Stolen Napoleonic artifact recovered Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au ONE of ten priceless Napoleon Bonaparte artefacts stolen from The Briars Museum at Mount Martha in 2014 has been recovered, after it appeared on an online selling site. A rare miniature portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife Josephine was allegedly discovered online by a Sydney art dealer, who bought the portrait on eBay for $250 before realising it was one of the items stolen
eight years ago. Speaking to the ABC on Thursday, Leigh Capel said he was stunned when he realised the portrait had been stolen. Mr Capel said he immediately contacted the Mornington Peninsula Gallery, which houses the rest of the Napoleon collection after it was moved there after the 2014 theft. Ten items were taken from the collection during the 2014 theft, including locks of Napoleon’s hair and a silver inkwell set with three gold
Napoleons that were allegedly in his pocket when he died. The collection of artefacts was put together by Dame Mable Brooks, who was the great-granddaughter of early Mount Martha settler Alexander Balcombe, who had family ties to the French emperor. Police statements at the time said thieves had “jemmied open cabinets” and taken items that also included a ring, a ribbon inscribed by Napoleon in 1815 and a snuff box. On Thursday, Victoria Police
Affordable housing for workers the plan for developers MAJOR developers Trenerry Property will develop the former aged care home Sorrento Lodge into affordable accommodation for local workers if it gets the go ahead at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The company, which will join Victor Smorgon Group and the Kanat Group on the Sorrento project, has a track record in investment and development, recently purchasing the mid-century Burnham Beeches in the Dandenongs, and the Continental Hotel in Sorrento in 2020. Sorrento Lodge, a 34-bedroom property on Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento, once operated as an aged care facility, but has been closed for three years and is ripe for redevelopment as a prime piece of seaside real estate. It is believed the wealthy Melbourne families behind the purchase plan to tackle affordable
housing on the peninsula and will use the property for their own workers, with rentals in the region notoriously scare and expensive. About half of the 77 beds will be taken up by staff working at the nearby hotel, which is due to open in May as the InterContinental Sorrento. Mornington Shire council has shown support for the project, but the proposal is set to head to Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after complains from residents about potential noise. Once redeveloped, it is believed workers will pay around $35-40 a night – or about $280 a week – for basic accommodation close to their places of employment. If the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) rules in the developer’s favour, Sorrento Lodge could be open by November.
were unable to confirm or deny if any other items had been located, but confirmed the investigation is ongoing. The story of how Napoleon’s belonging came to be in Mount Martha has captivated historians. In 1976 Balcombe’s great-great grandsons, the a’Beckett brothers, donated the homestead with surrounding garden to the National Trust and shire in memory of their mother, and sold the farm to the shire.
The Balcombe Homestead housed part of the unique Napoleonic Collection, based on personal memorabilia given by Napoleon to the Balcombe family at their ‘Briars’ home at St Helena, a British Overseas Territory, during his exile on the island. It was later added to by Dame Brookes, and includes a copy of Napoleon’s death mask. The Briars Homestead could not be contacted for comment.
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SHARN COOMBES LIBERAL FOR DUNKLEY
Standing strong, fighting for our community Authorised by Sam McQuestin, Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), L12, 257 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 Mornington News
29 March 2022
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