Author: Stephen Taylor

THE Frankston to Mornington Bloody Big Swim – all 11.2 kilometres of it – was a real endurance test for Cape Schanck’s Jackson Coote, but one that he passed with flying colours. The 26-year-old electrician swam the choppy course from Frankston Life Saving Club to Mornington Life Saving Club at Mills beach in two hours, 50 minutes and 49 seconds on Saturday (23 January) last week. He was in the 18-29 age category. That’s a pace of 15:15 minutes a kilometre for the swimmer who trains at the indoor Peninsula Swimming and Aquatic Centre, Rosebud. “I have swum a few…

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SURF rescue helicopters are patrolling peninsula beaches daily to keep a look out for sharks, rips and people in distress in the water this summer. Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett said the helicopter rescue service, run by Life Saving Victoria, had already completed 50 patrols along Victoria’s coastline this summer. “Rips are dangerous and unpredictable. Have a plan, check for warning signs and know what you’re going to do if you or your kids get caught in a rip,” Ms Garrett said. Life Saving Victoria says it is almost certain at least one person will drown on peninsula beaches this…

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A FRANKSTON couple allegedly went on a senseless crime spree over the Christmas period – with little to show for it except extensive damage to shops and service stations and their upcoming day in court. Police say the 20-year-old man and 21-year-old woman used a Holden Commodore sedan with stolen number plates to: Smash through front windows of service stations at Frankston South, Frankston and Carrum Downs while attempting to steal cash from ATMs;    Crash through the front windows of auto after-market retail outlets at Narre Warren, Dandenong South and Cranbourne; and Break into seven veterinary surgeries at Frankston,…

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RECREATIONAL boaters and anglers will benefit from new wave baffles at the mouth of Mordialloc Creek. Mordialloc Labor MP Tim Richardson and Ports Minister Luke Donnellan visited the creek this week to announce state government funding of $1 million for a project to improve the “wave climate” in the creek. Wave baffles are timber structures on both sides of the mouth of Mordialloc Creek which reduce wave energy flowing upstream and improve mooring conditions for vessels. Existing wave baffles have become ineffective over the past couple of years and, as a result, some moored boats have been damaged by wave…

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UPDATE (21 December 2015): A 46-year-old Frankston man, who remains under police guard in hospital, has been charged with one count of murder and remanded to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday. ____________________ THE Frankston man shot by special operations group police during Tuesday’s siege still had not been interviewed, or charged, by Friday. Detective Senior Sergeant Steve McIntyre, of the Homicide Squad, said police were “waiting on advice from medical staff” before indicting the man, 46, at The Alfred hospital, where he is in a serious condition under police guard. The man, allegedly armed with long-bladed knives, was shot…

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