NEWS DESK Away we go: Mornington Bowling Club president Ray Metherell, left, with guests of honour Vera Cornwell and Jack Missen at Thursday’s season opener. Picture: Yanni
Bowlers get season started AN Aboriginal campsite on the clifftop overlooking Port Phillip Bay was the perfect place for the introduction of lawn bowls to the Mornington Peninsula on 1 June 1917. Mornington Bowling Club was established on that date and now has 188 members. Of these, 167 are full bowling members and 13 are social members. Guests at the season opening on Thursday included Jack Missen and Vera Cornwell. The 90 year olds were given the honour of “rolling the jack” as the club’s eldest members who still bowl on a regular basis. A third nonagenarian member, Bobby Churcher, is the eldest of the three, at 91, but he is holidaying in Queensland. Mr Missen joined the club 20 years ago from Sassafras where he and wife Heather were office bearers. He is an accomplished artist and author, and is presently working on his third book after the first A Family History the second, A One Man Band. Ms Cornwell, Mr Missen’s junior by a month or so, joined the club with her late husband Bobby 14 years ago. She is known as the “matriarch” of the club and still bowls every Wednesday and Saturday. “Only last week she was on the winners’ rostrum,” club president Ray Metherell said.
Expenses set to increase Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors were on Monday poised to give themselves the right to spend an extra $14,000 over their four-year terms, bringing the total to $30,000. The success of the latest bid to define their entitlements could depend on one councillor agreeing to being paid travelling expenses of 76 cents a kilometre. A move to set new four-year spending limits - $16,000 for conferences and seminars; $10,000 education and training; and $1000 a year entertainment – missed out on being adopted on Monday 22 August by one vote. If voting patterns stayed the same on Monday this week, Cr Andrew Dixon would have held the deciding vote. Cr Dixon has previously told The News that he disagreed with the draft policy which suggested councillors receive 67 cents a kilometre. He said he had a six-cylinder car and
was able to claim $1.07 a kilometre. In the lead up to this week’s meeting other councillors seemed certain Cr Dixon would accept the compromise 76 cents, which is part of the package aimed at increasing councillor entitlements to $30,000. Councillors also receive a $29,000 a year stipend. The mayor gets a $92,000 a year stipend and under the new package is also allowed to spend an extra $3500 on conferences and seminars and $2000 a year on entertainment. Under the new expenditure policy councillors cannot claim for alcohol and are subject to more definite conditions for child care payments. The new policy states that child care payments cannot be made to someone who “normally or regularly” lives with a councillor. Child care rates are put at $31 an hour for day/evening weekday care; $42 an hour on weekends; and $53 an hour on public holidays. The long road to setting limits and adopting a new expenses policy in-
cluded a council resolution in April for Cr Antonella Celi to repay about $9000 of the $28,520 paid by the shire for her attendance on conferences and seminars. This decision was reversed in May. This followed legal advice was received which cast doubts on the $16,000-a-term spending limit for each councillor and that repayment of any perceived overspending could not be forced. Cr David Gibb said he was opposed to councillors being able to use their expense allowances to buy alcohol or pay for overseas flights. However, while accepting that overseas trips would be allowed he would not back the new expenditure policy if alcohol purchases were given the all clear. “I don’t believe that alcohol should be charged to ratepayers at any time,” he said. When it came to overseas trips and “luxury hotels”, which he had “consistently voted against”, he would now “let that one pass; I can see several points of view”.
The policy also states that councillors must travel in economy class if flying and Cr Gibb said being a councillor was “the equivalent of being a company director” and believed it appropriate pay for councillors to undertake professional courses “with an exam at the end”. The shire has paid for Cr Gibb to do a company director’s course. Cr Gibb said the new spending limits “are ceilings, not targets – I’d be amazed if anyone got there”. Cr Hugh Fraser on Thursday branded the new expenses policy as “such a silly exercise”. “We need to revise all policies within six months of the election of the new council,” he said. “This new policy is costing an extra $110,000.” The motion to adopt the revised expenditure policy was lost on the casting vote of the mayor, Cr Graham Pittock, supported by Crs Fraser, Dixon, Tim Rodgers and Tim Wood. For the motion were Crs Celi, Anne Shaw, Bev Colomb and David Garnock.
Search for Ralph RALPH the black-faced lamb, pictured, has been stolen from the Big Goose farm and owner Justin Orr is desperate to have him returned. The five-week-old bottle fed pet was stolen overnight on Sunday 21 August from the property on Mornington-Tyabb Rd, Moorooduc. Mr Orr said the lamb and a baby goat were targeted but the goat escaped his pursuers and was found wandering around the property the next morning. Ralph was named in an online competition run by the farm which attracted 8000 entries. Mr Orr has asked that anyone who knows his whereabouts contact the farm so that he can be collected.
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Dental Prosthesist Mornington News 30 August 2016
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