18 August 2015

Page 6

NEWS DESK Continued from Page 1 “We spent three weeks in Perth in late January before the council resumed after the summer break and have not been back since and have no plans to return,� he said. “My wife has had two serious chest infections since then, which included a stay at Frankston Hospital.� He said she was a lifelong asthmatic. Mr Bowden said Cr Bowden had been working very hard – up to 60 hours a week – under pressure. She had become ill recently and doctors thought she had suffered a small stroke but test revealed this was not the case but her condition remained undiagnosed and more tests were being done. “She is her normal self; bright and alert, walking and talking but has been advised to take it easy so the symptoms do not return,� he said. Mr Bowden said councillors had an abnormally high work load in recent times. Cr Bowden has missed seven of

Break: Cr Lynn Bowden is on leave after a health scare. Picture supplied

the past 14 council meetings including two at the start of the year, two in April, and three between mid-July and last week when she was ill and spent several days in Frankston Hospital. Cr Pittock has missed three meetings this year, two in March and one in May when he was on holidays interstate or overseas. The Dromana

resident recently represented the shire in Ireland at his own expense when he visited Dromana House in County Waterford for the 800th anniversary, keeping alive the loose connection between the two Dromanas. Councillors Andrew Dixon, Hugh Fraser, Tim Wood, David Gibb and Anne Shaw have all missed one meeting this year, mostly through illness, and the mayor Cr Bev Colomb has missed two meetings, in May and July. For one she was in Canberra for a local government conference. On Friday afternoon, the shire announced on its website that Cr Bowden had been granted leave of absence “from August 10 until October 10 due to medical reasons�. “Watson Ward residents can direct inquiries to 5950 1428 or via email councillor.support@mornpen.vic.gov. au during Cr Bowden’s absence. Nepean Ward councillor Hugh Fraser is also available to assist Watson Ward residents and ratepayers during this period.� With David Harrison

Miss four in a row and you’re out MOST Victorian councillors are diligent and attend dozens of meetings and briefings each year. Our elected representatives are required by law to not miss four council meetings in a row unless they have obtained formal leave of absence, which can be approved by their colleagues in cases such as illness or injury. The shire council has had a good attendance record in recent years although recent absences have seen more councillors missing meetings than usual. In late 2013, former Red Hill Ward councillor Frank Martin took extended leave because of illness. He was absent for more than six months before resigning and forcing a by-election last August when retired County Court judge Tim Wood was elected. Further afield, Kingston councillor John Ronke, an 18-year council veteran, attended nine of 21 meetings last year including four of 11 so-called ordinary council

meetings (OCMs), the main meeting of councils. He blamed illness for missing most but said he chopped the top off a thumb with a power saw, which caused him to miss one OCM. Three years ago Pinar Yesil, a Greater Dandenong councillor and Victoria’s first Muslim mayor (2008-09), was booted off the council after missing four consecutive meetings when she was in Turkey for more than a month dealing with “urgent family health issues� and had not obtained formal leave of absence. Ms Yesil migrated to Australia from Turkey as a teenager and was a rising star in the ALP. Ironically, during her term as mayor, Ms Yesil implemented a charter to make councillors more accountable to the community by publishing monthly expenses and attendance reports online. Mike Hast

Breaking out: Pop punk band Day Break will headline the 2015 Freeza Push Start Battle of the Bands at Mornington.

Young musos battle it out IMPAKT Productions and Mornington Peninsula Shire are putting on the 2015 Freeza Push Start Battle of the Bands, Friday 21 August, Peninsula Community Theatre. Local bands The Illusionals, The Elements, Jebusology, LuVibe, End Hope, Break the Lines and Shmegma have been selected to compete, with the winners having the chance to compete in the regional finals as well as win prizes. Headlining the event is Aussie pop punk band Day Break. Other contestants will be advertised on the Mornington Peninsula Shire Youth Services website, mpys.com.au<http://www. mpys.com.au>.

The event runs 6-10.45pm. Tickets at $10 will be at the door on the night. The bands could be the next big things on the peninsula’s music scene. Radio station 98.7 FM will broadcast the event on local community radio. This annual band competition is targeted at young people on the Mornington Peninsula and is part of the state-wide Push Start Battle of the Bands, funded by the state government’s Freeza program. The event is a fully supervised with no drugs, smoking or alcohol and no pass outs. Details: Jackie Rickard at Mornington Peninsula Shire, 5950 1666, or Facebook.com/impaktfreeza.

Congratulations to Our Competition Winners!

‘helloworld Mornington Cruise and Travel would like to congratulate Phillip and Julia Wilkinson (pictured), the lucky winners of a 7 night 2 1 5QWVJ 2CEKĆ‚E ETWKUG 1WT QHĆ‚EG JGNF QWT CPPWCN ETWKUG YGGM HTQO VJG VJ VQ PF /C[ &WTKPI VJKU YGGM YG JCF ETWKUG EQORCPKGU UWEJ CU 2 1 2TKPEGUU %WPCTF 4Q[CN %CTKDDGCP *QNNCPF #OGTKEC .KPG #26 CPF 5EGPKE JQNF URGEKCN RTGUGPVCVKQPU YJKEJ CNN EQPVTKDWVGF KP OCMKPI QWT %TWKUG 'ZRQ C OCUUKXG UWEEGUU 2JKNNKR CPF ,WNKC YGTG QWT OCLQT FQQT RTK\G YKPPGTU CPF YG YQWNF NKMG VQ YKUJ VJGO C HCPVCUVKE ETWKUG UCKNKPI 1WT UGEQPF RTK\G YKPPGT YCU 0QPGGP $W\\C YJQ YQP C RKGEG #PVNGT NKIJV YGKIJV NWIICIG UGV *CRR[ VTCXGNNKPI 0QPGGP o

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Mornington News 18 August 2015

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