NEWS DESK
Holiday fun with an environmental message THE Dolphin Research Institute has been continuing its education and engagement message over the Christmas/New Year’s break, with several groups enjoying its summer programs. A little bit of rain did not dampen the enthusiasm on Wednesday 18 January and the dolphin team was lucky the weather cleared just in time as members roamed amongst the rockpools at the beautiful Balnarring Beach with 2022 ISIC (I see I care) ambassadors and general public attendees. The ‘i sea, i care’ program is an award-winning, innovative leadership and communication program for primary schools. It is also now being tested in secondary schools. The ‘i sea i care’ program was developed by the Dolphin Research Institute to showcase to Victorians that “what lives around our coast is too precious to lose”. Its surveys highlight Victorians misconceptions about the significance of unique marine ecosystems and species, when research shows more than 90 per cent of Victorians value the marine ecosystems in other states above their own. The tide was super low and participants found some supersized seastars and snails and many
other critters such as Decorator crabs, fishes, anemones, worms, crabs and more. They even saw a beautiful koala in the trees at the rotunda. A fantastic time was had by all and thanks go to the parents/carers for transporting the kids and for making the day so special for the education team at the Dolphin Institute. The Dolphin Research Institute is based at Hastings, on the shores of Western Port. DRI’s research is focused primarily in the south-eastern region of Victoria, especially Port Phillip, Western Port and the Gippsland Lakes. DRI began in the late 1980’s by people who were concerned about local dolphins and their marine environment. The Institute has grown into sustainable, not-for-profit conservation organisation that is the ‘go-to’ for just about allthings dolphin related in Victoria. The Dolphin Research Institute has been caring for the local bays since 1991, and is proud to be pioneering the federally-funded National Dolphin Health Project. The Institute has over 30 years of dolphin research – members know the resident dolphins through fin identification and regular surveys; it’s data-base is extensive and ever-expanding.
Star(fish) studded: Children discovered lots of bay surprises at the recent Dolphin Institute engagement at Balnarring. Picture: Supplied
Getting things rolling: Skaters from Rosebud and surrounds want improvements at Rosebud Skate park, and are calling on community and council support. Picture: Supplied
Skaters push for park improvements AN enthusiastic group of skaters that uses the Rosebud Skate Park is calling on community support to improve the park’s facilities. A non-profit group called the Janice Earth Community, led by local skater Lenny Richardson, is putting out the call to help secure council support, money and labour to construct a quarter pipe ramp installed, and some other improvements. Richardson said the plans were drawn up in 217 and one of his concreter friends was willing to construct the ramp. “We are the only skate park I have ever seen that doesn’t have a transition ramp, and no one understands why,” he said. “It would be great to get one, and we already have people willing to help, so we just need council on board and the community to help us.” Richardson said the ramp could become something of a “tourist attraction”, and bring more visitors. The Janice Earth Community regularly holds skate competitions and festivals under the ban-
ner of Wax The Park, with crowds of up to 350 ppl and 70 skaters. Richardson said money raised from donations from his skate shop and the competition events had already paid for a new skate rail at the local skate park. “Now we want to make the park even better,” he said. He said he was looking for someone with the qualifications to assist with the permits and legalities for the project, and “basically anybody with any influence in our community that can help”. “We are all excited and the future is looking bright on Janice Earth,” he said. Janice Earth Community is named after Richardson’s mother, Maria, who he said was a school teacher on the Mornington Peninsula, and “advocate for the underprivileged”. Janice Earth Skateboards can be found on Facebook and Instagram, or through Rye Bendigo Bank. Liz Bell
Council meeting to decide fate of Ryman appeal Liz Bell Liz@mpnews.com.au A SPECIAL council meeting was panned for 24 January, in a last-ditch attempt to appeal controversial planning approval recently given by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a multi-storey aged care and residential development in Mount Eliza. The meeting will go ahead after being cancelled in mid-January because of a lack of councillors available, and just one day before the appeal deadline. The Ryman Healthcare proposal for a large development in Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza, has become a battleground for those trying to protect green wedge policy directions, and developers who rely on what have been
described as the peninsula’s archaic zonings. Cr David Gill, who requested the meeting with Cr Antonella Celli and Cr Debra Mar, said the outcome of the planning proposal would have “wide repercussions“ for the peninsula, and would send a message that planning policy can be ignored and “loop-holes allowed to enable large developments outside of the urban growth boundary”. The development would be “another major blow delivered by the state government and VCAT to our green wedge”, he said. Cr Gill said he will propose motions to appeal the VCAT approval of the aged care development at the Supreme Court; record council’s disapproval of the VCAT approval being given in holiday period, which made a Supreme Court appeal difficult to organise; and
call on town planning minister Sonya Kilkenny to suspend consideration of Amendment C270 (green wedge zoning change) and review the VCAT decision for 60 -70 Kunyung Road, Mount. Cr Gill is calling for the appeal on grounds that the tribunal “wrongly” gave greater weight to special use zone 2 provisions than green wedge policy directions; there was a “disregard” of Mornington Peninsula town planning policy directions, the site is outside the urban growth boundary and the development contravenes green wedge strategies; the SUZ2 was designed to protect sites in urban as well as rural zones; aspects of the first VCAT decision were criticised but were not examined; there was a lack of regard for coastal planning policy; heritage issues were not properly dealt with;
and the lack of bushfire emergency management plan. He said he would ask council to call an urgent meeting with appropriate officers as soon as possible to consider an advocacy campaign to defend the erosion of the green wedge. “The campaign will inform our community and the state government of risks posed by planning decisions, outside of council control, that pose threats to the future of our green wedge,” he said. However, Ryman says it rejects that the current special use zone that allowed previous development on the Kunyung Road site was an ‘historic anomaly’. Communications manager Michael Cummings said an independent planning panel had determined that
the application of the SUZ2 was “deliberate” and a result of “considered strategic planning over a long period” and cannot accurately be described as a planning anomaly or legacy zone Cumming said the SUZ2 has been considered appropriate for several decades despite many changes to the planning framework as they relate to the green wedge, and that even if the planning minister approved C270 as it relates to the Kunyung Road site, it would not be retroactive, and cannot affect the approval already given for the aged-care development. Meanwhile, community group Save Reg’s Wedge has been calling on opponents of the Ryman development to write to the Premier Dan Andrews, as well as minister Kilkenny, to intervene and protect green wedge land.
• INDOOR/OUTDOOR FURNITURE • HOMEWARES • GIFTWARE • TABLES • CHAIRS • LOUNGES • CUSHIONS • BAR TABLES AND STOOLS • SUN LOUNGES • MARKET UMBRELLAS • MASSIVE RANGE OF RATTAN • LAMPS • JEWELLERY • ARTWORKS AND MUCH, MUCH MORE
NEW CONTAINERS ARRIVING NEW CONTAINERS ARRIVING |REGULARLY REGULARLY OPEN 7 DAYS OPEN 7 DAYS 2/1 COLCHESTER ROAD, ROSEBUD 2/1 COLCHESTER ROAD, ROSEBUD
DISCOVER THE PENINSULA’S BEST RANGE OF UMBRELLAS
5986 6778 5986 6778
Southern Peninsula News
25 January 2023
PAGE 3