NEWS DESK
Danger area: The fate of a clutch of hooded plover eggs at Koonya beach was set aside for a while on 31 December by wildlife photographer Glenn Ehmke when surfers came to the rescue of a man who had been swept out to sea.
Trio hailed as heroes after surf rescue THREE men battled for nearly two hours to rescue a drowning swimmer in rough seas off Blairgowrie surf beach shortly after Christmas. Police were told the Hampton Park man entered the water near the
Hughes Rd entrance to the surf beach while his wife set up on the beach just after 4pm, 31 December. When the woman realised she couldn’t see her husband in the water she raised the alarm.
Leading Senior Constable JulieAnne Newman said the 56-year-old was spotted about 500 metres offshore in rough conditions and being swept further out to sea. The three men in their 20s – from
Rosebud West, Kew and Armadale – rushed into the water on two surfboards and carrying a flotation device. They reached him about 600 metres out and dragged him onto a board, being buffeted by the rough seas for
nearly two hours while bringing him to shore. Local police were on scene together with ambulance paramedics who attended to the exhausted man before he was taken to hospital.
Drowning almost a Parks future open for ‘discussion’ certainty on peninsula THERE is a 98 per cent chance that at least one person will drown this year while swimming at Mornington Peninsula beaches. Life Saving Victoria’s latest drowning report shows five people lost their lives to drowning here in the 2014/2015 financial year. This represents 13 per cent of the 39 drownings across Victoria. The report found males were seven times more likely to drown than females, while almost 40 per cent of those who died 2004-14 were aged 25-44. During that time, 41 people drowned on the peninsula and 115 were taken to
hospital after almost drowning. Bayside beaches, the ocean, home swimming pools and bathtubs are the main drowning locations. Life Saving Victoria principal research associate Dr Bernadette Matthews said swimming, boating and diving were common activities being undertaken by drowning victims. “It is important to understand the conditions you will be swimming in, or enjoying during recreation activities,” she said. Swimmers should stay between the red and yellow flags at patrolled beaches and make weather checks.
PARKS Victoria has called for “feedback” on a "discussion paper” about development at Point Nepean National Park. The discussion paper, based on a 2010 master plan, “allows people the opportunity to put forward key issues and ideas in advance of the renewed plan”, Parks chief executive Bradley Fauteux said. “Point Nepean has a long and rich history, including Aboriginal occupation, its role as an important Australian military and defence facility and most recently as a national park. Protecting this significant heritage to ensure this rich history is conserved for future generations is of primary
importance,” Mr Fauteux stated in a letter to Nepean Ratepayers’ Association president Colin Watson. “Many people have contributed valuable ideas about possibilities for the future of this iconic site, and I look forward to your participation in the development of a master plan for Point Nepean National Park.” Submissions on the discussion, paper end in March with Parks Victoria aiming to exhibit a final master plan for further comment in June and its adoption late this year. Mr Watson has criticised the state government for rejecting plans for Point Nepean by the Point Leisure Group (PLG).
He said the amount of public land required by the group for its upmarket development (including spa, boutique hotel and a university campus) was “tiny compared with the overall size of land in Victoria with its national parks”. Mr Watson says the Nepean Ratepayers’ Association is “very concerned that another proposal may be put forward that has nowhere near the financial benefits that the PLG proposal had, and the government may try and sneak it through to appease the Victorian National Parks Association”. Keith Platt
1099 Point Nepean Rd, Rosebud P: 5950 0300 www.rosebudhotel.com.au
Southern Peninsula News 12 January 2016
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