Author: Stephen Taylor

SMOKERS flicking lit cigarette butts from their cars are those most frequently fined each year by the Environment Protection Authority Victoria – especially on the Mornington Peninsula. They are among thousands fined for general littering: Last year, the EPA issued 12,984 litter infringement notices state-wide. Over a four-year period, nearly 1000 fines were issued on the Mornington Peninsula. As the summer tourism season approaches, the Mornington Peninsula will host thousands of day trippers and holiday makers at its many attractions. But, EPA statistics show that it’s also the season for litterbugs with an increase in reports over December and January.…

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RETIRING Mornington police senior sergeant Neil Aubert well remembers perhaps the most dangerous incident in his 46-year career. In 1989, the then senior constable was among nine Cheltenham police sent to evict a group of Hells Angels from the Southside Six hotel in Moorabbin when a brawl erupted and he was stabbed in the stomach. “A rock ‘n roll band was playing to about 1000 people and we went in to remove a group of Hells Angels after reports they had glassed a bouncer,” Mr Aubert said. “We confronted them at their tables and asked them to leave. The next…

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A DONATION of 200 “comfort kits” from a class of year 12 VCAL students at Padua College, Mornington will help patients at Frankston Hospital’s emergency department. The kits contain combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, ear plugs, socks, eye masks, anti-bacterial wipes, pencils and Padua Puzzles, which members of the class created themselves. Student and project manager Gus Gordon said the kits included common sense items: “When people come into the emergency department it often isn’t planned – so they might not have the basic things they need like a toothbrush and toothpaste. “We wanted to do something to help the local community,…

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THE running of the inaugural Hastings Gift with $8000 for the winners of the 120-metre men’s and women’s events  will be the highlight of a sporting extravaganza to be held at the Thomas Barclay oval, Hastings, on Saturday 17 November. The main events are sponsored by AGL and other races in the 14-event program include the John Coleman Mile (1600m) Hastings open handicap at $1500 and several races offering $1000 in prize money: the Tucketts Tyrepower 120m Hastings masters handicap; Hastings 120m backmarkers invitational/mixed handicap; Hastings 300m open handicap; Malvolio 300m Hastings masters/women’s handicap; Hastings 800m open handicap, and Hastings…

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FRANKSTON is the third worst electorate for rough sleeping of all of the state’s 88 electorates, as well as the eighth worst for people living in rooming houses. The Nepean region – from Rye to Portsea – is the fifth worst regional electorate for “severe crowding” out of all 33 regional electorates. Severe crowding is defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as a house where at least four extra bedrooms would be needed to accommodate the occupants. Many have multiple families living under one roof, or multiple adults and children sharing sleeping areas. Mornington is the 29th worst regional electorate for rough…

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