NEWS DESK
Youngsters setting the pace THERE is no better way to invest in future generations of sailors and get as many members enjoying sailing than to get them into Pacer yachts like those at Mornington Yacht Club. The club launched six Pacers on 16 February, bought by club members. The preferred equipment for school and youth team racing, Pacers are a two person centreboard dinghy with three sails: main, jib and spinnaker, however the spinnaker is not used during racing. The boats are distinctive with their blue sailcloth, with three racing boats having the standard blue jibs and the other three having white jibs as a way of identifying the two teams. The Pacer is ideal as a learn-to-sail boat with its comfortable seating, simple rigging and an optional high tensile rubber bow for added safety. The versatility of the design allows for inter-club racing against Sorrento, Blairgowrie, Westernport, Ranelagh and Davey’s Bay yacht clubs, among others. Stephen Taylor
Picture: Yanni
Company powering ahead Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au AN “oversight” committee has been formed to ensure “community ownership” of control and infrastructure of a power company aiming to halve electricity bills on the Mornington Peninsula within six years. The People Power Company Mornington (PPCM) is holding a series of public meetings to gauge support for its plan to “fund, build and own together, a renewable plus storage, private electricity company to serve the needs of all ratepayers within the shire”. “In standing up to promote a genuine community opportunity, we have been bowled over by how rigorously
the community drills us on critical and important details of the proposal,” spokesman Magnus Mansie, of Shoreham, said. “The wisdom of crowds is not a myth, it is a hard-nosed reality and despite feeling like one is in the crosshairs at times, it is an exhilarating experience.” Mr Mansie said forming a Community Oversight Committee (COC) “is an important first step in the [company] honouring its commitment to community ownership and control of their own energy infrastructure”. He said the committee would have access to all aspects of the company’s planning, “including commercial-inconfidence issues”. “A process for resolving any com-
munity concerns is under discussion and will be codified and ratified in due course.” Mr Mansie said organisers were “taking on-board the current crop of important questions” raised at community meetings at Shoreham and Mornington “in order to be able to present the proposal with greater clarity”. “The community must feel very comfortable with this opportunity and know that there is absolutely no risk in registering,” he said. Mr Mansie told The News in January that by its sixth year of operation People Power Company Mornington “will be keeping around $165 million a year in the pockets of our local community for a further 20 years”. The move for a privately-owned pow-
er company followed the announcement by Mornington Peninsula Shire of its “partnership” in a “community grid project” with United Energy and GreenSync “to harness the power of demand response and facilitate the uptake of new renewable energy technologies”. Mr Mansie said PPCM had a team of “engineers with international, largescale project design and delivery experience, national economic experience and international ethics experience”. The company’s plan for power consumers to not be reliant on “government or corporate actions” involved building “renewable generation capacity as well as storage”. “It is intended that Mornington Peninsula Shire ratepayers and the employees of the company will be the
only owners of this new company,” Mr Mansie said. “Our goal is to remove every ‘rentseeker’ currently engaged in our electricity generation and supply. We will model the solutions in partnership with the only distributor on the peninsula, United Energy, and those positive discussions have already commenced. “If you can’t have panels on your roof or don’t like the look of them, no worries, your shares may be held in panels on a solar farm, for example, but these details are yet to be finalised, after we know the interest from ratepayers.” The company’s next meeting is 6pm – 7.30pm Friday 2 March at Hastings Community Hall. Interested ratepayers and renters may register for the meeting at morningtonpower.com.au
INFORMATION EVENING Join Bianca from APT & Travelmarvel along with the team at helloworld Mornington Travel Centre for an exciting information evening!
EUROPE RIVER CRUISING 2019 Join a group escorted by Brooke Wood from Helloworld Mornington Travel Centre
Information will be provided about our exclusive European Gems River Cruising Group departure for June 2019!
SESSION DETAILS Date: Wed. 7 March Time: 6:30pm start Venue: In-store RSVP: By Mon. 5 March Call: 03 5975 4100 Email: morningtontravel@helloworld.com.au EXCLUSIVE OFFERS AVAILABLE ON THE NIGHT!
European Gems River Cruise Personally escorted group 15 Days From PP Twin Share
FLY FREE*
$7,495*
+ EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW PRICE*
Departs 7 June 2019
Netherlands Amsterdam Germany Utrecht 14 Brühl
Escorted by Brooke Wood
Travelmarvel River Ship Miltenberg
Cologne
Czech Republic Rüdesheim Bamberg Würzburg Nuremberg Český Krumlov Dürnstein Slovakia Rothenburg Vienna Regensburg Bratislava Passau Melk Salzburg Austria
EUTC15
helloworld Mornington Travel Centre 116 Main Street, Mornington (next to the Post Office)
Budapest Hungary
Ph: 5975 4100 morningtontravel@helloworld.com.au
*Conditions apply. SEE: travelmarvel.com.au/specialdeals for full conditions. Prices are per person (pp), AUD, twin share, and include savings. Prices are correct as at 20 Feb. 2018. Price is based on EUTC15: 07 June 2019 (Cat. E) window stateroom. ALL OFFERS: Limited seats on set departures are available and are subject to availability. All offers include a Bonus Early Payment Discount of $500 pp. BONUS EARLY PAYMENT DISCOUNT: Tour must be paid in full 10 months prior to travel. Enquire for details. Limited seats on set departures are available and are subject to availability. DEPOSITS: A first non-refundable deposit of $1,000 per person is due within seven days of booking. Australian Pacific Touring Pty Ltd ABN 44 004 684 619. ATAS accreditation #A10825. TM4254
Mornington News
27 February 2018
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