Ollie leads the way
Well prepared: Red Hill Cub Scouts Ollie Edgar, top left, with fellow hikers Isaac Rozakis, Miles Musgrave, Dom Musgrave, Charlie Skene and Oscar McDonnell. Picture: Gary Sissons
RED Hill Cub Scout Ollie Edgar achieved one of the challenges involved in gaining his Grey Wolf Award last week. His task was to plan and lead a group of 1st Red Hill Cub Scouts on a two kilometre hike over two hours, ensuring they wore sensible clothing and had the right equipment. Their goal was the scenic Coolart Homestead at Somers. “Organising and leading the hike is one of the biggest challenges and one of the most important things needed to complete the Grey Wolf Award,” cub leader Megan Musgrave said. “Ollie had to do a ‘reccy’ (reconnoitre), map the course, invite the others to participate, include everyone in the planning and then lead the way.” The Grey Wolf award is prestigious among Cubs, with only three other recipients in the 30-member Red Hill troop. It is regarded as part of the transition phase to becoming a Scout. Leaders are always needed at the troop at 91 Arthurs Seat Road, Red Hill. Visit: redhillcubs@gmail.com
High flyers rapped over land clearing MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has praised residents for their “vigilance” in detecting and reporting illegal foreshore works on the beachside of a Portsea property owned by trucking magnate Lindsay Fox. The mayor Cr David Gill said the residents “assisted in bringing this matter to our attention [and] demonstrated our community’s desire to protect the peninsula’s unique environment”. This led to a company associated with Mr Fox being fined $10,000
in Dromana Magistrates’ Court and ordered to pay the council $10,000 in costs over illegal works on a 4600 square metre parcel at Point King beach. (“Fox fined over beach land” The News 10/9/2019). But Mr Fox is not the only highflyer falling foul of the shire’s landclearing and planning laws. Dual-Brownlow medalist Chris Judd was last week fined $40,000 and ordered to pay $6000 costs by the same court for wholesale clearing of 3000 square metres of private land at
Main Ridge. The shire brought the charges under the Planning and Environment Act 1987. The former Carlton champion was caught out by “happenstance” when a council employee took photos of the cleared land for his own use which were later used as evidence at the trial. The mayor Cr David Gill slammed recalcitrant landowners for trying to bring “their own brand of urbanisation” into the indigenous peninsula
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environment. “Judd tried to turn sensitive bushland into a park,” he said. “His was a severe case of land clearing.” Cr Gill said the fines imposed on the pair would not be their only expenses. “We will follow up restoration of the land in the Fox and Judd cases through VCAT and it will be costly for both of them,” he said. “It might take years to restore their land but if they think they can just use their money and it will be all done and dusted it will not be.”
Op shops to close VISION Australia will close its Rye and Somerville op shops at the end of next month. This comes after the service provider said it had decided to “refocus on its core mission of providing specialised services to people who are blind or have low vision”. Vision Australia says on its home page that the shops are among “four fantastic op shops in Victoria that are run entirely by volunteers and raise vital funds for Vision Australia to provide quality services for our clients”. General manager Graeme Craig said last week: “The closure of the stores is by no means a reflection of the quality of work that has been carried out and the pride of our volunteers and staff in [these] … locations. “This has always been at an exceptional level and we are grateful for their hard work and dedication. They have made a valuable contribution by providing quality low-cost clothing and items and a place for people within Rye and Somerville to come together and contribute as a community.” A “volunteer recognition event” will be held following the shops’ closures. Mr Craig said volunteers would be invited to “discuss the closures and explore other opportunities with Vision Australia”. He thanked the “wider community for their support of the op shops and the impact that has had for the blind and low vision community”. “We would also like to thank the public for their support of our op shops,” Mr Craig said. “All funds raised through these locations have gone toward supporting people who are blind or have low vision.” Details: Call 1300 84 74 66 or visit visionaustralia.org
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SUN 22ND SEPT 2019 2020 Australia Day Local Awards The search is on to find Mornington Peninsula’s most dedicated, generous and community minded people. Do you know someone whose contribution to our community deserves to be recognised? Acknowledge their contribution by nominating them for the 2020 Australia Day Local Awards.
Nominate for: • Citizen of the Year • Young Citizen of the Year • Community Event of the Year Nominations are currently open and close Friday 8 November 2019.
27TH OCT 24TH NOV
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mornpen.vic.gov.au/ausdayawards 5950 1137
Southern Peninsula News
18 September 2019
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