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Tuesday 15 March 2022
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There are many benefits to becoming a Mermaid THEY come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have the same goals of fitness, friendship and fun. Mornington Mermaids is a swimming group that started early last year, meeting at Fishermans Beach every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7am for an invigorating, cold water swim and after swim, cafe catch-up.
Organiser Jacky Howgate says the daily dip is not about being fast or even a good swimmer, it’s about the benefits of aqua exercise, cold water and supporting each other. “Not everyone swims, some just float and enjoy the serenity,” she said. “I love each and every one of my ladies and they bring me so
much joy whenever we are together. ” Ms Howgate, who was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour in September 2018, is very much a glass half full kind of woman, and it’s her uplifting attitude and never-ending smile that makes the group gel so well. She said the group had grown quickly and
friendships were cementing, but there was always room for more. “We want to keep spreading the word, as it’s so beneficial to have 15 minutes in the water and the social aspect is just as important,” she said. To get involved either meet at Fishermans Beach or call 0416 860239. Liz Bell
JACKY Howgate (lying on the sand) says the benefits of fitness, friendships and fun are reaping rewards for everyone involved in the Mornington Mermaids. Picture: Supplied
Green wedge politics Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has restated its preference for the peninsula to be “peri-regional”, a classification it says would protect the green wedge and unlock “the significant economic potential of our region”. The peninsula’s green wedge is one of 12 that effectively form a ring around Melbourne outside the urban growth boundaries. Regional areas have rural conservation zones, with
fewer planning and use protections. The shire’s statement on Friday follows claims by Liberal and Labor politicians that only their party’s views on its planning status are best for the peninsula, with the green wedge now a political battleground. At the moment the peninsula has green wedge zoned areas, and the Liberal Party says a regional classification, with legislative changes, can provide the same “protections”. Nepean Labor MP Chris Brayne told state parliament last week that the late Alan Hunt, a former Liberal planning
minister and father of Flinders MP Greg Hunt, helped establish Melbourne’s green wedge in the 1970s, which was “a key vital planning decision that has [protected the peninsula] from becoming overdeveloped for literally decades”. The Liberals’ regional classification proposal echoes the wishes of business lobby group Committee for Mornington Peninsula, two of whose former members are now standing as Liberal candidates for state and federal parliament. The shire’s (unattributed) state-
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ment last week said it too shares “the concerns of [the committee] that the peninsula is disadvantaged by its current metropolitan classification”. In a possibly record-breaking news release (for the eight names it was issued under) from the office of Mr Hunt, the Liberals accused Mr Brayne of having “openly threatened that the Victorian government would act to rescind the Mornington Peninsula Green Wedge if the decision to classify the area as regional is approved”. The “joint” news release from Mr Hunt’s office gave equal billing to
retiring MPs Neale Burgess (Hastings), David Morris (Mornington) and Liberal candidates Zoe McKenzie (Flinders), Sharn Coombes (Dunkley), Sam Groth (Nepean), Briony Hutton (Hastings) and Chris Crewther (Mornington). Ms McKenzie was formerly a director of the Committee for Mornington Peninsula and Ms Hutton its executive officer. The shire’s statement said it was a “clarification” of an “interview” broadcast on radio station 3AW but did not quote the interview or name of anyone involved. Continued Page 13
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