March 22nd 2011

Southern Peninsula

Features inside: HEALTHY LIVING PAGES 28–29 FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT PAGES 30–33 SOUTHERN PENINSULA SCOREBOARD PAGES 34–35

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22 March – 4 April 2011

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Flood gig washed out but raises $35,000 ORGANISERS of the Nepean Flood Relief Benefit looked suspiciously at the heavens just before the Sorrento Football Ground gates opened at 1pm and shook their heads in dismay.

Weeks of work was on the line as storm clouds swept in from the west on concert day, Sunday 11 March.

Would enough people turn up to listen to a stellar line-up of musicians, helping raise a target of $120,000 to assist people of the flood-devastated Victorian town of Charlton rebuild their community theatre?

Continued on Page 12 Dry event: Part of the Charlton crew enjoying the impromptu indoor concert at the Nepean Flood Relief Benefit. Picture: Jenny Pollard

La Niña blamed for beach loss

By Mike Hast THE destruction of Portsea beach was caused by La Niña and not dredging of Port Phillip’s entrance, the state government will tell a meeting in Portsea next Wednesday.

Office of the Environmental Monitor director Don Hough will release a report pointing the finger at cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, which produce stronger than normal easterlies, key markers of La Niña conditions.

La Niña has been blamed for Australia’s higher than average rainfall since last winter, spring and summer, the cause of devastating floods in Queensland and Victoria.

The meeting is a follow-up to one last August when the Department

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of Sustainability and Environment, and the Office of the Environmental Monitor, which was formed by the government to oversee the deepening of Port Phillip shipping channels in 2008 and 2009, vigorously denied increased swell at Portsea had been caused by dredging of The Heads.

Last August, Mr Hough said the tide and wave modelling done for the dredging project’s two environmental effects statements had been comprehensive. “The erosion [of Portsea beach] has not been caused by dredging.”

Mr Hough conceded the swell had increased at Portsea, but could not say why.

Now the government and its experts claimed to have found the culprit – La Niña.

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A report was commissioned late last year and has just been completed by Cardno Lawson Treloar, a consultant used by the government and the Port of Melbourne Corporation to provide evidence to two inquiries into the environmental impacts of dredging.

David Provis, a senior principal of Cardno Lawson Treloar, in July 2007 provided a supplementary note to the second inquiry stating there would be no predicted impact if the Great Ship Channel was dredged to 22 metres, almost three metres more than the proposed 19.1 metres.

The extra depth was caused by inaccurate dredging and dislodged rocks rolling around on the seabed.

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rocks removed up to six metres from The Plateau and Rip Bank and this is what had allowed stronger swells to enter Port Phillip and wrap around the coast, destroying the beach.

Last August, Port of Melbourne chief executive Stephen Bradford refuted the claim, saying: “We’ve taken off no more than three metres.”

The report to be released next week will contain data about waves in Bass Strait entering Port Phillip before and after dredging. The data has been collected from a “wave rider” buoy that’s been anchored off Point Lonsdale for about 10 years.

Its main purpose is to provide dynamic undersea clearance data to ascertain the size of ships that can enter the bay at any particular stage of the tide.

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The data has been analysed using computer models designed in Europe and Mr Hough will claim channel deepening has not affected waves hitting Portsea as any waves coming through the channel wash over the Great Sands in the north and not Portsea in the east.

La Niña will be blamed for a raised water level in Bass Strait, which has seen stronger waves entering Port Phillip.

The veracity of the claim should be easy to test later in the year as the Bureau of Meteorology says La Niña is weakening and the ocean is heating up again, a precursor to the return of El Niño, the reverse phenomena that usually brings dry conditions to Australia.

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Southern Peninsula

Proudly published by Mornington Peninsula News Group Pty. Ltd

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Editor: Keith Platt, 5979 8564 or 0439 394 707 Journalist: Mike Hast, 5979 8564 Advertising Sales: Carolyn Wagener, 0407 030 761 Production/Graphic Design: Stephanie Loverso Publisher: Cameron McCullough, 0407 027 707 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Neil Walker, Barry Irving, Cliff Ellen, Frances Cameron, Peter McCullough, Stuart McCullough, Gary Turner, Jaime McDougall, Marilyn Cunnington, Brad Stirton, Fran Henke.

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Top night: At the tourism awards in Perth won by Mornington Peninsula Tourism were, from left, senior tourism officer Kellie Barrett, Joan and Bill Goodrem representing Mornington Peninsula Shire, shire economic development manager Shane Murphy and MPT executive officer Alva Hemming.

Peninsula goes national at awards THE Mornington Peninsula has been reaffirmed as a major destination, winning two awards at this year’s Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

Mornington Peninsula Tourism won the national award for Specialised Tourism Services and Max’s Restaurant at Red Hill Estate won the Tourism Restaurants and Catering category.

“To my knowledge this is the first time an attraction or privately owned tourism property on the peninsula has won a national award,” executive officer of Mornington Peninsula Tourism Alva Hemming said.

Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale and transport operator Bunyip Tours were

finalists at the national awards.

Ms Hemming said the award won by her own organisation “recognised MPT’s integrated approach to tourism services and its unique collaboration with local industry to build sustainable tourism across the peninsula throughout the year”.

Victorian Tourism and Major Events Minister Louise Asher said the awards demonstrate Victoria’s outstanding performance and achievement at a national level.

“These awards recognise the drive and innovation of individual businesses to remain at the forefront of the industry. A key element of any tourist’s

holiday is enjoying high quality service. On this measure, Mornington Peninsula Tourism demonstrated delivery of first-rate tourism experiences,” Ms Asher said.

Mornington Peninsula Tourism was one of four Victorian winners at the tourism awards night in Perth on Friday 11 February.

“It was a simply spectacular win for the Mornington Peninsula,” Ms Hemming said. “We were competing against Australia’s best, and we have now proved that Mornington Peninsula Tourism provides unparalleled quality in tourism services to tourism businesses and visitors alike.”

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Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

FAMILIES devastated by the death of a baby will come together at a Hope Eternal service being held at Mornington Park on Friday 25 March.

The service is being held by the Liquid Church, which holds Sunday services each week at Mornington Secondary College’s performing arts centre and fortnightly “life groups” at Rosebud, Safety Beach, Mt Martha, Hastings, Somerville and Skye.

Courtney, the 13-week-old daughter of Liquid Church pastors Carolyn and Murray Holmes, died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

“Although the pain has dulled, we have a quiet daily awareness that she’s not with us and that won’t ever leave us,” Ms Holmes said.

“A service like Hope Eternal will give the people of the Mornington Peninsula a chance to honour the precious little life of the one they’ve lost.”

Mr Holmes, a former pastor at Gateway Church in Langwarrin, said Liquid Church was “committed to being relevant and real within the community”.

“What could be more relevant than giving people a chance to be in a supportive and encouraging environment where everyone has an intimate understanding of what you’ve been through and, importantly, the continuing experience?”

Midwife Julie Greenwood said it was never too late for parents to grieve, “and never too late to honour the life of our precious little ones, regardless of how they were lost – whether through abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth or death in infancy”.

The service starts at 7.30pm at Mornington Park at the bayside end of Main St. Details: Call 59872335 or www.hopeeternal.com.au

Industry anger builds over ‘cheap’ housing imports

By Keith Platt HOUSING industry workers have been angered by suggestions that prefabricated houses should be brought from Thailand to provide cheap housing on the Mornington Peninsula.

Ray-based builder Troy Kloszynski said similar quality houses could be built here for at least $10,000 less than prices being quoted by a peninsulabased agent for Ezy Build Australia.

David Tootell, of Crib Point, said the Thai prefabs would cost $110,000 for a two bedroom “country-style” or $185,000 for four bedrooms.

Mr Kloszynski said making the houses overseas would take work away from local tradespeople.

“For a start we don’t know what wages or conditions are being paid to the workers in Thailand and I reckon the same product can be made here for $10,000 less as well as providing employment on the peninsula.”

Mr Tootell’s suggestion followed the release of Mornington Peninsula Shire’s draft report, Social Housing

and Affordable Housing Policy, which looks at ways of providing housing to those who can least afford it.

The policy advocates low-cost housing making up three per cent of the shire’s housing stock within 10 years; it is now 1.4 per cent.

To reach the target, 146 low-cost houses would need to be built every year over the next decade.

The report defines low-cost housing as being where the rent, lease or mortgage costs no more than 30 per cent of a household’s income.

The draft report suggests using council-owned land and easing some planning and design rules to cut costs.

It suggests towns that fit the criteria for low-cost housing as being Sorrento, Rye, Tootgarook, Rosebud West, Rosebud, Dromana, Mt Martha, Mornington, Mt Eliza, Balnarring, Crib Point, Hastings, Tyabb, Somerville and Baxter.

“A lot of people are ropeable about bringing houses from Thailand,” Mr Kloszynski said. “Tradies are angry.

Build local: Troy Kloszynski says moves to import cheap houses from Thailand will hit the peninsula’s economy.

There are enough builders and tradies around here. I get at least two calls a week from skilled people looking for work.

Neighbours day at Rosebud

“I’ve been in the industry for 18 years and a registered builder for five.

I build for realistic prices.”

Mr Kloszynski said he had read the draft housing policy that he believed “will make it impossible for the small builder to compete for work against the production developers”.

“Under the law we have to provide a five-star rating but council wants six stars. They’re making it real hard.

“I was gobsmacked when their catchphrase is sustainability.”

Mr Kloszynski said prefabricated homes were already available in Australia for the same price as those proposed to be imported by Mr Tootell.

He said Rye and Blairgowrie alone had 93 unlimited registered domestic builders.

“According to the census the highest percentage of occupation in Rye is ‘tradesperson/and or related worker’.

“Clearly, importing cheap housing from overseas would not only hurt Australians, but also the local community.”

Moon’s a balloon when closer to Earth SATURDAY night’s full moon was the closest to the Earth for 18 years, just 356,575 kilometres away (221,575 miles). Known as a perigee moon it, appeared 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than usual, according to NASA. The moon takes an elliptical orbit around the Earth, and when it seems smaller and more distant, it’s on the farthest side (apogee) of its orbit. On the perigee side, it’s about 50,000 kilometres closer.

It was a near-perfect coincidence that only happens every 18 years.

There had been talk of a link between the “supermoon” and natural disasters such as the New Zealand and Japan earthquakes, but scientists said lunar gravity at perigee pulls tides only a few centimetres (an inch or so) higher than usual.

Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimetres (six inches).

On 6 March, the moon swung to apogee – its farthest point for the month – when it was 406,583 kilometres (252,639 miles) distant.

Closer and brighter: The moon was 14 per cent closer and 30 per cent brighter on the weekend.

Supermoon conditions were not in effect during the 11 March earthquake in Japan.

If a connection between supermoons and earthquakes exists, it would be easy to spot and track over time.

Peter Skilton of Mornington Peninsula Astronomical Society said the moon is really quite small in the night sky.

“When you see it in a Hollywood movie, for example, it has usually been added by CGI techniques, or

photographed with a very long focal length lens and superimposed in the background so as to greatly exaggerate its real size,” he said.

“If you hold out an outstretched arm, your thumbnail will normally easily completely eclipse it. However, if you see the moon just as it rises above the eastern horizon, or is about to set over the western horizon, the brain perceives it to be a lot larger than six hours later or earlier when it was high in the northern sky.

“This is because you see it relative to familiar background objects such as distant trees or far off buildings, however, when high in the sky these are not present and the size apparently shrinks.

“The effect is very noticeable to everyone, yet the moon is actually the identical size each time. This happens every month when the moon’s elliptical orbit around the Earth brings it closer to us.

“So the moon appeared slightly larger than normal in the sky, but the real phenomenon that the public will perceive is the horizon context one.”  The society holds public night viewing nights at The Briars, Nepean Hwy, Mt Martha, at 8pm on the first Friday each month using telescopes of various sizes and types. When the sky is cloudy, astronomical presentations are shown in the MPAS Viewing Centre. The society is hosting the biennial Victorian Astronomy Convention (VASTROC) at The Briars over the weekend of 29 April to 1 May. Details: 0419 253 252 or welcome @mpas.asn.au

J M H LANDSCAPING

GETTING to know the neighbours will be easy for Rosebud West residents at a “G’day Day” on Sunday.

Residents have been invited to the Vern Wright Reserve on 27 March where they can mix and mingle and enjoy family activities organised by Rosebud West Community Renewal and Mornington Peninsula Shire.

Activities from 11am to 3pm include a pet parade, clay play, children’s face painting, Beachcomber youth bus, barefoot bowling, free sausage sizzle and Devonshire tea, tennis, trash and treasure stalls, music and entertainment.

Shire residents can set up stalls to display or sell their art, craft or homemade produce.

Community groups and service providers represented will include Southern Peninsula Swans football team, Weedy Sea Dragon group, Peninsula Health’s Community Health Service, Family Life, U3A Southern Peninsula and the History of Rosebud West group.

The Rosebud West 2011 Good Neighbour Awards will be presented.

For more information or to make a booking for a stall, call Libby Wilson at Rosebud West Community Renewal on 5986 5478.

Making medical appointments A PILOT project is being run to help Mornington Peninsula residents travel to medical appointments in Melbourne.

Under the Medical Companion Project, volunteers will meet people at Southern Cross Station or Flinders Street Station and accompany them to and from their appointment in central Melbourne.

It is estimated that 50,000 people from rural and regional Victoria travel to Melbourne each year to seek medical treatment that is not available where they live.

Many travellers are frail, aged or people living with a disability who otherwise rely on family members, friends or community transport services to drive or accompany them to Melbourne.

Metropolitan travellers can also use the free service, which runs until December.

Anyone wanting to use the service can book by calling the not-for-profit organisation Travellers Aid Australia on 1300 700 399.

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PAGE 3

NEWS DESK

Humanity shines in quake aftermath count. When the building starts rocking you hold your breath and hope it is not another big one.

“Some have been very strong. We had a 6.2 just 54 miles west of us at about 10.40pm the other night. It started quite differently, with a deep pulling and shuddering sensation under the building before the normal shaking. It was a very shallow quake, only one kilometre deep.

“The next night we had another one at the about the same time. Makes it hard to settle at night.”

Normally, Jenny Lewis loves to take photos, but on Friday 11 March she was so overcome by fear that she forgot to record the most terrifying event in her life – the Japanese earthquake.

“Truthfully, it was such a scary moment that for once in my life I didn’t take photos,” Ms Lewis told The News just days later.

Having returned to Yokohama from Melbourne on the Wednesday, she was able to maintain contact with friends and family using Skype and Facebook.

“Normally keen to write my blog, I have found my new post difficult to compose. It is such a huge tragedy and having such a widespread impact that I don’t know where to begin.”

Ms Lewis was eating lunch when the first tremors began at 2.46pm.

“Without warning the apartment be-

gan to shake. Uh oh! Here we go again, another tremor. Within seconds I realised this was serious, the intensity of the shake increased and increased. I typed a message on Facebook: ‘Having a serious earthquake, never felt anything like it. Can stand, shit I’m scared’ (should have said ‘can’t stand’ but the room and my hands were shaking too much)’.

“The shaking intensified. Getting stronger and stronger…faster and faster. I waited for it to subside but subside it did not. The building shook violently and ferociously. The shaking was so violent and intense I still could not hit the correct keys. Too bad. I hit post without even correcting. The time according to my computer was 2.56pm.”

Husband Steve called while sheltering under a desk in his office.

“Steve witnessed the awesome rocking of the buildings from outside. I was still in the apartment and held on as I went for another ride. Within minutes of the quakes the phone systems became clogged and Steve and I didn’t have contact for a couple of hours.”

Ms Lewis said her greatest fear was “falling to the ground”.

“I watched the opposite wall moving backwards and forwards about a metre.

My initial thoughts, which sound a bit dramatic, were ‘please don’t let me die in my 16th floor apartment, alone and

Portsea beach a victim of La Niña – claim Continued from Page 1 The La Niña that started last winter was the strongest since 1917. The condition usually lasts about a year with the last one in 1989-99.

La Niña and El Niño are measured by the Southern Oscillation Index, which shows changes in the temperatures of the underlying ocean. El Niño occurs every three to eight years.

Andrew Henderson, owner of Portsea Hotel, which overlooks the beach, has been a vocal critic of dredging of The Heads and last year called on the government to stop the destruction.

Emergency work was done in July and August, and in following months more than 1000 huge textile sandbags were installed to build a 150-metre long revetment, or retaining wall.

Sand was brought in from Gippsland, with some of it washing away before contractors were forced to make a temporary wall of rocks along the

in Japan away from my family’.

“Suddenly the TV flew across the floor, I listened as the heavy double sliding doors between the lounge and dining rooms slid shut and then continued to repeatedly bang open and shut, drawers in the kitchen fell out, chopping boards, cutlery and bottles fell on the floor and were flung into the hallway.

“Decorative vases fell, curtains quivered as they swung backwards and forward, drawers in the dressing room

slid open then fell over, pretty well anything loose fell.

“Fortunately, we were unharmed but at the time were unsure if this was the very overdue Kanto earthquake happening. According to experts it was not.

“Our main concern is whether this huge 9.0 earthquake can have unsettled the three plates which meet under Tokyo and Yokohama. If the plates have moved so much and forced the Earth to move off its axis, who knows?”

shoreline to protect the work.

The News believes the work cost well over $3 million after an initial estimate of $1 million. Mornington Peninsula Shire, which is co-sponsoring the meeting next week, spent more than $50,000 on paths and landscaping.

Mr Henderson said the government was spending lots of money to “find any other reason for erosion other than channel deepening”.

“There’s no doubt the loss of the beach has been caused by dredging.

“The swell is smashing the beach again this morning.”

The News spoke to several surfers about the La Niña theory and they scoffed. One said blaming La Niña was absurd. “It’s patently obvious that taking rock off The Plateau has allowed in more swell. There is more swell in the middle of The Heads and what happens to that swell is influenced by the deepened channels.”

“Protecting the Peninsula”

Martin Dixon MP ■ State member for Nepean

McCrae Plaza, Corner Point Nepean Road and Lonsdale Street, McCrae 5986 6661 martin.dixon@parliament.vic.gov.au www.martindixon.org PAGE 4

Feeling the shock: Jenny and Steve Lewis are in Japan as it undergoes the trauma of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear breakdown.

Slippery slope: Even on calm days wakes from ships entering Port Phillip are enough to cover Portsea beach.

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

MOCK-L06ALC M22

By Keith Platt MORNINGTON Peninsula couple Jenny and Steve Lewis are seeing history unfold before their eyes as Japan reels and recovers from last week’s earthquake, tsunami and ongoing nuclear nightmare.

Besides the shock and fear, destruction and damage, Ms Lewis is also in awe of the reaction of the Japanese.

“The world is now seeing what we have grown to love in the Japanese people: grace, dignity in the face of adversity, honesty, care, respect, no loss of law or decorum, no looting, no complaining or asking for some magical ‘other person’ to fix their problems.

“The world has responded to this shocking catastrophe but stories are widespread of people who have already lost everything in the tragedy helping others in need.”

The Lewises live in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.

A teacher in Hastings for 23 years, Ms Lewis moved there last year when Mr Lewis was posted to Japan.

“From a personal aspect, we are living in very uncertain times: will we have another large earthquake? Will the nuclear situation worsen?” she wrote on the internet.

“The country has had over 400 aftershocks since the big one and we in Yokohama have had too many to

Easter at Point Nepean THE Easter school holidays bring an opportunity for families to find out about the work of rangers at Point Nepean National Park, Portsea.

The junior rangers program is one of many activities planned for the park between 11 and 26 April including tours and the discovery trail for children at the forts or Quarantine Station.

Families with children aged 6-12 can take part in the Park Discovery Digital Scavenger Hunt.

Children will be loaned a digital camera to record elements of the park, from insects and trees to park structures and visitors.

This free activity will be held weekdays at 1.15pm.

The junior ranger program is run from Gunners Cottage, which is 2.5 kilometres from the park’s information centre. Visitors can walk, cycle, take the transporter or drive and park at Gunners car park.

Quarantine Station tours will be led by a Parks

Victoria ranger. Visitors will learn about the history of the former Quarantine Station and the stories of immigrants arriving to make a new life in Australia. The 45-minute tours run daily at 11:45pm from the Quarantine Station transporter stop.

Children can also discover the park with their Quarantine Station or Fort Nepean Kids Discovery Trail. Both are available from the information centre and park office.

The Quarantine Station is 1.5 kilometres from the information centre. Visitors can walk, cycle or take the transporter.

The school holiday activities are free although there is a charge for the transporter.

For details call 13 1963 or visit www.parkweb. vic.gov.au Point Nepean National Park opens daily and is at the end of Point Nepean Rd, Portsea (Melway 156 C2).

‘Literacy villages’ across peninsula for the young

By Keith Platt HASTINGS, Crib Point, Balnarring and Somers are at the forefront of a program to improve literacy among young people from birth to 18.

The Western Port region is the first of 12 “literacy villages” being created across the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston.

A second village north of Frankston – including Carrum Downs, Skye and Sandhurst – will follow close behind and provide a reference point to Western Port, which already has some existing literacy programs.

Each village will have a mayor coordinating activities of various “stakeholders”, which could include municipal councils, schools, kindergartens, libraries, community groups and residents.

Former shire councillor Brian Stahl is the “literacy mayor” of the Hastingsbased village. No mayor has been appointed at Carrum Downs.

The mayors will be expected to meet on a regular basis to discuss what is happening in their respective villages while working with project officers to develop action plans, seek sponsorship and access resources to promote literacy “and other support as required”.

The scale of the villages encompassing two municipalities is a first for Australia and, if successful, is likely to be seen as a model for other areas.

Mornington Peninsula CEO Michael Kennedy and Frankston CEO George

Modrich have for the past year worked closely with the regional director of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Peter Greenwell, in creating the literacy villages program for the two neighbouring municipalities.

Dr Kennedy said statistics showed the level of literacy of children starting school on the peninsula was “well below state levels … they were arriving at school but were not ready to learn”.

“This means they are not having access to every opportunity to reach their potential. It’s a very significant issue.

If they get off to a bad start it is a struggle to catch up.”

Dr Kennedy said the village concept would work at two levels, with the shire operating at the “big village” level, providing health care for children, libraries and “raising awareness of literacy”.

“The local villages will be shaped by the needs of each area. Mornington and Mt Eliza might be different to Tootgarook or Hastings where there are already neighbourhood renewal programs.

“We want to be a community-driven project that’s supported by the councils and government. We don’t want them bogged down by bureaucracy.

“I expect the levels of success to be measured over a long time.”

Carol Coulson, project manager of the $1 million three-year Frankston/

Mornington Peninsula Literacy Partnership, is based at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development offices in Frankston.

“We want to improve literacy,” Ms Coulson said. “Many people who get involved in the criminal justice system and the unemployed have low levels of literacy.”

Ms Coulson said most of the money for the literacy villages program coming from state and federal governments would pay for staff “and getting the message out about the importance of literacy”.

Data would be collected about literacy levels among young people in each of the 12 village areas while decisions were yet to be made on specific activities.

“There’s no definitive plan, but we’ll look at targeting communities through public forums, newspapers, newsletters and shopping centres. We’ll be doing many different things although we’re not sure yet just how it will evolve” Ms Coulson said.

“We’ve had two meetings in Hastings and Carrum Downs and there’s already a strong network supporting literacy at Hastings,” Ms Coulson said.

“Because it was already working in Hastings we chose a contrasting area, Carrum Downs, where there was nothing established. We will role the experiences from these two pilot projects into the next ones.”

June has been set as the target date for launching the entire project, including naming of the 12 villages.

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Beaut beasts: Alpacas as well as horses, sheep, cattle and poultry are among the farm animals at the Red Hill Show on Saturday.

Big crowds expected at Red Hill Show ORGANISERS of the Red Hill Show on Saturday are crossing their fingers for more of southern Victoria’s balmy autumn weather.

Thousands of people are expected to attend and highlights this year include Empire FMX, a freestyle motocross team, and Australian Fishing Show.

Red Hill Agricultural and Horticultural Society secretary Alison Dougherty said the show would be a “wonderful mixture of animals, arena events, woodchopping, entertainment, competitions and demonstrations”.

In the grand parade and elsewhere, expect to see horses for all courses, especially Clydesdales, as well as stud, black and coloured sheep; cattle; alpacas; poultry; rats; ferrets and pigs.

There will be petting paddocks full of animals for youngsters.

Check out wine, avocados, olives, berries and cheese as well as more

traditional Red Hill area produce.

For the children there are Tubby the Robot, roving entertainer Super Weirdo, Daisy the Clown and her stiltwalking friends, free pony rides and free face painting.

Demonstrations include shearing, spinning, working dogs, woodwork, heritage machinery, craft and cake decorating. A perennial favourite is woodchopping, with eight-time world champion Lawrence O’Toole Junior leading the way. The pavilions display craft, cooking, fruit, flowers, vegetables, art and photography.

Tickets cost $40 for a family (two adults, three children 6-18 years), adults $15, children $10, students and pensioners $10, children five and under free. Free parking.

Details: 5989 2357, email: redhillshow@hotkey.net.au and on the internet at: www.redhillshow.org

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Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

PAGE 5

NEWS DESK

Komett thanks his lucky stars KOMETT the 17-year-old Maltese cross was brought back from the dead last week after falling into the water near Hastings pier.

The quick thinking and cool heads of two staff at Pelican Park pool revived the little feller as distraught owner John Kuljis looked on.

What started as a quiet walk around the pier precinct turned to near tragedy for John when Komett slipped and fell into Western Port, was dragged out by his owner, rushed in his arms across to the adjacent aquatic centre and given CPR and oxygen by two staff members.

When the dog spluttered back to life, he was taken to Hastings Veterinary Clinic where Mark West and Kim Walter gave him more oxygen and other support therapy.

Komett has made a full recovery and was back on his feet 24 hours after the incident, although a little unsteady.

The incident started about 6.30 last Wednesday afternoon when John and Komett were returning to John’s car, which was parked next to Hastings Yacht Club.

Komett’s a senior citizen nowadays and John takes him for a stroll most days rather than the long walks and runs of the past. The friendly Komett gets to say hello to a few two-legged and four-legged locals and visitors as well as check his pee-mail.

Man and dog made their way back to the car along the edge of the car park, which borders the water’s edge, after wandering along the foreshore near Pelican Park and its aquatic centre and cafe.

As John approached his car, thinking Komett was close behind, a woman caught his eye and said matter of factly “I think your dog’s just fallen in the water”.

John turned around, stunned, rushed a few steps back to the car park edge and saw Komett struggling in the water.

“I couldn’t believe it; it all happened so quickly,” John said. “The poor little feller was dog paddling weakly, but had his head beneath the water.

“He wasn’t strong enough to keep his

head up.”

John threw himself forward on to the ground and reached out for Komett.

A surge of water took the dog just out of reach. John grabbed at him again and got a handful of the dog’s fur, pulling him up and on to land.

“I was stunned; Komett had stopped breathing. Paddling one second and seemingly dead the next. I was distraught.”

John gave the dog mouth-to-muzzle resuscitation, but he didn’t respond. He looked up to see dozens of onlookers, including shocked children, and cried out: “Can anyone help me?”

The woman who’d alerted John said “take him to the pool; they might help”.

He grabbed Komett, raced across the car park and in through the entrance, repeating his plea to a woman behind the reception desk. It was Rebecca Jeffrey, a fitness instructor.

She asked him to come around and quickly started CPR on the little dog’s chest, small repeated pushes on his heart and lungs.

John knelt next to them, going deeper into shock by the second. Flashing through his mind was the day he’d bought the cheeky puppy, a Maltese fox terrier cross, at a Burwood pet shop. Their 17 years together, living in Chadstone when John worked as an architect in the big smoke, moving to Tooradin for a sea-change and arriving in Hastings a few years ago.

John had been doing it tough for a while, but Komett was his constant companion, his little mate who gave him unconditional love. Anyone who has owned a pet will know what John was going through.

John snapped out of it as aquatics operations coordinator Brett Fletcher appeared next to them with an oxygen revival kit, ripped it open, inserted a tube into Komett’s gullet and turned on the air.

A crowd had gathered around the scene, children with their hands over their mouths, perhaps praying for the little dog.

For John it seemed like an eternity, but seconds later Komett spluttered, coughed and started breathing again.

Near miss: Komett and his owner John Kuljis at Hastings foreshore, close to where the dog nearly met his maker last week.

A murmur spread through the crowd; a few people clapped and cried out.

Rebecca and Brett had revived the dog, brought him back from death’s door.

They suggested he go to the vet.

Someone phoned the vet clinic to make sure they were open. John and Rebecca, who carried Komett in a towel and the oxygen pack, walked quickly out of Pelican Park and toward John’s car. John raced ahead, jumped in and reversed out of his spot. Someone opened the passenger door and helped Rebecca get in.

John drove out of the car park and onto the road, planting his foot in the Capri sport car. “Slow down, John,” Rebecca warned. “We’ve got to get

there in one piece.”

At the vet Dr West and Dr Walter sprang into action, taking Komett into a treatment room and doing their vet magic. Meanwhile, Brett had arrived to take Rebecca and the oxygen gear back to the pool.

Komett was in a stable condition.

Mark sent John away at about 7.15 when the vet’s closed. He told him to come back at 8.30. John was up at the vet’s at 8, pacing around in the empty car park.

Back home, Komett didn’t eat that night or the next morning, but within 24 hours was moving around, eating some chicken, drinking water and, if dogs can do such a thing, counting his lucky stars.

John was overawed by the assistance he received. “Complete strangers helped us,” he said. “It was a humbling experience and, of course, a very happy ending.”

Paw note: Komett is famous for appearing with his owner in one of The X Factor promos last year when the two were hurtling down Swanston St on a bicycle trying to make the Frankston train.

Footnote: John is nearly as famous as Komett. The co-founder of Arada Thai restaurant in High St, Hastings, he is a rider of recumbent bicycles, or trikes, and is now working at Hastingsbased MR Components with Michael Rogan, building human-powered vehicles and aluminium trikes.

Go slow on the wildlife

Fatal hit: This koala had to be put down because of injuries it received when hit by a vehicle in White Hill Rd, Red Hill.

PAGE 6

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

By Keith Platt WILDLIFE carers are appealing to drivers to slow down after the death of a koala in Red Hill that had already been twice released back into the wild after being treated for injuries.

The koala’s luck ran out last month as it was crossing White Hill Rd. After suffering horrific head injuries it managed to climb a tree from where it was eventually rescued by Ian Gondos of the Australian Wildlife Assistance Rescue and Education group (AWARE) and Brenda Marmion of Crystal Ocean Wildlife in Dromana.

The koala was so badly injured that it had to be put down.

“We’re always having problems with cars hitting wildlife,” Ms Marmion told The News, adding that she was carrying a “pinky” wallaby and a similar aged brushtail possum in bags inside her jumper as she spoke on the phone.

“The wallaby’s got head injuries, which are probably the result of it being thrown from the pouch by its

mother who may have been chased by foxes or dogs.

“I don’t know if it will live. It’s got cuts on its head, which is slightly swollen. It’s not doing too well.”

Ms Marmion said the baby wallaby had been found at Red Hill while the possum had been found on the ground in the pademelons’ centre at the Moonlit Sanctuary wildlife centre in Pearcedale.

The pademelon is similar to a wallaby but with shorter, thicker and a sparsely haired tail.

Ms Marmion said some native animals had been breeding up to three times in the past season “because the conditions have been so good”.

Many koalas lived near White Hill Rd and she had asked council to erect signs warning of their presence “at the top and the bottom of the road”.

Other native animals often brought into her wildlife refuge included flying foxes and birds caught in protective netting over fruit trees.

“The black netting is the worst, al-

though they still get caught in the white nylon netting,” she said.

“The animals don’t seem to get caught quite so often if the nets are stretched over a frame rather than draped loosely over the trees.

“CDs hanging on strings reflect light, even moonlight, which can also help.”

Ms Marmion said the flying foxes were her “favourite” animals, but warned anyone handling them to be careful about being bitten.

Flying foxes caught on the Mornington Peninsula were returned to the colony at Yarra Bend near Ivanhoe once they had recovered from any injuries, she said.

Besides the two joeys nestling inside her jumper, Ms Marmion was last week nursing a ringtail possum, five sugar gliders, two koalas, two tawny frogmouths, a galah with head injuries, a crimson rosella and an eastern rosella.

“It’s a quiet season, really,” she said.

“But I’d like motorists to think about the injured animals and slow down.”

Conditions apply.

Valid until 30/4/11

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

PAGE 7

NEWS DESK

Road damage: The surface of the Esplanade at Mt Martha is crumbling due to blocked drains on nearby roads managed by Mornington Peninsula Shire. Erosion has cut deeply into steep cliffs directly below the roadway, right.

Delays follow repairs to eroded Esplanade IS this bend on the Esplanade, Mt Martha, a landslide in waiting? The road surface has been undermined by water spilling from blocked drains and the cliff below appears to be in danger of crumbling.

VicRoads is about to start repairs, which will see lane closures and reduced speed limits.

The cliff edge is right next to the

roadside and runoff is eroding the steep incline all the way to the beach below.

John-Ault Connell, of Mornington Peninsula Shire’s project management team, said the latest landslip happened on Thursday 10 March about 100 metres north of Marguerita Av. “The slip is about three metres wide close to the shoulder and widens down the embankment.”

Mr Connell said VicRoads was responsible for maintenance of the Esplanade.

Duncan Elliott, VicRoads’ regional director metro south east region said the latest erosion was caused by blocked drains “on nearby local roads”, which are maintained by the shire.

“VicRoads will be working with Mornington Peninsula Council to clear

the blocked drains on the Esplanade and nearby local roads over the coming week.

“VicRoads will organise repair to the road surface and expects works to be complete by early April. During repair works, lane closures and reduced speed limits will be necessary to ensure the safety of road users and workers in the area.”

Mr Elliott said VicRoads is aware of cliff erosion on the Esplanade near the Balcombe Bridge, however an “investigation has not identified any safety issues to the road or motorists”.

Cliffs close to the cracked section of the Esplanade have been eroding for some years, and beach access tracks near Alice and Augusta streets are closed.

the intersection of Hodgins Road and Boes/Hendersons roads, Hastings.

Boes/Hendersons roads (same road, different names) is a key north–south route between Somerville in the north and Bittern in the south.

It crosses Bungower Rd (now sealed all the way between Mornington and Somerville, where it joins TyabbTooradin Rd), Mornington-Tyabb Rd, Graydens Rd, Hodgins Rd, the western end of High St (which becomes Hastings’ main street in the east), Myers Rd and Frankston-Flinders Rd. A short section of Hendersons Rd in Bittern is unsealed.

Where the roundabout will be built is used by school traffic (Tyabb primary and Flinders Christian College).

Money for the roundabout comes from the federal government’s black spot program through VicRoads.

There have been several bad crashes at the intersection, mostly “crosstraffic” accidents involving vehicles travelling north along Hendersons Rd. There are plenty of smaller black spots where minor work has been done in recent years, like roundabouts at the intersection of Field and Marshall streets in Rye, and Craigie and Racecourse roads in Mt Martha.

Unmade Weeroona St, Fingal (at the back of Rye), was sealed at a cost of $227,000. There were 17 crashes, with one fatality and six serious injuries, between 2000 and 2006.

Tyabb-Tooradin Rd in Somerville, between Bungower Rd and South Boundary Rd East, was widened and had its edges sealed at a cost of $425,000. There were 12 crashes, with three people seriously injured and nine injured, from 2003 to 2007.

Similar work was done on Graydens Rd, Hastings, between Stumpy Gully and Frankston-Flinders roads. This stretch was the site of six crashes, with three people seriously injured and three injured, between 2003 and 2007.

Black spot programs both state and federal give priority to accident prevention projects that have the highest benefit/cost ratios.

This is bureaucratic speak for: the more people injured or killed, the better the chance of fixing the road/ installing the traffic lights/etc.

Road safety boffins have a formula that takes an intersection or a stretch of road higher up the “to do” list the more crashes occur.

At the council meeting earlier this month, councillors (and a public

gallery of more than 120 people, including about 90 from The Village Glen) heard that if three people are killed at an intersection or on a stretch of road, it jumps to the top of the black spot list.

Bizarrely, injury and death statistics are counted in five-year blocks.

A resident of The Village Glen was killed crossing the road near the village in 2001, before the pedestrian lights were installed, so her death was not counted for the recent “rating” of the Village Glen Dve and Eastbourne Rd T-intersection.

Her death was, to be brutal, not in vain as it led to the installation of the pedestrian lights.

After all the angst of recent weeks, the residents of the retirement village remain under-protected. It’s time pressure was put on VicRoads to install full traffic lights at the intersection.

Meanwhile, the drivers of the peninsula – and the tens of thousands who visit each year – need to show respect for other road users, concentrate at all times when behind the wheel and bear in mind there will never be enough money to make our rural roads “idiot-proof”.

Never enough cash for black spots

By Mike Hast HEATED debate by Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors earlier this month about proposed traffic lights in Rosebud West showed the soaring costs of making roads safer and the difficulties of balancing competing needs on the peninsula.

The shire had been asked to contribute one-third of $640,000 for a full signalised T-intersection where Village Glen Dve meets Eastbourne Rd, a designated “black spot”.

Village Glen Dve is the entrance to The Village Glen retirement precinct where 900 seniors live.

The housing estate, or village, was established in 1980 and has been expanded several times.

A signalised pedestrian crossing was built in the early 2000s, with a sensor in the bitumen of Village Glen Dve that activates the lights to enable drivers to exit with some degree of safety.

Drivers returning to the village along Eastbourne Rd from the west have to wait for a gap in the traffic to make a right-hand turn.

The Village Glen community was rocked last July when a woman resident driving out of the entrance and turning right into Eastbourne Rd was struck and killed by a truck.

Eastbourne Rd is “owned” by VicRoads, not the shire, which was the main reason councillors rejected the call for shire money to part-pay for the new lights, even though The Village Glen management made a second offer to pay about $327,000 and asked the shire for $100,000, with the expectation that VicRoads would

PAGE 8

find $213,000 in its 2011-12 or 201213 budgets.

The harsh reality is that there is not enough money in the system to make safe all black spots, although the shire attempts to take advantage of all possible funding programs, federal and state, as well as allocating $500,000 a year from rates for black spots on its own roads.

The shire has 11 black spots listed on the federal government’s National Black Spot Program – five in Hastings, two in Fingal (between Rye and Cape Schanck), and one each in Somerville, Flinders, Main Ridge and Sorrento.

Three are listed as completed: • Flinders – Baldrys Rd between Browns Rd and Mornington-Flinders Rd (federal government contribution $147,680).

• Fingal – Browns Rd between Dundas St and Springs Lane ($747,760).

• Main Ridge – Main Creek Rd between Barkers and Shands roads ($217,360).

The shire received $1.56 million of black spot money from the federal government for the 2010-11 financial year: • Hastings – roundabout at Elizabeth and Herring streets ($665,000).

• Hastings – roundabout at Church and Victoria streets ($320,000).

• Hastings – roundabout at High and Queen streets ($385,000).

• Sorrento – cut back embankments, clear vegetation, new signs at existing roundabout at Melbourne and Hughes roads ($190,000).

Projects completed recently or underway include a roundabout at

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

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LIMITED TIME! Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

PAGE 9

NEWS DESK

Shire plans new licences for beach box sites

By Keith Platt BATHING box owners have received a call to arms amid warnings that Mornington Peninsula Shire is about to revise its policy for the structures, which are on public land.

Mornington Peninsula Beach Box Association has distributed a letter headed “We need your help� saying the shire’s revamped policy will incorporate “a comprehensive licence agreement and compulsory public liability insurance�.

No stranger to battling bureaucracy, the association’s members forced the then Labor state government in 2001 to override a Department of Sustainability and Environment recommendation that no building permits be issued to replace boatsheds wrecked by storms at Mt Martha Beach North.

Coastal engineer Dr Peter Riedel carried out a stability study of Mt Martha Beach North after 15 boxes were lost or damaged in storms during the winter of 2000.

He found that “the conditions causing the erosion and subsequent damage were not overly severe and that if such structures were to be maintained at the back of the beach, the structural standard needed improvement and the floor levels of structures should be increased�.

The letter to bathing box owners

says the association is “working to protect your interests� and urges nonmembers to take up an annual $40 membership (special offer now runs to 30 June 2012) plus $25 for public liability insurance that provides cover of $10 million with a $1000 excess per box.

The association, formed from a nucleus of members of the Mt Martha Boatshed Owners and Users Association, said it needed new members “because there is strength in numbers to preserve and promote local heritage and culture�.

The shire’s own policy acknowledges the bathing boxes as being “icons�, although recent studies have only identified a small percentage of the nearly 1300 bathing boxes on peninsula’s beaches as having heritage value.

Association vice-president Chris Maine said the shire wanted to introduce a more complicated licence agreement, although the association believed the current system was “simple and effective�.

He said the association’s relationship with the shire was “very good� and he hoped one of the changes would be to increase tenure of bathing box sites to 10 years.

Mr Maine said bathing box owners would like to be able to clear vegetation that was encroaching on bathing

Top up for summer: Tonnes of sand were trucked to Mt Martha Beach North to restore the beach for summer, although the access track from the Esplanade remains closed due to erosion which has also destroyed several sets of wooden steps installed by Mornington Peninsula Shire. Cliffs behind these boatsheds stretching between Augusta and Alice streets are continually crumbling onto the beach and have smashed treated pine log retaining walls. A coastal engineer has found that “the conditions causing the erosion and subsequent damage were not overly severe.�

boxes. Although some vegetation was creating a fire hazard and restricting beach access “no beach user is allowed to remove it�.

The association describes the bathing boxes as “a colourful cluster of

historic icons�. The association’s website says the peninsula’s 45 kilometres of coast – one-sixth of Port Phillip’s coastline, with 26 beaches between Mt Eliza and Portsea – has more than 1300 bathing boxes.

The state government through the Department of Sustainability and Environment permits occupancy of a beach box on Crown land reserves by delegating the issue of licences to the shire and foreshore committees.

Have a say on the shire’s maintenance contracts MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is seeking comments from residents about its maintenance contracts, which are due for renewal in 2013.

The contracts with four companies cover buildings, pathways, drains, playgrounds, street and park furniture, street cleaning and recreation reserves.

The shire is conducting a survey asking residents if they think maintenance of public assets was up to scratch, was it better or worse than five years ago, and if more emphasis should be placed on beaches, shopping centres and car parks, parks and playgrounds, sporting reserves, public halls, roads and footpaths, bushland reserves, roadside vegetation or graffiti removal.

It also asks residents if they were happy when they asked for something to be done in the past five years.

This is a chance to make a contribution and not just complain in private about the shire’s maintenance.

The shire’s manager of infrastructure maintenance, Barry Pankhurst, said it wanted to “work with the community to ensure that standards for maintenance and presentation of community assets continue to meet our community’s needs�.

The survey is available from customer service centres in Rosebud, Hastings and Mornington or online at www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/Page/ Forms.asp?Form_id=46 Details: 5950 1263.

Grateful recipients: Community bank managers Julie Toward and Bronwyn Ralph with recipients of the grants and community bank senior manager Gary Sanford.

Peninsula youth troops kick off new funding ROTARY OPPORTUNITY WAREHOUSE USE

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Volunteers are always made most welcome – Why not join our happy teams & enjoy the company of other community-spirited men and women.

For Warehouse enquiries, telephone Doug on 5986 8896 (Monday-Saturday) For Rotary Shop, speak to Sue or Betty on 5986 7000 (Tuesday mornings) All Funds Returned to Community – Wholly Staffed by Volunteers. Donations to Community now exceed $1,000,000 over past 10 Years.

A JOINT FUNDRAISING PROJECT OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF ROSEBUD-RYE Inc.

PAGE 10

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

YOUTH Foundations Victoria was launched in Rosebud West in July 2010, led by the YMCA and a committee of young people aged 13-23.

The project is an initiative of the Office for Youth and Bendigo Bank Youth Foundation, and provides grants to young people for projects that will benefit young people.

In Rosebud West, Peninsula Youth Troops recommends applications for good ideas to the Bendigo Bank board of

trustees for approval.

In Eastbourne Primary School hall last week, three youth projects received cheques and the first round of funding for 2011 was launched.

Youth Troops committee member Eden Fox said: “The possibilities for youth-led projects are endless and we offer grants of up to $2000 that will be decided by the end of May.�

Jeanette Horsley of Youth Foundations Victoria said the group was recruiting

committee members.

She said young people with great ideas would need organisations to back their projects, and that the program was looking for mentors to support committee members.

To become involved in the committee or mentoring program and find out more about the available grant money or recent initiatives, contact Jeanette Horsley on 0448 916 724 or email jeanette. horsley@ymca.vic.gov.au

Short debate over Long Point

By Mike Hast MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has given two gun clubs, a motorcycle club and an archery group a 15-year lease at peppercorn rates at Long Point Reserve in Cape Schanck.

The decision by the council at its most recent general meeting ends a long-running controversy over the legitimacy of the clubs’ use of the reserve, which is 500 metres from Mornington Peninsula National Park, which contains the iconic wildlife reserve called Greens Bush (see box).

Nepean Clay Target Club, Victorian Field and Game Association (Port Phillip), Rosebud and District Motorcycle Club, and Mornington Peninsula Bowmen will each pay just $10 a week for their sections of the land.

The clubs also will share a windfall of almost $8800, half the rent paid by Optus for a communications tower in the reserve.

Each year the shire will spend almost $8000 on the reserve for road grading, weed control, tree inspection and occasional tree maintenance.

Its income from the reserve will be about $10,880 – almost $8800 from Optus and $2080 from the four clubs.

On Tuesday 15 March, councillors were told the fee for active sports facilities such as Long Point Reserve was calculated “at a weekly amount determined by a grading establishment per square meter [sic] of area occupied”.

“The combined clubs occupy an area of 35.5 hectares, which equates to a category 4 fee structure of $60 per week,” stated a report by Greg Collins, property operations team leader, and Fiona Colquhoun, recreation planning team leader.

“Given the requirement for the clubs to fully maintain their premises, it is recommended that the rent be reduced to $40 per week ($10 per club = $520 per annum for each club).”

There was a short debate by councillors about point 14 of the officers’ report: “Clubs will ensure that no vegetation is removed from or brought into the reserve without first obtaining a permit or other consent, and flora and fauna must not be damaged, or injured during clubs’ use of the reserve.”

This led to a bizarre exchange over the shooting of wild dogs and foxes in the reserve.

Cr David Gibb, a second generation Red Hill cattle grazier, explained to his colleagues that you didn’t need a permit to remove pest animals and plants on the peninsula.

Cr Bev Colomb asked: “How do you tell the difference between a wild dog

SouthernPeninsula Peninsula Southern

and a stray dog?”

Cr Leigh Eustace said “They’d [gun club members] be armed to the teeth”, which brought laughter from around the table.

Cr Anne Shaw: “All goats are feral, I reckon.” More laughs.

Cr Gibb was having none of this jocularity: “We’d want to damage some fauna – foxes.”

The councillors agreed on a revised part of the motion granting the leases: “That the lease be amended in Point 14 to reflect the following: The issues of flora and fauna will be dealt with as per the Management Plan.”

The plan is yet to be prepared.

It was obvious all the controversial aspects of the lease had been debated behind closed doors.

Long Point Reserve was bought by the Shire of Flinders in March 1984, just before amalgamation of the three shires into the “super” shire, specifically for use by the clay target, archery and motorcycle clubs, which were already using the land with the agreement of the private owner.

Since then the clubs had used the land with shire approval, but did not have leases until last week.

The reserve’s status changed when the Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme was introduced in May 1999.

In late 2006 the shire started a process to grant new leases and held a public meeting in May 2007 in Rosebud.

This is when things hotted up as residential neighbours of the reserve said they would oppose the granting of new leases to the two gun clubs and the motorcycle club, due to the noise they created.

They claimed shooting was occurring late at night, while some environmentalists said they could sometimes hear the guns in Flinders.

Others were annoyed such activities were occurring near a national park.

The shire hired consultants to test noise levels and it was claimed they were well below the limits recommended by the Environment Protection Authority.

On 18 December 2007, a group of residents sought an enforcement order from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, claiming the land was being used in contravention of the planning scheme and that the shire was not enforcing its planning rules.

A critical element of the legal action was the question: did the clubs have existing use rights going back 15 years from 18 December 2007?

The VCAT ruled that the archery club had been there for 15 years, but not the other three clubs.

The shire disagreed with the VCAT and appealed to the Supreme Court, which sent the matter back to the VCAT, ordering it to reverse its decision.

It was a victory for the four clubs and a loss for the 11 objecting neighbours, with a sting in the tale – the objectors were ordered to pay about $120,000 in legal costs.

The council says the new leases take into account the needs of all parties with some specific conditions: 1. Penalties for breaches of lease conditions ultimately culminating in suspension of use of the reserve for up to three months.

2. A complaints register to be maintained by the shire.

3. Clubs must obtain and maintain planning and building permits for new buildings.

4. Club calendars and timetables will be published on the shire’s website each year.

5. The second weekend of each month and every Monday as well as Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day will be noise-free (no motorcycle or gun club events; the archers are exempt). Maintenance work can be done on these days.

6. Sunday activities cannot start before 9am and on any day all noisy activities must cease by 10pm except for monthly competitions, which can finish at 11pm.

7. There will be some minor exceptions to dates and times for specific events after written approval by shire officers (for example, state, regional and national competitions).

8. Clubs must comply with EPA noise level rules at all times, including the use of public address systems.

9. Use of the reserve is limited to club and competition members, and the general public cannot use the reserve except for approved open days.

10. Overnight camping will only be allowed for security purposes.

11. A management plan is proposed for the reserve and will be developed in consultation with all parties.

12. Clean up of clay target and shotgun cartridge debris is required at least twice each year.

13. Clubs will maintain their own buildings and improvements at no cost to the shire.

14. The issues of flora and fauna will be dealt with as per the management plan.

The News believes the shire has done a deal with the objectors: keep your mouths shut and we won’t enforce the $120,000 legal bill.

There is one more hurdle for the four clubs to jump: the lease will

Beaut bush: A section of Greens Bush in Mornington Peninsula National Park, which straddles Cape Schanck and Boneo. Picture courtesy Marie-Louise Hekel.

be advertised in local newspapers and anyone is entitled to make a submission under section 223 of the Local Government Act 1989.

Expect to hear silence from 11 objectors, but plenty of cheering and

whooping from the members of the two gun clubs and one motorcycle club as they celebrate their longfought leases – and start using their maximum allowance of 561 days a year.

All about Greens Bush GREENS Bush between Arthurs Seat and Cape Schanck is the largest section of remnant bushland on the Mornington Peninsula.

Surrounded by farmland, the island of native forest is a wildlife haven. Peaceful surroundings and the natural beauty of the bush make the area ideal for walking, picnicking and observing nature.

It contains many different vegetation communities, from eucalypt forests to fern gullies, heathlands and grasslands.

It has birds on the forest floor, in the scrub and in the tree canopy including wrens, honeyeaters, parrots and birds of prey such as the black-shouldered kite and wedgetailed eagle.

At dawn and dusk, visitors can see kangaroos feeding in the open grasslands and black wallabies in the forest. At night there are ringtail possums, sugar gliders and the little

forest eptesicus bat as it searches for insects, usually eaten on the wing.

In 1926 the Green family purchased 900 hectares of land, and although they used it for farming, much of the natural bushland was retained. Extensive clearing was occurring over much of the peninsula, and the National Trust, recognising the conservation value of Greens Bush, listed the area as classified landscape in 1974.

In 1975 the state government bought 500 hectares from the Green family with the intention of creating a park. Funds were limited, and in 1986 a public appeal was launched by the Victorian Conservation Trust to buy the remaining area.

More than $1.3 million was raised and after it was purchased, Greens Bush became part of Mornington Peninsula National Park.

Source: Parks Victoria website

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Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

PAGE 11

NEWS DESK

Benefit washed out, but inside gig raises $35,000 Continued from Page 1 The question on everyone’s lips was answered soon after when light rain started.

By 2pm when the first band was supposed to go on, organisers knew what they had to do – pull the plug on the concert. Electricity and water just don’t mix.

People were incredulous; hundreds of volunteers had slaved all morning under a hot sun.

A busload of Charltonians had left behind their flood-affected town and the damaged art deco theatre for a bit of fun in Sorrento, including many women of a certain age who had come just to see Russell Morris.

Organisers hastily set up a small stage in the football club’s rooms and about 400 patrons plus volunteers crammed inside.

Co-organiser John Prentice was ebullient when The News spoke to him midweek: “Most of the musicians stayed and it was the best concert I’ve ever been to; a special day.”

The mayor of Charlton told him it was the first time in months many residents had laughed or cheered.

“Comedians Degen Agnew and Elliot Goblet brought the house down,” Mr Prentice said.

Charlton residents wore special polo shirts and during the afternoon collected autographs from musicians, concerts organisers and each other.

Remarkable, the event raised about $17,000 from tickets sold at the gate and as much again from presales and donations, including from primary sponsors Linfox, Bendigo Bank and Lion Nathan as well as Peninsula Hotel Group, Heritage 3059 in Balnarring, Grand Hotel in Mornington and Hotel

PAGE 12

Life savers’ grant for new recruits ROSEBUD District Life Saving Club has been awarded $3300 under the Victorian Volunteer Small Grants program to conduct a recruiting campaign.

The club needs new members to operate beach patrol services.

Community groups seeking funding for activities can apply for grants at www.grants.dpcd.vic.gov.au.

Dump green waste free

Real close: Melbourne rock legend Russell Morris played to a crowd of 400 crammed into the Sorrento Football Club rooms after bad weather shut down the outside concert. Picture: Jenny Pollard

Sorrento. Co-organiser Alex Crawford praised people who pre-purchased tickets and didn’t come because of the weather, but didn’t want a refund.

“The indoor concert was amazing and we rocked out the rooms until 8pm, thanks to Electric Factory who supplied the stage amps, and Tony Byrne and Fiona Schneider who put together an impromptu Plan B. The final line-up was superb and no performance of It’s a Long Way to the Top will ever sound as good.”

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

She thanked the committee of Jeff Wilde, Tony Byrne, John and Jenny Prentice, Russell McCraw, Mae Parker, Cath McCarthy, Rob Pitt, Bryan Payne and Mick Schuldt.

“Thanks also to Munster Terrace, San Fran Disco, Wendy Stapleton and Paul Norton, The Love Stars, Russell Morris, Chris and Peter Doe, Blackfeather, The Big and Horny Band, Johnnie “Bagpipes” Houghton, Elliot Goblet, the Mick Pealing Band, Tony Byrne, the Ron Martini Band

and Degen Agnew for wonderful performances under cramped conditions.

“Thanks as well to Sorrento Surf Club, Sorrento Rotary Club, Sorrento Football Club, Sorrento Police, Sorrento Golf Club, the Portsea Camp, Sorrento Portsea RSL, Asylum TV (Channel 31), St John Ambulance, Sorrento CFA and Sorrento SES, Michael Snelson (Soul Management) and many individuals.”

Mike Hast

RESIDENTS of Mornington Peninsula Shire can dump green waste free of charge at the shire’s three waste disposal centres on the weekend of 2-3 April.

The service was started after Black Saturday in 2009 to encourage residents to reduce green waste and fire fuel loads around homes.

Proof of residency is required (driver’s licence or a copy of a rates notice) and only green waste (all types of garden waste and untreated timber) delivered by non-commercial vehicles and trailers will be accepted.

Waste centres open 8am-5pm in Truemans Rd, Rye, McKirdys Rd, Tyabb, and Watt Rd, Mornington.

Delays are expected at Mornington so driving across to Tyabb may be better. Mornington can only accept three cubic metres of green waste per trip.

For more information about the free green waste weekend or the new green bin collection service, call customer service on 1300 850 600 during weekday office hours.

Southern Peninsula

FREE

Resort-style living in McCrae > Page 3

SOUTHERN PENINSULA

realestate

22 March 2011

Page 2

Southern Peninsula Real Estate 22nd March 2011

SOUTHERN PENINSULA

realestate The people to call for your real estate needs...

Joshua Callaghan Mobile: 0418 595 719

Paul Basso Mobile: 0428 107 867

Fletchers SORRENTO 136 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento PHONE: 03 5984 2600

Basso Real Estate

EMAIL: joshua.callaghan@fletchers.net.au

EMAIL: paul@bassorealestate.com.au

1087 Point Nepean Rd, Tootgarook

PHONE: 03 5985 9000

John Kennedy Mobile: 0401 984 842 John Kennedy Real Estate 2327 Point Nepean Road, Rye PHONE: 03 5985 8800 EMAIL: jkre@bigpond.net.au

Jon Perrett Mobile: 0405 123 921

Troy Daly Mobile: 0418 397 771

Ian Oldstein Mobile: 0408 994 705

Stockdale & Leggo Rosebud 1089 Point Nepean Rd, Rosebud PHONE: 03 5986 8600

JP Dixon Portsea Sorrento 109 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento PHONE: 03 5984 4388

Email: jon@stockdaleleggo.com.au

Email: troy@jpdixonportseasorrento.com.au

Jacobs & Lowe-Bennetts Rye 2115 Point Nepean Road, Rye PHONE: 03 5987 9000 EMAIL: rye@jlbre.com.au

Diane & Phil Key Mobile: 0419 324 515

Robert Magnano Mobile: 0425 772 073

Stockdale & Leggo Rye 2397 Point Nepean Rd, Rye PHONE: 03 5985 6555

YPA Estate Agents Shop 3, 2255 Pt Nepean Rd, RYE PHONE: 03 5985 2600

Email: dianekey@stockdaleleggo.com.au

EMAIL: robertm@ypa.com.au

To advertise in the next edition of Southern Peninsula Real Estate please contact Cameron on 0407 027 707

Southern Peninsula

Thinking of selling?

List your house with an agent that advertises in the only paper dedicated to the Southern Peninsula!

Page 3

Southern Peninsula Real Estate. 22nd March 2011

McCrae

$1,450,000

Resort-style living in McCrae This fabulous property has to be seen to be believed.

The ground level comprises a large family room that overlooks the solar-heated swimming pool and outside entertaining area.

There are three generous-sized bedrooms, two bathrooms, powder room, an amazing large study or fifth bedroom, laundry and a separate linen room.

A lovely wide staircase leads up to the first floor and a stunning open plan area with a

superb gourmet kitchen, dining room and a spectacular living room that leads out on to the deck, which has incredible views of Port Phillip Bay and the city skyline. The master bedroom is a sheer delight, generous in size with a large walk-in robe and ensuite.

There is a massive six-car garage beneath the house with internal access, security alarm and solar electricity. This superb home will appeal to the most fastidious of buyers who only want the best.

Agency: Stockdale & Leggo Rosebud, 1089 Pt Nepean Road. Ph (03) 5986 8600.

Agent: Katie French, 0415 415 384.

No.1 in Sales Portsea to Sorrento

A RECORD JANUARY & FEBRUARY IN SALES! r #.'5 4'57.65 #0 NM g 744'06 FNEE

WHILST THE COMPETITION ARE PASSING IN PROPERTIES...

- WE’RE SELLING THEM...

IN PORTSEA, SORRENTO, BLAIRGOWRIE + RYE! As your agents of choice‌why is JP Dixon Portsea Sorrento getting record results month after month? ˜ 74 (#/175 $7;'4 &#6#$#5' ˜ :2'46 0')16+#6+10 5-+..5 ˜ 41('55+10#. #&8+%' (41/ 6*' /156 ':2'4+'0%'& .1%#. 5#.'5 6'#/

˜ +)* ':21574' 144'061 /#+0 564''6 .1%#6+10 122T 1.'5 ˜ 74 6#4)'6'& 1((+%' 0'6914- +0 4+)*610X 114#-X #0&4+0)*#/ #0& '#7/#4+5

˜ 0018#6+8' /#4-'6+0) %#/2#+)05 ˜ 1%#. 1((+%' h .1%#. 2'12.' ˜ .75W,756 2.#+0 *10'56 *#4& 914-X 241('55+10#.+5/ #0& '06*75+#5/

CALL TROY DALY (PRICIPAL) NOW ON 0418 397 771 FOR A FREE APPRAISAL AND MARKET REPORT

109 OCEAN BEACH ROAD SORRENTO 5984 4388

www.jpdixon.com.au www.jpdixonportseasorrento.com.au

Page 4

Southern Peninsula Real Estate 22nd March 2011

Rye

87 Andrea Street

Superb Corner Block

Build your dream and showcase it to perfection. Having 2 street frontages will allow easy access for those little necessities i.e. boat, van etc. Builders will instantly recognize the huge potential to build an up market spec home. Whether it be for permanent living, KROLGD\ KRPH RU LQYHVWPHQW WKH EORFN UHSUHVHQWV D RQFH LQ D OLIHWLPH RSSRUWXQLW\ ,QVSHFW ZLWK FRQĂ€GHQFH DQG SKRQH *OHQQ .H\ for further details on 0402 445 208.

Auction: Inspect: Agent:

Saturday 9th April @12 noon “On site�

Terms 10% dep balance 30 days.

By Appointment *OHQQ .H\

Tootgarook

39 Leonard Street

Vendors Partied Out - Time to Sell

A very rare and exciting opportunity to secure a brilliant home only a few minutes walk to the beach.The home is designed to satisfy WKH QHHGV RI ODUJHU IDPLOLHV RU JURXSV VHHNLQJ D KRPH ZLWK Ă H[LEOH EHGURRP DFFRPPRGDWLRQ DQG ]RQHG OLYLQJ LQVLGH SOXV H[WHQVLYH decking for alfresco dining at its best.There are a total of 6 bedrooms, 4 of which are in the house 2 others together with a bathroom and toilet in a separate villa adjacent to the deck. The weatherboard home has character and has had continuous upgrading over the past few years. Future improvements can be undertaken without fear of over capitalization. A genuine vendor committed to sell.

Auction: Saturday 9th April @1pm Terms 10% dep balance 60 days Inspect: Saturday & Sunday 3.00-3.30pm Agent: 3KLO .H\

Tootgarook

Beautiful Views of the Bay

1 Hillcrest Drive

$ VWXQQLQJ GRXEOH VWRUH\ ZHDWKHUERDUG UHVLGHQFH VLWWLQJ SURXGO\ RQ D ORYHO\ ELJ EORFN RI DOPRVW DFUH %HLQJ RQO\ \HDUV ROG and having lived a totally sheltered life it is literally as brand new.The lower level offers a grand entry, 2 bedrooms, rumpus, bathroom, toilet and laundry. Upstairs is totally open plan with a glamour kitchen, massive living room that opens onto a vast expanse of elevated deck. Perfect to soak up the sun with a glass of champagne whilst you watch the ships passing in the distance. The master bedroom complete with full ensuite and walk in robe as well as a study are also on this level. Plenty of covered parking and room to move.

Price: $639,500 Inspect:

By Appointment Agent: &ODLUH .HUU

3KLO .H\

Tootgarook

51 Bona Street

Dressed to Impress

)URP WKH PRPHQW \RX ÀUVW YLHZ WKLV JRUJHRXV ZHDWKHUERDUG IDPLO\ KRPH \RX ZLOO EH ÀOOHG ZLWK DQWLFLSDWLRQ DV \RX VWHS LQVLGH \RXU anticipation will turn into sheer delight. There may even be the desire to sit down and contemplate. Your senses will be tantalized and yes, it could all be yours. Start ticking the boxes. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms plus powder room, 3 living areas including magic parents retreat, hostess kitchen and your very own alfresco decked area. Then add ducted heating ducted evap cooling and solar KRW ZDWHU IRU \RXU FRPIRUW DQG ÀQLVK RII ZLWK D ELJ EORFN ZRQGHUIXO JDUGHQ DQG WKH EHVW DGGUHVV RQO\ PHWHUV IURP WKH EHDFK Auction: Saturday 9th April @2pm Terms 10% dep balance 60 days Inspect: 6DWXUGD\ 6XQGD\ SP RU E\ DSSRLQWPHQW Agent: *OHQQ .H\

Boneo

124 Browns Road

Willow Park - Very Affordable Equestrian Property - 5 acres

Picture the idyllic equestrian lifestyle for buyers on a budget. Priorities become paramount. The land must be level and usable, there must be stables and shedding, water is essential and the home must be in top condition and functional. Willow Park offers 5 wonderful level acres. There is bore water to the paddocks, a small pond and huge tank water capacity. There are 3 sets of stables correctly and safely divided to accommodate numerous horses. The home itself is totally renovated and looks and feels like new.

Whilst not massive it will easily accommodate your family with huge potential for further expansion.

Price: Inspect: Agent:

$830,000- $865,000

By Appointment 'L .H\

Rye

55 Beauna Vista Drive

Price to Sell, Positioned to Please

A great traditional Mornington Peninsula beach house in lovely condition throughout. Elevated, the home offers plenty of covered parking. There is a 4th bedroom with shower and toilet on the ground level then upstairs to 3 more bedrooms, good sized living, very well appointed modern kitchen and facilities to match. There’s a front verandah and a wide rear deck. The block is large and offers very low maintenance. Being within walking distance to the beach it is a recommended buy for the astute holiday home buyer.

Price: Inspect: Agent:

$380,000- $400,000

By Appointment $ODQD %DORJ 'L .H\

2397 Point Nepean Road, Rye

5985 6555

stockdaleleggo.com.au/rye

Page 5

Southern Peninsula Real Estate. 22nd March 2011

Tootgarook

Auction: Sat 09-Apr-11 2:00PM

In a class of its own This home is on one of the finest boulevards on the peninsula and offers a tranquil lifestyle sheltered from the hustle and bustle, yet is only a short walk to the beach (about 450 metres or so). Here the blocks are large and the area lightly treed. This wonderful home is a delight in every respect. It looks fabulous, feels fantastic and above all has an interesting, extremely functional family floor plan with a central private alfresco dining and entertaining deck. The spacious characterfilled weatherboard home has three separate living areas comprising a main lounge, large family room adjacent to the kitchen as well as a private parent’s retreat with feature gas log fire. There are four bedrooms, the master

to the front with stunning ensuite facilities and the others at the rear of the home. A very well-equipped kitchen with a lovely big stainless steel cooker will appeal to the chef in the family. As well as the ensuite there is a family bathroom and second toilet with vanity, both of which are tastefully appointed.

Well-chosen decor, polished floorboards, ducted heating, ducted evaporative air and solar hotwater add to the internal charm. A glamorous entry, double garage with remote control and storage, a wonderful block with feature shade trees and a shed or workshop complete the package externally. This is a stunning, totally functional home that must be inspected to be fully appreciated.

Agency: Stockdale & Leggo Rye, 2271 Pt Nepean Rd. Phone: (03) 5985 6555.

Agent: Glenn Key, 0402 445 208.

Rye

Auction: Sat 09-Apr-11 2:00PM

Charming classic Rye beach house Here is a well-maintained beach retreat located only a short walk to the foreshore and a comfortable stroll to the Rye shopping precinct and all that it has to offer.

The delightful home will make a great getaway or permanent home for holiday or year round rental.

It features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two separate living areas, Rinnai gas heater, kitchen with electric appliances and large central sunroom or laundry.

The generous allotment of about 953 square metres has three sheds, bore water and a fernery, perfect for the avid gardener.

A must inspect in this most popular Rye location; offers considered prior to auction.

Agency: Jacobs & Lowe-Bennetts Rye. 2115 Pt Nepean Rd, Rye. Phone: 5987 9000. Agent: Brendan Adams, 0419 566 944.

WINNER of the 2010 Australian Achiever Awards “Excellence in Customer Service”

TOOTGAROOK

$450,000-$485,000

TOOTGAROOK

$640,000 - $700,000

ROSEBUD WEST

$440,000-$475,000

SO MANY OPTIONS This large Colonial style home has it all. Security shutters on all windows, 3 large bedrms, 2 kitchens, 2 bathrms, 2 living rooms, one with a feature timber ceiling, 2 dining areas and 2 garages. Situated on a level block of 952m2, close to beach and shops in a sought after area. Low maintenance garden with a bore water reticulated watering system. House is surrounded with a verandah and a paved walk way, paved entertaining area with fernery and space for a nursery or potting shed. Water tank, shed, fully fenced and a great back yard.

Inspection is a must!

FULLY RENOVATED OPPOSITE THE BEACH Absolutely nothing to spend. A great opportunity to purchase this fully renovated 3 bedroom beachside property. Features include: 3 great sized bedrooms, ensuite to master, large open plan living area, modern kitchen with stainless steel stove, dishwasher, central wood heater, split system A/C, spa bath, great BBQ area, large double lock up garage with work shop area and bore water. All of this situated on a huge 914m2 level block of land opposite one of the Peninsula’s Premier Beaches and boat launching facilities. An excellent opportunity to secure a great property with all the work already done for you.

POSITION PERFECT 200 mtrs to Beach & Shops. Nothing to spend on this exceptional 3 bdrm home main has ensuite. As they say ‘A picture paints a 1000 words’ you can see the pictures show this home to be ideal for permanent or holiday living. terracotta tiles throughout. Large open plan living with bright galley kitchen and has both heating & cooling, outside entertaining area and low maintenance garden. Private fenced back yard with lock up garage. This one has it all and is priced to sell. Private inspection can be arranged anytime.

Roy Thompson 0419 304 650

Paul Basso 03 5985 9000

Roy Thompson 0419 304 650

ROSEBUD

$250,000-$270,000

ROSEBUD WEST

$390,000 - $430,000

TOOTGAROOK

$409,000-$449,000

ONE STREET BACK FROM THE BEACH! If you’re looking for an affordable investment within an easy stroll to the beach then look no further. This well maintained 3 bedroom, 2 storey townhouse features: DOWNSTAIRS - open plan living, gas heating, electric cooking, combined bathroom and laundry with separate W/C. UPSTAIRS - 3 bedrooms plus a study area! Properties like this are very hard to come by.

Inspection is by appointment only.

AHOY DEVELOPERS If you’re looking for a great development site close to the beach, well look no further! This substantial 922m2 (approx) property is located only 3 streets back from the beach and is large enough to accommodate 3 units (STCA). The property is currently tenanted till April 2011 @ $210.00 p/w to someone who is keen to stay on. Alternatively if you’re looking for the perfect holiday spread then this will definitely fit the bill. Either way this well positioned 3 bedroom property offers the developer or private buyer tremendous potential in the ever popular and increasingly sought after area of Rosebud West.

RETREAT, RETIRE OR RENT From the moment you enter, you are instantly welcomed. This immaculate home will suit a diverse number of buyers from holiday, permanent or investors. Features include 3 BRs, master with ENS, tiled entry area leads to a sep formal lounge then through to a large tiled kitchen and dining room, opening out to the covered outdoor entertainment area. Beautiful private yard with manicured garden, also including dbl carport, dbl garage and plenty of room for all your toys. Located close to Shops, Schools and Transport. A must see.

Paul Basso 03 5985 9000

Paul Basso 03 5985 9000

Ryan Deutrom 0406 426 766

Tootgarook 1807 Pt Nepean Rd 5985 9000

Page 6

Southern Peninsula Real Estate 22nd March 2011

Rosebud

79 South Road

Under Instructions To Sell!

This three bedroom home with large open plan lounge-dining, kitchen, meals area. There is a large three car garage which can also house boats, and/or a caravan, or simply make a great tradies shed/ ZRUNVKRS 7KH SURSHUW\ LV ORFDWHG LQ D SULPH SRVLWLRQ RQ P DSSUR[ RI ODQG D SRVVLEOH WZR XQLW VLWH 67&$ :LWKLQ D VKRUW VWUROO ÀYH PLQXWHV WR 0F&UDH EHDFK VKRSV DQG SULPDU\ VFKRROV 7KH possibilities are endless, inspection is a must!

Auction: Inspect: Contact:

Saturday 23 Apr 2011 at 12:00pm Saturday from 2:00 to 2:30pm, Sunday from 2:00pm to 2:30pm Amanda Kaye 0408 888 607 0DUN 0RUVVLQNKRI

McCrae

3 Abbey Lane

Resort style living - spoil yourself!

This fabulous property has to be seen to be believed!

The ground level comprises of a large family room which overlooks the solar heated swimming pool and outside entertaining area. There are three generous sized bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, powder room, DQG DQ DPD]LQJ ODUJH VWXG\ RU ÀIWK EHGURRP ODXQGU\ SOXV D VHSDUDWH OLQHQ URRP $ ORYHO\ ZLGH VWDLUFDVH OHDGV \RX XS WR WKH ÀUVW à RRU DQG D VWXQQLQJ RSHQ SODQ DUHD ZLWK D VXSHUE JRXUPHW NLWFKHQ GLQLQJ URRP DQG D VSHFWDFXODU OLYLQJ URRP ZKLFK OHDGV \RX RXW RQ WR WKH GHFN ZKLFK has incredible views of the bay and the city skyline. The master bedroom is a sheer delight, generous in size with a large walk in robe and ensuite.

There is a massive six car garage beneath the house with internal access, security alarm and solar electricity. This superb home will appeal to the most fastidious of buyers, whom only want the best!

Price: Inspect: Contact:

Saturday from 2:00 to 2:30pm, Sunday from 2:00 to 2:30pm .DWLH )UHQFK

5986 8600

1089 Point Nepean Road, Rosebud

Southern Peninsula Real Estate. 22nd March 2011

Rosebud

2/16 Lyon Street

Rosebud

Page 7

55 Fourth Avenue

Brand New!

Oh So Close

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One of only two on the block and nestled in a quiet leafy street. With open plan lounge, dining, kitchen, two bathrooms and a double lockup garage with internal access.

This three bedroom, tw o living area home is full of character, with polished boards and ample storage with double and single garages.

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Price: Inspect: Contact:

Laze back in the fully enclosed sunroom, or enjoy reading a book on the undercover verandah.

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Price: Inspect:

$410,000

By Appointment Amanda Kaye 0408 888 607 0DUN 0RUVVLQNKRI

Rosebud

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Contact:

2 Bromley Street

WR Saturday from 11:00 to 11:30am and from 1:00 to 1:30pm, Sunday from 11:00 to 11:30am and from 1:00 to 1:30pm 0DUN 0RUVVLQNKRI Amanda Kaye 0408 888 607

Rosebud

3 Elwers Road

Stroll To The Schools And Shops!

Gorgeous House - Fabulous Location

Lovely brick house in immaculate condition close to the plaza with just a short stroll to the primary/ secondary schools and the football ground, this home is ideal for young families and retirees alike. It comprises of three bedrooms with built in robes, one bathroom, separate toilet and laundry, a large living room which leads through to the open plan dining/kitchen, ducted heating and air conditioning, security alarm, plus a double garage. There is also a lovely rear garden with a lawn and a covered patio area, which is ideal for entertaining.

This is a really lovely property situated close to the beach and shops, it comprises of large open plan living room with French doors leading to a secluded front garden which is completely enclosed by wooden fencing, as you stroll back through the living room you have a large dining area, leading into the gourmet kitchen, there are three decent sized bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, laundry and w.c.

This property is ideally situated and will surely impress!

A large carport which has a gate for security purposes, plus a lovely rear back garden with two sheds. This is a truly delightful property which will sell fast.

Price: Inspect: Contact:

Price: Inspect: Contact:

$370,000 Saturday from 12:00 to 12:30pm, Sunday from 12:00 to 12:30pm .DWLH )UHQFK

$460,000

By Appointment .DWLH )UHQFK

5986 8600

1089 Point Nepean Road, Rosebud

Page 8

Southern Peninsula Real Estate 22nd March 2011

7/30 Weir Street Rye $379,000 “CENTRAL AND SPACIOUS TOWNHOUSE�

30 Helena Crt, Rye $475,000

Only 300 metres to the beach and the shopping strip sits this low maintenance and open plan townhouse. Featuring large lounge/living area leading to lush north facing courtyard, air-conditioning/ heating, semi-ensuite to both bedrooms, single lock-up garage and low Body Corp fees. These units are often sort but seldom found.

“RYGOWRIE�

Very popular Murray Street area of Rye/ Blairgowrie border. Four bedroom, two living, two bathroom home set on a very low maintenance block close to Tyrone beach. Ideal holiday home or permanent with a little light reno required. Inspection by appointment.

Contact: Sam Crowder 0403 893 724

32 Napier Street, Rye $650,000 “THE LIMEBURNERS�

Contact: Sam Crowder 0403 893 724

9 Lewana St, Rye $475,000

Fantastic position in the Rye beach township minutes stroll to everything Rye has to offer, beach, cafÊ’s, fantastic restaurants and more! This renovated property currently attracting excellent rental returns is in the heart of Rye. Home comprises: Three good size bedrooms, two living areas, two bathrooms, north facing deck and all exceptionally well presented.

“IT’S A KNOCKOUT!�

Fully renovated as new three bedroom KRPH ZLWK RSHQ SODQ NLWFKHQ Ă RZLQJ RXW to north facing undercover deck. New bathroom, European laundry, exposed Agg, driveway plus paths. Huge double garage/workshop and carport screened behind private brush panel fence with electric remote gate, minutes walk to cafĂŠ/milk bar. Call now to inspect.

Contact: Sam Crowder 0403 893 724

14 Norma Ave, Rye $549,000

“BEACH LOVERS BEACH HOUSE�

Contact: Sam Crowder 0403 893 724

18 Keats Court, Rye $795,000 “FAMILY ENTERTAINING. OUTSTANDING LOCATION�

Enjoy beach lifestyle living offered from this modern and spacious family home.

Entertain with style from the designer kitchen featuring stone bench tops and vinyl wrap cabinetry, overlooking the extensive decking, alfresco area and relaxing built in spa. Features include: Four large bedrooms, main with WIR and luxurious ensuite, ducted heating and cooling and alarm system.

Contact: Sam Crowder 0403 893 724

3/1543 Point Nepean Road Rosebud West $560,000 “PERFECTLY POSITIONED PRIVACY�

Step from the inviting shore of Port Phillip Bay across the road, through into a private tranquil court yard. The established garden creates a lush inviting backdrop for entertaining or relaxing on the deck that opens into a spacious open living, dining area. A modern kitchen with stone bench tops and quality appliances will make domestic life a pleasure. Comprises: Three bedrooms, master with balcony to sit and enjoy the surroundings of a Peninsula lifestyle, one bathroom and rear access.

Contact: 5\H 2IĂ€FH

Fantastic home. Amazing position.

Beautiful land of 880m2 approx. You will love this well presented three bedroom, two bathroom home which is just a three minute walk to one of the Peninsula’s most popular beaches. The home also boasts two living areas, ensuite to main bedroom with walk in robe and existing garage and double carport, plenty of room for your boat or caravan. Much sought after, but seldom found... this is a beauty.

Contact: Sam Crowder 0403 893 724

22 Sara Street, Rye $519,000 “OCEANS ELEVEN�

Very appealing weatherboard home situated on a large 840m2 corner block close to Rye ocean beach. Home comprises three good size bedrooms main with BIR and ensuite. Formal lounge, separate open plan kitchen, meals and living zone.

Separate laundry, full bathroom and toilet.

Double garage with direct access to house and landscaped native gardens.

Contact: Sam Crowder 0403 893 724

2327 PT NEPEAN RD RYE

03 5985 8800 www.johnkennedyrealestate.com.au

Southern Peninsula Real Estate. 22nd March 2011

Blairgowrie

$650,000 - $670,000

Page 9

Beach Retreats

Modern entertaining flair with tree-top views Impeccably redesigned and presented, this tri-level home is set on approx 2200 square metres with ample parking for boats, caravan and trailers.

Open plan in design, the main living area has a quality kitchen and open fire, and opens through bifold stacker doors to a huge outdoor balcony with elevated rural outlook.

Separate rumpus or home theatre room provides zoned living. Three bedrooms, master with stunning spa ensuite, walk-in robe and all with outdoor balconies.

Features include a remote double lock-up garage, 2.5 bathrooms, under-house storage and fully landscaping.

Agency: Fletchers, 136 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento. Phone: 03 5984 2600.

Agent: Joshua Callaghan, 0418 595 719.

Beach retreats for your next holiday Beach Retreats specialise in holiday homes from Portsea through to Rye and have houses available for all occasions. Whether you’re looking for a cosy weekend escape for two, a summer holiday for the whole family, a golfing trip or a girls’ getaway, we can cater for you.

The features included in our various houses are swimming pools, spas, saunas, tennis

courts, open fires, private walking tracks to the beach, apartments on the golf course, and even massage chairs.

Please visit our website to choose a home for your next holiday: www.beachretreatsvic. com.au or phone 0419 301 928.

Also see our advertisement on the front page of this edition of Southern Peninsula News.

PROPERTIES URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR PERMANENT RENTAL DROMANA TO PORTSEA We deliver peace of mind and greater financial returns on your investment by providing the very best in property management service. Your property will be in safe and experienced hands.

At Fletchers we are committed to meeting your needs by:

TOOTGAROOK Modern Entertaining Flair With Tree Top Views

BLAIRGOWRIE Bed & Breakfast Style Accommodation

Impeccably re-designed and presented is this tri-level 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home set on approx 2,200 sq m with ample parking for boats, caravan and trailers. Open plan in design, the main living with quality kitchen and open fire opens through bi-fold stacker doors to a huge outdoor balcony.

Become acquainted with this beautifully presented Mt Gambier Limestone/ Weatherboard family home. Provides additional space for the extended family or an opportunity to operate as your very own B&B. Offering 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 3 living areas and outdoor entertaining.

For Sale $650,000 - $670,000 Inspect Sat 2-2.30pm Land 2200sqm approx

For Sale $880,000 - $920,000 Inspect Sat 1-1.30pm Land 743sqm approx

Contact Joshua Callaghan 0418 595 719 Office 136 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento 5984 2600

Contact Michelle Callaghan 0401 977 075 Office 136 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento 5984 2600

> Achieving the highest rental and minimising vacancy periods > Sourcing reliable and suitable tenants > Ensuring the rent is paid promptly > Maintaining communication with our landlords at all times > Acting promptly on all property owner and tenant requests > Providing expert administration and documentation

CONTACT: Samantha Christmas 5984 2600 Senior Portfolio Manager Sorrento Rob Fletcher 0411 222 988 Tim Fletcher 0411 222 966

SORRENTO Easy Walk To Village With Potential For Expansive View

RYE Price Reduced! Walk To Shops And Beach On Almost 2/3 Acre

Perfectly located only 650m (approx) to Sorrento Village and so close to iconic back beach is this well presented, original 3 bedroom BV home on a fantastic elevated and level block of 820 sq m approx with full rear access.

View towards Village and of National Park possible from a 2nd level (S.T.C.A.)

Located within walking distance to Rye township and bay beach is this contemporary 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home set on an oasis of approx.

2591sqm of land. Perfect for family or holiday abode, the open plan includes large galley style kitchen off spacious dining and adjoining family room.

Auction Sat 23rd April at 3.30pm Inspect Sat & Sun 3-3.30pm Land 820sqm approx

For Sale NOW $695,000 - $725,000 Inspect By appointment Land 2591sqm approx

Contact Joshua Callaghan 0418 595 719 Office 136 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento 5984 2600

fletchers.net.au

Contact Joshua Callaghan 0418 595 719 Office 136 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento 5984 2600

Page 10

Southern Peninsula Real Estate 22nd March 2011

Rosebud West

$410,000 - $450,000

The perfect holiday or investment property This home is an easy walk from one of Port Phillip Bay’s premier beaches. Entertain and enjoy the warmer nights on the front or back deck, which overlooks a reserve.

This versatile beachside beauty comprises separate living areas upstairs and downstairs, modern kitchen, three bedrooms with BIRs, two bathrooms, polished floorboards, lockup garage with remote, workshop area, paved and covered patio area leading out

from a rumpus room, a rear bungalow with running water and BIRs, all set on approx.

724 square metres of land. The property also offers plenty of off-street parking with room to accommodate a boat or caravan.

The property could easily be transformed into two separate dwellings, which makes it perfect for teenagers or a live-in elderly parent. Inspection is by appointment only.

Agency: Basso Real Estate, 1807 Pt Nepean Rd, Tootgarook. Phone: (03) 5985 9000.

Agent: Paul Basso, 0428 107 867.

Fingal

$740,000 - $760,000

Take it easy all year round You could buy this lifestyle. And as a bonus, you also get this amazing home to go with it. Five bedrooms with built-in robes, master with walk-in robe, amazing views and ensuite with spa, central bathroom as well as powder room all with top-quality fittings, home theatre room with built-in surround sound system, rumpus room with fully functioning bar, purpose-built wine cellar and a double remote garage with space for a golf buggy. Surprise: the buggy comes with the house. It doesn’t matter if you like golf or not, this secure estate is a safe haven for families

to live – no speeding traffic, no unwanted guests, and a communal tennis court for use by the small number of residents who live here.

Other features include Vacuum maid, ducted heating and cooling, two separate decked areas, rural views and aspects, high ceilings, internal garage access, tiled foyer and lowmaintenance gardens.

Moonah Links’ strict building guidelines ensure you won’t ever have ‘run of the mill’ homes near you. ‘Exclusive’ is the best description of this area.

Agency: YPA Estate Agents, Shop 3, 2255 Pt Nepean Rd, Rye. Phone: (03) 5985 2600.

Agent: Robert Magnano, 0425 772 073.

Rye

$630,000

Possible unit site development In a prime part of Rye, this original home passed down from grandfather to son is set on 1011 square metres of land and positioned to take full advantage of the demand for residential units. No car needed, as it is only steps away from Rye’s foreshore, pier, cafes and shops.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home could be a holiday, permanent or investment home. Here is an opportunity for an astute buyer to acquire and realise fantastic investment potential.

Agency: John Kennedy Real Estate Rye. Phone: (03) 5985 8800.

Agent: Sam Crowder, 0403 893 724.

Sorrento

$775,000 - $825,000

Seabreeze – a gorgeous beachside escape Every once in a while a special property comes on the market and 8 Heather Avenue is such an offering.

With a lovely outlook over the dunes and sited on a level private garden allotment, the property is immaculately presented throughout.

It features a large, open-plan living room, quality timber kitchen with polished hardwood benches and breakfast bar, large entertaining deck taking in the dunes and garden, ducted heating, evaporative air-conditioning, three bedrooms with builtin robes (main with ensuite) and polished

hardwood floors throughout. In addition there is the perfect holiday scenario with a fully self-contained guest apartment, separate from the main house. It has a living room, kitchenette, separate large bedroom with robes and a full bathroom with shower, vanity and toilet. It’s a wonderful “kids’ space” or guest accommodation.

Being so close to the beach, just a 500-metre stroll, you’ll probably be needing the guest suite regularly.

Seabreeze is a true Sorrento lifestyle and investment opportunity and it could be yours.

Agency: J. P. Dixon Sorrento. Phone: (03) 5984 4388.

Agent: Troy Daly, 0418 397 771.

Page 11

Southern Peninsula Real Estate. 22nd March 2011

ypa.com.au

Summer is nearly over but the property market is sizzling!

For a free market appraisal on your home, call Robert Magnano today on 0425 772 073

SAFETY BEACH 272 Dromana Parade

Rye 41 Heyfield Road

Don’t miss out on this perfect block!

Rye 59 Grandview Avenue

If so, then come and have a look at this beautiful traditional home. So much thought has gone into

By Appointment the designing of this home to ensure that modern Robert Magnano 0425 772 073 living merges with traditional aspects so nothing is Wendy Ross 0403 596 466 compromised. Enjoy drinks on the verandah, spend an evening playing pool, or even a late night spa.

$729,000

3

2

Inspect Contact

By Appointment

Contact

Robert Magnano 0425 772 073 Wendy Ross 0403 596 466

3

You will fall in love with this extremely well maintained Price three bedroom home that boasts bay glimpses from

By Appointment Inspect the balcony and the upper living area. Built over four Robert Magnano 0425 772 073 levels, this homely property will relax you as soon as you Contact Wendy Ross 0403 596 466 step through the front door, and with the private back garden with in ground spa, you’ll never want to leave!

3

1

3

1

- Tootgarook 41 Russell Street

Offers in excess of $450,000

By Appointment Robert Magnano 0425 772 073 Wendy Ross 0403 596 466

4

3

4

Lifestyle meets location!

Price Inspect Contact

Rye 33 Willonga Street

A family entertainment paradise awaits... Just a 10 minute stroll from the beach is this large 4 bedroom

By Appointment solid home. The extensive open plan hostess style Robert Magnano 0425 772 073 kitchen is excellent for entertaining, complete with a Wendy Ross 0403 596 466 huge walk in pantry - so big it’s currently being used as a fifth bedroom!

$560,000 - $595,000

5

2

Price

Sat 11:00-11:30am

Contact

Robert Magnano 0425 772 073 Wendy Ross 0403 596 466

SOALUDCTION

$670,000 - $699,000

Inspect

Sat 2:00-2:30pm Sun 2:00-2:30pm

Contact

Robert Magnano 0425 772 073 Wendy Ross 0403 596 466

2

1

4

BEFORE

SOLD! MORE WANTED! Price

Offers Invited

Inspect

- Tootgarook 76 Guest Street

Built to stand the test of time! Bay Views!

Shop 3, 2255 Point Nepean Road, Rye

Inspect

$490,000-$550,000

Outdoor Living Just Got Better!

5985 2600

$950,000

Ever fallen in love?

Price

Rye 3 Bruce Street

Guest’s paradise, 5 bedrooms! Quality built and individually designed with the large family in mind, situated within walking distance to Rye’s main shopping precinct and bay beach. Beautifully landscaped and ready to go there is nothing more needed to spend on this fantastic property.

5

Price

1 Tootgarook 47 Bella Vista Drive

Breathtaking Views

Love entertaining? Love the great outdoors?

Then you’ll love this property with an abundance of amazing features from the gorgeous gardens to the delightful outdoor entertaining area, this home is sure to impress the most fastidious buyer.

2

Do You Have Class?

Located approximately 200 metres from the Marina, Price you could build the home of your dreams! With Inspect generous dimensions in approx total of 1382 m2, with Contact already drawn up plans and potential 4 unit site for development, what more could you possibly ask for!

Land is in short supply don’t waste any time!

From the moment you step inside you can see that this magnificent home was built to take advantage of some of the best treetop views Rye has to offer.

Generous in every aspect, this great family home has been well looked after and will be someone’s home for many happy years to come.

4

This neat as a pin home comprises of 2 generous Auction bedrooms, both with built in robes, comfortable size Inspect living area including gas heating and air conditioning, Contact walk through access to adjoined meals area, retro kitchen with all gas appliances and ample cupboard space. There is a central bathroom with separate toilet.

By Appointment Robert Magnano 0425 772 073 Wendy Ross 0403 596 466

your property agent™

Page 12

Southern Peninsula Real Estate 22nd March 2011

Rosebud West Private and Secure

2

1

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Located close to local shops and directly opposite the clean family Bay Beaches just across the road, this 3 year old as new’ town home makes for a great investment for holiday or year round rental or cosy getaway for your family on the Peninsula. Offering 2 DGFTQQOU YKVJ DWKNV KP TQDGU MKVEJGP CP QRGP FKPKPI CPF NKXKPI CTGC YKVJ RQNKUJGF VKODGT ƀQQTDQCTFU URNKV U[UVGO CKT EQPFKVKQPGT and separate bathroom.

$300,000 - $330,000 6/1591 Point Nepean Road

Blairgowrie Price Reduced – Genuine Vendor

3

1

AFF [QWT QYP RGTUQPCN VQWEJ VQ VJKU UVQTG[ DGFTQQO $NCKTIQYTKG JQOG &QYPUVCKTU EQPUKUVU QH DGFTQQOU NCTIG NKXKPI CTGC separate toilet and laundry and has its own entrance from the front and rear. Upstairs comprises of another 2 bedrooms, living/ HCOKN[ TQQO UGRCTCVG DCVJTQQO CPF C PGY GZVGPUKQP YJKEJ KPENWFGU VJG MKVEJGP CPF FKPKPI CTGC CPF JCU UNKFKPI FQQTU NGCFKPI QWV to the deck, perfect for summer BBQ’s.

$400,000 - $440,000 15 Friar Street

Contact Brendan Adams 0419 566 944

Contact Brendan Adams 0419 566 944

Rye Vacant Land with plans & permits. Fantastic bay views!

Rosebud One of only two on the block

2

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9KVJ CRRTQXGF RNCPU CPF RGTOKVU TGCF[ IQ HQT C OWNVK UVQTG[ NWZWT[ DGFTQQO FYGNNKPI VJKU XCECPV DNQEM KU NQECVGF LWUV QPG UVTGGV # ITGCV UVCTV HQT ĹżTUV JQOG DW[GTU QT CP GZEGNNGPV DW[ HQT RTQRGTV[ KPXGUVQTU CU KV KU EWTTGPVN[ NGCUGF WPFGT QWT OCPCIGOGPV DCEM HTQO VJG RQRWNCT 6[TQPG $GCEJ HQTGUJQTG 6JG JQOG KU FGUKIPGF VQ OCZKOKUG VJG WUG QH VJG NCPF CPF CEJKGXG VJG DGUV RQUUKDNG Featuring 3 good sized carpeted bedrooms all with built in robes, separate bathroom, separate toilet and laundry with access to DC[ XKGYU CPF YQWNF UWKV VJG CUVWVG JQOG DW[GT QT SWCNKV[ DWKNFGT YKVJ CP CRRTGEKCVKQP QH GZEGNNGPEG back courtyard. Open plan kitchen with gas appliances, open meals area and private adjoining living room.

$420,000 16 Johnson Avenue

$375,000 1/137 Eastbourne Rd

Contact Brendan Adams 0419 566 944

Rye Elevated Position - Potential Views

Contact Brendan Adams 0419 566 944

3

1

Located only a short distance from the main shopping precinct of Rye and the clean and safe front beach, this neat and tidy 3 DGFTQQO DTKEM JQOG KU UKVWCVGF QP C IGPGTQWU GNGXCVGF DNQEM QH CRRTQZ USO YKVJ NQCFU QH RQVGPVKCN VQ KORTQXG VJG JQOG VQ OCMG WUG QH VJG GNGXCVGF RQUKVKQP CPF OCZKOKUG VJG QWVNQQMU (GCVWTGU KPENWFG RQNKUJGF ƀQQT DQCTFU VJTQWIJQWV ICU JGCVKPI UGRCTCVG DCVJTQQO CPF NCWPFT[ MKVEJGP YKVJ ICU CRRNKCPEGU CPF C NCTIG ƀCV DCEM ICTFGP

$460,000 25 Charles Street

3

2

1

One of only a handful like this in Rye. Separate title. Solid brick and concrete construction, building completed only 5 years ago.

Situated in the absolute best location on the Rye Foreshore shopping strip. There are 2 access points to the apartment, one is at the rear (which has 1 parking space) but the main entrance is actually on the front of the building facing the beach and leads [QW WR VJG UVCKTECUG WR VQ VJG UV ƀQQT TGUKFGPEG $G KP PQ FQWDV VJKU CRCTVOGPV JCU ENCUU CPF RNGPV[ QH KV

$1.45 million 2299 Point Nepean Road

Contact Brendan Adams 0419 566 944

Rye Bright, Big & Beautiful!

Rye Shop & 3 Bedroom Apartment Rye Foreshore

Contact Brendan Adams 0419 566 944 or Ian Oldstein 0408 994 705

2

Tootgarook Cosy 3 Bedroom House With Bungalow

3

1

&GNKIJVHWN OQFGTP JQOG YKVJ RQNKUJGF ƀQQTDQCTFU EQORTKUKPI HQWT DGFTQQOU DCVJTQQO CPF GPUWKVG CPF RNGPV[ QH HCOKN[ Situated on a quiet street this property is fully fenced with a large yard, the house consists of 3 good side bedrooms and with living space. Situated in a private street, and includes decking, carport etc. Seeing’s believing!. Call to make an inspection also a bungalow out back, carpet in bedrooms and living area, with a open deck at the front for those warm summer days. appointment now.

2NGCUG EQPVCEV QWT QHĹżEG HQT CP CRRQKPVOGPV

$360 per week Eugenia Street

Contact Harriett Bateman 5987 9000

RYE@JLBRE.COM.AU

$265 per week Cain Road

Contact Harriett Bateman 5987 9000

2115 Point Nepean Road, Rye

5987 9000

NEWS DESK

Last chance for Western Port’s submarine

By Mike Hast THE troubled Oberon class submarine HMAS Otama has been lying at anchor off Crib Point for nine years next month and its owners are within a periscope lens of selling it.

Last week Western Port Oberon Association president Max Bryant called on state government planning minister Matthew Guy and Hastings MP Neale Burgess to honour an election promise to bring the sub ashore.

Last November, three weeks before the state election, the two Liberal MPs said a Coalition government would “immediately consult with the local community and, subject to the community’s wishes, bring the Otama submarine ashore”.

The promise was the latest lifeline thrown to the association, which has been battling for nine years to install Otama as the centrepiece of Hastings– Cerberus Naval Memorial Park, originally conceived to boost tourism in Hastings.

Otama has been rusting away on a mooring off Crib Point since it was towed to Western Port in May 2002 at a cost of $300,000 after the Oberon association bought it for $50,000 from the Royal Australian Navy. It used part of a $500,000 Centenary of Federation grant organised by Peter Reith, then Flinders federal MP and a cabinet minister in the Howard government.

The balance, $150,000, has been spent on mooring, maintenance and setting up a temporary museum and maritime memorial centre in the former BP administration centre at Crib Point, near where the sub is moored.

Rust is eating away at the sub’s outer hull, although not its crucial 25-millimetre thick pressure hull.

Mr Guy said last year: “The Western Port community has waited too long to have its say about whether this iconic piece of naval history is to come ashore and where.”

Mr Burgess said that whether the submarine comes ashore will be entirely in the hands of the community.

“If the local community wants the submarine ashore, it will come ashore.”

On Friday Mr Burgess told The News a survey of all residents in the Western Port region would be conducted through Mornington Peninsula Shire’s quarterly newsletter Peninsula Wide.

Only Western Port residents would be able to vote.

He said the shire would do a “split run”, printing an edition for Western Port region and a separate edition for the rest of the shire.

Residents will be asked if the sub should be brought ashore and where.

HMAS Rust: The Otama lies deteriorating nine years after being towed to Western Port from Western Australia.

“My preference is for Hastings,” Mr Burgess said.

If more than 50 per cent voted for the sub, it would be brought ashore, he said.

The original plan was to build the naval memorial park between Hastings Yacht Club and Western Port Marina.

A channel was to be excavated and the sub floated in about 100 metres on a high tide.

Mr Bryant said the submarine and naval park was meant to help revitalise the town and had the backing of Mornington Peninsula Shire, but the state government’s Department of Sustainability and Environment scuppered the proposal.

Alternative plans to bring Otama ashore at Crib Point were abandoned

by WPOA when the state government gave Boral permission to build a bitumen storage plant next to the site earmarked for the submarine, adjacent to the oil and gas jetty.

A third proposal to take the sub to Stony Point received in-principle support from authorities, but was delayed indefinitely when the proposed car ferry to Phillip Island was revived.

Also, Patrick Ports holds a lease on land needed for the sub until 2017, although there was a proposal to shift its depot and tugboats to Long Island,

north of Hastings.

Mr Burgess said the Labor government had been the number one hindrance to the submarine coming ashore; continually moving the goal posts and changing rules to keep it off land. “Each time the Otama looked like coming ashore, the government would find another reason why it couldn’t.

“Two feasibility studies conducted by the shire found that the Otama would generate in excess of $5 million a year for our local community. On that basis, the previous government owes this community an apology and a great deal of money,” he said.

In the past two years, the association has talked with Frankston Council about putting the sub at the proposed marina below Olivers Hill, now on hold due to lack of interest from developers; Koo Wee Rup RSL, which wanted to cut it in half and put the sub on either side of South Gippsland Hwy; and a Queensland consortium, which offered $1 million for Otama and proposed to tow it to Cairns.

The association attracted worldwide interest in November 2008 when it advertised Otama on eBay for $4.9 million. It says it received four genuine offers including one from a group aiming to restore it for use as a drugsmuggling submarine.

All about Otama OTAMA was laid down at Greenock in Scotland on 25 May 1973 and launched by Princess Anne on 3 December 1975. The Princess was also the guest of honour at the commissioning ceremony on 27 April 1978.

An Oberon class submarine, Otama weighs 2000 tonne, is 90 metres long, carried 63 submariners and had a range of 9000 nautical miles and a submerged speed of 17 knots.

It was the last of the Royal Australian Navy’s six Oberons, which served for more than 30 years, and the last of 35 Porpoise and Oberon class submarines built for the navies of the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Chile and Australia.

Otama saw service in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific and Indian oceans. It was decommissioned in December 2000.

Of the RAN’s other five Oberon subs, Oxley was scrapped, Ovens was gifted to the WA Maritime

Museum in Fremantle, Otway gifted to Holbrook in NSW, Onslow to the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, and Orion to Western Australia.

The sub is intact and missing only its torpedoes and the weapons system used to fire them.

Otama is a northern Queensland Aboriginal word for “dolphin”, the submariners’ worldwide emblem.

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

PAGE 25

NEWS DESK

Many hands to make playground fun UP to 1000 people will descend on the Rye foreshore over four days in September for one of the most ambitious community building projects ever attempted on the peninsula.

Popping up like a mushroom will be an adventure playground looking like a pirate ship and designed by famous United States architectural firm Leathers & Associates, based partly on ideas from the Rye community, including children.

A horde of professional and amateur builders, handypeople and novices will be supported by hundreds more making and serving drinks and food, minding children and running errands.

The project is the idea of Rye Beach Action Community Group and will be a lasting legacy of Rye’s 150th anniversary this year.

Project coordinator is Katrina Humphrey, co-founder of Rye’s Up, which started two years ago to oppose plans for fast food outlets in the town.

It now campaigns to improve the town generally and is a sub-committee of Rye Beach Community Action Group.

Rye Primary School library was abuzz with people and ideas late last month for the first planning session. Children as young as six were encouraged to speak up, with one young boy telling the meeting he wanted to be able to race down a slide and into a soft landing where lasers would burst above his head like meteors.

This may be a little ambitious, but the playground will be based on Luxembourg’s pirate ship (see picture) and could cost $300,000.

It will be the southern peninsula’s second Leathers adventure playground, following one built in Sorrento Historic Park in 1995, which has been called one of the great community-led building projects of its time.

The Rye planning meeting was led

by Dennis Wille of Leathers, which was started by architect Bob Leathers in 1971 and is now run by his son Marc.

Bob Leathers wanted to specialise in housing design and construction when he set up practice after graduating, but was asked to organise a group of people to build a playground at his children’s primary school.

He based his design on their ideas, and the playground became famous, leading to the company specialising in community-built projects. Almost 2000 have been constructed in all 50 US states as well as overseas, including 14 in Australia since 1989.

Mr Wille now has the enviable task of travelling the world and helping

build adventure playgrounds.

Katrina Humphrey said Rye’s Up would now embark on a massive recruitment campaign: “We need people for fundraising, preparing grant applications, public relations, finding 1000 volunteers, sourcing building materials and tools from local suppliers as well as groups and businesses to donate time and provide food for the volunteers during the build,” she said.

“The playground will have a history wall and we’ll need artists to make this a beautiful place for our community.”

The finished project would generate business for Rye shops and make the town a destination for visitors and their children.

She said community-built projects inspire everyone in a town or suburb, and offer an experience of a lifetime.

To join the project, contact Katrina Humphrey on 0409 533 046 or email ryeplayground@gmail.com A volunteer form is at www. ryeplayground.blogspot.com and more on Leathers playgrounds is at www.leathersassociates.com Mike Hast

Ahoy me hearties: The pirate ship adventure playground in Luxembourg, inspiration for the planned Rye playground. Picture courtesy Andrew Humphrey

Summer fun slides away at St Joseph’s

Playgroup for new families FOR more than 20 years, Sorrento Blairgowrie Playgroup has helped preschoolers have fun, form friendships and learn to share through playing, pasting, painting and squishing Play-Doh. Parents and carers also welcome the chance to talk to others with children of similar ages and stages of development. Many adult have formed long-lasting friendships.

“For many first-time parents, playgroup is one of the first services they seek out,” says playgroup committee member Carly Foster.

“No one wants to feel like they are at the first day of school all over again, which is why we welcome all who attend, including those who

PAGE 26

come only now and again.

“We have many families who are new to the area, and we offer an information pack listing useful businesses and services for people with young kids.”

The group meets at Blairgowrie Community Hall, which has big indoor and outdoor areas. Activities include face painting, puppet shows, music and singing, petting zoo, art and craft, potting plants, movement and dance. There is an area for infants.

The playgroup meets 9-11.45 am Tuesdays and Fridays at the hall, William Rd, Blairgowrie. The first session is free. Details: Amanda Redden, 0415 111 052.

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

THE St Joseph’s School Sorrento community came out to play at the family fun night as summer drew to a close on Friday 25 February.

It was all slip and even more slide as children and parents alike enjoyed the jumping castle and giant slide

amusements generously provided by Wittingslow Carnivals.

There were plenty of family games, competitions and activities to keep everyone amused with many wanting to stay all night.

“It was awesome” was the

overwhelming vote with many agreeing they would be back again next year. Special thanks go to the Rotary Club of Sorrento, which was there to sizzle numerous sausages and serve drinks to help raise funds for its many community projects.

Smooth changeover for Probus Club of Rye

Cheque this: From left, Kipp Arnott, Stephen Humphrey, SPCF treasurer Bill Mace, Rosebud CFA’s Graeme Jarman, Rye CFA Captain Mark Boardman, SPCF president Graham Fitzgerald, and SPCF committee members Pam Schmitter, John Scott and Patrina Frederiksen.

New fire trucks can be ordered New team: From left, Ted Fielding, Robin Matthews, John Ellis, Les Doyle (vice-president), Bruce Hill (president), Barry Roughton and Roy Moulton.

Friends and family: Below, enjoying a great meal at Rosebud Country Club.

Photo and story Barry Irving ON Friday 11 March the Southern Peninsula Community Fund committee met with members of the Rosebud CFA and Rye CFA representatives at Rye fire station.

Their mission was to present cheques to each of the brigades to show their support for the work done by the volunteers who protect our homes and

lives every time we are threatened by fire.

There were looks of astonishment as Rye CFA captain Mark Boardman and Rosebud’s Graeme Jarman opened the envelopes to see cheques for $50,000 each toward their respective truck appeals.

Such a significant donation means that both brigades can now place their new trucks on

order believing that their shortfalls of $35,000 for Rosebud and another $60,000 for Rye are within reach subject to further fundraising. new trucks and equipment will enhance the brigades’ abilities to protect our communities. Donations to assist either brigade to achieve the shortfall can be made by contacting Rosebud or Rye Fire Brigades.

Top range of hobbies for the young or young at heart EARLIER this month about 70 members, wives and friends gathered to celebrate the premier social events of the year of the Probus Club of Rye. At the annual changeover lunch, outgoing president John Maglen thanked his committees for their dedicated service resulting in another successful year. John then inducted

incoming president Bruce Hill and his team, wishing them continued success for the year.

John said the strength of the club was due to the dedication of its members who support the many and varied activities during the year, such as local and overseas trips, twice-yearly caravan tours, many sporting groups, barbecues, happy hours

To advertise in the next Southern Peninsula News please contact Carolyn Wagener on 0407 030 761

Southern Peninsula

and more. The main aim of the group was to enjoy retirement and to remain active, he said.

New members are welcome to this most progressive Probus club, he said.

“For details, contact secretary Robin Matthews, c/- Probus Club of Rye, PO Box 405, Rye 3941 and be part of the fun.”

KIDS Room Hobbies has a huge range of hobby and toy products. The product range consists of mainly electric, nitro and petrol-powered cars, boats, tanks, helicopters and aircraft.

The store also stocks slot car and train sets, static models, die-cast collectables as well as other toys and puzzles for younger children.

Kids Room Hobbies stock well-known brands such as Thunder Tiger, Tamiya, Kyosho, G V Racing, BSD, Windhobby, HSP, Hobby Tech and King Motor. Parts are available for all stocked hobby products, and repairs are carried out by full-time experienced staff members.

Demonstrations are carried out daily at the Dandenong showroom so drop in and staff will happily fly a plane or run a car for you. All nitro

At Rye and Dromana Community Bank® branches it starts with U.

cars come with a free starter kit, fuel and batteries as well as free tune and service for the life of the car.

Ever wanted to fly a plane or helicopter? Staff at Kids Room Hobbies teach customers to fly at no extra costs.

Book a time and they’ll have an experienced flyer on hand to take you up and guide you through the basics of flight.

With three shops in Dandenong, Frankston and a new shop in Mornington, drop in and have a look around.

Dandenong: 10 Swift Way, 9768 2586.

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www.bendigobank.com.au Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

PAGE 27

Healthy Living

Curves on the Bay women to help fight heart disease CURVES ON THE BAY women can help fight heart disease while they workout, thanks to a local fundraising campaign announced by Curves today. From 21 March to 2 April 2011, Curves in Rosebud will waive its usual service fee, in exchange for a donation to the Heart Foundation.

Funds raised will go towards helping to raise awareness of the risks of heart disease in Australian women, Glenda Henson from Curves on the Bay, Rosebud said today.

“Far from being a men’s health condition, heart disease is the number one cause of death in Australian women. The disease kills four times as many women as breast cancer, with around 11,000 lives lost each year in Australia. Despite these alarming statistics, Australian women are still dangerously unaware of the heart disease risk they face with only about 30 per cent aware of this fact. To help address this, in 2006, the Heart Foundation launched Go Red for Women – a campaign to raise awareness about the risks of heart disease in women – in Australia. This year, Curves have become an official supporting sponsor partner of the Heart Foundation’s Go Red for Women campaign to support this important women’s health initiative.”

Dr Lyn Roberts, National CEO of the Heart Foundation, said the organisation was delighted

to receive support from Curves to improve women’s heart health.

“Most women don’t know that heart disease is the number one killer of Australian women.

We’re delighted to be working with Curves to help raise awareness of heart disease and help women manage the risk factors,” she said.

“We would like to encourage as many women on the Peninsula as possible to visit Curves during this period. Our aim is to raise as much funds as we can, to fight heart disease. Importantly, at a local level, we are keen to demonstrate how good exercise and healthy eating can greatly reduce the risks of heart disease amongst women,” Glenda Henson.

“Reducing the risks of heart disease requires both regular physical activity and healthy eating. Increasingly however, women are so busy these days that it can be hard to fit everything in.

Curves is a proven “one-stop shop” for women, in terms of both physical activity and healthy eating. The scientifically developed 30-minute Curves workout, combined with the proven Curves Weight Management Plan, is certainly a strategy that women should consider, in terms of reducing their heart risks.

“Since 1992, Curves has been helping to prevent heart disease for women all over the world.

Your health and wellbeing

By Laura Jones BARIATRIC surgery can help people to lose weight and reduce obesity related diseases, by enabling people to become satisfied from smaller amounts of food. However to achieve the best results, patients must also aim to work towards living a healthy lifestyle. My role as a bariatric Dietitian includes providing regular follow up, support and education for patients.

In particular I help people to develop a non-dieting approach to their weight loss, which is something a lot of bariatric patients have not achieved before. It is also essential that a patient’s diet is assessed for nutritional adequacy to prevent nutritional deficiencies and related ill

health. I also offer suggestions for vitamin supplementation, quick healthy meal ideas, meal planning and helping patients to understand food labels.

Dietitians don’t just help people with improving their nutritional knowledge; they also focus on eating behavior, behavioral change, motivation and more importantly adjusting diet for other health conditions that a patient may have. Only an accredited practicing dietitian can give advice on the nutritional management of chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. In addition, research has shown that regular follow up with your bariatric team, including the dietitian, can lead to better health and weight loss

Curves is proud to join with the Heart Foundation, to raise awareness and funds to help fight this disease.”

Curves Australia Marketing Director, Yvonne Shepherd, said that Curves has committed to contributing sponsorship and fundraising over three years to the Heart Foundation’s Go Red for Women campaign. Curves and the Heart Foundation will work together to implement a range of national and local strategies to educate women about their risks of heart disease and what they

outcomes in patients. In summary, the dietitian can offer patients with plenty of support, motivation and guidance to help them achieve the best possible health and weight loss outcomes after bariatric surgery.

For further information, call Lap Surgery on 9760 2777.

can do to lower their risks.

The Curves 30 minute workout exercises every major muscle group and burns up to 2000 kilojoules through a proven program of strength training, cardio and stretching. In addition, club promotions and events encourage women to support charitable causes, learn about health-related issues and forge lasting friendships as part of the global Curves community. Curves is the world’s largest fitness franchise with thousands of locations in more than 75 countries.

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Research has shown that a healthy diet and regular exercise can assist in reducing your risk of heart disease.** To help you on the path to better health, Curves is partnering with the Heart Foundation in support of their Go Red for Women campaign, to raise awareness of heart disease in women and to raise vital funds for heart research and education.

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PAGE 29

F

D& ENTERTAINMENT ʔʦLȫɏ

Recipes are from The Australian Women’s Weekly, Old Fashioned Favourites. ACP Books. RRP $12.95, available from selected newsagents, supermarkets and online from www.acpbooks.com.au

Confucius says:

Man who pee on electric fence receive shocking news.

Riddle:

It’s the type of running that ends in walking. Answer page 33.

Hickinbotham Family Fun Day THE Hickinbotham Easter Sunday Family Fun Day is on again, with live music on stage from 11am to 5pm. A great line up of music with a mix of styles for all ages.

When he first started the Family Day back in 1999, Andrew Hickinbotham never imagined it would grow to be such a fantastic event. “We love the fact it has evolved into a true family outing where everyone can have a great fun day, whilst at the same time, raising money for local charities that provide crucial support roles within the community.”

Running from 11am to 5pm,

NEW MEMBERS HOURS: Thursday 5 - 6pm, Friday 6 - 7pm, Saturday 1 - 2pm, Sunday 2 - 3pm.

Open for Lunch & Dinner 7 days a week Rye RSL offers FREE entertainment every Thursday & Saturday evening

Rye RSL Presents:

“Hell Freezes Over” Eagles Tribute Show

Friday 15th April $45 – Dinner & Show Bookings Essential PAGE 30

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

this year’s Family Day features loads of things to keep the kids occupied including The Grand Grape Squash, The Pink Lady Chocolates Bilby Hunt, Easter Bonnet parade, Painting competitions, CFA display, Laser tagging, Animal Petting Farm, Sand Wizard art, Sheep Lotto, Face painting, Harley rides, auction, and more.

It is a true country style Family day, with the event being held beneath the gums in the winery surrounds, so put in your collapsible chairs or a picnic rug and come to be entertained. The local scout groups will be cooking egg and bacon

A grape event: Grape squash winners celebrate their victory

rolls, steak sandwiches, baked potatoes and poffertjes. Their will be proper coffee available, and wood fired pizzas.

Entry is $20 adults and children under 12 are free (each child receives a complimentary voucher for The Bilby Hunt and Animal Petting Farm ).

The proceeds from the day go to the support of worthy local charity groups.

Hickinbotham Winery is located at 194 Nepean Highway (near Wallaces Road) in Dromana. The day is proudly supported by Mornington Peninsula Shire, Big Bang Media and Pink Lady Chocolates.

FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment AWARD-winning country music singer James Blundell had fallen on tough times recently, but has picked himself up and hit back with a new album.

James was forced into bankruptcy in 2010 and moved back to his family property at Mt Malakoff in southeast Queensland.

His girlfriend, former Australian Idol contestant Jesse Curran, stuck with him and is featured on his latest album, Woolshed Creek.

“I should have shifted back to the family property 10 years ago. It has taken me 25 years to get back home and its pure serenity here,” he said.

“I am currently building my new home on the property complete with recording studio and hope to be finished by May.” The former Toowoomba Prep School pupil got his break winning the Star Maker talent quest in 1987 and released Gidgee Bug Pub, which won him a Golden Guitar for best new talent in 1988.

He then released the album This Road, which sold more than 150,000 copies and featured the hit Way Out West, recorded with James Reyne.

Above: James columnist.

Blundell

and

your

James grew up listening to The Seekers and Slim Dusty.

In 2003, he wrote Postcards from Saigon, protesting against the war in Iraq. He was also the voice behind the Qantas TV commercial singing Peter Allen’s hit I Still Call Australia Home.

His new album was recorded at home in the woolshed at Mt Malakoff with some great production by Paul Greene, a former Olympic sprinter now full-time singer-songwriter.

Woolshed Creek was a real family affair with his father Peter Blundell

Snr and brother Pete Blundell singing backup vocals on Move Into the City and Milk Me. Peter Blundell Snr performs lead vocals on the hidden track Old Paint.

Pete Blundell also sang backup vocals on Fat Man in a Van while Pete Denahy was passing by and dropped in to lend a hand on the violin.

“I have many memories of the woolshed including 21st birthdays, dances and romances,” James said.

“Paul Greene turned up one day with his dog Jack and together with my and Jesse’s dogs Diesel, Flash and Honey and a supply of Jack Daniels, a smoking potbelly stove and a bunch of songs, we went to work and made Woolshed Creek.

Best tracks include Fat Man in a Van, Milk Me, Billy, Juliana’s Footsteps, Can’t Love Alone, Move Into the City and Old Paint.

And here’s a plug for Paul Greene’s dog Jack who is featured on “barks” at the end of Juliana’s Footsteps.

James has been invited to an American festival in October and will go on tour after that.

He also appeared at a flood relief concert in Toowoomba last weekend.

“I bleed for the flood victims and anything we can do, we will. The Toowoomba concert was important and l probably knew half the crowd there.”

James is dedicated to his sons Briar, 12, and Travis, 9, both talented musicians. Briar plays drums and Travis piano and guitar.

What is JB playing in his car CD stacker? “At the moment l am listening to traditional R&B, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Kym Cheshire. I also enjoy Catherine Britt, Travis Collins, Kirsty Lee Akers and Dave Garnham.”

James will tour with Catherine Britt in July and August, performing at the Apollo Bay Music Festival on 9 April, Hallam Hotel 3 August, York on Lilydale 5 August and the Karralyka Centre in Ringwood Thursday 11 August. www.jamesblundell.com.au *** LUKE Austen has released a new single Two Miles Down, written by Troy Cassar-Daley.

“The track is a working class song, depicting the lives of the men and women who go underground every day to make a living. Something l

minute break every hour on day one to play the one cent machines, followed by a break every two hours on day two and so on; sort of like restricting the smokes to the point of total abstinence.

Maximum beer intake will be four pots per day. Morning half-hour walks followed by a half-hour swim. It will take a week. ***

the likes of “The O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News channel. Who knows, but one thing is certain, the differences between the 1940s and now are massive.

Does power corrupt? You can bet on it. The big question is: who’s doing the corrupting? ***

with Gary Turner know all too well with my father spending 15 years as an underground miner,” he said.

Look out for the new video clip Two Miles Down, directed by Golden Guitar winner Duncan Toombs, on CMC soon. *** Top 10 albums 1. Woolshed Creek – James Blundell 2. Red Stiletto – Vanessa Lea & Road Train 3. White Flag – Katrina Burgoyne 4. Left of Center – Left of Center 5. Holding My Breath – Adam Toms 6. Better Late Than Never – Jason Lee 7. Behind Bars – Allan Caswell 8. Saturday Night Country – Various 9. Bad Machines – Shane Nicholson 10. Ultimate Country Driving Songs – Various

A Grain Of Salt NOW that time is catching up, I’m having thoughts along the lines of joining Darling, who departed six years back. Not voluntary thoughts mind, more likely coming from that mysterious monster hidden in my subconscious. The black knight!

Like, what if there is something afterwards, controlling a register of bad deeds? The Catholic church is the world’s largest Christian church but, alas, I’m not a member. Does a social membership of an RSL carry any weight? I’ve never been to confession.

Do they confess everything? Surely a furphy. Do people go to church “just to go” or do they really believe?

Perhaps I should join as an eachway bet? Be frightening to arrive up there and have some bloke or, worse still, some female read out a long list of my misdemeanours. “Ellen, 99 bad deeds and four billion bad thoughts.”

The black knight in the background, smiling, beckoning, with Darling alongside, awaiting the decision, brandishing a shovel. *** HAVE we ever experienced a political situation as we are in now? Nobody wants Gillard, fewer still want Abbott and almost everybody I speak with can

offer no tangible reasons other than instinct, which spells confusion.

Kevvy Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull are now preferred to Julia and Tony.

Why? Carbon tax and nuclear power go way over our heads, one party trying reason, another in opposition to everything and newspapers adding to the confusion and voters influenced by rising prices.

And so it goes, with bias and ignorance, as always, reigning supreme. It’s not our fault, for mine.

Both parties favour popularism in lieu of truthful information. In fact, like us, both parties appear to be running on instinct, which spells a loss of our respect.

Even our floods, followed by the dreadful earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan involved backbiting. It’s all so very sad. *** DEAR Brendan, mate: Journey on down to the Mornington Peninsula (rather than Los Angeles) and meet me in the dedicated smokers zone of the Rye RSL. I’ll give you the mail on how to dodge the Channel 9 vultures as well as sound investments in term deposits.

If you behave, I’ll allow you a five-

Southern Peninsula

IF Wikileaks taught us anything (doubtful at best), it’s taught us that all governments lie, with the point being: do we care? And if they lie where does reality lie?

As a kid watching those American war films, I was indoctrinated to the point of believing the Germans and Japanese were cruel races as opposed to our wonderful fairness, helped along by God’s will.

And so to the American soldier who supplied information to Julian Assange and is now confined to a 12 by six-metre cell for 23 hours of every day with one hour for exercises with his legs in chains for months on end.

Perhaps it began with Richard Nixon and his use of the weird American justice system to hijack and destroy one actor in the “Deep Throat” censorship case and continued on with

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AS I see it, adaptability is the keyword in all relationships, but it must not impede your growth, as in forming your own opinions, your own form of creativity.

The problem in some relationships is that one of the partners has too much say, and with it no knowledge of the need not to suffocate the other.

True, we all need love and approval, and a feeling of belonging but there surely has to be more. Both require the ability to listen; easier said than done.

Some say you make your own luck (generally famous actors or bigshot millionaires), disregarding the probability factor and so the vagaries of luck.

Others suggest a path is already set at birth; others that the first seven or eight of life years sets the pattern.

Maybe, maybe not; there is no clear evidence and all of these ideas occur

with Cliff Ellen in retrospect.

Parents want their children to be handsome or pretty, and clever. They infuse them with their beliefs with the honest intention that they know best.

Children, however, no matter their appearance or intelligence levels are all beautiful, and they all need love (like us) and they all have the potential for creativity. But do parents who want the best for their children want the same ideals for each other? If they don’t they should. *** “We are not satisfied with real life; we want to live some imaginary life in the eyes of other people and to seem different from what we actually are.”

(Pascal, 1623-1662) When I was a kid, I fantasised about the advantages of invisibility. Alas, on reaching 70 there are none. Adios. cliffie9@bigpond.com

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Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

PAGE 31

FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT

The Battle for Pseudo Echo

By Stuart McCullough ON reflection, it was something of a golden age. Acid wash jeans were in the ascendency, hair spray was plentiful and the synthesizer had finally won the respect it so richly deserved.

While we now recognise 1986 as the very peak of the human condition, it didn’t happen by chance. No, readers, this state of enlightenment was achieved through neither slothful meditation nor dumb luck, but rather by sheer hard graft by four men collectively known as Pseudo Echo.

At the dawn of rock and roll, all the heavy hitters were piano players: Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino – piano players to a man. But as rock music developed through the Sixties and Seventies, the piano was eclipsed by the rise of the electric guitar.

It’s not hard to see why.

There’s something about a Gibson SG or Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster that is effortlessly cool. It doesn’t matter how dorky you are, strapping on an electric guitar changes everything. Young men understood this inherently and for decades have cured their social awkwardness by way of Stratocasters.

By contrast, the role of piano or, if you prefer, keyboard player became something of a rock and roll afterthought, generally filled by the dorkiest member of the group. I speak not just as a keyboard player but as a keyboard player who owns a bunch of guitars.

Pseudo Echo changed all this through their fearless use of the “key-tar”. In an age of pub rock, the importance of Pseudo Echo cannot be overstated.

Unless of course you claim that they constitute the greatest

discovery in the field of science since the neutron; in which case that would definitely be over the top.

However, if you said that they wore their electronic influences proudly on the sleeves of their string vests, then you’d be right on the money. They even took their name from a synthesizer effect – that’s how synthcentric they were.

Their debut album Autumnal Park included hits such as Listening and A Beat for You. What made it interesting is

that it was music that could have come from anywhere. It sounded international. What’s more, it smelt strongly of synthesizer.

Suddenly, every kid who was ever forced to take piano lessons could imagine a career as a professional musician. But while the first album turned them into Australia’s secondmost popular group after INXS (that’s according to Wikipedia – tellingly, this claim comes with the bucket of cold water that are the words “citation needed”), it was their second album, Love an Adventure, that launched them into the stratosphere.

The classic line-up of the band – Brian Canham, brothers Vince and James Leigh and the wonderfully named Pierre Pierre – was now operating at full steam. (In the Eighties, nothing said “special” quite like a double name.)

In the music world at the time, aside from Pierre Pierre, there was Garry Gary Beers from INXS. The extra Gary was a nickname from school.

These double names should not be confused with bands that were so diabolically awful that they had to be named twice. In this rogue’s gallery you’ll find the dreadful Duran Duran and

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the just plain awful Mr Mister.)

The album Love an Adventure may well be Pseudo Echo’s masterpiece. Besides the title track, it included the hit that drove the kids in the Countdown audience absolutely mental: Don’t Go. During this time, their unbridled use of the key-tar totally redefined what it was to play keyboards in a band.

However, it was then that fate intervened. When the American version of their magnum opus was released, it included a cover of the Lipps Incorporated song Funky Town. The song was an absolute sensation; becoming a top 10 hit in Australia, the UK and the US. Significantly, it showed off a side of the band that had previously been buried under mountains of key-tar, Brian Canham’s guitar playing.

Prior to this, I was unaware that Brian could even play guitar, much less shred an eyegouging solo. But he could and he did, and while there was still plenty of key-tar to keep the purists happy, it heralded the kind of success that ultimately ruins you.

Not that this was clear at first. To begin with, the success of Funky Town created a sense of confidence, especially in Melbourne, that just can’t be

bought. Those that mattered knew, implicitly, that Funky Town was a very real place (albeit one that was, in fact, named The Chevron) and that the clutching of the song to the public’s collective bosom heralded its coming of age.

Emboldened by their success, the band made a career-ending decision to abandon the keytar in favour of more heavy guitar riffage. Worse still, they replaced their mullets – which along with the key-tar had defined the band – with something more head-banger friendly.

In doing so, they did not so much succeed in reinventing themselves as in alienating anyone who had ever bought their records.

Having flirted with success, they ended up marrying commercial failure. The album Race sank quicker than a concrete submarine. The band did the honourable thing and broke up shortly after.

It’s a pity we don’t have the equivalent of a Smithsonian Institution in this country. If we did, then the shiny red key-tar of Pseudo Echo would surely be a part of it. And as for where to build such a museum, the answer is simple: in Funky Town. www.stuartmccullough.com

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Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

St Joseph’s School. Constitution Hill Rd, Sorrento Telephone: (03) 5984 1291 Fax: (03) 5984 3230 Web: www.sjsorrento.catholic.edu.au Email: principal@sjsorrento.catholic.edu.au

Burlesque inspires new work for artists THE idea of artists’ vocation of ‘watching’ is explored in a new exhibition at B’artiste Lounge and Bar, Frankston.

Artists Karen Lewis of Mt Martha and Sharron Okines of Rosebud have brought their enjoyment of the atmosphere at the lounge bar to their work with a show titled “Watching”.

Both artists hope that it portrays the ambiguous meanings of observing, seeing, spying and contemplating.

“Sharron’s paintings and prints are inspired by burlesque and mine are more about day to day life observations, of the metaphorical sense of the word watching,” Karen said.

Sharron says inspiration for her new body of work has come from the burlesque drawing and painting sessions she coordinates at B’artiste.

“The decor at B’artiste is evocative of another era with burlesque evoking a

vaguely voyeuristic and ever so slightly naughty feeling. The atmosphere feeds into the creation of this work,” she said.

“The title reflects what all artists are doing constantly; intense drawing and painting sessions with a life model demand that you observe closely in order to capture a mood, a thought.”

“Watching” is at B’artiste, rear 2/12 Young Street, Frankston, from 1-29 April.

Autumn a good time to plant

By Frances Cameron AUTUMN has snuck up on us again, and if there is one thing we can be certain of these days, it’s that the world turns, the seasons change, and the cycle continues.

This certainty is reassuring to me. In autumn we know the air temperature is beginning to cool, but the soil still retains some warmth, making it a good time for planting.

The deciduous trees are beginning to start their descent into dormancy, giving us a glorious display of colour before they do. The longer nights and shorter days of winter are on the way.

I was looking for inspiration by re-reading columns written for March in previous years.

They were full of information about how we could cope with the extreme heat conditions that were prevalent at the time. How things change.

We have previously endured the tragedy of fire affecting people on the fringes of Melbourne and in country Victoria; this year we are suffering the tragedy of months of devastating floods in northern Victoria and Queensland. Our thoughts have also been with our cousins in New Zealand after their terrible earthquakes and the people in northeastern Japan devastated by earthquake and tsunami.

Last March I wrote about water saving, this month my thoughts are more on how to cope with excessive rain.

Waterlogged plants can suffer as much as plants that aren’t receiving enough water. Check pots to see if they are draining well. Sometimes if the plant has become root-bound, the drainage holes can be blocked. If this is the case, repotting the plant is the only remedy.

After heavy rain, check around the roots of plants and replace soil that has been washed

away. Make sure any water you catch doesn’t stagnate and become habitat for breeding mosquitos, and please check that any containers you use for collecting water don’t become death traps for birds.

They can fall into deep water and drown, so put some wire mesh over the top of containers holding rainwater.

In the vegie patch, tomatoes are still producing, and other vegies are ready, or nearly ready, for harvesting.

Pumpkins can be picked when the vine has died down and the pumpkin sounds hollow when tapped. Putting a pumpkin on to a bed of straw will stop bugs attacking it and help to make it colour more evenly.

Jerusalem artichokes can also be dug up when the stem of the plant dies back. Try to dig up as many of the tubers as you can, as they spread very well in many areas of the peninsula. The flowers make very pretty cut flowers.

Prepare the soil for a winter vegetable crop with good quality compost or manure. Dig out any deep-rooted weeds such as kikuyu and couch grass, and remove any lumps of stone or other large pieces of non-organic material to give seeds free rein to spread their roots uninterrupted.

Catalogues full of spring bulbs to tempt us are starting to appear now. I like to grow new bulbs each year to try something different.

The anticipation of gorgeous spring flowers appearing from such insignificant-looking pieces of plant matter is one of the highlights of the gardening year for me, providing something to look forward to through the chill, dreary months of winter.

Happy gardening. peninsulagardener.blogspot.com

Joke!!!

There were three men on a hill with their watches.

The first man threw his watch down the hill and it broke.

The second man threw his watch down the hill and it broke.

RIddle Solution

It’s the type of running that ends in walking.

Answer: Running out of petrol.

Sudoku Solution

The third man threw his watch down the hill, walked all the way to the bottom, and caught it.

The other two men were puzzled and asked the third man how he did it.

The third man said, “Easy. My watch is 5 minutes slow!”

Victorian Welsh Choir a celebration in song TWENTY elite singers of the Victorian Welsh Choir, the Cor Bach, will present a program of joyous music to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the settlement of Rye on Sunday 27 March at 3pm at St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Lyons St, Rye. The colonial Anglican Church of St Andrew’s will be resounding to the stirring male four-part singing of repertoire to appeal to all tastes: popular songs, opera choruses, Broadway hits. spirituals, folk songs

and, of course, Welsh hymns.

Under the expert musical direction of Faleiry Koczkar, the ensemble will confirm the reputation for committed performance it has maintained for more than three decades in Victoria, interstate and overseas.

The choir performs for the St David’s Day Concert, which was help in the prestigious Melbourne Recital Centre. Other renowned venues have been the Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House. It is also the official choir at the Anzac Day

ceremony held at The Shrine in Melbourne each year. In 2003 the choir performed for Rugby World Cup fans at Docklands Stadium to great applause.

Tickets are available at Jack’n’Andy’s Op Shop, Melbourne Rd, Sorrento (Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, Phone 5984 4577) or at the Parish Office, 39 Lyons St, Rye (Mon-Fri 9am-noon, Phone 5985 1399). Adults $30, students $20, children under 12 free.

The most ridiculous and strange, fresh for you...

Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

PAGE 33

scoreboard SOUTHERN PENINSULA

proudly sponsored by Rye & Dromana Community Bank® Branches na

At the Bendigo it starts with U.

Mayor’s fairway to charity MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Graham Pittock is taking to the greens and teeing off for charity in April.

The mayor is hosting a golf day at The National Golf Club on Friday 8 April to raise money for the Shire of Campaspe to help flood victims in and around Rochester.

The day starts at noon with registration, a light lunch and an Ambrose-style golfing experience, including complimentary golf carts.

After a round of golf, players can have a pre-dinner drink,

barbecue dinner and presentations. A dinner-only option is available if partners of players want to join the festivities.

Entry is $150 a person or $600 a team of four. Dinneronly tickets are $50 each.

“The event aims to assist flood-affected communities of the Shire of Campaspe, which is coordinating the Rochester and district flood appeal to assist those who were affected by the devastating Victorian floods,” Cr Pittock said.

“Rochester and its surrounding district are small rural and

semi-rural communities located on the Campaspe River, 180 kilometres north of Melbourne.

The floods inundated more than 80 per cent of the town.

“Corporate recognition is available with placement of signs and any additional information you may wish to place on dinner tables.”

The National is a membersonly club with three golf courses. Entries close Friday 1 April.

Call Mark Howells on 5950 1422 or email howemr@mornpen.vic.gov.au or visit www. mornpen.vic.gov.au.

Lining up for charity: Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Graham Pittock is calling on golfers to help raise money for flood relief.

Sporting a Smile Occasionally the name of a sportsperson creeps into the language: the now ubiquitious drop-punt was initially referred to as “the Jack Dyer punt” and any cricketer run out by the bowler knows who Mankad was.

In soccer the name of Columbian Andres Escobar has become synonymous with sports stars facing personal injury from their failures on the field. Escobar’s misfortunes started in the match against the US at the World Cup in 1994.

The defender reached with his foot to stop a crossed ball but instead deflected it into his

Got any local sport news?

Email: team@mpnews.com.au or call us on 59798564

By Mark “Hussy” Hustwaite HELLO again to all the followers of the Rosebud Football Club. I hope the tourist season hasn’t caused locals too much grief.

The ‘real’ footy season is not far away. Local football is a great way to spend your Saturday afternoon’s in autumn and winter, and there’s always plenty happening at Olympic Park.

The pre-season is nearing it’s end with the usual round of practice matches and scratch matches.

Our thanks to the players and committees of the Crib Point and Tyabb football clubs for hosting us this year.

It’s your local newspaper Southern Peninsula News 22 March 2011

own net. Columbia lost the game 2-1 and was bundled out of the World Cup. Presumably a lot of money was lost by betting syndicates. Just over a week later Escobar was shot 12 times outside a Medellin nightclub. It was claimed that his killer shouted “Goal” for each bullet which struck him.

Humberto Muoz Castro was found guilty of Escobar’s murder in June 1995 and sentenced to 43 years. In an own goal for justice, he was released in 2005.

New season not far away Dates to lock in: April 9 – Round 1 vs Red Hill at Red Hill. This is followed by our first big function – The End of Summer Beach Party at the club rooms.

Featuring the Warrains and the draw of the season kick-off raffle.

Hawaiian shirts are essential. All adults from the Rosebud junior and senior football clubs are welcome at this first social event.

April 16 vs Rye at Olympic Park – our first big home game. The local clash! *** BEFORE the MPNFL season starts, our final hit-out is an intra-club

Support the Southern Peninsula News!

PAGE 34

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practice match on Friday April 1.

The club and past players shed will be open and you can watch our new recruits and existing players go through their paces from 6.30 pm.

Please support this night to give our club a chance to get things moving and create plenty of township support.

The netballers will be looking for another great year – 2 seasons so far for one premiership and finals again in 2010. Tracey Snooks will get them all back into action for 2011. They get great support from Dan Giarrusso Plumbing (DRG) and Novatech Controls. Building a court at Olympic Park is our immediate wish for the girls netball.

Let’s get community support and shire support for this project.

Want to be a part of the Rosebud Football Club? Want to make a difference in a community organisation that provides sport for young men and women? Then get onboard – helpers around the club are always welcome. And don’t worry about being over-burdened; we can give you a task or two that you are comfortable with.

Thanks again to everyone who supports the RFC. We have a wonderful group of sponsors and generally enjoy good support from the wider Rosebud community.

For training details, see the office window at the club or call Hussy – 0439 366 638.

To advertise in the Southern Peninsula News please contact Carolyn Wagener on 0407 030 761 Southern Peninsula

SOUTHERN PENINSULA scoreboard

AFL is back for 2011 On 24 March, the 2011 AFL season kicks off, and I have ranked all teams in the order of where I predict they will finish after round 24 (home and away season). Plus I’ve picked each team’s best and fairest winner, along with a young player to watch for the season. It’s been a long summer, but finally football is back.

Collingwood: 2011 will be another big year for the boys from Collingwood. Coach Michael Malthouse will be expecting a nice going-away-present in his 12th and final season as coach of the Magpies. There is no doubt losing experienced players such as Simon Prestigiacomo, Tarkyn Lockyer, Josh Fraser and Shane O’Bree will leave a big hole for the Pies to fill as well as premiership player Nathan Brown ruled out for the season, but there’s plenty of young talent yet to be unleashed on the competition. Recruits Andrew Krakouer and Chris Tarrant will help fill the void.

Best and Fairest: Scott Pendlebury Young Talent: Lachlan Keeffe St Kilda: After a horror pre-season off the field, the Saints will be looking to remind the public that they’re a force to be reckoned with this year. Big things can be expected from Nick Riewoldt with the hamstring looking strong after a big preseason. Despite going down in the Grand Final in the past two years there is still improvement to be made with their star-studded midfield of Nick Dal Santo, Leigh Montagna and Lenny Hayes as well as the extremely versatile Brendon Goddard. Despite only one

game at Etihad in the first six weeks, Saints are definitely a great chance to capture that elusive flag this year.

Best and Fairest: Brendon Goddard Young Talent: Alistair Smith Fremantle: It’s been 16 years of disappointment for the Dockers, but things finally look like turning around for the Purple Haze of the west. Since joining the club in 2007 Mark Harvey has managed to put a superb team together this year.

With big Aaron Sandilands in the ruck, Matthew Pavlich at full forward and Michael Barlow returning from injury, the Dockers are looking ominous.

Last year they showed they could beat sides like St Kilda and Geelong as well as being as high as second on the ladder for a period of time. If they can keep their men on the park all is looking good for Fremantle.

Best and Fairest: Aaron Sandilands Young Talent: Dylan Roberton Sydney: The highly consistent Swans are looking like a smoky for the top four. Though there is pressure on veteran Daniel Bradshaw to perform, their small forwards are more than capable of sharing the load.

Big improver Shane Mumford is ready to take off to become one of the champion ruckmen of the competition. This hardworking Swans side has a great balance with experienced champs such as Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton, Jarrad McVeigh and young stars such as Kieren Jack, Daniel Hannebery and Lewis Jetta.

Best and Fairest: Kieren Jack Young Talent: Luke Parker Western Bulldogs: 2011 is going to be an interesting year for the Bulldogs. After

How the AFL teams will finish 1. Collingwood 2. St. Kilda 3. Fremantle 4. Sydney 5. Western Bulldogs 6. Carlton 7. Geelong 8. Melbourne 9. Hawthorn failing in the preliminary final the last three years, it’s not going to get any easier, especially after losing AFL greats Brad Johnson and Jason Akermanis. Gun midfielders Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross and Adam Cooney are going to have to lift their games to the next level if the Dogs are to go deep into September. Also a new keyforward needs to emerge as the long career of Barry Hall is no doubt coming to an end.

Best and Fairest: Daniel Cross Young Talent: Mitch Wallis Carlton: Last year was another early finals exit for Carlton; can the Blues get that win? I believe they can. There’s no doubting the talent of the Blues midfield but the Blues need a dominant key-forward and soon. Another year at full-forward for Lachie Henderson will do him good, but after hip surgery in December I don’t think he’s the answer for the Blues. Overall plenty of promise for the talented Blues. However this will be a make-or-break year for coach Brett Ratten.

Best and Fairest: Chris Judd Young Talent: Rohan Kerr Geelong: Sadly the Geelong premiership dynasty is over. With their coach and champion player gone and many stars in the

10. North Melbourne 11. Adelaide 12. Essendon 13. Richmond 14. Gold Coast 15. Port Adelaide 16. West Coast 17. Brisbane twilight of their careers, new coach Chris Scott will look towards the future. I believe their remaining talent will keep them in the top eight but their kids will most likely tire late in the season. Joel Selwood and Jimmy Bartel are vital if the Cats want to progress past the first week of the finals.

Best and Fairest: Joel Selwood Young Talent: Daniel Menzel Melbourne: It’s been a while between drinks for the Demons but with a young talented list they’re ready to go places over the next few years. Captain Brad Green is set for another consistent year, also young stars Jack Grimes, Ricky Petterd and Jack Trengove are ready to match it with the best. The excitement machine of Liam Jurrah will be a likely regular in the forward line with the sky the limit for him... well almost.

Best and Fairest: Brent Moloney Young Talent: Jordan Gysberts Hawthorn: There’s a big question mark over the Hawks this year; some say they don’t have the hunger for success anymore. They definitely have the list of a top

four side, but the finals loss in Perth last year gives the impression inconsistency will be an issue this year.

Best and Fairest: Luke Hodge Young Talent: Sam Grimley North Melbourne: The ever-improving Kangaroos can expect a solid season in 2011. Their list is looking very promising especially if Liam Anthony can reach his potential. Will most likely struggle against the top teams, but the on-field future looks good.

Best and Fairest: Andrew Swallow Young Talent: Kieran Harper Adelaide: The Crows are another club losing big names, so 2011 will be challenging for them. 2010 rookies Matthew Jaensch and Ricky Henderson look like they will build on their debut season. Bernie Vince needs to lift if the Crows have any chance of playing finals.

Best and Fairest: Graham Johncock Young Talent: Brodie Smith Essendon: He said it wouldn’t happen, but Essendon champion James Hird is the senior coach with former Geelong coach Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson assisting.

NAB Cup form has been impressive, but history suggests it’s pretty much irrelevant.

Experience is the main issue, so most likely a tough year for Essendon.

Best and Fairest: Jobe Watson Young Talent: Dyson Heppell Richmond: The cellar-dwellers of the past 10 years finally look like improving, and Damien Hardwick is the man responsible.

Even though not much is expected of the Tigers this year they’ve drafted well and can expect a few more wins.

Best and Fairest: Brett Deledio Young Talent: Reece Conca Gold Coast: 2011 will mainly be a learning experience for the new kids on the block. Plenty of talent to look forward to over the next few years. Gary Ablett and Michael Rischitelli look like having big seasons.

Best and Fairest: Gary Ablett Young Talent: David Swallow Port Adelaide: The Power is merely in a rebuilding stage still, with new coach Matthew Primus in charge. Will be looking to play the kids and get games into players like Hamish Hartlett.

Best and Fairest: Danyle Pearce Young Talent: John Butcher West Coast: It’s going to be another long year for the Eagles. With pressure rising on John Worsfold to deliver, the signs don’t look good. Nic Naitanui will step it up another level, but there aren’t many positives at the moment.

Best and Fairest: Matt Priddis Young Talent: Brad Sheppard Brisbane: Things have gone from bad to worse for the Lions, with players and coaches leaving left right and centre, as well as the sacking of Brendan Fevola and Albert Proud. Coach Michael Voss’ future is looking very bleak.

Best and Fairest: Luke Power Young Talent: Jared Polec

Bright future for Cedarberg WHILE Victoria’s best horses – headed by Black Caviar and Shocking – are continuing their campaigns in Sydney, the Mornington trained Cedarberg in one to follow, whether he runs at home or interstate.

After finishing an unlucky 2nd in the Mornington Cup, Cedarberg, who is in the stable of Pat Carey, finished a closeup 7th in the Group 1 Australian Cup. A lightly-raced 4yo, he should be seen to advantage over 2400m or further, especially under handicap conditions.

Another horse to follow from the Australian Cup in the Lloyd Williams owned Linton, who was a gallant 2nd to 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking.

He will be fitter for that outing and will be hard to beat in any race he contests over the next few months.

Shocking’s stablemate Whobegotyou, who was a strong winner of the Group 2 Blamey Stakes, is racing as well as ever and now that he is back to his best has to be respected in next month’s Doncaster Handicap [1600m] at Randwick. Others who caught the eye in the Blamey were the imported pair Our Imposing and Fanjura.

Our Imposing, who was having his third start for Mt. Macedon based conditioner Robert Hickmont, worked home stylishly over the final 100 metres while Lee Freedman seems to have Fanjura on the right path after encountering some problems in his last campaign.

Cranbourne trainer Greg Eurell,who is best known for his association with Apache Cat, has another classy galloper in Pinker Pinker. A 3yo filly she was taking on older mares at Flemington and showed her ability by overcoming difficulties to score.

V.R.C St Leger winner Exceptionally produced a late

finish when 7th behind Pinker Pinker in the Group 3 event and will be hard to toss when she gets out over longer distances.

Classy mare Beaded was no match for the brilliant Black Caviar when 3rd in the Newmarket Handicap but should return to the winners’ list in the Group 1 Robert Sangster at Morphettville on March 26.

Her stablemate Chasse was resuming from a spell when a slashing 5th over 1100m at Flemington and is sure to win his fair share this time in.

Mark Kavanagh trained Kittens is a filly full of promise.

She started at 60/1 when a pleasing 7th behind Do Ra Mi in the Kewney Stakes at Flemington and although she won’t be those odds again she is worth following when she gets to 1600m and beyond.

Others who have caught my attention over the past fortnight are Valentine Miss, Flying Tessie, Mr Chard, Palatine, Adulterer and Sleeque.

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