NEWS DESK
Treehouse illustrator’s ground level classes
Illustrator and children’s author Terry Denton stepped out as the new patron of environment group BERG Mt Martha last week to teach youngsters aspects of the art of drawing. On a crisp, autumn day, in a marquee at the old campground at Balcombe Estuary, the illustrator of the Treehouse series of books had the children thinking about the estuary’s birds and animals before committing them to paper. The old master conducted two 45-minute workshops – one in the morning and one in the afternoon - for children aged seven to 14. Before and after each workshop, Denton signed copies of the children’s
Treehouse books. In the workshops, Denton showed why he was king of the kids as he had the children spellbound, teaching them the little tricks of his trade. Sometimes it was difficult to know who was having the most fun. Outside the marquee, parents chatted to BERG MM helpers and sipped tea or coffee provided by the environment group. At the end of each session, the budding artists displayed their efforts to their proud parents. And after the first session, there was time for a group photo with the artist taking centre stage. Barry Morris
Community groups granted funds ISAACS MP Mark Dreyfus has recommended a total of $150,000 in grants for local community groups in the latest round of the Stronger Communities Program. This small grants program enables local community groups to purchase equipment or build local infrastructure on a matched funding basis. “I was very pleased to recommend funding for these 20 local organisations. All of these projects will be of high value to our community,” Mr Dreyfus said. “There is great diversity in the Isaacs community and that has shone through here, with grants recommended for sporting clubs, community centres, men’s sheds and pre-schools, to name just a few. I congratulate these groups and wish them the very best in their projects.” Mr Dreyfus recommended 20 grants for approval by the Department of Business, including $18,000 for Mordialloc-Braeside Junior Football Club, $18,000 for Parkdale Cricket Club the new Gerry Green Reserve pavilion, and $16,000 for Cheltenham Youth Club for a new IT system. Aspendale Scout Group, Carrum Downs Football Club, Mordialloc Neighbourhood House, Hawthorn Kingston Cricket Club, and Dingley Men’s Shed, Chelsea Little Athletics, and Chelsea Heights Community Centre were also among those recommended for grants of over $5000.
Estuary idol:Illustrator Terry Denton, above, poses with children attending his morning art workshop at Balcombe Estuary. And right, Terry Denton makes a point at his BERG Mt Martha workshop. Pictures: Supplied
Talks call as brew plans put on hold Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au Plans for a microbrewery in green wedge-zoned land at Moorooduc include car parking for 28 vehicles, an additional dwelling as well as growing hops for the beer that would be brewed and sold on site. Mornington Peninsula Shire’s planning services committee last week deferred making a decision on a permit for the brewery despite officers recommending that a permit be refused. Council officers recommended the permit be refused but Cr David Gill said councillors decided a deferral would allow “interested parties to en-
gage in a discussion to see if all aspects and ramifications of the permit application had been fleshed out” so an agreement could be reached before a decision was made by council of the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal. Under the permit application beermaking and selling is proposed on the 34 hectares of grazing land at the corner of Graydens and Stumpy Gully roads next to the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association’s R M Hooper Oval. While most of the land would be retained for grazing, the microbrewery proponents say 1.7 hectares would be used to grow hops and 6.4hectares
for barley. Councillors on the planning services committee were told that “preliminary investigation suggests [the] applicant has way overestimated the potential yields of barley”. The shire’s “rural business officer”, in a report, estimated 12.8 tonnes of barley may be produced on the 6.4 hectares when 116.5 tonnes would be needed to make 233,000 litres of beer, which was stated to be two thirds of the microbrewery’s output. The report by strategic projects senior planner Hugh Pierce, said the proposed microbrewery was dependent on the establishment of a relationship with agricultural produce to be grown on the site.
“Whilst the proposal does indicate some link between the land and the microbrewery, the level of information provided detailing how this will be undertaken (from an operational and manufacturing perspective) and the timeframes for both agricultural production of the key ingredients and the commencement of brewing operations are lacking,” the report to the committee’s 17 September meeting stated. “Therefore, there is an inability to be assured that the critical relationship between the land and industry is acceptable. The commercial element (i.e. the sale and consumption component) of the proposal also raises concerns regarding both its appropriateness within the
context of this green wedge land, and whether sale and consumption will be truly ancillary, or grow to become the more dominant use of the land over time. “Whilst the microbrewery is proposed to produce beer with key ingredients sourced from the land, the sale and consumption area alone is considered a large-scale proposal in the green wedge … The onsite sale and consumption of liquor for up to 40 patrons will have detrimental implications for the existing rural amenity of the area.” Mr Pierce said if the microbrewery was “not supported” the shire could be left with two dwellings on the site “which is prohibited within the green wedge Zone”.
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Frankston Times
1 October 2018
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