peninsula”. Peninsula Voice president Peter Orton said the community had “watched the growing homelessness crisis on the Mornington Peninsula damage lives”. “It’s a complex issue, so it’s vital that our community understands the drivers behind this crisis and how broadly it impacts us, so we can work together on local solutions,” he said. Orton said that to support the issued, Peninsula Voice had held three events aimed at taking a “deeper…
A DECISION to change courses has paid off for Leela Subramaniam who has been named Apprentice of the Year at the 2023 Victorian Training Awards. The former Chisholm Institute student was studying a double degree in commerce and law before switching to cooking. After completing a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery at Chisholm’s Mornington Peninsula campus, Subramaniam now works as a full-time junior sous-chef at Flinders Hotel, Flinders. As well as the training awards win she was named Apprentice of the Year at the 2023 Chisholm Education Awards and was the Victorian winner and national bronze medallist at the 2022…
THE Fair Work Ombudsman has started legal action against a Boneo celery farm – one of Australia’s largest celery producers – alleging it underpaid three visa holders $91,907 across one year. The FWO says it investigated A & G Lamattina & Sons Pty Ltd after receiving requests for assistance from three farmhands who alleged they had not been paid during extended periods of their employment. It is alleged that Lamattina underpaid the farmhands between February 2020 and February 2021. One of the farmhands was allegedly underpaid more than $37,000 while the other two were each underpaid more than $27,000, respectively.…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council’s community animal shelter and pound will desex dogs and cats for pet owners over 60. Under the new initiative, Seniors Card holders who have a dog or cat registered with the shire can get their pets desexed for free. The mayor Cr Steve Holland said the program would enhance the wellbeing of both pets and their owners, but also aimed to encourage responsible pet ownership and reduce the number of stray animals. Holland said the community animal shelter and pound had been caring for animals for more than 30 years, and understood the role pets play…
HAVING a new baby is supposed to be one of the most joyous times of a mother’s life, but for 29-year-old Taylor Johnston it was marred by a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Just one week after giving birth to her daughter Billie earlier this year, Johnston, of Rye, was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and now faces an uncertain future and the trauma of having to spend time apart from her baby for treatment. Her husband Jesse, a senior footballer at Rye Football Netball Club, said the family was trying to stay positive, which had been helped by community support.…
SORRENTO Cricket Club is focussing on child safety in the lead up to National Child Protection Week (3-9 September) and is raising awareness of how sports clubs can help. Child safety officer Ella McConnell said the club’s leadership team had implemented the Victorian Child Safe Standards and improved safeguarding practices and culture over the past 12 months. “At Sorrento Cricket Club we are committed to promoting child safety awareness and protecting our children and young people on the peninsula from harm and abuse,” she said. “With National Child Protection Week approaching, it is the perfect time to raise awareness and…
A LITERARY event especially for poetry enthusiasts is being held from 2pm on Sunday 10 September at the Rosebud Country Club Bowls Club. The Poets Corner event will bring together poets and spoken word artists from across the Mornington Peninsula and elsewhere. Poets Corner, a community organisation dedicated to poetry and spoken word arts, has been operating on the peninsula since 2017. The organisation adapted and continued its activities through virtual platforms during the COVID pandemic and is now returning to in-person events. The bowls club meeting will feature academic, storyteller, and counter-narrative poet Dr Denise Chapman, who is known…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has come to the aid of Rye Repair Cafe with a $10,000 climate action grant. The volunteer-run service operates out of Rye Community House on the first Sunday of each month, offering help to anyone who has something to mend or repair. By repairing household items, the group is taking on the war on waste one item at a time. Manager of Rye Community House, Marg D’Arcy, said the Repair Cafe dwindled during the pandemic and needed a financial boost to get it back up and running. “This grant has enabled us to establish a repair…
THE volunteer-run Mornington Tourist Railway has been given three carriages from Vline and is looking for suggestions about how to best use them. Owen Paden said the 22.86 metres long carriages, known as the N set, included an economy seating carriage (BN) with 88 seats, an economy class carriage (BRN) with a buffet seating 67 passengers, and first-class carriage (CAN) with a guard compartment seating 52 passengers. Paden said the carriages were originally broken down into classes, but all seats were now considered “premium class”. “These N set carriages began operation on 5 October 1981 and were built at the…
MOUNT Martha tennis courts are in line for a major revamp, with reconstruction work about to begin. The courts on the Esplanade near Mount Martha Community House, are in poor condition and will be brought up to Tennis Australia club competition standards. Mornington Peninsula Shire said work starting this week will include improving court surfaces, lighting, fencing and adding a booking system. The shire is contributing $878,417 to the works, the state government $300,000 and Mount Martha Tennis Club $80,000. The courts are expected to be finished by end of February 2024. The tennis club, the biggest on the peninsula,…
A FISHING competition in honour of Jamerson Ross, who died on 8 October last year in a hit-and-run incident in Hastings, will be held from the 6 to 8 October in conjunction with the Western Port Angling Club. Jamerson (known as Jammo) was a 23-year-old working in the marine electrical business Australian Integrated Marine when he died. His mother Chantelle Ross said her son was a hard-working young man who also worked on weekends to save money. When not working hard was outdoors following his passion for fishing. Jamerson had extensive fishing knowledge and experience in running and competing in…
MORNINGTON Peninsula hospitality venues are being urged to be plastic free in support of a litter and waste-free summer. The Boomerang Alliance program Plastic Free Mornington Peninsula is inviting food businesses and events to commit to lowering their carbon footprint while reducing packaging costs over the next six to 12 months. Mornington Peninsula facilitator Birte Moliere said much of the waste in the hospitality sector could be avoided by using alternatives and going plastic free. “Through our One.Change Campaign, people are being encouraged to start with one simple step – reusable takeaways. In particular, making the switch to reusable cups,…
SHIREEN Hammond says her life went to the dogs, literally, following a breast cancer diagnosis around nine years ago, months of chemotherapy and seemingly endless hospital visits. The award-winning photographer from Tootgarook was known for capturing the emotion and beauty of families and weddings but was forced to consider another way to continue her artistry, and dogs were it. “When I came out of hospital in 2015, I needed a project to heal as I had no strength and couldn’t shoot my 30 weddings that year at eight to 12 hours a shoot,” she said. “Our beautiful border collie Mariah…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has strengthened its stand against the commercial harvesting of kangaroos on the peninsula. At the 8 August council meeting councillors agreed to write to the state government to demand the banning of commercial kangaroo harvesting on the peninsula “by using the background information supplied to alert our community of the issues and to further inform the state government of the urgent need to protect the viability of kangaroos on the peninsula”. Cr David Gill said there was an “urgent need to protect the viability of kangaroos on the peninsula”. Gill’s motion followed a council decision on…
THE unpredictability of the trajectory of a small round ball after being hit by a flat surface has been highlighted by the need for a safety net on one of the Mornington Peninsula’s prestige golf courses. The owners of the two-course Moonah Links in Fingal say insurance companies have demanded a 13 metre high net be installed on the sixth hole of the championship Legends Course to protect a house in The Ridge Road from errant golf balls. The decision to allow the net could have been made under delegation by Mornington Peninsula Shire officers but Cr David Gill “called…
ALTHOUGH it has refused to drop Flinders from its paid parking trial, Mornington Peninsula Shire has refined its approach to make the experiment more acceptable to residents. Changes to the rules include a business parking permit for “select volunteers and club members” and a permit for staff of “directly adjacent businesses”. As well as near Flinders pier, the parking trial will be held over summer at Schnapper Point, Mornington, and Sunnyside Beach, Mount Eliza. Peninsula residents can apply for up to five permits a household but must abide by parking time limits. Anyone else parking at the three beach side…
STELLA Mars has conquered many difficulties in her short life, not the least being literacy and academic mastery that’s not always associated with people living with autism or ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). A finalist for this year’s Mornington Peninsula Mayor’s Short Story Writing Award in the eight to 12 years old category, the Mount Eliza girl has shown that she has a strong driving force determination to succeed. The nine-year-old already considers herself a professional creative who knows where her talents lie and the obstacles she faces. “I really enjoyed writing my story and I am proud of it. It took…
SEVERAL Mornington Peninsula students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their talents at the Victorian State Schools Spectacular on Saturday 9 September. The show, at John Cain Arena, Melbourne and broadcast on television later in the year, is an invaluable performing arts opportunity for government primary and secondary school students. Students get the chance to perform or gain behind the scenes experiences across all creative disciplines guided by industry professionals in a non-competitive environment. Event publicist Sonja McGill said it could often be the experience of a lifetime for the students with the chance to perform in a world class…
MPNFL DIVISION ONE MT Eliza knocked Frankston Bombers out of the finals on Sunday. It was a cagey affair at Olympic Park. The Bombers went into the half-time break ahead by ten points. Mt Eliza broke the game open in the third term. A four-goals-to-zero quarter saw Mt Eliza go ahead by 15. The Redlegs held onto their lead in the final term, and went on to claim an 11 point win 8.7 (55) to 6.8 (44). Nicholas MacDonald Girolami, Nathan Jones, and Finlay Bayne were Mt Eliza’s best. Frankston YCW won the qualifying final at Baxter Park last Saturday.…
ALTHOUGH Mornington Peninsula Shire has found little joy in the results of its the past two annual community satisfaction surveys, the same cannot be said for one of its most high profile contractors. Waste collectors Solo Resource Recovery has been able to issue a news release saying the latest local government community satisfaction survey “highlighted the exceptional success of waste management services [in the shire], rating second overall behind art centres and libraries”. The news release From trash to treasure: waste management services praised by locals, from Brisbane based BBS Communications Group, said the peninsula’s community, “young and old, have…