THE playing future of the Frankston Football Club hinges on a must-win presentation to AFL chiefs on 30 June. That deadline is concentrating the mind of new Dolphins general manager Gary Buckenara as he plots the club’s course back into VFL ranks. A successful outcome will help the club get its playing licence back for next year after being forced to sit out the 2017 season. Crippling pokies-related debts and an under-utilised function centre brought the 1887 club to its knees and provided a huge wake-up call to sporting clubs relying on gaming income for their survival. It is believed…
Author: Stephen Taylor
ORANGE became the colour of protest on Monday 10 April as up to 500 people marched from the Frankston Yacht Club to the council chambers in support of Frankston Basketball Club. Marked “Save Our Stadium” and “United We March”, the marchers’ t-shirts symbolised the basketball community’s stance against Frankston Council as it negotiates over the stalled $12 million stadium redevelopment works and a controversial rent deal. Basketball Victoria says the council’s decision to “raise [the club’s] rent by 250 per cent and attempt to leverage a six per cent tax on future earnings remains a sticking point … as the…
MOST infringement notices issued to those deemed not to have voted at last year’s Frankston City Council elections were because no response was received to apparent-failure-to-vote notices, the Victorian Electoral Commission says. The notices were sent out to 17,322 Frankston voters – or 16.31 per cent of those 106,203 enrolled. The VEC says the notices are not a fine but an “opportunity for people to explain why they didn’t vote. The VEC urges recipients not to ignore the notice”. Spokesman Mike Lagastes said they resulted in 1857 infringement notices being issued to voters for not providing a valid response, and…
EDITHVALE’S new CFA station is a step closer after Emergency Services Minister James Merlino took a sledgehammer to the old fire station yesterday (Tuesday 11 April). He and Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson donned their hard hats for a tour of the site, which is being transformed into a $3.35 million station with four vehicle bays. Brigade members were consulted on amenities and their input has been vital, Mr Merlino said. The custom-designed station will have a new meeting room and business hub where crews can work or study on site while waiting on emergency call outs. The new building will…
ONE of the main Mornington Peninsula tourist drawcards has lost an estimated $40,000 in an on-line ticketing scam. Peninsula Hot Springs, at Fingal, is one of at least nine high profile Victorian venues targeted by fraudsters using the Chinese social media forum WeChat, which is used by an estimated 800 million people. The springs’ general manager Brook Ramage said the company may have lost the $40,000 in the scam over the past 12 months “plus lost business and other factors”. “It’s hard to tell the exact amount, that’s the big question,” he said. The scam revolves around fraudsters using stolen…