Western Port
GET YOUR
FREE TV GUIDE
@thegreatoutdoorand4x4expo Caravans & Campers - Motorhomes
INSIDE!
Boats - Fishing Gear - 4x4
An independent voice for the community
Your weekly community newspaper covering the entire Western Port region
FREE9
Metal Detectors - Travel & Adventure Food & Wine - Camping Gear - Demos
Wednesday 1 March 2023
For all advertising and editorial, call 03 5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
All eyes on target STEADY arms and well strung bows were the key to sending arrows to their targets on Sunday when the Angel Archers hosted the 2023 State Target Championships at Balnarring. Eighty archers repeatedly lined up to shoot at targets varying in distance from 90 metres (open men) to 15 metres (juniors) at the Emu Planes Reserve. The archers fire six arrows each time, with a total of 144 being sent towards their targets during the contest. Distances from targets also varies as does the size of the target. Once all six arrows have been fired by each archer targets are inspected, arrows retrieved, and scores added up. At the end of Sunday’s shoot, the six Angel Archers who participated had each won a medal.
Pictures: Gary Sissons
Partnership ‘opportunities’ assured Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has yet to publicly announce its “partnership” with a remote municipality in the Northern Territory. The Gulf to Peninsula Partnership was arranged by former mayor Cr Anthony Marsh and agreed to by council on 31 October. A formal announcement planned last September was delayed following the “last minute” cancellation of a visit to the peninsula by the mayor and CEO of Roper Gulf Regional Council. “We hope to re-schedule the visit in the near future,” the current mayor Cr Steve Holland said. Details of a visit to Roper Gulf late last year by Marsh and shire CEO John Baker were revealed earlier this
month when Marsh claimed expenses for the trip (“Expenses test memories” The News 21/2/23). Mornington Peninsula councillors have been assured “opportunities” will flow from a “relationship” agreement reached with Roper Gulf council. Negotiations for the municipal partnership last year by Marsh follow 15 years’ of cooperation at the community level, and more lately through the Womin Djeka - Balnarring Ngargee community festival. On paper, the two municipalities have little in common: Roper Gulf is about three times the size of Tasmania and has a population of less than 7000 people in 14 towns and remote Indigenous communities. The peninsula’s 170,000 residents predominantly live in 21 towns or suburbs scattered across 723 square kilometres (Roper Gulf is 201,000
square kilometres). While visitors can come and go freely to the peninsula, visitors to Roper Gulf communities must have a permit from the Northern Land Council. Roper Gulf’s website says the permit system “helps to protect the privacy of Aboriginal communities, preserve Aboriginal culture, safeguard the natural environment and promote visitor safety and amenity”. It says permits are required travellers, tourists, contractors, journalists, hawkers, representatives of any group, company agency or government department not covered by statutory permit arrangement. Both the shire and Marsh refused to say if Marsh had obtained a permit before visiting Roper Gulf communities. In separate emails they suggested The News contact Roper Gulf for an answer.
COME AND SEE THE CHICKENS ROAMING FREE IN THE PADDOCK!
In a report to council’s 31 October 2022 meeting Baker and governance manager Pam Vercoe said peninsula residents and groups had been working with Roper Gulf communities for the past 15 years. Children from Roper Gulf had “visited Point Leo and local schools over many years” and a “friendly council partnership” would “build on” existing community relationships. The visits resulted from discussion between Roper Gulf elders and peninsula residents. Baker and Vercoe’s report said the “most outstanding feature” of the exchanges “is the fact children from both communities are open and frank with one another and able to share hope and dreams and understand the differences between their communities”. Future projects could include tourism, energy development and
infrastructure “offering training and experience to both communities”. “We also hope to build economic development relationships … and further explore other opportunities, for example cultural, knowledge exchange and opportunities for councillors and officers to learn from each other.” Along with his request for reimbursement of expenses Marsh said his September 2022 trip to Roper Gulf was made “to explore potential opportunities for creating a more enduring relationship between the two councils”. The idea had been informally discussed and supported by “the councillor group” which led to his and Baker’s trip “to meet with the mayor and chief executive officer of the Roper Gulf Regional Council and to tour the region”.
BARN DOOR SALES MONDAY TO FRIDAY 8AM - 4.30PM AND SATURDAYS 8AM - 12.30PM
Our farm is family owned and managed. We have been producing quality eggs for over 40 years, supplying the public, restaurants and other businesses on the peninsula. Eggs are collected 365 days a year so you can be assured that you are buying the freshest eggs with the best yolk and flavour. Retail and Wholesale from our barn door.
Eramosa Road West, Moorooduc. corner of Binnak Way 5977 5405 220 email: admin@somervilleeggfarm.com.au