Southern Peninsula
GET YOUR
FREE TV GUIDE
Caring for local families for over 40 years www.rosebudfunerals.com.au
INSIDE!
123 Jetty Road, Rosebud
Ph: 5986 8491
An independent voice for the community
FREE
Your weekly community newspaper covering Safety Beach to Portsea
Wednesday 26 April 2023
For all advertising and editorial needs, call 03 5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au Helpful notes: Rosebud resident and Guitars for Vets concert promoter Jenny Sparks with some donated guitars that were not good enough to use but were decorated by artists and auctioned off as art pieces. Picture: Yanni
Healing sound of music THE founder of charity Guitars for Vets, veteran and former Frankston resident Dave Cox, says the gifting of guitars and music lessons to vets was a proven way of using music to heal. The charity held a fundraising concert at the Soundbar in Rosebud on 23 April, with money raised going towards buying more guitars and lessons for vets in need. The charity also accepts guitars and is calling for anyone with quality instruments to consider donating them. An ex-Army officer, Cox said all of the 400 guitars that had been given away since 2017 had been appreciated by its recipients, some who said the chance to learn and play music had “changed their lives”. “We know the benefits of music as a form of therapy, but for some vets they either can’t afford it or have never considered it before,” he said. “We know that 30.9 per cent of male vets and 29.8 of female vets suffer from PTSD, and we also know that there are high levels of suicide and homelessness within the vet community.” Continued Pager x
Thieves hit peninsula businesses Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au A SMASH-and-grab crime spree across Mount Eliza, Mornington and Mount Martha has shocked residents and businesses, and prompted calls for increased CCTV and police patrols on the peninsula. About one dozen businesses were robbed between 2am and 4am on Monday 17 April, with many staff and owners arriving to work to find windows and doors smashed and cash stolen.
Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit detectives believe the crimes are linked, with cafes, milk bars, beauty salons, a clothing store and laundromat targeted It is believed two people known to police were captured on CCTV cameras at some of the break-ins, although police were unable to confirm this. Dan Force, of Via Battista, Mount Martha told customers that thieves took cash drawers from his cafe, with CCTV allegedly showing one person in a car while another broke into the store.
Other business owners have posted photos of the devastation caused by the offenders. Force said the thief worked quickly and was in and out of his store within minutes after allegedly searching for cash. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council mayor Cr Steve Holland said the scale of the attack on local businesses was shocking and called on anyone with information to contact the police. He is urging the state government to provide additional money for CCTV
cameras so that local police “have the resources they need to deal with crimes such as this” (“Council ‘no’ to police cameras” The News 11/4/23). The council manages a small number of older CCTV cameras in some townships, including four at Mount Martha village, but doesn’t monitor them and footage is fed straight to Victoria Police. Monday’s incidents have led to fears that crime on the peninsula is out of control. Crime statistics show that while
assaults, residential burglaries and overall crime was down on the peninsula, between December 2021 and December 2022, some offences had increased. Aggravated residential burglaries were up 32 per cent on 2021 figures, commercial burglaries up 27.9 per cent and car theft up 58 per cent. The Crime Statistics Agency says long term figures – which show a significant drop in all these incidents over four years – are more important to gain a comparative understanding of recent data. Continued Page 10
We provide award-winning in-home care ✓ Home Care Packages ✓ NDIS Supports ✓ Private Services ✓ Home & Garden Maintenance We provide compassionate and personalised in-home care, so your loved ones can maintain their independence in the comfort of their own home. Contact our friendly team and find out more about how we can help.
1300 46 46 63
inhome@after-care.com.au www.after-care.com.au