Mornington
Features inside MOTHER’S DAY
PAGES 29–33 FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT
PAGES 35–37 SPORTS DESK
PAGES 38-39
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3 May – 16 May 2012
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Views of Venus DR Nick Lomb, above, one of the world’s foremost experts on the transit of Venus, will be giving a talk about Mornington’s connection to the famous astronomical phenomenon. Right, Geoffrey Wyatt’s photo of Venus crossing the face of the sun in 2004. Next month’s transit is the last for 105 years. See story Page 7
New sign tells a tragic tale By Mike Hast MORNINGTON lost most of its football team 120 years ago this month and the tragedy will be marked by a ceremony on Sunday 20 May. The shire council and Mornington and District Historical Society have joined forces to create a new interpretive sign, which will be placed near the football tragedy memorial near the intersection of the Esplanade and Main St.
The memorial commemorates the black day in the town’s history when 15 members of the football team drowned off Mt Eliza while returning from a match at Mordialloc aboard the sailing boat Process. A descendant of one of the players, Janet Groves, has written the words for the sign, which will also contain photos. “The tragedy affected many of the families in the small community. Ten
children were left fatherless,� said Mrs Groves, a relative of Charles Ernest Allchin, one of eight teenagers who drowned. “Reverend James Caldwell lost three sons; Joseph Grover, a builder, lost a son and a brother; and the boat owner and experienced skipper Charles Hooper and his 14-year-old son both drowned.� The accident pitched the small town into deep mourning and for years it
was known as “Mourningtown�. The tragedy occurred on the night of Saturday 21 May 1892. There was no formal football league in 1892 and teams organised games on an ad hoc basis. Mornington played Mordialloc on the original Mordialloc ground in the beach park, near the pier. The game was a draw, two goals each. Behinds were not counted then. The team of 17 men had sailed up to Mordialloc earlier in the day even
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though the new rail line between Mornington and Frankston was open. They were joined by Charles Allchin, who came by train from his job in a city architect’s office. At 6pm, 15 members of the team clambered aboard the nine-metre yawl. Three decided to return by train – the town’s baker, Coxhell, a young man called Shultz and the bank manager, Short. Continued Page 7
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