NEWS DESK
Net loss for family cast from history Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au COMMERCIAL fisherman Neville Hutchins is fast approaching his 70th birthday, but retirement is not in his sights despite facing the loss of his netting licence in March. He is so entrenched is his routine of throwing out the nets every evening at dusk and offering his catch for sale at Fisherman’s Beach, Mornington that he couldn’t contemplate taking the six-figure payout – rumoured to be at least $500,000 - offered when the state government began its phase out of commercial net fishing in 2018. Instead, he stayed on to do what he loves and knows best, well aware that the licence buy-back would be enforced in 2022 and only a portion of the original compensation amount would be available. “It was never about the money. I just wanted to keep doing what I have always done, and what my family has done before me,” Mr Hutchins said. He has met thousands of people over the years on the beach and is regarded as something of a local icon, even experiencing a brief moment of international fame when a mural of his image gained more attention than intended (“Mural covered up over ‘copy’ claims” The News 11/1/22). “Some of my locals came down just before Christmas to tell me there was a mural of me painted in Main Street, and then a bit later people came down and told me it had been mysteriously removed,” he said. “Apparently a guy overseas saw
NEVILLE Hutchins is about to relinquish his commercial fishing nets (and licence to fish Port Phillip) but says he will still be providing meals by catching his quarry on line. Pictures: Yanni it online and said it was pretty much a copy of another artist’s painting in Germany but with my face, so the council had to cover it over,” he said. “Yeah, it was a certainly strange, not what anyone expected – all I knew was someone took a picture of me for a mural and then, as quickly as it appeared on the wall, it was gone.”
Mural controversies aside, Port Phillip and its riches are the topics that Hutchins knows best. He comes from a long line of fishers, with the first Hutchins fishermen navigating the bay in the 1800s. Like his father Bill, and his grandfather Thomas before that, Hutchins can spot the fish just by looking out from
the cliffs and believes sustainability of the industry was never in doubt. “I’ve been coming here with my parents since I was a baby, when mum would put me in a fish box covered with a blanket on the beach while she helped dad,” he said. “I grew up here, Port Phillip was our paddock, and I know there are
plenty of fish out there.” In the 1980s Hutchins bought his own licence and for years worked with his brother Dalton, together selling about 20 tonne of fresh fish annually, made up of schnapper, whiting, salmon, garfish and mullet. But the fate of net fishing was sealed in 2015 when the Labor government introduced legislation for the buy-back of licences as a way to benefit the environment and recreational fishers. Since then, most of the 43 access licences have been bought back, and this year only about eight will remain with the netting entitlements removed. While it won’t be the end of the show for Mr Hutchins, who will still have a line fishing licence and will continue to sell from the heritage-listed hut that is now a part of the beach landscape, his months of operation and catch size will be significantly reduced. “Well, it’s a change, but it’s not the end, I’ll be fishing as long as I can… it might mean I have an eight-month holiday every year, but I’ll still be here in some way,” he said. Mr Hutchins is pessimistic about what the loss of netting rights will mean for customers who want locally caught, fresh fish, but says he is proud to continue to play a small part in the supply-and-demand equation. “It’s going to be harder to get fresh fish that’s been caught here in Port Phillip, for sure, there just aren’t many of us left,” he said. ‘’But hopefully I’ll still be here for a few more years.”
Alarm over Dromana subdivision plans A PROPOSAL to rezone one of Dromana’s remaining pockets of bushland close to the town has raised concerns about over development and a lack of town-specific planning for growth. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has advertised the proposed planning amendment C249 to allow a 250-lot subdivision on a bushland triangle of land on the corner of Boundary and Collins roads. Planning documents reveal the proposal will require vegetation removal on the treed allotment, with the land to be rezoned from low density residential to neighbourhood residential zone, and the environmental significance overlay to be removed. Many Dromana residents have
warned council will have a fight on its hands to get the amendment approved. Health worker Karli Smith, who moved to Dromana just over a year ago, was “in shock” that the council would develop land that hasoverlays after declaring a climate emergency. “I’m concerned that they’ll just rip up all the vegetation and leave three quarters of that triangle of bush totally cleared,” she said.b“I really think there will be a backlash against this proposal, we just dealt with the Arthurs Seat [quarry] proposal and we are a pretty active community down here. People want our precious environment protected.” Dromana Association president Simon Brooks, a former shire councillor, said the group was not necessarily
opposed to the proposal, but had some concerns about allotment size, planning and infrastructure. “The Dromana Association will be providing feedback to the proposed planning amendment C249,” he said. “With limited land available for housing on the southern peninsula we want to ensure any development is complementary to the existing settlement character and proper consideration given to how it will fit within the township. “This includes good connectivity to the town centre, impacts on existing roads and clear identification of any gaps in services and community assets such as schools, pathways, open space and sports facilities. “We will also look at if the shire
has adequately encouraged a good outcome in terms of sustainability and creating a resilient and connected community as per key policies, strategies and recognised best practice.” A combined planning scheme amendment and planning permit application process is proposed for the housing development, which will include a 6.99 hectare conservation area to protect “existing high-value” native vegetation, provide some open space and build associated infrastructure. On Facebook, residents were sceptical of the plan to spend $2 million on social housing in the development, given the high price of even small houses in the region. The shire’s strategic and infrastructure planning manager, Katanya
Barlow, said the state government required councils to plan for predicted population and housing growth over a 15-year “horizon” in accordance with the forecasts in its Victoria In Future 2019 (VIF2019) statistical report. The peninsula’s population is predicted to grow to more than 200,000 by 2036, which equates to the need for around 1200 new homes each year. Ms Barlow said the shire’s housing and settlement strategy provided a sustainable approach to accommodating predicted housing growth while protecting the special values and character of the peninsula. Data shows there were 825 new lots created from subdivisions in 20182019, 547 in 2019-2020 and 740 in 202-2021. Liz Bell
Smile Squad is on its way The Victorian Government is making it easier for our kids to get the dental care they need. Find out more at smilesquad.vic.gov.au
F R E E D E N TA L
Mornington News
1 February 2022
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