Forum to focus on arrival of NDIS THE rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) on the Mornington Peninsula next year will affect those in the mental health sector. Registered NDIS provider Mentis Assist, formerly Peninsula Support Services, is holding a free information forum later this month to discuss the NDIS and how it applies to those in the sector. It will be available on the Mornington Peninsula from April. The forum will be held 11am1pm, Wednesday 20 September, at Frankston Football Club (Graham Room), Plowman Place, Frankston. Lunch will be served afterwards. Topics to be discussed include eligibility criteria for funding for those
with a psychosocial disability as a result of mental illness. The session will also outline the application process, from initial contact from the NDIA to receiving a package and creating a personalised care plan. Those attending can ask questions about the scheme and learn which of Mentis Assist’s NDIS-funded support services are available to them, including individual support coordination, community participation, therapeutic supports and life skills development. To RSVP, contact spetty@mentisassist.org.au or call 1300 636 847 by 14 September. To find out more about the NDIS and mental health visit mentisassist. org.au/ndis
Going trackside for charity lunch High voltage: New sculpture on display alongside Peninsula Link near Skye Rd exit. Picture: Gary Sissons
‘Smashed’ pylon makes road debut A NEW sculpture has been installed near the Skye Rd alongside Peninsula Link to replace the large ram’s head Rex Australis. Iconoclast — a mock electricity pylon smashed by what looks like a meteor — was put in place last week after Rex’s removal. The artwork by Brisbane-based Michael Riddle is based on “the idea of collapse”.
Riddle told ABC radio’s Breakfast show he believed reactions to the sculpture would be “a mixed bag”. “There will be some people who like it and some people who have something negative to say about it.” Public artworks along Peninsula Link, including “the chrome gnome” at the Cranbourne Rd exit officially called Reflective Lullaby, are privately funded by Peninsula Link owner
operator Southern Way. The sculptures are commissioned and owned by McLelland Gallery & Sculpture Park and “retired” artworks including the popular Tree of Life, removed to make way for the chrome gnome in July 2015, are put on display at the Langwarrin sculpture park where entry is free. Peninsula Link artworks are rotated every two years. Neil Walker
A CHARITY lunch day at Mornington racecourse next week will honour the life of jockey Roger Booth, who died in Darwin in July, and raise money for the National Jockeys Trust. The Fields of Fashion charity race day lunch – in its ninth year – is on Wednesday 13 September. Diners can view the latest racing attire and essentials for the spring season from local fashion houses Sabrina Moda, Fiona’s of Mornington, Mickey Blue and award-winning milliner Annette Sanfilippo. Jockey and presenter Casey Bruce will host the day which starts with The Bobby Darin Stage show by Paul
Hogan, followed by a three-course lunch, gifts, raffle and live auction by Nicholas Lynch auctioneer. Jockeys will take the stage for charity and the best dressed on the day will be sashed and rewarded. Tickets are $95. Bookings: 5976 2524.
Members meet MORNINGTON and District Historical Society members will meet at Mornington Fire Brigade, Nepean Highway, Mornington, 10.30am, Tuesday 12 September. All welcome, tea and coffee served after the business meeting.
Driverless cars in Eastlink line call trials Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au
DRIVERLESS cars may face an old school hurdle to stay on the road — the clarity of roadside painted lines. Semi-autonomous vehicles have been road tested along Eastlink since late last year and the trial results have found “good quality markings” on both sides of road lanes are needed to keep selfdriving cars on the straight and narrow. The trials involving “hands-off-thewheel” cars were conducted by Eastlink Corp and VicRoads with the Australian Road Research Board, La Trobe University and the RACV. Variable speed signs, increasingly used on freeways around Melbourne, also caused problems for some selfdriving prototypes in the trial.
“Vehicles with advanced driver-assistance technology are now being released in Australia,” EastLink spokesman Doug Spencer-Roy said. “Within the next few years, once legislative changes are made, we expect vehicle manufacturers will activate hands-off-the-wheel driving capabilities on EastLink and other suitable freeways. “These EastLink trials are producing practical results that will assist with that transition to hands-off-the-wheel driving.” Mr Spencer-Roy said all Eastlink road line markings from Mitcham and Ringwood to Frankston had been repainted, partly as a response to the automated vehicle technology tests. Temporary yellow lines used near construction zones also caused some
self-driving cars to lose track and steer out of road lanes. The trial involved “partial automation” vehicles needing at least one of the driver’s hands must be on the steering wheel and “conditional automation” cars where all driving is automated but the driver can take back control at any time or when prompted by in-vehicle safety messages. BMW, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi and Volvo supplied semiautonomous vehicles for the trials on Eastlink. Lexus and Tesla cars were also tested on Eastlink in recent weeks. Eastlink is calling for other vehicle manufacturers to become involved in the trials with Audi and Toyota committed to providing cars for testing this year.
Hatchback to the future: Self-driving cars have been trialled along Eastlink to prepare for the next wave of technological change to motor vehicles. Picture: Supplied
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