Police patrol
On fire: Frankston CFA crews fight the Davey St fire last week. Picture: Gary Sissons
Disused house fire Cars set alight
Ram-ing it home: The Rex Australis sculpture on Peninsula Link is heading back to the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park in Langwarrin. Picture: Gary Sissons
Rex makes gallery new home REX Australis – the giant ram’s head which has graced Peninsula Link near the Skye Rd exit for the past four years – is settling in at its new home: McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, Langwarrin. The cast-iron sculpture by Dean Colls is 14 metres long, seven metres high and six metres deep. It will feature near another sculptured favourite: the Tree of Life, by artist
Phil Price, which was replaced at the Cranbourne Rd exit by Reflective Lullaby – colloquially known as the Giant Gnome, by Gregor Kregar. Fittingly, the intersections at which the sculptures attracted motorists’ attention are the exits for the gallery and park. The sculptures are the result of a partnership between the gallery and Southern Way, which was formed to
manage the selection and installation of 14 artworks along Peninsula Link, which opened in January 2013. Gallery staffers are tight-lipped over what is replacing Rex but it’s sure to be as eye-catching, curator Simon Lawrie said. The gallery is at 390 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin. Stephen Taylor
A FIRE in a disused house in Davey St, Frankston, was “definitely suspicious”, police said last week. It is believed clothing worn by squatters was piled up near the front door of the two-storey brick veneer and set on fire, 4.30pm, Sunday 6 August. The property is slated for development with a photograph advertising new apartments out front showing the facade as part of the new building. It used to be the office of Nepean Hearing. It is possible the blaze might lead to the old building being pulled down.
Caravan destroyed
A CARAVAN at the Mornington Gardens Holiday Village, Bungower Rd, was destroyed by fire on Sunday 6 August. Park owner Cory Smith said a faulty refrigerator was the cause. “It was making a lot of noise beforehand and ended up catching on fire,” he said. A man living in the caravan for many years was uninjured, Mr Smith said. He was found alternative accommodation at the park, which has been operating for the past 39 years. It has 170 caravans.
A HOLDEN utility was set alight in Langwarrin, 5.25pm, Thursday 3 August. The blaze, in the rear section, destroyed the VF ute and set fire to 60 square metres of grassland. Three CFA units attended the fire 800 metres from Hafey St. A four-wheel-drive town truck got bogged when attempting to tow the car out. A stolen Subaru was “torched” on a dirt road near the intersection of Taylors and Wedge roads, Skye, 10.20pm, Tuesday 8 August. Police said an accelerant was used to fuel the fire on the Impressa, which had been stolen from Rye the day before. CFA crews extinguished the fire but the car was destroyed. They also extinguished a fire in the jerry can used to douse the car with petrol.
Tree mishap
A COUNCIL worker suffered a suspected broken ankle when a tree fell on him at Langwarrin, 10.45am, Monday 7 August. The man, 47, was removing old trees at Northgateway Reserve when a bough fell on him. A co-worker helped free the man who was taken to Frankston Hospital for treatment.
Frankston Times 14 August 2017
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