Southern Peninsula
Features inside FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT PAGES 34–38 CLASSIFIEDS PAGES 39–40 SOUTHERN PENINSULA SCOREBOARD PAGES 41–42
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Tuesday 10 December 2013
MPNEWS (1300 676 397) or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Take the reins, dear DANA and Allie were getting into the Christmas spirit last week as they donned festive garb while taking their horses for a stroll through the streets Rosebud. While their mounts might be unlikely to score a job pulling Santa’s sleigh, they certainly looked the part and brought plenty of festive cheer to the neighbourhood. Picture: Yanni
Bushfire warning By Keith Platt AN early warning has been issued to be prepared for bushfires on the southern peninsula. Residents should leave the Mornington Peninsula the day before a declared Code Red Day and head for Rosebud or Rye early in the morning on total fire ban days, according to Murray Homes of Blairgowrie Community Fire Prevention Group. However, Mr Homes believes many
residents do not intend to follow that advice from the CFA but instead are relying on “the bay beach option”. “Many people intend to continue with normal summer activities and only head to the beach at the first indication of a bushfire. This could be a recipe for disaster,” Mr Homes states in the bushfire group’s latest newsletter. He said Portsea, Sorrento, Blairgowrie and parts of Rye have been assessed as high fire danger areas for 2013-14, with Blairgowrie being downgraded
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from being classed as “extreme”. “The race to the beach will lead to traffic jams and mass panic,” Mr Homes stated. “People have underestimated the speed with which a bushfire would move through the coastal vegetation of Blairgowrie. Many of our houses are of light timber construction with outside wooden decks and they would not survive the passage of a bushfire. “The elderly and young families would be especially vulnerable.
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“In extreme weather conditions, people staying on the beach all day and into the evening would face enormous difficulties and could be tempted to go home during the afternoon before the fire danger had passed.” Mr Homes said high fuel loads “continue to exist on public land, council and roadside reserves, vacant land and many holiday houses” with evacuation roadsides being overgrown with dead trees and weeds as well as rubbish. “With the degraded national park,
narrow roads and high fuel loads, this would be an extremely dangerous place to be on a Code Red day and other total fire ban days.” Mr Homes said Nepean MP Martin Dixon “has inspected this high fire danger area and has agreed to take follow up action”. More fire prevention work was planned between Canterbury Jetty Rd and Blairgowrie Village, including areas that “have not been touched for more than 50 years”.
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