Author: Bayside News

AN artist has been commissioned to create a new sculpture to replace the Love Flower. The Love Flower currently sits by the Cranbourne Road exit ramp of the Peninsula Link freeway. The site is the former home of Reflective Lullaby, the ginormous chrome gnome. Natasha Johns-Messenger, an installation artist, has been handed a $300,000 commission for a “dynamic sculpture” project. The new artwork, titled Compass 23, will feature 12-metre high powder coated and stainless steel geometric structures. It will be installed in October next year. Johns-Messenger said that her work “responds to site – its scale, topography, light and spatial…

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A NEW centre has opened in Frankston to help Mornington Peninsula residents recover from mental health and drug and alcohol-related problems. The $1.5 million Tarnbuk Centre in Nepean Highway brings together two of Peninsula Health’s existing services – the mental health service and the alcohol and other drugs service. The partnership is designed to improve continuity of care and provide a collaborative working environment for staff. The Tarnbuk Centre includes a wellness clinic, dietetics, exercise physiology and music therapy. Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke said the centre would “ensure that more people living in Frankston and on the peninsula can access…

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A GOLF coach working to achieve gender equality in the sport has been recognised with an award. Garth Cusick is the founder and head coach of The International Golf Academy. He plays golf at the course in Bangholme. Last month, Cusick won Golf Australia’s Visionary of the Year July award for his work helping Chinese-Australian women get involved with golf. “It all happened quite organically,” Cusick said. “A Chinese couple, who were interested in learning golf, realised I spoke Mandarin. They made me aware that there was a large population of Chinese-Australians in Melbourne who were somewhat unable to participate…

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A DERELICT house was completely engulfed in flames earlier this week. Firefighters were called out to a blaze on Green Road in Keysborough at around 7pm on 7 August. Fire crews from Keysborough, Dandenong, and Springvale attended. The derelict house was extensively damaged. The fire was brought under control and nobody was injured. Chelsea and Greater Dandenong SES both attended. The day after the fire an excavator came to the site to knock down a part of the house which was considered a danger. The house is expected to be completely knocked down sometime in the future. First published in…

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STUDENTS at Mentone, Cheltenham East, and Seaford North Primary Schools are learning to ballroom dance through a new program. The My Best Self program is now running at Victorian schools after proving popular in New South Wales. It is run by DanceSport Confidence. Through the program, nearly 300 students are taking part in ballroom dancing classes. The aim of the classes is to help students build their confidence, co-operation, and respect for others. Cheltenham East Primary School assistant principal Leisel Ward says that the classes have helped the children connect with each other after two years of COVID-19 interruptions. “It’s…

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