Peninsula Essence March 2018

MARCH 2018

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PENINSULA Living & visiting on the Mornington Peninsula

Melissa’s Married At First Sight Adventure • Food Olympics Beckons • The Longest Lunch On The Bay Lisa Atkinson - Relaxed & Natural • Autumn Style File • His Safe Word Is Poetry Held In High Regard • Must Try Dishes • The Curious Case Of Doctor Rohner

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contents 7. Events 9. Peninsula Style 10. Melissa’s Married at First Sight Adventure

She’s worked as a journalist for 25 years, lived on the Mornington Peninsula for all of that time, and is one of the participants of Married at First Sight.

16. Her Amazing Flying Machines Writers: Melissa Walsh, Brodie Cowburn, Andrea Louise Thomas, Peter McCullough, Cameron McCullough Photography: Yanni, Gary Sissons Publisher: Cameron McCullough Advertising: Brooke Hughes, 0409 219 282 or brooke@mpnews.com.au Marg Harrison, 0414 773 153 or marg@mpnews.com.au General enquiries: essence@mpnews.com.au Registered address: 2/1 Tyabb Road, Mornington 3931 Phone: 5973 6424 www.peninsulaessence.com.au

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She is one of Australia’s best known and loved warbird owners, an airshow performer, aviator, mother and grandmother. She owns and operates the Old Aeroplane Company in Tyabb, and is a woman who always achieves what she sets her mind to.

20. Busk a Move

The best sounds of the streets will be heard from The Briars at the end of March, when the Peninsula Busking Festival is set to take place.

22. Food Olympics Beckons

The Bocuse d’Or competition is a long way from home. The prestigious international tournament features the top chefs from around the world battling it out in order to be recognised as the greatest culinary mastermind on the planet.

28. Eliza Wilson leads Longest Lunch

The Regional Longest Lunch On The Bay is set to take place on the 16th of March, with Masterchef contestant Eliza Wilson leading an enthusiastic group of foodies on a journey of great tasting and exquisite food.

36. Relaxed and Natural

San Antonio, Texas, changed the course of Mt. Eliza photographer, Lisa Atkinson’s life.

42. Style File

Autumn fashion on the peninsula.

50. Autumn Trends

When the leaves start changing colour and there is a faint chill in the air, you know that autumn is here, which means changing up the wardrobe to suit.

All material is copyright, and may not be reproduced without the express permission of Mornington Peninsula News Group, or the original copyright holder in the case of contributions. Copyright of contributed material rests with the contributor.

Disclaimer: The authors and publisher do not assume any liability to any party for any loss, damage or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

This publication is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Peninsula Essence is produced monthly. 30,000 copies (mix of home delivery and bulk dropped at an extensive network of outlets across the peninsula).

58. His Safe Word is Poetry

Jai Thoolen could be described as a fair haired Hagrid, a gentle giant or even ‘Thor’. At the very least the six foot seven (202cm) Rosebud man with the wild flowing beard is a true wordsmith and one of the peninsula’s most prolific poets.

64. Simply Glorious

Step back in time to New York circa 1940 and the most sought after performer was an enthusiastic, albeit off key soprano, Florence Foster Jenkins, affectionately known as the first lady of the sliding scale. This year peninsula theatre lovers are in for a real treat with the stage show based on the life of the offbeat singer coming to the Frankston Arts Centre.

68. Held In High Regard

If you have ever dined on the Mornington Peninsula it is most likely you will have enjoyed a beautiful meal prepared by local restaurateur Bernard Ricca, who has been a chef for some 33 years. The chilled out peninsula chef has run and owned multiple restaurants in several different locations across the peninsula, having found his home at Stumpy Gully Vineyard for the past four years.

74. Must Try Dishes 77. All Things Greek

With a vision to bring her own version of Greek culinary experience to the Mornington Peninsula, it wasn’t long before pastry chef Ari Rigogiannis had the plans in place to start her own Pier Café.

Cover Photo Straw Necked Ibis strolling in formation, under a silvery moon at The Briars, in Mt Martha on the Mornington Peninsula.

Picture: Yanni.

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March 2018

80. The Curious Case of Dr Rohner

Dr Charles William Rohner MD opened his practice in Hastings, the town’s first doctor. On 9 January 1890, he disappeared without trace. At the time there were several theories about his fate but the mystery remains unsolved.

90. Crossword 92. Focus on Moorooduc 94. Sorrento Stunner

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March

Peninsula events

HERONSWOOD HARVEST FESTIVAL March 10 – March 11 Celebrate Heronswood's homegrown harvest at the home of heirloom seeds and taste-test winners. Be inspired to grow your own food and flowers in the stunning setting of Heronswood's historic house and gardens.

Ph 5984 7321 Heronswood 105 Latrobe Parade, Dromana www.diggers.com.au

ROSEBUD KITE FESTIVAL March 11 A festival of kite flying including displays of maxi kites by professional, international and interstate flyers. Free family entertainment throughout the day.

See how to make a kite, fly a kite and watch the professionals display their maxi kites.

Rosebud Foreshore Jetty Road, Rosebud Ph 0403 889 559 www.rosebudkitefestival.com.au

Neptours

POINT NEPEAN PORTSEA CRAFT MARKET March 10 Set among the historic Quarantine Station, wander through and soak up the exceptional atmosphere and regenerate your senses at this delightful market. There is something for everyone.

End of Point Nepean Road, Portsea.

Ph 5976 3266 www.craftmarkets.com.au

REGIONAL WORLD'S LONGEST LUNCH ON THE BAY

THE PENINSULA PICNIC

March 17 Mark Saturday 17 March in your diary under 'food, wine and boogie' as one of the country's favourite boutique festivals The Peninsula Picnic presented by Melbourne MINI Garage, returns to Mornington Racecourse for its fourth year., The Peninsula Picnic is a food, wine and music lover's dream.

Mornington Racecourse, Mornington Ph 5975 3310 www.peninsulapicnic.com.au

March 16 Meet MasterChef Finalist & owner of The Grazing Table, Eliza Wilson, who will talk about the menu, her food philosophy and how the sharing of food connects people and communities.

Searoad Ferries, Sorrento Pier, Sorrento Ph 5257 4500 www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au

WHAT’S ON

Wed 23th May 2018 (a) $130 (p/s) $120

Wed 18th April 2018 (a) $140 (p/s) $130

THE TYABB AIR SHOW March 11 Australia's Premier Country Air Show. The 2018 Airshow theme 'War & Peace' Featuring aircraft old and new, fast and slow, the show is certain to be fun for the whole family.

Stuart Road, Tyabb Ph 5977 4406 www.tyabbairshow.com

Wed May 2 Matinee Adults $140.00 (p/s) $130.00

WED Aug 29, ( a) $140 (p/s) $130, 4 WEEKS ONLY.

Factory 1 / 7 Jennings Crt Rosebud For Bookings Call 5981 1277 www.neptours.com.au Office Hours Mon-Fri 9am - 3:30pm March 2018

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March 2018

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March 2018

Melissa's

Married At First Sight

Adventure

S

he has worked as a journalist for 25 years, lived on the Mornington Peninsula for all of that time, and is one of the participants in this year's Married at First Sight.

composed myself and called them back I was delighted that I was being considered as I truly believed they might be able to find the perfect person for me.”

Peninsula Essence's own Melissa Walsh is a young at heart grandma who is ready to fall in love. At 53, the mother of four is one of the oldest singles to appear on Married at First Sight but doesn’t think that age should get in the way of finding her soulmate. Although she’s been married twice, Melissa has never really been in love. She went through unspeakable heartbreak when her last husband was unfaithful and tells Peninsula Essence about her decision to put her love life into the hands of the experts in the social experiment that tests if science can find a perfect match.

Melissa says the application process was intense and went for several months.

“After my last marriage I have found it hard to trust my ability to match myself with the right type of person,” said Melissa who was completely devastated when her second marriage ended. “I saw the advertisement for applications to the show and decided to download it and apply. I sent off a couple of photos and went upstairs to quietly make a small video telling them who I was and why I had been so unlucky in love.”

Never expecting to hear anything back, Melissa deleted the video and went about her everyday life until a week later when she had a message from a Married at First Sight Producer.

“I was in total shock when I heard the message saying they were interested in my application. It had been my usual Friday night sitting at home alone with a glass of wine and I immediately thought ‘What have I done?’”, she says with a laugh. “After I

“There were lots of forms that ask very detailed and intimate questions about your life and your past relationships. It really makes you do some serious soul searching to work out why you think relationships have failed and look deeply into your part in the demise. I also loved that it made me think long and hard about the type of man I wanted to be with and put it out there to the universe,” said Melissa. “Before I was even accepted, the process had been an incredible learning experience for me.”

When the final phone call came saying Melissa had been accepted to go on the show, it was met with excitement and trepidation.

“I had already talked to my children about it when it started to get serious but hadn’t discussed it with my parents. I was particularly worried about telling my dad as he and I spend a lot of time together and his opinion has always mattered to me. The anxiety was almost worse than telling him I was pregnant at 18!” she said with a laugh.

As it turns out, Melissa’s concerns were unwarranted and her father, David, had a completely different reaction.

“Dad was amazing. I told him about the show and his first reaction was ‘That’s the show where you shack up with a stranger, right?’ After we both stopped laughing, he could not have been continued next page...

March 2018

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more supportive and gave me two pieces of advice. ‘Be yourself and enjoy every moment’ he said to me and I made sure I honoured that the whole time during filming,” said Melissa. “In fact, I have been blown away by the support of my family and friends. It has made me feel so grateful for everyone I have in my life.”

For Melissa, one of the big issues was potentially having to leave her daughter, Ellie, who lives with her, granddaughter Ava whom she spends a lot of time with, and grown up daughter, Chloe who was pregnant with her second child.

“It was probably the hardest part of the whole show being away from my children and grandchildren but they were so supportive and never complained about me doing the show which is something I will be forever grateful for,” said Melissa of the experience she embraced and enjoyed every moment of.

“It was very surreal being in that environment, marrying a man I had never met and leaving my family and life for an uncertain period of time but I will be forever grateful to have done it,” she said. “And when I saw John I was totally in shock that it was him but completely delighted as this was someone I already knew something about. The fact he was even better looking than on TV didn’t hurt either.”

John had been a participant on the show the season before and had an unfortunate match with a woman who had requested a

Polynesian man. He had decided to come back to try one more time to see if they could find him a more suitable match.

“When John and I met we hit it off straight away. As soon as I saw him I felt relaxed and I think he might have to. We laughed and joked straight away and he was delighted when I told him I have one cigarette a day,” she said with a laugh. “I couldn’t have wanted to go through that experiment with anyone else.”

When it came to meeting the other couples in the 11 couple experiment, Melissa said she and John were excited and nervous.

“We were the last to go into the first dinner party and could hear very loud chatting and laughing from outside. It sounded like they were all having the best time. When we finally went in, every single person could not have been nicer and more welcoming to us,” said Melissa. “The funniest thing for me was Nasser asking me how I met John as he thought John was here for a one night guest appearance. When I said to him I met him at the altar like all of you guys, he was over the moon.”

Melissa says a bonus of doing the show was making some lifelong friendships.

“Apart from the fact I met John who is wonderful; I am also privileged enough to have made some great friends from the show. I loved all the people but have a particular bond with Sarah, Jo, Charlene and Alycia. In saying that, I have a genuine continued next page...

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March 2018

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Where I belong.

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March 2018

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respect and care for every one of the participants. It is very hard to be in that environment where you are living with someone you just met. As brilliant as it is, you need to be incredibly resilient to hand yourself over to the experience,” she said.

Melissa said she and John have had some amazing experiences during the show but one in particular stands out when she got to bring him to the peninsula for the bride’s homestay.

“Bringing John back to the Mornington Peninsula was one of the highlights for me as I got to show him where I live and get some feedback about us as a couple from friends and family,” she said. “Just like I enjoyed being at his house and spending time with his friends and family, I think he really enjoyed our time on the peninsula together.”

Since the show started airing, Melissa says the feedback has been overwhelming.

“I am not one to read all the comments that people say about me as I figure if you are going to believe the good, then you have to believe the bad. However, people in shops and on the street could not have been nicer to me about the show. So many people watch it and love it, and I am thrilled to have been a part of the show and forever grateful.”

So has Melissa found love with the boy from Altona?

“All I can say to you is watch and see,” she says.

Follow Melissa's journey on Instagram: @melissa_mafs

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By Melissa Walsh

Photos Yanni

S

he is one of Australia’s best known and loved warbird owners, an airshow performer, aviator, mother and grandmother. She owns and operates the Old Aeroplane Company in Tyabb, and is a woman who always achieves what she sets her mind to. Peninsula Essence talks to Judy Pay about life and a love of vintage aircraft that saw her opening a museum that houses a unique collection of warbirds and other interesting aircraft.

When did you start being interested in aircraft and flying?

I wasn’t always interested in planes but, having grown up down the road from the Tyabb airport and living here for many years I used to drive past the airport every day. I became intrigued by the planes and thought it would be cool to fly one. Then when both the kids started school I had some free time and thought “Why not? I will do it.” I first learnt to fly in a Cessna 152. The first lesson I was so sick and the instructor said “you just have to do it and you will get better”. After the first three hours I was still getting sick but I absolutely loved it. I was totally hooked on it.

Did it take a long time to learn to fly? How did you juggle family and flying?

It was easy to make time to learn and I just went straight though. I am an all-or-nothing person so I just did it. Once I set my mind to something, I have always just gone out and done it and never felt there were any barriers really.

HER AMAZING

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Have your children or grandchildren shown any interest in flying?

My granddaughter Emily, who is 14, has done flying lessons but she gets air sick. My son has a pilot’s licence and a grandson who is 16 is learning to fly now.

What are you doing in the Tyabb air show this year?

Well usually I am there organising and helping with the show but this year I am hoping to just sit and enjoy watching it.

We have several planes in it this year: the Trojan, Tiger Moth, two Harvards and the Mustang will all be flying. I have been doing air shows and organising the flying display since the '80s.

I haven’t recently flown in it; normally I am the organiser so stopped flying as well but this year I want to just sit and watch the air show.

How did your children react when you got your pilot’s licence?

Because we had a business in Falls Creek we were commuting from here regularly, and the drive took close to five hours. My husband at the time was virtually living up there and I would bring the kids up on a regular basis. When I got my pilot's licence, my husband and I bought a four seat Cessna which we would fly up and back with the kids. Unfortunately they used to "throw up" sometimes which was not great but they appreciated that it only took an hour to get there instead of five.

So how do you go from learning to fly a Cessna to owning an aeroplane museum and collection?

It was just fortunate that I learnt to fly at Tyabb as it has a continued next page...

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reputation for vintage aeroplanes which is when I became enthralled with them. The first plane I bought a share in was a beautiful Tiger Moth and eventually I was able to buy it outright. I guess that was the start when I look back and everything just took on a life of its own. Eventually my exhusband and I decided to buy a Harvard and then a T-28 and we became hooked on these magnificent planes.

Have you ever had any accidents or incidents where you think this is getting difficult?

Usually it is about weather and conditions but we are very careful when it comes to flying safety conditions.

How much time do you get flying now?

Not enough. It is never enough though.

How did the Old Aeroplane Company evolve?

I actually owned 10 acres of land next to the Tyabb airport so once the planes begun to morph into a collection, I decided to build a hangar on it which we used to store our planes and do

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maintenance and restorations. Soon we were building another hangar at the back which is now where the Old Aeroplane Company museum stores its planes.

What sorts of planes do you maintain and restore in the original hangar?

We do maintenance and restoration work on warbirds and other vintage planes. We have a few aircraft we are working on at the moment including a rare German Fiesler Storch that was used during WWII as an observation aircraft.

“It’s a big and slow aeroplane that could take off in the length of this hangar. A guy from Mildura purchased it from the States after which my friend bought it before deciding he didn’t want it, so I bought it from him – again, it just happens like that.”

What sort of team do you have working here with you?

We have three engineers and a team of volunteers on board and I couldn’t do it without these amazing people. They all have the same passion I have for these magnificent planes and we all enjoy showing groups of people around the place and giving tours.

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BUSK A MOVE

By Brodie Cowburn

The best sounds of the streets will be heard from The Briars at the end of March, when the Peninsula Busking Festival is set to take place.

Last year marked the first ever Peninsula Busking Festival, which brought with it a host of talented performers to the peninsula. The performers come from a wide range of fields, with great music, side splitting slap stick, and much more to be found.

“We had about 20,000 people come through last year over three days. As well we had around 40 performers, 25 food trucks, kids amusements, outdoor cinemas, and more. This year we’re looking to have over a hundred performers, with those same outdoor cinemas and kids amusements,” said founder Scott Hollow.

“Performers can vary from music, to juggling, to any kind of buskers.”

The event was first set up last year by Scott, who saw The Briars as the perfect spot for a festival of this nature. This year he expects an audience of 25,000 people to make their way through to enjoy an array of great sounds and performances.

In addition to the stunning local talent set to rock the Briars,

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this year’s festival will also include performers with international experience.

“The Briars is really an untapped resource when it comes to events and we believe it’s definitely a place that should hold these kinds of festivals. They have their Blues at the Briars festival and Sunday Sessions once a month, so we know they’re up to expanding the events there. It’s going to be great to get the word out there about what a beautiful place The Briars is. Having an event there also won’t disturb any of the locals in terms of sound, the landscape is beautiful at night time, there’s great music and food trucks; it’s just going to be sensational,” said Scott.

“Performers can come from anywhere. Last year we concentrated on Victorian and local, but this year we’ve had more people apply, such as an international flamethrower. We’re really opening it up with it being our second year.”

In addition to these performers, Scott also says that visitors will be spoiled for choice with their food trucks and drinks.

“We’ll have an open bar, we’ll use local suppliers, and there’ll be some of Melbourne’s best food trucks with every type of food you can imagine. There’ll be main meals, desserts and drinks. There's

going to be pizza, Indian, donuts, and more,” he said.

crowds,” Scott said.

The performers at the festival will rely on tips and sales to the festival goers. They will be selling their albums and merchandise at the festival, letting visitors support their new favourite artists. They will also be competing for a thousand dollar grand prize, and the title of Peninsula’s Best Busker of 2018.

“This is a family event which was well received last year, and now it’s coming back bigger and better. It’s in a great location,

“We’re going to have our Buskers’ Battle, which will see a busker win 1,000 dollars in cash. Not only that, but this is a great opportunity for buskers to expose their talent. It’s a great way to get their name out there to people looking to book them. It’s a platform for them to show their talent and perform in front of big

and there’s going to be some great talent.”

Entry to the festival is free. The Peninsula Busking Festival will take place from midday until 10 pm on Saturday the 31st of March and Sunday 1st of April.

The festival will be at the Briars, 450 Nepean Highway, Mt. Martha.

March 2018

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By Brodie Cowburn

FOOD OLYMPICS

T

he Bocuse d’Or competition is a long way from home.

The prestigious international tournament features the top chefs from around the world battling it out in order to be recognised as the greatest culinary mastermind on the planet.

The competition is named after the legendary chef Paul Bocuse, who passed away earlier this year. It has been running biennially for over three decades, and in 2019, a local chef from Flinders will be fighting for the crown.

Michael Cole, current head chef at Georgie Bass Café and Cookery, underwent a gruelling qualification process to be selected last year as the Australian representative in the iconic cooking competition, which will see him take flight across the world to show off his cooking talents.

“After my first try at the Bocuse d’Or, I told myself I would try again when I was about 35. I knew if I entered last year, that by the time the Grand Finale took place I would be around that age, so I entered,” said Michael.

“The deadline for entry nearly passed and I just got into enter this competition. I contacted the shire and they found an amazing apprentice chef for me to work with, but we were only a few weeks out and we had to train like crazy to get ready in such a short amount of time. It’s almost like a performance; you have to be synchronised and calm. So we put in the training and we qualified for selection.

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“We were exhausted by the time we won, it was surreal. Everyone was really excited and there was a real buzz. I was so focused on it that it felt like it wasn’t real. Memorising the garnishes was so intense, you pretty much have to be able to create these dishes with your eyes closed. You become so focused that everything else feels like a dream.”

Michael first fell into the world of cooking after taking a job to help him pay for his love of snowboarding. It was there he realised the love and passion he had for the food industry, which has taken him to work in Melbourne, Hamilton Island, France, and Japan.

This is his second try at qualifying for the Bocuse d’Or competition, after an ill-fated attempt in his younger days. continued next page...

BECKONS

“I’d heard of the Bocuse d’Or before through one of my bosses, and he explained it as the culinary Olympics and the height of any chef ’s career. The picture he painted to me was a dream, so when I went to France when I was 24, I went and watched the Bocuse d’Or. I was in awe of the energy and the excitement, and I couldn’t believe how amazing the event was. So it became a dream of mine to do it,” Michael said.

“When I came back home I found out they were doing it so I thought I would enter. I was 25, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea how intense it was going to be.

I failed miserably.

“It shocked me, but it shocked me in a good way. It showed me how much I had to learn. The whole thing about cooking is we are forever learning and challenging ourselves to get better. It took me eight years of training and working around the world before entering the Bocuse d’Or competition again.”

He would find more success in his current attempt at the competition, being selected as the Australian candidate for the next round. Michael was also honoured by receiving the Chef of the Year Award at the same time, further recognition for his outstanding work in the kitchen.

Michael attributed his success to the unique style of his

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presentation, taking inspiration from the trees and berries he finds on his walks amongst the bush. For one of his final dishes, he had made hollowed out beetroot spheres filled with beef terrine, which were then glazed in wild blackberry juice, covered with flowers and herbs, and floated with magnets so they hovered above the board and spun around. It is this distinct style of presentation that may set him apart from the rest as he progresses further along the competition.

Before reaching the Grand Finale, Michael and his teammate, former My Kitchen Rules contestant Laura Skvor, must first take on the Bocuse d’Or Asia- Pacific competition, which could see them qualify for the Grand Finale in 2019.

“We had a meeting in Melbourne a few weeks ago about our training program for the Bocuse d’Or, so Laura and I have already started training for that. They’re going to send us over to the competition in China probably about a week before the event so we can get used to it over there,” Michael said.

In 2017, Australian chef Daniel Arnold represented his country in the Grand Finale of the competition, finishing in a respectable 8th place against competitors from all across the globe.

The competition finals have been previously dominated by European chefs, and Michael will have to buck the trend and

become only the second ever non-European to finish on top. The winner in 2017 was US chef Mathew Peters, who showed it can be done.

stay back after work to practice little ideas and techniques.

It was great rehearsal and helped me get to where I am in the competition.”

Having previously worked across the globe, Michael Cole says he is now happy to call Georgie Bass Café and Cookery home.

At Georgie Bass, Michael runs classes to impart his food wisdom and expertise to all who are willing to learn.

“I was working for the Flinders Hotel group a few years ago.

I’d just come back from Japan and wanted to work somewhere beautiful, and we found Flinders just by chance. I feel in love with the beach, surf, fishing, and nature. We settled and stayed here for a bit, and I wanted a new challenge from fine dining. I spoke to the owners and they told me they were opening a cafe and cooking school. I’d never worked in a cafe or cooking school, so it was a new challenge for me, and I said yes. The cafe is health focused while not being too over the top, using great local produce. I created a menu and it was exactly what they were after. It just worked,” he said.

Michael said he loves working on the Mornington Peninsula and draws heavy inspiration from the local area for his creative and unique dishes that set him ahead at the competition.

“At the cooking school there’s an amazing kitchen, and I would

“Sometimes people can’t understand why a Bocuse d’Or chef is working on the Peninsula, but it’s all about the lifestyle balance.

It’s so beautiful down here, I find so much inspiration and it’s all so positive. Working here gets me away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it gives me time to create too,” he said.

The Asian Pacific Selection of Bocuse d’Or will take place in Guangzhou, China on the 8th and 9th of May, 2018. The top chefs will qualify for the Grand Finale in Lyon France in January of 2019.

LOOKING FOR MORE CUSTOMERS? YOU NEED TO ADVERTISE IN

Book into the next issue Call Brooke on 0409 219 282

March 2018

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PENINSULA

FIND YOUR WA Y

FIVE OF T H E BEST

PLAYยบEXPLOREยบEXPERIENCE

ELIZA WILSON LEADS

LONGEST LUNCH

By Brodie Cowburn

T

he Regional Longest Lunch On The Bay is set to take place on the 16th of March, with Masterchef contestant Eliza Wilson leading an enthusiastic group of foodies on a journey of great tasting and exquisite food.

The picturesque lunch will take place on the waters, as diners will enjoy good food and great company on a ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff.

Eliza spoke about her own experiences with the trip, and is looking forward to revisiting some of her most cherished memories on the ferry.

“On my last episode on Masterchef I described a beautiful memory I have of when my partner and I took the ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff. Someone from the ferries had watched that episode and contacted me to say they saw I had a beautiful day at the ferry and asked if I’d like to get involved. I said 'Absolutely',” said Eliza.

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“We’re holding a beautiful long lunch as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. It’s going to be one continuous table.

Over the last couple months the head chef on the ferry Brent Loveand I have been going and sourcing local producers from across the peninsula. We really wanted to highlight the incredible produce around us on our menu, to celebrate all the food we have on our doorstep.”

Eliza has travelled across the peninsula to a wide range of local producers in order to find the best produce to showcase on the Longest Lunch menu.

She will help to create the menu, which is set to feature a range of different tastes suitable to the event. Diners are set to not only be delighted by the different foods on offer, but also by the entire ferry experience.

“We’re still tweaking the menu, but you’re definitely going to see some mussels, some local lamb, some amazing fruit and vegetable continued next page...

March 2018

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growers will be featured. We’ll be using Red Hill Cheese probably on a platter and in the dessert. We’re creating a pretty amazing menu,” Eliza said.

“We have lots of the local producers of food and wine on the trip as well. It’ll be a great opportunity to talk with them; they’ll get to talk about why it’s so special being down on the peninsula and what it is that makes their produce so good. That’s going to be a highlight. The view is also going to incredible; I can’t believe it everytime I go on the ferry. When you combine all of those things it’ll make for a really beautiful day.”

Eliza Wilson, who also juggles work as a theatre nurse, shot to cooking stardom with her appearance on the show Masterchef.

What started as a passionate pastime has now grown into a business, as Eliza has established her own company, The Grazing Table.

“Cooking for me has always been a hobby. It had been an escape

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March 2018

from my nursing stresses, and I’ve always loved it. It all began when I was younger cooking with my Grandma preparing family dinners.

We had so much fun doing it that. It was full of laughter and fun, and it’s been something I’ve loved to do since then,” said Eliza.

the food I love. After the show you can get caught up in the hype and go off in different directions, but I wanted to stay focused on what I love, which is bringing people together over delicious and relaxed food.”

“After many years of thinking about applying for Masterchef, I eventually ran out of reasons not to. I gave it a go and the next thing I knew I was thrown in. It was an incredible experience; it was like a pressure cooker of learning new skills. I was in there for about seven months and literally all I did was cook, or read cookbooks, or have cooking lessons. You’re always going to come out having more skills than when you went in, and I’m very lucky to have been through it.

The Grazing Table puts together different menus for different clients to ensure they get the right food for their event, with menu items ranging from fresh seafood, to salads, to cheeses, to slow cooked meats, and more.

“When I came off Masterchef I just really wanted to stay focused on relaxed and comfortable dining experiences, so that’s why I started The Grazing Table. It represents relaxation, sharing, and

More information and tickets for all of the festival’s events can be found at www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/

The Regional Longest Lunch from Sorrento to Queenscliff to which Eliza will be bringing her knowledge and expertise is a featured event for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

The Unique-est Social Experience on the Peninsula As a Social Member of the Mornington Yacht Club here’s what you’ll get: • A key to the Clubhouse door for everyday access.

• Breakfast, lunch and dinner available 7 days a week in the lounge, or a quick snack and full bar service on the Club Deck with its brilliant blue views, all provided by the much awarded “The Rocks” restaurant at special Club rates.

• Great Social Functions through the year.

• The big buzz ambience of a dynamic sailing Club.

Special Late Summer Offer: Through to June 2018.

Just $84 membership ($140 couples).

Nomination Fee ($350) waived.

Make this your best sea-magic summer ever!

Find out more by contacting the club or going to our website.

Mornington Yacht Club Schnapper Point Drive, Mornington VIC 3931 Phone: (03) 5975 7001 www.morningtonyc.net.au 0990

March 2018

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Photos

Peninsula

Peninsula locals and guests enjoyed a night of film and fun at Peninsula Film Festival on 10 February.

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March 2018

The

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RED HILL SHOW Saturday, 10th March, 2018 (Labour Day weekend) 8.30am to 5.00 pm

There’s nothing like it!

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Australian Mountainboarders - Cider Show demos & tastings - Woodchop - Heavy Horses - Animals galore Art & Craft - Fly Dogs demos - Local food stalls & exhibitors - The Jackson Four Band - Roving performers Black Snake Productions - Pony Rides - Amusement Rides and so much more included in your entry ticket. proudly supported by major sponsors:

YOUNGSTERS SETTING THE PACE T

here 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.

PROBLEM WITH A WILL?

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Our services include: • Wills and Powers of Attorney • Estate Planning • Will Challenges

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March 2018

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RELAXED NATURAL

By Andrea Louise Thomas

S

an Antonio, Texas, changed the course of Mt. Eliza photographer, Lisa Atkinson’s life. When she was 16, she decided to spend a year as an exchange student in an American high school. With a blank spot in her class schedule, she took a stab at something new; she slotted in the mysteriously nebulous offering called ‘Industrial Arts’. It turned out to be photography.

She learned to use a manual camera, develop film and make her own prints in the soft red glow of the school’s darkroom. She was mesmerised by the process of seeing her images come to life in front of her eyes.

After high school, she travelled abroad. On her return she considered taking photography at university, but heard from peers that the university course was too intense. She didn’t want to feel discouraged or lose her passion so she continued to teach herself photography and studied interior design at university instead.

While working in interior design, a colleague, who had seen some of her photographic work, asked if she would photograph his wedding. Having never photographed a wedding, she felt a bit daunted, but he reassured her by saying they just wanted some relaxed shots of the day where there happened to be a girl in a dress and a guy in a suit. There began her passion for photographing weddings in a photojournalistic, fly-on-the-wall style, which was unusual at a time when most wedding photos were highly staged.

Ultimately her choice of study at university had a major impact on her photographic work. From her knowledge and experience with interior design she eventually followed a different creative path. “I reinvented my photographic career about five years ago. I’d been photographing weddings for 15 years and I decided to come back to interiors, but from a photographic point of view. Now I can appreciate and interpret other’s people’s design through my camera,” she says.

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Photo Yanni

continued next page...

March 2018

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Atkinson’s hallmark as a photographer is the natural and relaxed look of her work. It reflects her easy- going personality and results in images that are both beautiful and insightful. Her portraits and wedding photographs show not just the exterior of her subjects, but their interior lives as well. There is nothing posed, predictable or clichéd about her work. She embraces the individual and quirky nature of people producing photographs that are truly original and that’s a hard thing to pull off in the oversaturated field of photography.

Photographing across many genres keeps it interesting. Her work covers food, interiors, lifestyle, portraits and the occasional wedding. While Atkinson loves capturing people, she is even more interested in exploring the places they inhabit. Her favourite genre is lifestyle photography incorporating food, interiors and entertaining, creating beautiful images of the way people live.

It was fortunate that she happened to meet Chyka Keebaugh (co-founder of The Big Group and formerly featured on Real Housewives of Melbourne). Keebaugh had a just started a lifestyle blog, Chyka.com. Atkinson was sent out by a design website to photograph her house. The two hit it off and Atkinson was hired to photographe all the images for the website and still does. Last year when Keebaugh was commissioned to create a coffee table book for publisher Hardie Grant, she got Atkinson on board to do the photography. Chyka Home comes out on April 1st. continued next page...

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March 2018

PENINSULA

BUSINESS AWARDS

2018

APPLICATIONS

OPEN NOW

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To nominate a local business or to apply directly please visit:

www.peninsulabusinessawards.org NO FURTHER EXTENSIONS WILL APPLY, SO DON’T DELAY! Applications Close: COB 19th March, 2018 Any questions or more information about nominations or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Rhiannon Pilton on 0402 807 144

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March 2018

E ssence | 39

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Atkinson shoots in black and white as well as colour. “The advantage of black and white is it’s timeless. When shooting people I think everyone looks great in black and white. It’s about using light and shade to create nuances in the subject – whether a person or a place. Colour can really bring life to something and it can be manipulated to enhance a shot, but most of the shots I take as art prints around the peninsula are black and white because it really gets the essence of the locations I’m shooting,” she says.

Atkinson and her family moved to the Mornington Peninsula about three and a half years ago. Since then she has dedicated most of her professional time to lifestyle photography. “The spaces and beaches and light really influence the light and space I try to create with my photos. The style of my photography is very relaxed, natural, bright, and airy so living in an environment that is also really relaxed and natural helps me convey that, “ she says.

Sometimes a change of scenery can change everything. Whether it is a year abroad or a sea change, the nuances of a new place, the light and shadows are where things really get interesting. This is something Atkinson knows intimately and conveys intuitively. She breathes life into her images and they billow outwards effortlessly.

That’s a photographic skill no one can teach.

www.lisaatkinson.com.au.

Instagram: @lisaatkinsonphotographer

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March 2018

Enjoy 3 years Complimentary Scheduled Servicing

Enjoy 3 years Complimentary Scheduled Servicing at Mercedes-Benz Mornington this March.*

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Mercedes-Benz Mornington has a great offer on C 63 AMG models purchased this March.

• 3 years Complimentary Scheduled Servicing* • Complimentary On Road costs* • 11 vehicles to choose from

Mercedes-Benz Mornington has a great offer on C 63 AMG models purchased this March. www.mbmornington.com.au

For a limited time only.

• 3 years Complimentary Scheduled Servicing* • Complimentary On Road costs* • 11 vehicles to choose from

*On Road costs will still be payable (Registration and Stamp Duty). The vehicle will be discounted by the equivalent of the On Road costs from the Recommended Retail Price. Complimentary scheduled servicing is for the first 3 years or 60,000 kms, whichever occurs first, subject to service interval of model. Offer available on Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG models purchased between 1st - 31st March 2018 and delivered before 31st March 2018. While stocks last and not available in conjunction with any other offer.

www.mbmornington.com.au *On Road costs will still be payable (Registration and Stamp Duty). The vehicle will be discounted by the equivalent of the On Road costs from the Recommended Retail Price. Complimentary scheduled servicing is for the first 3 years or 60,000 kms, whichever occurs first, subject to service interval of model. Offer available on Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Mercedes-Benz Mornington 29-31 Mornington 5973 models purchased between 1st - 31st March 2018Mornington-Tyabb and delivered before 31stRoad, March 2018.

While stocks(03) last and not 9688 available in conjunction with any other offer.

March 2018

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PENINSULA

Style File AUTUMN FASHION ON THE PENINSULA

Black satin off the shoulder dress by Humidity Designs paired with custom leather jacket (available by order) at A Room With A View, Dromana

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March 2018

A Room With A View Elm Lifestyle navy spot dress with BOK hide bag Model Ruby Cameron's Menswear Possum merino knit

by McDonald N.Z. Toupe chino by Meyer.

Boots by RMW.

Sista Sista Sash Dress Model Ebony

Model Martyn

87 Main Street Mornington t: 5973 4762 March 2018

E ssence | 43

PENINSULA

street / fashion / lifestyle

A Room With A View Eb&Ive crisp white pants with Imagine linen drop back tee in blush Canteen bag and Iskia necklace also available in store Model Ruby

40 main street M O R N I N G T O N

5976 7709 E ssence

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Sista Sista Alembika Jacket + Skirt Model Ebony March 2018

Sabrina Moda Pasduchas Pant Suit Model Ruby March 2018

E ssence | 45

PENINSULA

Eyewear As Individual As You Are Eyewear As Individual As You Are Eyewear As Individual

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FLOWER GIRLS &CO. FLORIST COFFEE SHOP WEDDING PLANNING SERVICE

66 MAIN ST, MORNINGTON

5977 0057 E ssence

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March 2018

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Sista Sista Monari Top + Cardi, Verge Pants Peter Young Shoes Model Ebony

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Main Street Collective The Acadamy Brand polo and Jogger pant.

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Main Street Collective Lee denim shorts & Banks striped tee.

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Peter Young Shoes QUALITY EUROPEAN DESIGNER SHOES LOCAL BUSINESS FOR OVER 40 YEARS LADIES & MENS SHOES & ACCESSORIES 75 Main Street Mornington Ph 5975 4407

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March 2018

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PENINSULA

Cameron's Menswear Tobacco Milson sports coat, moleskin jean, Bourke shirt and boots by RMW. Model Martyn

199 MAIN STREET MORNINGTON TEL 5975 7255.

Servicing Mornington Peninsula for over 35 years, our Bridal Showroom features a selection of beautiful, ready to wear gowns.

Sourced from award-winning designers from Australia and around the world, each gown is hand-picked with an emphasis on cutting-edge design, quality fabric, construction, and affordability.

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3/139 Main St, Mornington VIC 3931 (03) 5975 6084

March 2018

Fashion Suppliers A Room With A View

4/277 Pt Nepean Rd, Dromana Ph 5981 8033

Sista Sista

87 Main Street Mornington Ph 5973 4762

Peter Young Shoes

75 Main Street Mornington Ph 5975 4407

Main Street Collective

40 Main St Mornington Ph 5976 7709

Cameron's Menswear

199 Main St Mornington Ph 5975 7255

Sabrina Moda

3/139 Main St Mornington Ph 5975 6084

Model Ruby Model Martyn Model Ebony Venue

Barmah Park Moorooduc

Photographer

Yanni

Stylist

Marg Harrison

Sabrina Moda Pasduchas Midi Dress Peter Young Shoes Model Ebony Cameron's Menswear Cambridge charcoal pure wool suit, Ganten yellow checked shirt, Rosedale liberty print pocket hank and RMW Craftsman boots & belt Model Martyn

Trends

AUTUMN

When the leaves start changing colour and there is a faint chill in the air, you know that autumn is here, which means changing up the wardrobe to suit.

In 2018, fashion trends are bursting out with colours, patterns and textures to combat those cooler weather blues. We've made styling easy with a list of fabulous trends that will be heading our way this season.

OVER KNEE BOOTS Over the knee boots will never go out of style and this autumn they are back with a vengeance. Buy them in suede or leather and go for either a slouchy or skin-tight style. You should aim for nice neutrals that will make them easy to style with most of your wardrobe.

FRINGING Full on fringes is one of the best accessories this season, on coats, bags, and dresses.

This is perfect for your day-to-day work get-up. Elegant slacks and a well-cut blazer are what you should be looking towards for warmer wear. It’s flattering and you can easily chuck on a big coat over the top when you step outside each day.

CHECKS Checks are dominating this season with the pattern on everything from blazers and trousers to asymmetrical tops and skirts. You can even mix the pattern with florals for a bit of fun.

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SUITS

March 2018

BELTS

Give your outfit more of a feminine touch this season by cinching in the waist and letting your silhouette shine. Tuck in the waist over an oversized coat to add extra style and elegance. Gather your box shift dresses and mid-length slips then wrap a nice belt around your midsection for an instant outfit change.

GO WHITE Give yourself an instant mood boost when you roll through wearing white whites this autumn. This is a simple trick to lighten the mood of the people around you and yourself.

ONE COLOUR Pick a tone and dress in it head-to-toe. Wild, we know.

Try a mint or deep peach tiered in cotton and silks for something a little different. It’s comfort slash chic and you’ll turn heads wherever you are. If you’re all about the monochrome (we are too), add a splash of colour to your accessories to brighten everything up. A bold pair of earrings or socks will work for an easy win.

DATELESS DENIM Last season flares were in fashion and this year it’s baggy jeans. Regardless of your style though, denim will never date, so find the perfect cut for you and buy them.

A good pair of jeans is a purchase you will never regret.

TURTLENECK Whether it is a sleeveless or the warmest jumper, there’s something about a turtleneck top or dress that adds instant style.

GINGHAM You can find a cute gingham printed miniskirt and tapered high-waisted trousers as well as an abundance of cute tops, skirts, dresses and accessories. Whether its red, pink, blue or black, gingham always looks fun and playful.

FAUX FUR Be adventurous with your faux furs. Glam it up and break out the coat, wrap or vest. Faux fur looks great on all ages and sizes.

March 2018

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FINANCIAL HELP IS A PHONE CALL AWAY

T

he new year has begun and often a common resolution heard the world over is to get our finances in order.

It often seems an easier goal than losing weight or give up smoking but, for many of us, the idea of sorting out finances is harder than it sounds. The philosophy “spend less and save more” sounds simple but where to start? Here are a few tips to help get those finances under control.

Financial planners and accountants on the peninsula offer the perfect service to help get your finances on the right path. With a clear strategy, these professionals can be a God send to help assess your spending history accurately, help with reducing outgoing expenses and source better deals with banks and financial institutions. Well worth a visit to any of the financial advisors, they can help with everyone from young people saving for a first home, holiday or even car, to those looking to retirement and wanting to make the most of their money and assets. Don’t do it alone – call on the experts for guidance and to make the most of your hard earned cash.

FED UP WITH YOUR SELF MANAGED SUPER FUND? While there are many good reasons for owning a Self Managed Super Fund, they can become a burden.

If you’re sick of high accounting fees and the time needed to run a SMSF, I can provide a simpler, cheaper alternative while still maintaining the same level of control and investments.

Quality Financial Planning advice on the Mornington Peninsula Ph 0427 429 817

I can a take you through the simple 3-step process for closing your SMSF and moving your investments to a better super fund. It’s easier than you think.

And if you act within the next few months, you will save another round of accounting fees.

Speak to me today.

TEL: 0427 429 817 patricia@osmonds.com.au | osmonds.com.au

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Finance

PLANNING FORWARD REQUIRES FORWARD PLANNING Whether you’re running a business or managing personal finances, a single visit to your accountant at tax time is not going to help you get ahead.

Of course, keeping on top of your taxation is an essential building block to good financial health, but what about the future? Your goals and dreams?

Financial and business planning is about more than money.

It’s about building a deep knowledge of where you are now, what you want, where you want to be, and how to get there.

Its about working collaboratively with a credible finance professional that looks beyond the dollar signs to the person behind them for a steady and balanced approach to helping you reach and maintain your financial goals.

“Helping our clients realise their aspirations is how we deem ourselves a success,” says SMART Business Solutions Director, Shannon Smit.

“We’re in the business of helping people thoroughly understand the ins and outs of their financial position and cashflow. We’re all about helping both business and individuals find simple ways to be smart about their money. You work hard for your money, so it’s important to develop money strategies that work well for you and that help you not only hang on to your money, but to grow it, too.”

Winners of the 2017 Australian Accounting Awards, Business Advisory Firm of the Year and Xero Accounting Partner of the Year – Victoria for 2016, the SMART Business Solutions team are adept at offering sound financial advice that’s deeply personal.

SMART Business Solutions Level 1, 328 Main Street Mornington T +61 3 5911 7000 reception@smartbusinesssolutions.com.au www.smartbusinesssolutions.com.au

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER. Business success means different things to different people.

For some, it may be about having financial freedom.

For others, it may be about spending less time doing what you don’t love, and spending more time doing what you do love.

At SMART Business Solutions we’re big on working collaboratively, helping clients hone in on their own version of business success. We’re all about helping you develop a business model that works smarter, giving you more freedom to focus on what you really love.

Make the smart choice for your business in 2018.

www.smartbusinesssolutions.com.au Level 1, 328 Main Street, Mornington, VIC, 3931 www.smartbusinesssolutions.com.au

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ILLUMIN8 ACCOUNTANTS ARE YOUR LOCAL XERO, TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES SPECIALISTS. WE THINK OUTSIDE THE SQUARE AND HAVE SOME FUN ALONG THE WAY. W e get to know you and your business, helping you to work smarter with technology and good strategy.

We want our clients to get out of bed in the morning and devote their time to what they value most.

Cloud based and innovative, we help you to become the business of the future.

Accounting services, technology solutions and strategic advice.

Whether it’s local small business tax accounting, business advisory, bookkeeping or you just want Xero's Victorian Partner of the Year, we're taking care of business! It doesn't matter if you’re based near Mount Eliza, the Mornington Peninsula, somewhere across Victoria, or Australia, Illumin8 are accounting for your tomorrow.

We want you to get out of bed every morning and devote your time to what you value most.

Through a personalised and practical approach, compassion and understanding, we will find new and better ways of doing things, specific to your business.

Our heartbeat is creating freedom through innovation, strategy and a personalised and practical approach. We want to see you spending more time working on your business, rather than in it.

WE ARE FREEDOM FIGHTERS. WE ARE REBELS WITH A CAUSE.

WE ARE ILLUMIN8!

• Tax • Bookkeeping • Advisory • Innovation / Technology • Xero Level 1, 46 Ranlelagh Drive, Mount Eliza | 03 9787 6872 | hello@illumin8.com.au | www.illumin8.com.au

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TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR RETIREMENT, LIFE SOLUTIONS Solutions began over 20 years ago as Hill Financial Services, BE IT NOW OR YEARS AWAY. Lifea division of Hill Legal, offering financial planning solutions in

M

"Our objective is to find the best solution for your financial needs" Weir said. Peninsula Financial Group have recently welcomed adviser Sebastian Lindemann to the team. Sebastian is an experienced Financial Planner who provides holistic advise including Superannuation, Investment, Personal Insurance and Centrelink.

conjunction with legal affairs. In 2004, Tricia Hill joined the team and Life Solutions was formed, expanding the financial planning services to include self-managed super funds, retirement planning, and most recently aged care planning services.

“Through client referrals and professional recommendations, we continue to grow and expand,” said Tricia. “We believe our clients can be best served if the whole person and their lifelong goals are considered, from the original wealth creation through to passing on a family’s fortune and legacy. We also utilize regular seminars and workshops as a means of educating and empowering our clients to make the most informed financial decisions that affect them, their families and their businesses.”

Life Solutions pride themselves on delivering the best financial advice, not selling a product.

“We look forward to the opportunity to counsel you in the right direction and see your wealth and assets grow,” said Tricia.

For your financial planning needs contact the team at Peninsula Financial Group on 9783 4999 to arrange an appointment.

Life Solutions is at 22A Milgate Drive, Mornington.

Phone 5976 6599. www.lifesolutions.net.au

anaging Director and Certified Financial Planner, Lyle Weir and his team can provide a tailored solution to help you better manage your financial affairs, including superannuation, investments, shares, personal insurance and Centrelink advice to Peninsula clients.

Superannuation generally remains one of the most efficient means of managing your retirement funds, but should you use an industry fund, SMSF, retail fund or a wholesale platform? What about annuities?

Peninsula Financial Group can help determine what is right for you and what planning strategies might be appropriate.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR RETIREMENT, BE IT NOW OR YEARS AWAY We can help you actively manage your Superannuation

We can make your golden years transition easy!

• Are you considering moving to a smaller unit, retirement village or aged care facility?

• Did you know you might be able to get surplus funds from the sale of your family home into super at any age?

• Discover if your wills and Power of Attorneys are valid.

• What is the difference between a senior’s loan and reverse mortgage?

Find out more at our Golden Years Transition Information Session Monday April 30th, 1:00—2:30pm Corner Pantry Café 70 Mountain View Road, Mt Eliza

PHONE 03 9783 4999 peninsulafinancial.com.au Authorised Representative of Lonsdale Financial Group Ltd ABN: 76 006 637 225 | AFSL 246934

Call Sheridan to book your seat on 5976 6599. Spaces limited.

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YOUR LENDING SPECIALISTS AT ZENLEND W

ith a commitment to providing quality service to clients across the Bayside & Mornington Peninsula, Zenlend believes Mortgage Broking is not all about money. It’s about enabling you to get what you want out of life.

With decades of lending and banking experience, the friendly team includes Lending Specialists, Gina Tzimas and Jason Symonds, and directors, Luke Dean and Andy Taranto.

A Director at Zenlend, Luke is also an experienced Financial Advisor and Mortgage Broker.

This puts Luke in a unique position to understand how to build wealth through a variety of different investment vehicles, with the added ability to be able to obtain any additional funds needed to complete a variety of different purchases and projects.

Andy is a experienced Financial Advisor and a Director of Zenland and has been operating in the Finance industry for over 10 years.

Andy loves working collaboratively with all clients and finds that the most rewarding part of his job is to work together with clients and celebrate positive outcomes both initially and ongoing.

Gina is a highly educated and experienced lending specialist, with over 10 years working at ANZ, Bendigo Bank and Aussie Home

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Loans. Gina has joined Zenlend in order to better service her clients with customised solutions, and a personalised level of service that the big banks just can’t deliver.

While Jason brings over 30 years of Banking experience with him to Zenlend. Working at both ANZ and Bendigo bank throughout his career so far, Jason knows the finance world like the back of his hand.

A consummate community focused professional, Jason’s major focus is to continue helping the local community to fulfil their finance needs in the most stress-free fashion possible.

“We understand that the world we live in is a rapidly changing and complex place with an abundance of free information everywhere. We realise the way people seek and access this information is constantly evolving and can often become overwhelming – making it hard to look past the coming week or month, let alone year,” said the team at Zenlend. “We help people understand what they have, what their options are and how to make their money work harder. We help by motivating you to take action and empowering you to make smart decisions with your money. We are more than just another business that sells loans."

At Zenlend we pride ourselves in helping clients to not just understand their life goals but to also attain them.

With over 40 years of combined finance experience on the Mornington Peninsula, Gina and Jason and our team of specialists are equipped to assist you with all your lending needs.

With a commitment to providing quality service to clients across the Mornington Peninsula, we believe lending is not all about money. It's about enabling you to get what you want out of life.

We're proud of making a difference and of the long lasting relationships we have forged with our clients, their friends and their families.

POWERFUL REASONS TO USE ZENLEND We aren't tied down to a particular lender We can manage the whole process for you We specialise in a range of loans and circumstances Services are usually free Ongoing Management and Relationship

Gina Tzimas 0481 002 186

Jason Symonds 0473 888 847

clientservices@zenlend.com.au Ph (03) 5976 8398 Suite 1, Ground Floor, 315 Main St, Mornington 3931 DFG Mortgages Pty Ltd ABN 80 601 991 315 (Zenlend) is an Authorised Credit Representatives of BLSSA Pty Ltd, ACN 117 651 760, ACL 391 237.

Arts

By Melissa Walsh

Photos Yanni

J

ai Thoolen could be described as a fair haired Hagrid, a gentle giant or even ‘Thor’. At the very least the six foot seven (202cm) Rosebud man with the wild flowing beard is a true wordsmith and one of the peninsula’s most prolific poets.

“I grew up on the peninsula, and I lived mostly in Rosebud all my life,” said Jai who went to Tootgarook and then Rosebud High School, and was somewhat of a rebel.

“I wake up in the middle of the night with a line or a word and have to write it down and then look at it the next day and work on it from there. I write one a week and sometimes I write ten in an hour,” said Jai, who is quite indignant there is no such thing as writer’s block.

“I am so convinced there is no writers block; I wrote a poem called Writers Block,” he explains.

“I left pretty early and got a job in a supermarket in Red Hill and basically ran the joint,” he says with a laugh. “I was already this height and had this beard so looked a lot older.”

The incredible thing about Jai is he can write in any style, from formal writing to Aussie slang, to children’s literature and lighthearted poems.

Writing was always something that came easy to the gently spoken Jai, who would write pages and pages on an essay that only required a few paragraphs.

“I get inspiration from everything around me. It could be a rock I see in the garden, a person making a comment, or just a line or

“I guess I discovered my love for writing at school when I used to write more than I needed to. I also wrote poetry here and there for my girlfriend in the early days when I was around 18 so I don’t know if it’s any good.”

His passion and gift for the English language is outstanding, with his influences coming from the greats like Henry Lawson, Pratchett, and Spike Milligan, and now the young writer cannot stop.

“The proverbial flood gates are well and truly opened and I write all the time,” said Jai, who has 10 to 12 notebooks scattered around the house and takes one with him everywhere he goes.

YOUR FUTURE LOOKS ROSY WHEN YOU ADVERTISE IN

Book into the next issue Call Marg on 0414 773 153

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stanza that comes into my head,” he said. “Henry Lawson is my favourite poet but I love Banjo Patterson and the Australian style of poetry. I just relate to them and would like to think I have a romantic notion of our country and writing but that’s up to the reader I suppose.”

“I’ve just finished a poem about Bobby Buggler the Juggler, Harry the Hermit Crab, and Captain Phipps the Pirate, and one of my favourites Home-made Thing-a-ma-bike about a boy and his dad going down the street and getting hard rubbish off the side of the road and making a bike.”

Never knowing when the muse will strike is an understatement for Jai, who wrote his first children’s poem on the back of a sick bag in the middle of the ocean.

A former carpenter, Jai now devotes his days to penning his wonderful verses.

“Two years ago in March I was coming home from Tassie and my partner Sarah had seasickness. I couldn’t sleep so I wrote My Beard on the back of a sick bag,” said Jai, who has always had an affiliation with beards. “I do like the beard and I am a fan of a satirical band called The Beards. I’ve had my beard since I was 14.”

“I feel like this has always been inside me but I may have forgotten about it. Life gets in the way so to speak but now I can’t see any other way to live apart from writing.”

Phone Jai for further details on 0450 080 587. www.picklepoetry.com

“My Beard was the first poem in the kid’s genre and is currently being illustrated by Fred Whitson, a local artist. The book will be out in May,” said Jai. “I released another book in December last year called A Selected Collection of Rhymes, and My Safe Word is Poetry in February, which I wrote in the last 12 months and started my publishing house Pickle Poetry so I can print on demand.”

Being a true master of the craft, 38 year old Jai finds it easy to get into the headspace of kids and laughingly says he is still a kid himself.

“...a cult hit in the making if I ever saw one."

MUSICAL THEATRE

COMEDY/DRAMA

Daily Telegraph

GLORIOUS! by Peter Quilter Thursday 5 April, 7.30pm This heart-warming comedy is the hilarious true story of the world’s worst opera singer Florence Foster Jenkins.

Tickets:

03 9784 1060

thefac.com.au @the_fac | #thefac

Adult $45-$57 Conc $42-$52 Und 30 $27-$35

Daytime Music + Theatre

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE Friday 9 March, 10.30am & 1.30pm Tickets: 03

9784 1060

$20

thefac.com.au March 2018

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A food,wine & music gathering...

JOHN BUTLER TRIO

HARRY JAMES ANGUSANGIE VIKKI THORN WAIFS M MAHON FROM THE

FROM THE CAT EMPIRE

C

MAX’S RESTAURANT•QUEALY•PRANCING HORSE ESTATE DOC MORNINGTON•GREEN OLIVE AT RED HILL•STABLES SMOKEHOUSE•FLINDERS HOTEL

MONTALTO•ALATONERO•MERRICKS GENERAL WINE STORE•YABBY LAKE•T'GALLANT•POLPERRO

SATURDAY 17 MARCH 2018 peninsulapicnic.com.au

WHERE SPORT AND ART COMBINE

By Melissa Walsh

F

or many artists, sport has already been a ‘happy hunting ground’ within their practice. Australia’s mythology, sense of identity and achievement is linked to sport and our social rituals are often structured around sporting events, from the humble game of beach cricket through to the Melbourne Cup. Our contemporary economy is inseparable from sport, and some of our lingering barriers – race, gender, sexuality, disability – show up sharply in sporting culture.

From 2 March – 29 April Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery is presenting Play On: The art of sport, 10 years of the Basil Sellers Art Prize, A NETS Victoria and Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne touring exhibition.

As one of Australia’s richest and freshest prizes, the Basil Sellers Art Prize (2006-2016) broke with tradition by bringing together these apparent foes - luring art and sports supporters from their strongly held positions on opposite sides of the ring.

The prize and current exhibition offers a fresh take on the theme of sport, with artists asking bold questions to rattle our preconceptions and explore the murkier backwaters of sporting culture.

The prize was initiated and generously underwritten by Basil Sellers AM. Basil offered a $100,000 prize booty every two years. A recognised art collector, Basil divides his time between Europe and Australia (or wherever the Sydney Swans are playing that weekend).

“My hope was that this prize and exhibition would take lovers of sport and art into what may be unchartered, but ultimately rewarding territory, leading to an engagement that will enhance their enjoyment of each other’s loves,” said Basil.

The crème de la crème of works, selected from over 1000 entries, will be presented at MPRG, featuring works by Tony Albert, Richard Bell, Lauren Brincat, Jon Campbell, Daniel Crooks, Gabrielle de Vietri, Tarryn Gill and Pilar Mata Dupont, Shaun Gladwell, Richard Lewer, Fiona McMonagle, Josie Kunoth Petyarre, Dinni Kunoth Kemmarre, Kerrie Poliness, Khaled Sabsabi and Gerry Wedd.

Visit the MPRG website to find out more about the exhibitions and special events and to listen to podcasts and artist videos mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au

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SIMPLY

By Melissa Walsh

S

tep back in time to New York circa 1940 and the most sought after performer was an enthusiastic, albeit off-key soprano, Florence Foster Jenkins, affectionately known as the first lady of the sliding scale.

This year peninsula theatre lovers are in for a real treat with the stage show based on the life of the offbeat singer coming to the Frankston Arts Centre. The delightful and blissfully funny new play, Glorious, generates a rare glow of warmth and generous laughter much like the woman herself.

Glorious tells the hilarious true story of the world’s worst opera singer Florence Foster Jenkins. This West End and world-wide hit was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award -Best New Comedy (2005) and has been seen by two million plus people across six continents.

This heart-warming comedy moves from Florence's charity recitals and lavish balls, through to her very odd recording sessions and her ultimate performance triumph at New York’s Carnegie Hall, incorporating her wonderfully colourful relationships along the way.

Diana McLean as Florence , best known for The Young Doctors,

AUTUMN SALON MARCH 9 - APRIL 29

Aboriginal and select abstract art in brilliant colour, black & white + Kimberley ochres

ART PARADE

EASTER SATURDAY MARCH 31 AT 2.30PM Unique presentation of 60+ Aboriginal art works with informative commentary. Bookings essential: mccullochart.eventbrite.com.au. Or as below:

128 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento t: 03 5984 1762 m: 0438 537 757 e: marlenemiller3@bigpond.com Specialising in antique jewellery, as well as newly-made jewellery by Melbourne’s top Jewellers

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WHISTLEWOOD 642 Tucks Road, Shoreham,VIC 3916 T: 59 898 282 | E: info@mccullochandmcculloch.com.au Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays, 11am–4pm mccullochandmcculloch.com.au

Number 96 and All Saints, heads the cast of three, which has been skilfully written by Peter Quilter.

“Florence was a very complex person when you look at everything she achieved. She was almost ahead of her time, “McLean said. “She was born into a very wealthy family and was obviously very wilful and very spoilt. When she announced she wanted to sing, her father – in retrospect, quite reasonably – refused to allow her. However, this was not an answer she accepted and so took herself off to Paris at just 17, only to marry a doctor 20 years older than herself. She broke a lot of taboos that women of her background just didn't do."

Jenkins’s fashion sense was just as quirky and dishevelled as her singing and personality, yet friends rallied around the bright and bubbly woman in awe of her bravado.

charity recitals and extravagant balls, through to her bizarre recording sessions and an ultimate triumph at Carnegie Hall in this hilarious and heart-warming comedy.

More than 70 years after her death, Foster Jenkins remains a cult figure in opera circles and her recitals are the stuff of legend. During her final days, Jenkins reportedly said, "People may say I can't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing."

Glorious is being performed at the Frankston Arts Centre, Thursday April 5 at 7.30pm. www.artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au

“She is actually quite a lovable character and really fun to play,” said McLean, who took lessons to learn to sing badly. "My singing coach explained that the big risk of trying to sing badly is that you end up straining your voice. You have to approach it for real to sing like Florence did. You have to put some power into it, know where the note is, and then land somewhere underneath it. While it is fun to portray an offbeat character like this, it is also quite disciplined.”

Based upon a true story, the play Glorious spins from Florence's

MARCH & APRIL 2018

WHAT’S ON AT MORNINGTON PENINSULA REGIONAL GALLERY

EXHIBITIONS

EVENTS

PLAY ON: THE ART OF SPORT

MPRG KIDS FAMILY DAY:

10 YEARS OF THE BASIL SELLERS ART PRIZE

Saturday 7 April

A NETS Victoria and Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne touring exhibition

Check the fixture, slip on some sports gear and enjoy an art and sports day in the April school holidays. Art activities, demonstrations, rock climbing, face painting, gymnastics, kung fu, table tennis, exhibition tour and more.

2 March – 29 April 2018 An exhibition that reflects upon Australia’s sporting culture featuring work by Jon Campbell, Richard Lewer, Shaun Gladwell and Fiona McMonagle amongst others.

LOLA GREENO: CULTURAL JEWELS ADC On Tour: Australian Design Centre national touring exhibition

2 March – 15 April 2018 An important exhibition of Lola Greeno’s works, an iconic Australian artist from Tasmania, whose career spans 30 years.

Richard Lewer, The theatre of sports 2016 (detail), oil on canvas, Courtesy of the artist Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney and Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide, Collection of Basil Sellers AM, Photo credit: Andrew Curtis

CAMPBELL VS LEWER Tuesday 27 March In this unique event, well known artists talk art and sport over a friendly match of table tennis.

mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au adults $4 concession $2

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OPERATION RHINO DROP

SCULPTURE TRAVELS 800KM TO RAISE MONEY FOR RHINO CONSERVATION

I

t’s not every day you spot a three-metre, 100-kilogram rhino cruising down the highway on the back of a trailer.

“I fully believe in and support the amazing work being done by the Australian Rhino Project.

But that’s the sight motorists between Melbourne and Adelaide were treated to recently, when ‘Hope’ the rhino makes the 800-kilometre interstate journey.

“It is incredible to see different countries working together in a collective bid to ensure the survival of the species – it really does give hope.”

The impressive corten steel sculpture is the work of awardwinning Melbourne artist Matt Hill, who is donating the piece to the Australian Rhino Project.

The Australian Rhino Project aims to bring 35 white rhinoceros to Australia, where they can breed in safety, far from the clutches of poachers.

The Australian Rhino Project aims to help protect the African rhinoceros from extinction by establishing a breeding herd of rhinos in Australia with a dedicated open plain facility at South Australia’s Monarto Zoo. At the current rate of poaching – driven largely by the market for rhino horn in Asia – rhinos are set to become extinct within a decade.

Mr Hill will transported Hope from his home on the peninsula to Adelaide Zoo for the Zoos South Australia Rhino Gala where the piece is being auctioned.

The metal fabricator says when he first learned about the dire state of rhino poaching in Africa, he was shocked and stirred to action.

“Rhino poaching has reached crisis levels and it is so sad to think that we could soon lose these majestic creatures altogether.

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It is an ambitious goal, with a cost of $70,000 for each rhino relocated from South Africa.

Funds raised at the gala dinner will go towards the construction of a $600,000 Rhino Management Centre at Monarto Zoo. Sarah Dennis, project manager for the Australian Rhino Project, said it was an honour to have Mr Hill’s sculpture donated to the cause.

“The Australian Rhino Project was really overwhelmed with the generosity of Matt to donate his beautiful rhino sculpture and we are truly grateful for his support.” www.australianrhinoproject.org www.matthillprojects.com

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Eat & Drink

HELD IN HIGH

Regard

By Melissa Walsh

Photos Yanni

f you have ever dined on the Mornington Peninsula it is most likely you will have enjoyed a beautiful meal prepared by local restaurateur Bernard Ricca, who has been a chef for some 33 years. The chilled-out peninsula chef has run and owned multiple restaurants in several different locations across the peninsula, having found his home at Stumpy Gully Vineyard for the past four years.

I

he loves and letting the food speak for itself.

At Stumpy Gully Winery, Bernard prepares an elevated menu highlighting regional delicacies, such as figs, quinces, and freshly caught whiting, flathead, snapper, and calamari.

The restaurant’s signature dish is Roast Duck Breast, which is served with a star-anise-flavoured bittersweet orange sauce, coriander crepe, and gingered bok choy.

At Regardz Restaurant, enjoy dishes that have been around for a quarter of a century with the ever popular lemon tart, the duck, and an incredible vacherin – a passionfruit ice cream sandwiched between discs of meringue and completely coated with whipped cream and a berry coulis.

“I still travel up to the Queen Victoria market each week at 4.45am to get the best and freshest produce and the menu evolves according to what food is there,” said Bernard, from the Regardz Restaurant kitchen. “I still have old favourites on the menu that people have been loving for 25 years and keep coming back time and time again for.”

It has turned out to be a winning recipe with the combination of Bernard’s culinary skills in his Regardz Restaurant, and the family winemakers who have enjoyed decades of experience at Stumpy Gully Vineyard.

After having long been regarded as a distinctive chef and a culinary leader in the Mornington area, Bernard continues to bring his culinary skills to his Regardz Restaurant, which has inspired a strong following from locals and visitors alike for three decades.

The restaurant has been designed to promote relaxed dining with floor-to-ceiling windows framing vistas of the vines and a lovely expansive deck for alfresco dining.

“I have customers who have become friends over the many years and followed me to each restaurant,” said Bernard of the cult following his culinary talents have inspired.

Owner Michael convinced the well-known chef to start a restaurant on the property. “I was selling wine to Bernard and he needed a delivery to which I said you have to pick it up yourself. When he came here I showed him the space and before long we had started a restaurant here. One thing we pride ourselves on is providing good quality and good value wines and now we can combine that with the good quality and good value food as well at Regardz Restaurant,” said Michael.

Regardz Restaurant is the perfect venue that showcases the vineyard’s beautiful wines, with a seasonal menu that Bernard and his handpicked team create to ensure the ultimate dining experience.

For Bernard it was an opportunity to continue doing what

Regardz is at Stumpy Gully Vineyard, 1247 Stumpy Gully Rd, Moorooduc.

Phone 1800 788 679 www.stumpygully.com.au/regardz

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ONE REGION, TWO FAMILIES, 35 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE DINNER EVENT: SATURDAY 17TH MARCH 2018, 6:30PM.

T

wo of the Mornington Peninsula’s pioneering families of food and wine are bringing together a celebration of soil and sea.

The De Santis and Crittenden families pay homage to their regional community to bring you this exquisite feast using local produce, wines and the combined talents of their respective teams including head chef at The Rocks, Xavier Nalty.

Julius Caesar restaurant in Mornington, owned by De Santis matriarch Mirella De Santis, was in the early 1980s the go-to dining offering on the Peninsula. The Crittendens were frequent diners, going so far as to have a regular Friday night booking. Fast track 35 years and although the dining landscape in the region has changed, The Rocks, established

by Mirella’s son, Rob, is again one of the Peninsula’s premier dining destinations.

The early 80s was also a time that Crittenden Estate was being established by patriarch Garry Crittenden. A pioneer winery for the region, today it continues to flourish under the hands of Garry’s children Rollo and Zoe Crittenden, with the ever-enduring Garry watching on as Rollo produces the quality artisan wines that the winery is known for.

The De Santis and Crittenden families have succeeded in their pursuits due largely to the support of their community, their suppliers and of course customers who champion what they do.

Join us for this five-course dinner carefully matched to Crittenden wines in the Crittenden Wine Centre, as these two well-known food and wine icons showcase the local talent and produce that abounds.

Please note that this event will be held at Crittenden Estate, 25 Harrisons Rd, Dromana. To book your place go to: www.crittendenwines.com.au.

Pictured: Rollo, Gary and Zoe Crittenden

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Recipe REGARDZ ROAST PORK BELLY INGREDIENTS: Pork belly Duck or chicken stock Garlic Ginger Chili Star anise Ketchap manis Dressing: Lemon juice, finely chopped garlic,

chilli skin, Thai fish sauce, palm sugar, peanuts, Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, dill, mint, coriander

Mix ketchap manis, oyster sauce, palm sugar to glaze the pork.

Serve with salad and dressing.

METHOD:

SALAD:

Cut pork belly into 25cm square cubes. Cook for two hours in stock, and add garlic, ginger, chili, star anise, ketchap manis.

Drain and cool.

Shredded granny smith apple, green mango and ginger.

Regardz is at Stumpy Gully Vineyard, 1247 Stumpy Gully Rd, Moorooduc.

Phone 1800 788 679 www.stumpygully.com.au/regardz

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now open St Kilda’s favourite taco masters are coming to Mornington, cooking great tasty tacos made with all natural ingredients and hot fresh salsa.

POP UP TACO BAR Ta c o s quesadilla NACHOS mexican beer

Margaritas

Happy hour 3-5 pm - daily

OPEN 5-10 pm - THur 12 pm - Late - Fri - SUN

787 Esplanade, Mornington Bookings: 5975 2055 /juanatacomornington

Dishes

Must try

Pork cutlet with pumpkin, black barley, fennel & nutmeg.

Monkey Business 1/277 Point Nepean Road, Dromana Phone 5981 0685

Panfried breast of free range chicken, served on a corned beef and sweet potato rosti, drizzled with an Irish cream mustard sauce.

The Dubliner

23 Octavia Street, Mornington Phone 0419 130 139

Open for breakfast everyday from 9am Monday to Thursday: 9am - 5pm Friday & Saturday: 9am - 10pm Sunday: 9am - 5pm

945 Moorooduc Hwy, Moorooduc Ph 03 5978 8049 www.barmahparkwines.com.au info@barmahparkwines.com.au

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Wagu beef burger with bacon, double cheese, BBQ lager sauce & fried onion rings St Andrews Beach Brewery 160 Sandy Road, Fingal Phone 5988 6854 www.standrewsbeachbrewery.com.au.com.au

BBQ yearling eye fillet, steamed broccoli, red wine jus, Dutch potato chips & caramelised onion.

Regardz @ Stumpy Gully

Pork and slaw on toasted sourdough with paprika hollandaise and chilli jam

Smashed Avocado Barmah Park Restaurant & Cellar Door 945 Moorooduc Hwy, Moorooduc Phone 5978 8049 www.barmahparkwines.com.au

Pier Street Kitchen Cafe, Wine & Catering 19 Pier Street, Dromana Phone 5981 4666 www.pierstreetkitchen.com.au

1247 Stumpy Gully Rd, Moorooduc Phone 1800 788 679 www.regardzatstumpygully.com.au

MODERN STYLE AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE CUISINE. EXPERIENCED CHEF FROM CHINA.

Must try our new style chinese dishes and homemade dumplings.

No MSG. BYO, dine-in, takeaway, home delivery, Private catering service available.

166 Main Street, Mornington (next to commonwealth bank)

5973 4376

anskitchen.com.au March 2018

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BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | 889 POINT NEPEAN ROAD, ROSEBUD | OPEN 7 DAYS - 7AM-11PM

ALL THINGS GREEK

By Melissa Walsh

Photos Yanni

With a vision to bring her own version of Greek culinary experience to the Mornington Peninsula, it wasn’t long before pastry chef Ari Rigogiannis had the plans in place to start her own Pier Café.

With nearly two decades of hospitality experience from Greece as well as some of the best establishments in Melbourne, Ari renovated and fitted out a convenient corner of Rosebud with an inviting modern-Greek décor with outdoor and indoor seating at The Pier Café.

for all your K I TC H E N ES SE N T I A LS TRADE SALES DIRECT TO PUBLIC

We stock major brands covering commercial catering equipment, kitchen utensils, professional barware, glassware, uniforms, tableware and more.

Opening hours - Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm 71 BARKLY STREET MORNINGTON, VIC 3931 (03) 5977 2020 | DHSUPPLIES.COM.AU

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A woman who is not afraid of hard work, Ari soon created a light and bright space out of a formerly tired property to unveil the Pier Café which turned out to be instantly popular.

“We opened over Christmas and it was huge, with big crowds coming in straight away,” said Ari, from the café.

The baptism of fire turned out to be the best thing for the chef, who learnt very quickly how to run a busy café.

“We were instantly popular with cakes, coffees and some favourite drinks and now we are fully licensed and have a full menu,” she said. “We make all our own desserts on the premises with everything from baklava, lemon melts, panacotta with raspberry coulis, galaktoboureko, and macarons. Our menu is constantly evolving, and you are welcome to come here for a coffee or a full meal as we serve

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lunch and dinner. We have wonderful seafood and a great variety of meals for every taste and budget.”

The Pier Café provides to the Mornington Peninsula region its own unique Greek dining experience with indulgent Greek classics; delicious fresh seafood dishes and, of course, some decadent home-made cakes and desserts.

Don’t be surprised if they also feature some ‘themed nights’ showcasing exquisite food from other cultures.

Pier Café is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

Pier Café is at 889 Point Nepean Road, Rosebud. Phone 5910 0540.

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Chiltern days: A young Doctor Rohner.

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History

THE CURIOUS CASE OF DOCTOR ROHNER

By Peter McCullough

I

n November 1888, Dr Charles William Rohner MD opened his practice in Hastings. He was the town’s first doctor. On 9 January 1890, he disappeared without trace.

At the time there were several theories about his fate but the mystery remains unsolved. *** Who was Dr Rohner?

Charles William Rohner was born in Austria on 14 December 1832, the son of Johann Martin Rohner and Anna Maria (nee Gmeiner). He studied medicine at the University of Prague, graduating in 1858. Dr Rohner then travelled to England where he boarded the Queen of the East in 1859 as an unassisted immigrant bound for Australia.

Where did he practise?

Dr Rohner appears to have headed to northeast Victoria on his arrival, as the following advertisement started to appear regularly in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser from October 1859: “Dr Rohner, Surgeon and Accoucheur, has succeeded to the practice, and taken the residence of, Dr Muller, Stanley, where he may be consulted daily.”

By 1862, Dr Rohner had shifted his practice to Chiltern and on 20 May of that year, he married Margaret Emmeline Edmonds in Albury. The Rohners had eight children, most of whom were born in Chiltern. Although his somewhat eccentric behaviour and beliefs earned him the scorn of some locals and the press, Dr Rohner was none-the-less given a public farewell at the time of his departure in 1876. In fact, the following paragraph appeared in The Argus: “Chiltern. Dr Rohner, who is leaving the district after a residence of 17 years, was entertained at a banquet at the Star Hotel today.

An illuminated address, handsomely framed, was presented to him.

About 40 gentlemen were present. Mr B J Bartley, president of the shire council, presided.”

(It could be said that the doctor left his mark on the town as there is still a Rohner Street in Chiltern) Although it was stated that Dr Rohner’s term was 17 years, this would have included his time in Stanley. It would also have included a period in New Zealand around 1865. It is unclear as to the purpose of his visit (work or vacation?) or how long he spent there. However The Argus of 21 January 1865 reported:

The Constitution of Wednesday says: “Concerning the moa, Dr Rohner, who a day or two ago arrived in Chiltern from New Zealand, says out of a large quantity of bones transmitted some months ago to some celebrity in Frankfurt, two complete skeletons were set up....”

So among his other areas of expertise, the good doctor also purported to be an expert on an extinct flightless bird from across the Tasman!

From Chiltern, Dr Rohner moved to Hamilton and while there he attended an accident involving the wife of Alfred Tennyson Dickens (son of Charles). Mrs Dickens was killed when thrown from her carriage after the horses bolted (Hamilton Spectator 14 December 1878). His departure from Hamilton was apparently quite amicable for on 25 January 1879, the local paper carried the following item: “Presentation to Dr Rohner. Yesterday morning, about twenty members of the Hamilton Chess Club and friends of Dr Rohner assembled at the Victoria Hotel to take farewell of him... In handing over the gift (three handsomely bound volumes of the History of England accompanied by a splendid portrait of Her Majesty) Mr Laidlaw complimented Dr Rohner, if not actually as founder of the club, at all events as a gentleman who had done more than any other to promote the interests of chess in the district...”

This ability at chess was apparently passed on to his second son, William Aberlard, for on the 1 February 1879, the Williamstown Chronicle had a story about 12-year-old Willie Rohner whom it described as a “chess prodigy and composer”. The article goes on to say: “His father, the worthy and genial Dr Rohner, also favoured our president (ie of Williamstown Chess Club) with some lively skirmishes over the checkered board before his departure for Bright.”

The next decade or so of Dr Rohner’s life appears to be unsettled for from Bright he moved to Benalla, returning to Chiltern for a second term in 1880.

On 27 May 1884, the North East Ensign reported that Dr Rohner had revived the wife of a cabman in Tungamah who had taken poison by mistake. Then on 13 January 1885, the Ensign stated: “Dr Rohner, well known in Benalla, currently residing in Tungamah, has been appointed health officer to the Yarrawonga Shire Council.”

The Tungamah stay must have been short for the South Bourke and Mornington Journal on 3 August 1887 reported that an item in the continued next page...

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The general store: Prossers Store in Hastings, opposite Dr Rohner’s practice, and the location of the present museum.

minutes of the Phillip Island Shire Council stated that “Dr Rohner MD reported a case of diptheria at Griffiths Point”. However, by November 1888, the first of his regular advertisements appeared in the above-mentioned newspaper stating: “Dr C W Rohner MD has commenced the practice of his profession in Hastings, and may be consulted at his own residence, Mistress Rennie’s, opposite Prosser’s Store.”

The departure from Phillip Island was full of rancour and, in 1889, the Journal published Dr Rohner’s letter to the council lamenting the non-payment of “...the debt of 100 pounds which these good and honest Christians owe me for work and labour done for them and the public without fee or reward...”

Dr Rohner stated that: “The councillors are just about as fit to act in the capacity of a local board of health as they are unfit to keep a pigstye clean.” For an advocate of spiritualism, he was not beyond turning to the Bible for some support: “I call upon the holy spirit of Moses to proclaim the eleventh commandment of his hitherto defective catalogue, saying unto the children of the earth-from thundering and spitfire Mt Sinai: ‘Man. Thou shalt be fair and just in thy dealings with thy brother’.”

What sort of person was Dr Rohner?

The tone of his correspondence suggests a degree of volatility in his temperament. The word “eccentric” appears regularly in the newspapers and, the public send-offs notwithstanding, he ruffled plenty of feathers. Three issues that gained him more than a little publicity were: 1. The skull of John McCallum. This drama was reported in The

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Argus on 9 January 1871, and then again three days later: “Strange Conduct of a Coroner. Dr Rohner, deputy coroner, wrote to the Ovens Advertiser referring to a document read out at a recent meeting of the Indigo Road Board, calling attention to the appropriation by the deputy coroner of the skull of the late John McCallum, formerly a member of that board, and who died some time back in the Chiltern lockup.

“The document was signed by the widow of the deceased, Margaret McCallum, and is said to have contained some exaggerated statements, amongst others to the effect that the skull referred to had been exhibited by the coroner in several places as a curiosity.

Nettled by these accusations, Dr Rohner had replied and... in a most ungentlemanlike manner, he endeavoured to insult and wound the feelings of Mrs McCallum. The facts of the case are said to be that Dr Rohner retained a piece of the late Mr McCallum’s skull, not the whole skull, as stated in the letter to the Indigo Board, which he exhibited on various occasions to a few of his friends.”

The Argus 12 January 1871: “Another extraordinary letter from Dr Rohner, deputy coroner of Chiltern, appears in the Federal Standard on the subject of the skull of the man McCallum. It is headed ‘Numbskulls and other Skulls’ and contains the writer’s reply to a recent letter written by Mr Herman Ruppin.

“The following is a specimen of the doctor’s controversial style: ‘What I mean to stamp as a deliberate and bare-faced falsehood is his (Mr Ruppin’s) assertion that I showed him the bone in question before Mr John McCallum’s funeral... After this, never trust a Jew. They are bound to have their pound of flesh, however little they may care about bones’.”

The excuse that he only exhibited a portion of Mr McCallum’s skull did not impress the Indigo Road Board, particularly as at one time Mr McCallum had been a colleague. Within days the matter was mentioned in parliament and on 4 March 1871, The Argus reported: “Dr Rohner’s removal from the commission of the peace and the office of deputy coroner is gazetted.”

(Footnote: According to local folk lore, Dr Rohner kept a skull on one corner of his desk while he was in practice in Chiltern. Did Mr McCallum become a permanent exhibit?)

2. His advocacy of spiritualism.

Dr Rohner would have been loved by journalists at The Argus for he always seemed to be good for a story. This item appeared in that paper on 28 October 1871 when the skull story was fresh in everyone’s mind (If it doesn’t make sense, please do not contact Peninsula Essence for an explanation): “The eccentric Dr Rohner of Chiltern is still lecturing on the subjects of spiritualism and magic. At a recent lecture he mentioned that... as a statistical curiosity, that to the best of his knowledge there was not at present a single scientific magician in Australia, only a few in America and England, but there was a great number in France and Germany, in which latter countries the science of ‘Haute Magic’ was always considered the keystone of the education of a thorough philosopher.

“The doctor took the opportunity to state that he was authorized by the brotherhood to which he belonged to introduce new members to their society, the leading principles of which were light, intelligence, progress, love and wisdom, linked together with moral rectitude, genius, harmony and beauty".

“The following caution to spiritists,” says the Ovens Advertiser, concluded one of the most remarkable lectures ever delivered in Chiltern, if not the colony: ‘Yes, spiritists, the spirits which speak to you in the tables are the spirits of your blood. You fatigue and exhaust yourselves only to put your own soul into the wood of your furniture, like those priests of Mexico who thought they were giving a soul to their idols by daubing them over the smoking blood of human victims. What you are doing now was done long before the birth of Christ; it was done and is still done in India; it is, moreover, done amongst the savages, where the jungles form a circle round the altar of their gods with ghastly heads, the hair of which is dripping with blood, and you only magnetise your furniture by impoverishing your brain as well as your heart. Why would you be in such a hurry to see the spirits of your departed friends; surely you will see them soon enough when your proper time to see them has come, without degrading your faculties to the lowest degree of madness. Believe me, it is a false religious sentiment to build your arguments for the immortality of the soul upon the spurious facts of spiritualism'." (The Argus, 18 October 1871) Although all of this may appear to be incomprehensible, Dr Rohner’s contribution to the concept was widely known for on 26 August 1884 The South Australian Register, under the heading ‘The Freethought Battle’, quotes Dr Rohner “...who has made a careful investigation of spiritual phenomena”.

Whether or not it was linked with his views on spiritualism is not known, but Dr Rohner frequently warned of the dangers of “animal magnetism which can produce sleep, insensibility... even death”. (The Argus, 14 September 1871) How all of this was received by the ordinary man in the street in Chiltern can only be guessed at. No doubt a few heads were shaken vigorously. He seemed to be involved in a number of the socalled ‘friendly societies of the North East’ and as late as 30 March

Dr Rohner about the time of his disappearance

1883, the North East Ensign announced: “Dr C W Rohner has been appointed Medical Officer of the Benalla Lodge of Oddfellows.”

A few years earlier The Argus carried a few lines that suggested Dr Rohner’s relationship with the societies was not always friendly: “MEDICAL- In reference to an advertisement that lately appeared in The Argus inviting ‘Applications from medical gentlemen to attend the united societies at Wandiligong’, the following has already appeared in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser: AOF Court Little John No. 4001.

“The members of the above court at Bright, Wandiligong and the surrounding district generally are hereby notified that, notwithstanding the advertisement from the united societies at Wandiligong, Dr C W Rohner still continues to occupy the position of court surgeon. (The Argus, 8 August 1879). continued next page...

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A family portrait: Charles William Rohner (centre), with his wife on right. Top, William Ebalard, Charles Armin. Emmanuel lower right.

3.Opposition to small pox vaccination.

This also caused some friction with authorities and his views were widely known. An article on small pox vaccination which appeared in The Hobart Mercury on 5 September 1881 mentioned that Dr Rohner of Victoria was “a most determined opponent”.

Be this as it may, a month later Dr Rohner was shown in an unfavourable light by Sir Bryan O’Loughlin in the budget debate: “While it is necessary to be prepared for an outbreak of small pox, no possible good can come from raising false alarms. We have had several of these already.

“Dr Rohner of Benalla, for example, reported two cases of supposed small pox, which proved, upon investigation, to be nothing of the kind. This misdirected zeal caused a good deal of alarm in the district and much personal inconvenience... In view of the needless trouble and alarm occasioned by the Benalla episode, Inspector Montfort has suggested to the Central Board of Health that Dr Rohner be requested to report in future to the local police any suspicious cases that may come under his notice...” (The Argus, 6 October 1881) What was Dr Rohner’s state of mind when he arrived in Hastings?

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Looking at the events that occurred after 1876 when he was given the public farewell following his first term in Chiltern, it would be reasonable to suggest that Dr Rohner’s life was unsettled; he had shifted his practice a number of times and his departure from Phillip Island had been unpleasant. Furthermore, the unexpected death of his eldest son undoubtedly took its toll. This tragedy was reported in the Euroa Advertiser on 17 May 1889: “We are sorry to chronicle the death of Mr Charles Rohner which took place at Shepparton on Sunday last, from typhoid fever. Mr Rohner, who was the son of Dr C W Rohner, for many years a resident of this town, was well known in Benalla, where his mother still resides. He was up at Benalla on Monday with the Shepparton Fire Brigade, taking part in the Fire Brigade Demonstration. The news of his death caused a widespread feeling of regret.”

When did the doctor disappear?

The Victorian Police Gazette of 15 January 1890 contained the following missing person notice: “Enquiry is requested for Charles Henry (sic) Rohner who is missing from his home, Hastings, since 9th instant. Description: Austrian, medical man, slightly foreign accent, 58 years of age, 6 feet 1 inch high, stout build, erect gait, dark hair turning grey, grey beard, whiskers and moustache, wore grey tweed sac-suit, brown tweed hat and lace-up boots. Well-known

in the North-Eastern district. Fears are entertained for his safety as he was in a melancholy state of mind prior to his disappearance.14th January, 1890.”

So what happened to Dr. Rohner?

It would seem that his disappearance co-incided with the unexpected arrival in Hastings of his wife from whom he was estranged. But what actually happened to him? There are two main schools of thought: suicide (as believed by his friends in the north-east) or he “shot through”(according to “the locals”.) A return to Austria was even suggested by some supporters of this second theory. The two opposing views were well expressed in the language of the day in the respective local papers and it seems appropriate to quote from them: 1. Suicide theory “Disappearance of Dr. Rohner. With respect to the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Charles W. Rohner, the opinion in Benalla is that he has committed suicide. A letter dated Hastings 20th December was received from him by Dr. F. Wurm, jeweller, who besides being a fellow countryman, was one of his personal friends.

The communication, written in German, was marked throughout by a despondent tone. The writer stated that a dark cloud, which he was afraid he was powerless to absolve, had haunted him for some time, and he went on to speak of the happiness to be obtained in the next world as in every sense preferable to the present. He referred especially to the death of Mr. Crawford, a well-known resident of Benalla, who committed suicide by drowning a few weeks ago, and gave it as his opinion that his (Crawford’s) act of self destruction was due to the influence of evil spirits which he had come in contact with. It is also known that Dr. Rohner felt very keenly the death of his eldest son, who fell a victim of typhoid at Shepparton some months ago, and in fact, taken in conjunction with the strange communication referred to, forces Mr. Wurm and others to the opinion that the doctor has done away with himself. For some time he practised his profession in Benalla. He was a man of exceptional literary attainments, and was perhaps best known to most people as a strong opponent of vaccination.” -Euroa Advertiser, 24th January, 1890.(also The Argus.)

2. “Shot through” theory “Hastings. The alarm which has been created in some men’s minds by the departure of Dr. C.W. Rohner from Hastings is not, I venture to predict, justified by the facts of the case. An absurd article appeared in a Melbourne journal leaning to the side of the terrible and desperate-those sentiments so dear to the dull and barren soul of a reading public. There was no mystery about the doctor’s disappearance, as the cause thereof was distinctly proved by the arrival of his wife the same afternoon, from whom he had been for years estranged, and the simple fact that he gave no notice of his departure and left no address is accepted as conclusive evidence that he has come to an untimely end. The writer in the article referred to says the doctor left his watch and jewellery behind. Now it is a well-known fact that he did not possess or wear any jewellery. The writer also says that on the following day the police were informed, whereas three days elapsed before the subject was mentioned to the police, and the scribe asserts that the police stated that the doctor had not left by train, coach, boat or any conveyance whatever.

Constable McCaig said nothing of the sort: he merely said that he was unable to trace the doctor after the lapse of three days. The translation of the words in the diary should be ascertained to be correct beyond the possibility of doubt, as there appears to be a difference of opinion on the subject. It is also said by the writer that the police constable scoured the country (whatever that may mean)

and that he searched about the pier, insinuating, but not daring to say, that the water had been dragged. Now I venture to affirm that the conclusion arrived at by those lovers of the mysterious is not borne out by the facts of the case, which are extremely simple in themselves, and that all the reasoning alluded to above is incorrect and the outcome of a morbid imagination, desirous to please the admirers of the sensational. It is true that the doctor drew out of continued next page...

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Lake View, Chiltern

the bank a small balance and gave it to his daughter, and it is also true that he was known to have in his possession a considerable sum a short time previous to his departure. Those who conversed eight hours previous could notice nothing peculiar in his manner. I have been intimately acquainted with the doctor for the last 15 months and I have no fear for his safety, the cause of his departure being to avoid a domestic conflict but what his ulterior plans may be I know not, and the mystery which it is attempted to attach to the matter, I regard as absurd.”-South Bourke and Mornington Journal, 29th January, 1890. It should be mentioned that, because of the “considerable sum” which Dr. Rohner was apparently carrying, some locals wondered whether he may have been murdered. This suggestion, however, does not appear to have had any support amongst the various newspaper correspondents.

Was there ever any trace of Dr. Rohner?

For some months the residents of the little seaside village pondered the fate of their first doctor. Then in early May some boys playing in Kings Creek made a discovery; word spread quickly that they had found Dr. Rohner. The excitement soon abated when the bones turned out to be those of a dead cow. The Hastings correspondent of the South Bourke and Mornington Journal, who had so strongly advocated the “shot through” argument in January, was rather caustic in his comments (see previous page) While there has been on-going speculation as to Dr. Rohner’s fate, one fact is clear: there was never any registration of his death in the Victorian death index. *** What of Dr. Rohner’s family?

As mentioned, Dr. Rohner married Margaret Emmeline Edmonds in 1862. At the time of his disappearance they were estranged and she evidently arrived in Hastings on the same afternoon of his disappearance.

The family apparently assumed that Dr. Rohner was no longer alive and he must have left them in straitened circumstances for the following letter, having already appeared in The Argus, was printed

in the North East Ensign on 24th February, 1891: “Sir. On behalf of the widow and family of the late Dr. C.W.Rohner I have made an appeal to the medical profession in particular and will thank you to take charge of any contributions which may be sent to you to allow acknowledgement to be made through the columns of your newspaper. Yours etc. S. Jacoby, Esplanade St. Kilda. Feb 14.”

Mrs. Rohner lived for almost 30 years after the disappearance of her husband. The personal columns of The Argus of 5th January, 1918 informed readers of her death: “On 31st December, 1917 at 38 Lewisham Road, Windsor, Margaret E. relict of the late Dr. Charles William Rohner, aged 77 years. (Interred privately in the Boroondarra Cemetery, Kew, on 2nd January.)”

A similar notice appeared in the North East Ensign on 11th January, 1918 and mentioning that Mrs Rohner had been in indifferent health for some considerable time. It also mentioned that there were three surviving children; they would have been one son (Emmanuel) and two daughters (Hypatia and Corinna.)

Of the eight children , there are not a lot of descendants: 1. Charles Armin Rohner-born in Chiltern 1863 but died of typhoid in Shepparton in 1889. Never married.

2. William Aberlard Rohner-born in Chiltern 1865 and died in 1901. He was a watchmaker and the cause of his death was listed as “abscess on the brain.” The following notice appeared in The Argus on 11th May, 1901: “Rohner - on 6th May at Cobram, William, dearly loved husband of Mary Rohner and second son of the late Dr. Rohner and Mrs. Rohner, St. Kilda, aged 37 years.”

William married Mary Jane Burke whose death, “... late of Cobram, aged 79 years...”was recorded in the Sunshine Advocate on 13 February, 1942. It states that she “...was the mother of continued next page...

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Mr. Ray Rohner, well-known locally, and also Will and Nellie (Mrs. F. Bolton). Bill and Beryl Rohner and Keith Bolton are grandchildren.” As well as Keith, Nellie also had two other sons (Ian and Clifford) and a daughter (Nancy). William’s marriage to Mary Jane Bourke was not approved of by the Doctor as she was a local girl; this caused a rift between father and son!

the disappearance of Hypatia’s father was never discussed; it would appear to have been a taboo subject! However Mrs. Loughran was able to shed some light on the adopted daughter of John and Hypatia Jones: it was believed within the family that she was the illegitimate daughter of Corinna who was apparently jilted as a young woman.

Bill Rohner (a great-grandson of the Doctor) married Mavis King in 1953 and they had three children: Christine, Jeanette and Peter. There are two boys from Peter’s marriage, so the Rohner name continues. Bill and Mavis Rohner moved to Wahring in their retirement, close to Jeanette and her husband, Murray. Bill died in 2007 but Mavis, at 85, still plays the organ in the Uniting Church in Murchison. She and her grandson, David Robinson, have released a CD titled “Across the Years.”

5. Corinna Delores Rohner-born in Chiltern 1875 and died in Fairfield in 1957. Did not marry.

3. Ferdinand Charles Rohner-born in Chiltern 1868 and died in Chiltern the following year. (Ferdinand was named after the Doctor’s only brother.)

4. Hypatia Irene Rohner-born in Chiltern 1869 and apparently came to Hastings with her father in 1888 as his housekeeper. She must have stayed on in Hastings for in 1891 she married John Henry Newton Jones, the son of a Hastings fisherman, Evan Gilbert Jones. Her husband was a missionary employed by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints and they spent time in South Australia and New Zealand. They had no children but adopted a daughter (Phyllis Doran).Hypatia died at Ivanhoe in 1955. Anne Loughran of Maidstone is a granddaughter of William Jones, a younger brother of John, and recalls visiting “aunt ‘Patia” at Ivanhoe prior to her death in 1955. The mystery surrounding

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8.Ania Mara-born in Chiltern 1883 and died soon afterwards.

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7. Emmanuel Candide Rohner-born in Bright 1879 and died in Elwood in 1940. He married Margaret Jane Anderson and they had one daughter (Gwendoline) who married (Harold Ernest Neill)and had a son (Barry Neill). Barry had a son and a daughter.

Emmanuel married Maggie Jane Plowright after the death of his first wife. Emmanuel and Laura lived in close proximity and were confectioners in the St. Kilda area at one time. They were both fined for selling tobacco /cigarettes on a Sunday in 1915 - not long before Laura died. (Emmanuel would have only been 11 when his father disappeared).

6 AND 12 MONTH SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE Select the subscription period and each month, Peninsula Essence will be mailed to you in a sealed plastic bag.

LOVE PENINSULA ESSENCE AND DON’T WANT TO MISS A COPY? David Barke David Bark e Beddin Bedd ingg

6. Laura Beatrice Rohner-born in Hamilton 1877 and died in St. Kilda in 1916. Although she predeceased her mother, Laura married (William Thomas George Hallam) and had two daughters: Irene (who died at the age of 20) and Brenda (who married Richard Dunstan and had two children).

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E ssence

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March 2018

A link with Australian literature WHEN Dr. Rohner departed Chiltern in 1876 he sold his practice to Dr. Walter Lindsay Richardson.

The Richardsons lived in “Lake View”, now owned by the National Trust, and although the family moved on after 18 months, the town made a lasting impression on their elder daughter, Ethel Florence.

Writing under her pen name of Henry Handel Richardson, Ethel wrote a number of classic novels including “The Getting of Wisdom”, based on her experience as a boarder at PLC, and “Maurice Guest”, which was set in Leipzig where she studied at the Conservatorium.

Richardson’s best-known work, however,was “The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney” (pictured), a trilogy about the slow decline, owing to character flaws and an unnamed brain disease of a successful Australian physician and businessman, and the emotional/financial effect on his family. The central characters were based loosely on her own parents. It is understood that the town of Barambogie referred to

by Richardson is in fact Chiltern and Dr. Rummel is drawn from her father’s predecessor, Dr. Rohner.

FOOTNOTE: As well as the information provided by Jeanette Robinson, the assistance given by Shirley Davies of the Hastings Western Port Historical Society is greatly appreciated. Special thanks to the Chiltern Athenaeum for the photographs.

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PENINSULA

Corner

Puzzle

ACROSS 1. Record of court proceedings 6. Incandescent 10. John & ... Kennedy 15. Smug moralist 18. Trace 19. Prickled 20. Profoundly wise 22. Become independent 23. Acrobat's apparatus 24. One of a pair 25. Wealthy LA suburb, ... Air 26. Crawled 28. Gulf 30. Director, ... Howard 31. French farewell 32. Sit in relaxed way 33. Indication 34. Singer, ... Minogue 35. Off-key 37. Roster 39. Therapeutic water tub 40. Match before final 42. As soon as 45. Strengthen 48. Data 49. Jolt 50. Church service fragrance 53. Deciduous tree 54. Switzerland's currency 56. Euphoric drug 59. Grain husks 61. Sticky coal by-product 62. Hand-make (jumper) 63. Khmer Rouge tyrant, ... Pot 64. Roman X 65. Plane's wing brake 66. Litigate 68. Ridiculous 69. Spy writer, ... Fleming 70. Hush-hush (3-6) 71. Explained 72. Buck's mate 73. Unorthodox 74. I have (1'2) 76. Commuter treadmill (3,4) 78. Harmful look (4,3) 80. Diversity 81. Shielded 84. Wood-turning machine

85. Hung loosely 87. Swift 89. Basic kitchen condiment 92. Utter (3-3-3) 94. Delivered unreturnable serve 96. Intermittently (3,3,2) 97. Sprang (from) 98. Movement 100. Or else 101. Pudding starch 104. Besieges 105. Radio interference 107. Preamble 108. 100-to-1 chances 112. Ethiopia's Addis ...

113. Cheapens 115. Peculiarity 117. Him or ...

118. Violent intimidation 120. Some 121. Staying power 123. Altitude 125. Embroider 126. Cocktail party titbit (4,1'6) 127. Drink brand, ... Maria 129. Wind instrument 130. Gullible mug 131. Sink in middle 133. Tapering fruit 134. Queen's counsels (1,2) 136. Egypt's capital 137. Stage setting 140. Fourth month 141. Man's best friend 142. Wrinkles 146. Greek liquor 147. Exchange for money 148. Abated (5,2) 152. Deceased 154. ... & nays 155. Rugby score 156. Narrate 157. Whistle balls 159. Spike 160. Desire 162. Nudge (in ribs) 164. Of the moon 165. Be humiliated, eat humble ...

167. Noosed rope 169. Actor, ... Murphy 171. Dietary fibre, ... bran 173. Tiny community

174. Nasal opening 175. Kicked out 177. Snow-capped mountains 178. Frozen shipping hazard 179. King Charles canine 180. Well-organised 181. Moodiness 182. Enthusiastically 183. Established laws

DOWN 1. Rubbish dumps 2. Aussie city, ... Springs 3. Envying 4. Vulnerable 5. Thick string 6. Slum area 7. Beef broth (6,4) 8. Faultless 9. Rich cream cake 10. Female donkey 11. Fine leather 12. Form the basis of 13. NW US state 14. Always 16. Nonconformist 17. Italian dairy dessert 20. Scatters 21. Aladdin's lamp servant 27. Civvies (5,7) 29. Wearing glasses 35. Old-fashioned people 36. Nuclear weapon, ... bomb 38. Readily available (2,3) 41. La Scala city 43. Qualifying race 44. Nerve cell 46. Mundane 47. Most sizable 51. Beverage stimulant 52. Pessimistically 55. Zilch 56. Rapid rise 57. Grape variety, ... noir 58. Train coach 60. Lucifer's lair 67. Perpetual 69. Silly 72. Mends with needle

75. Edit (text) 77. Yarns 79. Surgically inserted 82. Moccasin-like shoes 83. Bequeathed 86. Sinn Fein leader, Gerry ...

88. Decree 90. Entirely 91. Draw along behind 92. Or near offer (1,1,1) 93. Golf mound 94. Commercial breaks 95. Savings, nest ...

98. Trust 99. Got too big for 102. Emphatic 103. Reproductive gland 104. Stand-in (4,6) 106. Chastised 108. Brittle bone disorder 109. Pushes forcibly 110. Bon vivant 111. Spun (of gymnast) 114. Army quarters 116. Role models 119. Stratosphere layer 122. Scorch 124. Pounce 125. Follow-up book 128. Quarrels 130. Namby-pamby 132. Thin porridge 135. Religious splinter group 138. Laundry clip (7,3) 139. Busybody (4,6) 141. Con 143. Rebuffs 144. Acceptance (of policy) 145. Keen sight (5,3) 149. Claiming 150. Raises to the peerage 151. Remove from homeland 153. Deeply shock 158. Performed 161. Language 163. Actor, ... Grammer 166. Urge into motion 168. Gushes 170. Speak slowly 172. At an angle 173. Cured joints of pork 176. Altered colour of

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Moorooduc

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Moorooduc is a small Victorian town on the Mornington Peninsula. It is located approximately 70 kilometres from Melbourne.

Moorooduc is a rural township in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its local government area is the Mornington Peninsula Shire.

The Mornington Railway Preservation Society operates steam and diesel train services from Moorooduc Railway Station on weekends and public holidays.

A short walk from Moorooduc railway station is the Moorooduc Quarry Flora and Fauna Reserve.

Moorooduc Primary School (No. 2327) opened on 1 November 1880, on the current site located on Mornington-Tyabb Road. In 2006, the school celebrated 125 years.

Golfers play at the Devilbend Golf Club on Loders Road and Moorooduc Saddle Club is located on Derril Road.

Moorooduc is named from an Aboriginal word meaning "flat and swampy" or "dark".

The first settlers on the Moorooduc plains were timber cutters who brought their bullock teams and camped in tents while they harvested wood. This was brought into Mornington to be shipped from the Mornington jetty to the fledgling township of Melbourne by sea, to be used for building bridges, jetties, railway lines and to fire the bakers’ovens.

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Benjamin Baxter won the contract to supply the pylons for the Schnapper Point jetty. He sourced his timber from the Moorooduc forest, which was well wooded with eucalypts, she-oak, wattle and box.

Moorooduc became an agricultural community with many of the farmers also holding slaughtering licenses.

COFFEE SAFARI Fresh brewed coffee is a must have for weekends away and Moorooduc is a must visit destination with great coffee haunts around the town. Here are a few to check out when heading down to this pretty township.

APPLE ESPRESSO 630 Moorooduc Hwy

The fruit growing industry was important to the Moorooduc district and contributed to the stable prosperity of the area. The blossoming orchards in spring and the fruit-laden trees in autumn attracted many day trippers to the district.

First plantings occurred about 1860.

Great food and coffee in a relaxed and chilled atmosphere

The Two Bays Nurseries and Orchard Company of Moorooduc became one of the biggest retail nurseries in the Southern hemisphere, exporting trees to Argentina and Japan as well as all over Australia.

Italian cuisine with some of the best coffee to match

In 1916 Moorooduc celebrated the opening of their new hall, known locally as “The Brick Hall” to distinguish it from the early “Tin Hall”.

Many descendants of the early pioneers of Moorooduc still live in the area.

Today the median property price for Moorooduc is $1.6million.

DOPPIOZERO @ THE COOLSTORES 475 Moorooduc Hwy

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BARMAH PARK RESTAURANT & CELLAR DOOR 945 Moorooduc Hwy Breakfasts and modern Australian lunches or a coffee in a relaxed cafe with a deck overlooking the vineyards.

WHAT TO DO?

At the centre of the peninsula, Moorooduc offers a plethora of interesting things to do from checking out the boutique wineries, to the history of the famous Coolstores, to taking a ride on the Mornington Railway which has its home at Moorooduc station. Head down to the many cafes or restaurants and enjoy some of the best coffee in the area, or a fabulous authentic Italian meal at Doppio Zero or family owned winery, Stumpy Gully Vineyard. Moorooduc is truly the peninsula’s hidden treasure.

Photography: Yanni

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he pinnacle of perfection with the ultimate seaside address, this tri-level three year old dream home with four bedrooms and self-cleaning lap pool directly opposite the beach raises the bar on luxury living to spectacular new heights. The owner builder home has been designed for the family who love having their own space.

Listing agent Germaine Mengoni says the Sorrento property offers the ultimate living for the large family.

“The owner builder of the Point Nepean road property has built a lot of properties in the area and designed this one to be a family home with all the modern luxuries you could want,” said Ms Mengoni. “The builder bought the block about seven years ago with a view to build something different. It has a wing for his daughters, a central area for everyone, and upstairs is amazing.”

Ms Mengoni, who has been working on the peninsula for 11 years, says the owner builder has an incredible eye for detail.

“Everything this owner builds is spectacular, with an eye for the smallest detail and designed to suit specific family needs,” she said. continued next page...

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PENINSULA

“This property is built for a family that needs its own personal space. I love the concept that you could have a family there and everyone still has their area for privacy.”

The home is defined by high ceilings, sprawling dimensions, tall windows and sliding glass doors to frame the coastal setting and bay views, two living areas and an array of alfresco decks and balconies provide an effortless fusion of indoor/outdoor living and entertaining, including a stunning poolside cabana with full alfresco kitchen.

Reminiscent of a luxurious island resort, the masterful design places the stunning primary living area on the third level to maximise the water views with a wall of sliding stacker doors opening to a vast barbecue balcony, whilst the gourmet kitchen with expansive stone island, Smeg appliances and butler's pantry leaves nothing for the wanting.

With provisions to add an internal lift, the mid-level hosts a second large lounge and spacious open study with built-in cabinetry, while the breathtaking master suite beyond boasts a fully fitted walk-in robe and elegant en suite with walk-in rain shower and floor-to-ceiling travertine tiles.

Each of the other oversized bedrooms is complemented by private en suites to spoil children and guests alike.

Located opposite Camerons Bight Beach and just a three minute drive to the boutique shopping and gourmet restaurants of Sorrento, 500 metres from the Sorrento Couta Boat Sailing Club and 1.5km from the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, this exceptional home also includes two powder rooms, storerooms, ducted heating, air conditioning, ducted vacuuming, 10kW solar panels, open fireplace, video intercom, double remote garage and boat shed on a 1365sqm (approx) gated allotment.

For further details or to arrange an inspection contact Germaine Mengoni on 0412 020 071. www.briggsshaw.com.au

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