Focus change as family meals make the menu A CHANGE in focus is allowing tasty and nutritious meals to be prepared for struggling families on the Mornington Peninsula through the COVID-19 shutdown. This has come about by having kitchen staff at the Somers Residential School Camp cook 350 meals a week for needy families in the district, rather than children who are usually staying at the now-closed camp. The meals are delivered to nominated schools and picked up by parents doing it tough for their evening meals. Camp principal Mark Warner said a “bright idea” from staffer Coralie Gibson to use the idle camp kitchen for community meals led to the program being arranged and implemented with donations from Woolworths Hastings. Crib Point Primary School’s Tina Coumb contacted the Mornington Peninsula Foundation which gave $5000. The service supplies meals to parents with children at Eastbourne, Tootgarook, Rosebud, Somerville, Somerville Rise, Hastings, Wallaroo, Bittern, Tyabb, Taradale and Crib Point primary schools, as well as Rosebud Anglican Church. “It’s a win-win situation for us all,” said Mr Warner, who runs nine-day camps for primary students year round. Mr Warner said the meals, cooked by chef Lars Pedersen and his staff, typically consist of butter chicken, lasagne, roasts, cannelloni, or risotto, and cost about $2000 each week to prepare. Woolworths Hastings had been “super helpful” in providing produce valued at $1000$1200 a week. Parents collect food packs containing two to six servings from their schools and take them home to reheat and serve. The schools decide who the meals go to. Mr Warner said planning was in place to carry on the meals service through second term but “we’ll go for as long as we are in shut down”. “We are now looking at increasing the number
Legal help available THE Peninsula Community Legal Centre is offeriung free over-the-phone legal assistance during the coronavirus crisis. The centre can help with family law, family violence, tenancy, fines and general law, debt, crime and employment issues. While COVID-19 restrictions apply, the centre will provide duty lawyer services remotely at the Federal Circuit Court in Dandenong and the Magistrates’ Court at Frankston and Moorabbin. The centre’s social worker is available to help with non-legal needs. Phone appointments can be made by calling 9783 3600, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
Shoes on us: Bata BATA Shoes in Mornington is offering a free pair of $50 work shoes to aged care and health care workers during May. The company’s graphic design and marketing manager Brad Rayson said the offer was influenced by the valuable role these workers are playing during the current COVID-19 pandemic. “The sign went up [outside the factory] today and we are starting to get lots of calls,” he said, Thursday 7 May. “To take advantage of the offer workers can come in and flash their employer ID.”
Hydrogen correction
of meals were prepare to 400.” Mornington Peninsula Foundation CEO Stephanie Exton said: “Rapidly changing times are bringing out the best in so many people in our community.” Stephen Taylor
Ripe choice: Somers Camp chef Lars Pedersen in the Somers Camp kitchen where meals are being prepared for distribution to families throughout the Mornington Peninsula. Picture: Yanni
THE article “‘Green hydrogen’ nearly affordable” (The News 5/5/20) incorrectly stated that it was South Australia’s Labor government, rather than the Liberal government, that was backing the production of hydrogen from water. South Australia’s Liberal government is led by Premier Steven Marshall who was involved in a “ground breaking ceremony” at Hydrogen Park south of Adelaide on 1 December 2019. The Victorian (Labor) and the federal (Liberal National) governments have together given $100 million towards making hydrogen from brown coal in the Latrobe Valley.
WHAT’S NEW...
Art sale helping our artist community
Chocolate Grove open for business WE are still open for business. Come and surprise yourself with a visit to a chocolate shop that will amaze, with its variety of wild flavours and innovation. Everything from milk chocolate honeycomb to chocolate covered salt and vinegar chips! But Chocolate Grove is much more than just a shop. Visitors are also welcome to celebrate Australia’s Chocolate and Confectionery past in the Living History Centre. Who could forget Violet Crumble, Polly Waffle, Jaffas and ChooChoo bars? For over 16 years owner/operator Will Muddyman has indulged his passion for making premium chocolates using only the finest ingredients. Says Will, “When I bought the factory in 2002 it was very run down and had just three products. Today we make over 200 craftedonsite products. Our driving force is to surprise customers and to move away from the massproduced ranges seen on supermarket shelves. We love creating unusual tastes including superfoods, coconut, nuts, fruit, confectionery and
any other ingredient that takes our fancy! We’ve been lucky enough to be able to trade through this very unique period in history and are grateful to those who have supported us”. Will’s passion for innovation led him to create his very own milk chocolate recipe to suit the Australian market. Working alongside the internationally-recognised William Angliss Institute of Culinary Arts, this all natural chocolate has a creamy sweet taste, with 36% cocoa mass. The Chocolate Grove range carries vegan friendly and dairy free varieties and a Gluten Free Coeliac Association accreditation. Will is ready to greet you with great prices and plenty of room to comply with social distancing. A huge selection of chocolate macadamia gift boxes, solid gold bars, chocolate champagne bottles, hearts and chocolate covered treats, line the shelves. Watch out for the new online store opening in July, making shopping for your favourite treats even easier. 9775 1888, 50 Aster Ave Carrum Downs. www.chocolategrove.com
NISSARANA Galleries, with galleries in Mornington and Noosa, is an art gallery that caters for those who really want something unique for their living spaces. The gallery has always had a love affair with exceptionally beautiful artwork in contemporary styles. “Over the years we have come to represent many very talented artists who produce really modern work that complements the spaces of the 21st century” says gallery owner Valerie Pasquale “ Many of us live in homes that have been built during the last 10 years and these homes need paintings that add colour and vibrancy to the rooms. By adding a beautiful piece of art the whole atmosphere and energy is uplifted.” Supporting Australian artists has always been at the forefront of Nissarana Galleries priorities. Artists from all over Australia, both Indigenous and Contemporary, are represented which gives a wonderful variety to the work on display. Most are career artists so the quality of the work has grown organically over the years as the artist has progressed through their own creative stages. This month, with the difficulties the whole
community is facing, is a time to support each other, each and every one of us. “We are all going through this together and it’s a time to give back and help” says Valerie. ‘We are offering much of the galleries amazing art stock at incredibly reduced prices. It’s our way of allowing people to own an original piece of art at a fraction of the cost and to generate some income support for our artist community. Artists are in real need of help at this time and buying original art is buying Australian.” The May Art Sale consists of more than 100 premium artworks by 46 artists at a huge 40 percent discount. This would make it one of the most important art sale events of the year and unprecedented in Nissarana Galleries history. It is one of the largest gallery art sales on the Mornington Peninsula in recent times. The sale will be for MAY ONLY so there is no better time than now to purchase art than this month. An online catalogue of all artwork on sale is available and the gallery is open by appointment, just call one of the numbers in the advertisement.
Liz Gray Laguna Bay Mornington News
12 May 2020
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