Mornington
Morni ngton
28 July 2015
Superb style > Page 3
Your guide to what’s on this weekend for peninsula families
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A preview to the opening sequel IT might have seemed a bit premature, but Ports Minister Luke Donnellan was at Mornington pier on Thursday to announce that it will be officially opened in a couple of weeks. That event will be a more public affair with a barbecue and “community celebration” being hosted by Parks Victoria. The $19 million project is the result of funding from both sides of politics, with the time taken to complete it stradling the terms of Labor and Liberalled governments. It’s taken five years, with setbacks attributed to both natural causes (storms) and money shortages. But those troubles were far from the minds of Mr Donnellan and other VIPs when they walked the newly laid planks of the pier. See “Snags will sizzle for new pier” on Page 3. Close look: Port Minister Luke Donnellan with Kylie Trott of Parks Victoria check the pier designed to withstand any storm. Picture: Yanni
Charges follow house, bin fires Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au A MORNINGTON man has been charged with five counts of arson and one count of conduct endangering life after a house fire and fires in three lots of rubbish bins. The man, 38, is alleged to have set fire to a house in Moorina Court, Mornington, as well as bins outside the Currawong Community Centre, in Gil-
ga St, Mornington and at Officeworks at the Peninsula Homemaker Centre. A man and a woman managed to escape from the house fire and their children were staying overnight elsewhere. However, one of the family’s two pet dogs died in the blaze. The man arrested by police was remanded at Mornington overnight Thursday and appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a committal mention hearing on Friday. He is expected to face Melbourne Magistrates’
Court in October. Senior Sergeant Nick Vallas, of Mornington police, said police would push for the man to be held in custody until his court appearance. The arrest of the man three days after the fires followed clothing and a bicycle being matched with images taken by surveillance cameras. Fire razed the Moorina Court house early on Saturday 19 July – one of 13 callouts for fire crews between 6pm Friday and 8am Saturday.
Station officer Simon Mildren, of Mornington Fire Brigade, said a couple’s dog died in the blaze at 4.40am which destroyed the single storey brick veneer house. The occupants, a man and a woman, escaped serious injury but the woman was taken to Frankston Hospital with smoke inhalation and discharged next morning. The fire was reported as a garage fire but turned out to be more serious. “We could see it from a long way
away,” station officer Mildren said. “The house was 50 per cent involved when we arrived but added complexity was caused by fallen power lines in the front yard and a high fuel load surrounding the house. These issues made fighting the fire more difficult." Crews came from Mt Martha, Mt Eliza, Frankston and Bayswater to fight the fire which took 45 minutes to control. It is believed a smoke alarm alerted the occupants.
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