Author: Stephen Taylor

A LOOK back over Chelsea SES controller Ron Fitch’s ‘CV’ shows he has attended every major natural disaster in Victoria over the past three years. Bushfires, floods, house fires, car accidents and storms – even a light plane crash in Chelsea last week – have found him hard at work caring for victims, cleaning up debris and, generally, putting in the hard yards. That commitment and dedication was rewarded last week when Mr Fitch was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow by Chelsea Rotary – the highest award Rotary has – for his selfless service. Coincidentally, the Rotarians were celebrating…

Read More

ACCIDENT investigators have wrapped up the on-scene phase of their probe into the crash of a homemade plane into a Chelsea house which killed the pilot last Tuesday afternoon (‘Plane crash chaos’, The News 15/10/14). The Australian Transport Safety Bureau deployed three investigators, specialists in aircraft operations and engineering, to the accident site at the corner of The Strand and Camp St. The pilot, John Francis Stephenson, of Hampton East, aged 77, died when his Van’s RV-6A fell from the sky at about 1.30pm on Tuesday last week. The pilot of 40 years was highly regarded for his skills. He…

Read More

THERE was bedlam in Chelsea yesterday afternoon when a plane crashed into a house in Camp St, killing the pilot, aged in his 70s, on impact. Eyewitnesses told The News they had seen the light plane “flying erratically” before it crashed into the residential street at about 1.30pm. Real estate agent Greg Smith of Asset Property was driving west along Chelsea Road heading towards Chelsea shops when he noticed the plane in trouble. “I saw it do a swirl and twist then dive straight down and heard a massive roar as it crashed,” Mr Smith said. Chelsea SES volunteer Phil…

Read More

McCLELLAND Sculpture Park, Langwarrin, will host an immersive theatre experience 29 August–7 September, with viewers invited to don headphones and engage with the sculpture-strewn landscape in a novel way. They’ll be taking part in Orbit, the latest site-specific immersive theatre piece by Wonthaggi artist Nina Barry-Macaulay. It is cutting edge in its use of innovative technology combined with traditional character narratives to create a performance tailored for the park. “McClelland is pleased to host this exciting program that will transform the way in which visitors interact with the sculpture park,” Lyn Johnson, deputy director, said. “The artist explains how the…

Read More

CHANGES to legislation governing rooming houses to make local councils the responsible authority and not the state government would be welcomed by Frankston council. Ideally, the changes would give the council greater control over the building, siting, management, licencing and accommodation standards of the contentious premises. But, until the longed-for new rules are brought in – which may not be any time soon – many rooming house operators will continue to fly under the radar offering over-priced accommodation to homeless low-income earners – many with mental issues – whose presence in the neighbourhood often intimidates and infuriates residents. Anecdotal reports…

Read More