NEWS DESK
Dolphins saved from debts demise Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au FRANKSTON Dolphins Football Club will fight on and hope to be readmitted into the VFL in 2018 after creditors voted to accept partial payment for outstanding debts. Worrells, the administrators of the club, met with creditors on Friday (28 October) at the club’s premises and a deal to save the 129-year-old footy club from extinction was accepted by those owed money after the club went into voluntary administration in August. Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants managing partner Paul Burness said unsecured creditors voted to accept partial payment of
monies owed over four years with the first payment due to be made in September next year. He estimated unsecured creditors will receive between 4.5 and 7.9 cents in the dollar. The two largest unsecured creditors are Tabcorp Gaming Solutions and state government appointed regulator the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation. The VCGLR was owed about $475,000 and Tabcorp about $230,000 for fees associated with 27 pokies machines the football club removed from its function centre in May. Mr Burness said he hoped to hand ownership of the club back to a new board as part of the agreement with creditors.
“I’m in control until the actual deed of company arrangement is executed. I hope that will be within days or in a week or two.” “Control will revert to the board and there are provisions to have a new board be appointed and I expect that will happen fairly quickly.” The administrator said any funds the Dolphins receive will be placed in a deed fund to be distributed to creditors. The club owed about $1.5 million to creditors in total before going into voluntary administration. The final payment to unsecured creditors will be in September 2020. He anticipated all players and employees of the club will receive all money owed to them as priority creditors.
Deal done: Frankston Dolphins FC has been saved from extinction. Picture: Gary Sissons
Mr Burness was unable to give a figure for the administrator’s fees payable to Worrells at this stage but said part would be paid now with the remainder to follow at a later date. A new Dolphins board will try to rally community support to get the
Doubles all round at exams time FRANKSTON High School principal Helen Wilson occasionally has to do a double take when speaking to some of her senior students, with five sets of twins this year preparing to complete their VCE. Although not identical, it’s fair to say the similarities are striking and still can cause confusion. Ms Wilson said the twins are studying different subjects and don’t plan to follow the same career paths but they all share a competitive streak and a similar study ethic. “I’m not sure what it is about twins, but at our school the twins in VCE have always been high achievers with high expectations,” she said. “Perhaps it’s because they have the advantage of the support from each other, somebody else to share the study load with and help them through it all.” In 2014 the school had five sets of twins and one set of triplets in the year 12 level, and next year could be a similar story, with year 7 enrolments already showing “another big intake” of twins. With exams officially underway on Friday (October 28), Education minister James Merlino released a “good luck” message to the state’s VCE students. Mr Merlino said the exam period was a stressful one for students, and reminded them to manage study stress, be prepared and use the many resources available. He said asking for help from teachers, family, or friends and seeking professional help was the key to
Five fresh faces for Frankston
Seeing doubles: Frankston High School twins, clockwise from front, Olivia and Monique Riddell, Beau and Zane Merdanovic, Kailyn and Cassandra McVean, Benjamin and Joey Rolleston, Isabelle and Sarah Digolis get ready for VCE exams. Picture: Yanni
staying healthy of students felt overwhelmed. There will be 84,603 students across the state studying at least one VCE exam this year, with the exam period lasting until 16 November. “I encourage students to do their very best, but never lose sight of the bigger picture – there is life after Year 12 and there are many roads to future careers and further study,” he said. The ReachOut organisation has also released a national campaign,
‘There’s Life After Year 12 Exams’, to help year 12 students and their parents know how to manage stress and anxiety during exam time. ”Stress around exam time can not only impact a teenager’s mental health but also their physical health and general wellbeing. Knowing how to help teenagers manage their stress in the lead-up to exams can help them to study and also reduce the tension at home,” ReachOut CEO Jono Nicholas said.
club back on to a sound financial footing to convince the AFL to reinstate the club’s VFL licence in 2018. The Dolphins will be in limbo on the playing front next year and will not field a team for the 2017 season in the VFL.
The organisation has released a list tips for parents and students to help with the pressures of exams and study. For more information, stories and fact sheets for students going through exams, see ReachOut.com/examstress There’s also information available at headspace.org.au/get-info/schoolstress-and-exam-survival online. Liz Bell
Continued from Page 1 In Frankston, all three wards have three councillor spots so proportional voting is used first to determine if councillors win enough first preference votes to achieve a quota and be elected in their own right. Preferences are distributed to decide which candidates are elected if they do not receive enough votes to achieve a quota. The exit of four councillors comes after two years of infighting at Frankston Council between councillors, amid accusations of bullying and harassment, that has often spilled into the open at public council meetings. External investigators, lawyers and arbitrators have been paid more than $30,000 of ratepayers’ money – in addition to council officers’ time – in several cases in the past two years to adjudicate on councillors’ misconduct complaints against each other. North-East ward councillors are: Sandra Mayer (1st successful), Michael O’Reilly (2nd successful) and Colin Hampton (3rd successful). North-West ward councillors are: Kris Bolam (1st successful), Lillian O’Connor (2nd successful) and Glenn Aitken ) 3rd successful. South ward councillors are: Brian Cunial (1st successful), Quinn McCormack (2nd successful) and Steve Toms (3rd successful). See vec.vic.gov.au for full details of all votes tallies.
Tammy Lobato Wigs experience & empathy
www.tammylobatowigs.com.au 3 Park Lane Frankston | 0408 722 380 Frankston Times 31 October 2016
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