Western Port
Jewellers
Jewellery manufacture and repairs
YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS WEEKEND FOR PENINSULA FAMILIES
OVER 40 YEARS
EXPERIENCE
FACEBOOK:
peninsulakids.com.au INSTAGRAM: mornpenkids
TYABB CRAFT VILLAGE 14 Mornington-Tyabb Road, Tyabb
An independent voice for the community
FREE
Your weekly community newspaper covering the entire Western Port region For all advertising and editorial, call 03
Phone 5977 3711
Wednesday 18 March 2020
5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Record crowd at air show A RECORD crowd of 9500 plane enthusiasts helped make this year’s Tyabb Air Show the best ever, Peninsula Aero Club president Jack Vevers said. The 21st show, which saw 65 aircraft take to the skies Sunday 8 March, was the culmination of an “almighty effort” by club committee members to overcome last year’s uncertainty and doubt during the spat with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council that the event would get off the ground. “This show was put together in only seven months as opposed to the usual 14 months,” Mr Vevers said. “It was a great success and we’ve had lots of positive feedback from those who attended.” The show included a flyover by a RAAF Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from Queensland piloted by a former Peninsula Aero Club student, Squadron Leader Tim Smith, who performed his first solo flight at Tyabb a decade ago. This time around he staged a “missed approach” landing, flying about 50-metres high under full power. Other highlights were performances by the Southern Knights Formation Aerobatic Team which and Paul Bennett’s aerobatics in his Wolf Pitts Special. Mr Vevers said proceeds from the air show would go to Chasing Change – a volunteer group focused on suicide prevention in Frankston and on the peninsula, Tyabb CFA, Mt Eliza Lions Club and Tyabb’s football and cricket clubs. Stephen Taylor
State urged to buy quarry OPPONENTS of Hillview Quarries’ plan to open a new quarry on the Arthurs Seat escarpment at Dromana want the state government to buy the land and make it part of the state park. Hillview, owned by R E Ross Trust, wants to clear up to 38 hectares (93 acres) of bushland in a block that borders two sides of the old Pioneer quarry. The 69 hectare block at 115 Boundary Road, Dromana, is between two sections of Arthurs Seat State Park. If Hillview wins permission to quarry there it will extract rock right up to the old Pioneer pit, which can then be
reopened and dug deeper. The final pit would be 190 metres deep (the height of 2.5 MCG light towers) and yield 70 million tonnes of rock over 70 years. More than 9000 people have signed an online petition calling on the state government to reject the entire proposal. More than 300 attended a meeting organised by Peninsula Preservation Group on Saturday 7 March at Dromana Community Hall. Mark Fancett, president of PPG, said Hillview’s plans had bypassed Mornington Peninsula Shire, removing
community appeal options, and were before state planning minister Richard Wynne. Once the crucial environmental effects statement (EES) had been prepared by Hillview’s consultants and submitted to the government, people would have 25 days to comment and there would be no right of appeal after Mr Wynne’s decision. Dr Fancett said the proposed quarry would be up to four times larger than Hillview’s existing quarry. “The will of R E Ross stated that he wanted funds to be used for the preservation and maintenance of national
COME AND SEE THE CHICKENS ROAMING FREE IN THE PADDOCK!
or public parks. How is destroying one of the state’s and region’s best remnant natural environments conserving and protecting Victoria’s biodiversity, particularly when there are alternative and well-located sources of quarry products?” He said 82 per cent of the shire had been cleared and that Arthurs Seat, with one the biggest remaining bushland areas should be retained as it “provides a biolink across the peninsula”. The 28 threatened species likely to occur on the site included the powerful owl, swift parrot and koala.
The meeting was attended by Liberal state MPs David Morris and Ryan Smith as well as shire councillors Simon Brooks and David Gill. Flinders MP Greg Hunt sent a message. Cr Gill later told The News he had been told the quarry EES was being undertaken “in record time” and could be finished in May. MP for Nepean Chris Brayne sent a message saying taken peoples’ concerns to Mr Wynne. He said a decision “is a long way off” and looked “forward to working with this group going forward”. Keith Platt and Mike Hast
BARN DOOR SALES MONDAY TO FRIDAY 8AM - 4.30PM AND SATURDAYS 8AM - 12.30PM
Tired of stale tasting supermarket eggs? Our farm is family owned and managed. We have been producing quality eggs for over 40 years, supplying the public, restaurants and other businesses on the peninsula. Eggs are collected 365 days a year so you can be assured that you are buying the freshest eggs with the best yolk and flavour. Retail and Wholesale from our barn door.
5977 5405
220 Eramosa Road West, Moorooduc. corner of Binnak Way email: admin@somervilleeggfarm.com.au