NEWS DESK
Pool needed to help realise Olympic dream Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au WHILE the Mornington Peninsula Shire seeks public feedback on the size of a swimming pool at Rosebud one prospective user is strongly pushing his case. Peninsula Hurricanes swimmer Oliver Whelan, 11, of Rye, says he is training hard to realise his dream of representing Australia in backstroke at an Olympics or Commonwealth games. But while he should be training up to six sessions each week, the lack of a 50-metre pool on the southern peninsula means his parents struggle to get him to three sessions a week because there is nowhere for him to train locally. “My training sessions go for one and a half to two hours and my mum or dad drive me over to Hastings two nights a week and Mornington or Mt Eliza for – depending on which one they can get me to,” he said. “It is 45-50 minutes there and back – almost 12 hours my parents spend travelling to and from or sitting by a pool as it is too far to go home and come back each week. “Without a pool closer to home it is just too hard for me to do the training I need to reach my goals, because I also have other sisters and my parents both work, too. “It is not only my family: three others at my school swim competitively, so we are all in the same boat.” Oliver said a 50-metre pool at Rosebud would
In the swim: Rye swimmer Oliver Whelan says Rosebud needs a 50-metre pool. Last week he trained at Mornington Secondary College pool with Peninsula Hurricanes coach Alex Webb. Picture: Yanni
“make all the difference for us”. “It would only be a 10-minute drive from home and I’d be able to make both morning and afternoon sessions and mum and dad would not
have to wait for me to finish,” he said. “We train long and short course, so access to a 50-metre pool is important; it also means that there won’t be issues with lane restrictions be-
cause of swimming classes or water aerobics.” Oliver said many families were driving to Mornington or Hastings for swimming lessons. “For some families this is not an option, so there are many kids at my school who just don’t do swimming lessons apart from what we do at school in summer in our 12-metre school pool.” Around 79 Victorian children have drowned in the past decade – yet three out of five still leave primary school unable to swim, he said. A further 637 have been rushed to hospital after nearly drowning, with lifesavers rescuing another 390 every summer. The council is seeking community feedback until Wednesday 28 February on three concept plans for an aquatic centre in Besgrove St, Rosebud that include options for a 25-metre indoor pool, 50-metre indoor pool and 50-metre outdoor pool and associated health, fitness and wellbeing facilities. Visit mornpen.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay or fill in a form at a shire office. Questions about the consultation can be sent to: rosebudaquatic@mornpen.vic.gov.au
Point plan to end ‘squabbling’ Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire sees the latest master plan for the 512-hectare Point Nepean National Park as providing “a strong basis” for the park’s future use and management. The mayor Cr Bryan Payne said the shire was “delighted” to see some of the shire’s suggestions in the final plan. “The advisory group [suggested by the shire] will comprise a mix of technical experts, local interest groups, and stakeholders, and is intended to provide technical expertise and advice to Parks Victoria to assist with implementation of the master plan,” Cr Payne said. The plan has also been given a tick of approval by the Victorian National Parks Association with executive director Matt Ruchel saying it will “hopefully see the end of squabbling”. “After decades of bickering back and forth between major political parties and state and federal governments, the
final master plan for Point Nepean is by and large a very positive document, setting out a clear and largely appropriate vision for the whole of the controversial site,” Mr Ruchel said. “The plan comes with a long list of funding priorities, both from government and some co-investment. This will likely take decades to complete, but will bring a consolidated Point Nepean National Park back to life.” Mr Ruchel said the VNPA “remains concerned” about a proposed jetty which could increase boat traffic into the Ticonderoga Bay Dolphin Sanctuary. Kate Baillieu, who became involved with Point Nepean in 2002 “when the Howard government was determined to sell off surplus Defence land there”, sees the master plan as “a significant milestone”. “We fought hard to have that land handed back to Victoria and incorporated into one integrated national park,” she said. “We won the land back but it has taken about 15 years - and more politi-
cal twists and turns than in the Kama Sutra - to finally achieve this master plan for the park. “Overall, I think the plan is good. It has been achieved after widespread consultation and review. It is clear and should securely guide appropriate development of the Park, over the next few decades. “It’s a very good start but we will be keeping a close eye on what happens next.” Cr Hugh Fraser said “strong remedial action” was needed to protect Point Nepean from coastal erosion and further deterioration of its historic buildings. The plan provided a better link to the neighbouring shire-managed Police Point Park which contains four historic cottages, cultural history walks, and accommodation for respite and artists in residence programs. The master plan for Point Nepean released last week by Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio is based on an “optimum mixed use scenario” that includes accommodation ranging from camping
(short term and glamping but no long term caravans) to a boutique hotel (“Planning for Pt Nepean’s future” The News 23/1/18). It also includes demolishing two wings of the 1960s officer cadet accommodation and a former office building and two new as-yet unidentified buildings. The plan is based on another plan released in 2010 and follows an unconfirmed $1 million pay-out made by the incoming Labor government after it rejected plans for a hotel, spa and “wellness centre” planned by the Point Leisure group and approved by the former Liberal government led by Denis Napthine. The Point Leisure Group, headed by Portsea residents Richard and Trine Shelmerdine was granted a 99-year lease for its claimed $100 million development. Fifty-year leases are allowed in the latest master plan for approved commercial “partnership” activities including accommodation (“supported” by restaurants, spas, “wellness” and
events); art (exhibitions, performances and residencies); hospitality and retail (“from world-class restaurants, to cafés, to wine bars, to provedores, to markets”). At least half the estimated $142 million cost of carrying out the master plan depends on private investment. Uses ruled out within the national park include: industry; cinemas (shortterm outdoor cinema and filming will be allowed); saleyards; transport terminals; and warehouses. The state will initially spend $3.7 million on new staff and establishing camping areas. Parks Victoria says it will need a minimum $1.6 million annually for “business as usual” at the park and more to implement the master plan. A $62m “partnership investment” is listed for “ongoing process for lease arrangements, use and conservation of heritage buildings (internal building fitout)” and “potential new buildings”. The final master plan is available at parks.vic.gov.au/pointnepeanplan.
A TRIBUTE TO ABBA
Southern Peninsula News
30 January 2018
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