Western Port Your guide to what’s on this weekend for peninsula families
An independent voice for the community
FREE
Your weekly community newspaper covering the entire Western Port region For all advertising and editorial, call 03
5973 6424 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Police guard after ferry bomb threat
Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au
Staying connected Western Port Secondary College students taking part in RUOK? Day activities last week. Report and more pictures Page 3 Picture: Yanni
S A L E
Tuesday 15 September 2015
A DISGRUNTLED French Islander who allegedly threatened to “blow up” the Stony Point to Tankerton ferry, Thursday 3 September, has been arrested and charged with making threats to kill. Police have also raided the man’s home and seized several firearms. Two uniformed police travelled on the ferry that afternoon to protect passengers from any possible threat. The man, 60, who is alleged to have made the threats, has been bailed to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court in January and banned from using the ferry. It is understood the man is a pensioner and has written to Hastings MP Neale Burgess explaining his actions and expressing concern about his welfare and health if unable to leave the island to seek medical treatment. Detective Leading Senior Constable Darren Sherren, of Hastings CIU, said the man made the threats by phone to the Public Transport Victoria complaints line. “He was not happy with the service and certain things were said, including threatening to blow up the ferry with explosives as the result of a long, ongoing feud,” Detective Sherren said. “The PTV then relayed the nature of the call through to us and we raided a French Island property and seized firearms.” Detective Sherren the man’s firearm’s licence would be reviewed. The ferry runs between Stony Point, and Tankerton on French Island, and Cowes, Phillip Island.
Although having a daily, year-round schedule varying weather conditions make departures problematic. This has led to frequent complaints from passengers, claiming the service is poorly run and the operator unresponsive. Several public meetings and ongoing complaints to the state government (Liberal and Labor) have failed to resolve differences between some islanders and the ferry operator, Frank Denvir. Mr Denvir, when contacted by email by The News, declined to comment. The service has been operating in Western Port since 1994 and has grown from 25-passenger vessels operating to French Island only, to two high speed passenger catamarans running to Phillip Island and out to Seal Rocks. PTV says the large tidal variation in Western Port and volatile air and sea conditions make operations difficult. It does not guarantee operation of the ferry “in the interest of ensuring passenger safety”. The French Island Community Association has issued a plea for islanders to “please be patient” while it tries to sort out the confusion over where the ferry is allowed to berth at Stony Point. Accounts differ as to why the ferry cannot safely berth at the Stony Point jetty. One account states that new infrastructue is needed on the saeaward side of the jetty, while high tides make berthing hazardous on the inside, where their is a landing. “Please be patient as it is difficult to try and get hold of the relevant people and sort through the information, and we are only a few days in,” FICA secretary Nicky Pitkanen stated in an emial on Wednesday 9 September. With Keith Platt
:ŽŚŶ ĞĞƌĞ ϭϬϱ EŽǁ KŶůLJ ΨϮϵϱϬ tĞƐƚĞƌŶƉŽƌƚ dƌĂĐƚŽƌƐ Θ /ŵƉůĞŵĞŶƚƐ ϭϴϲϯ &ƌĂŶŬƐƚŽŶ &ůŝŶĚĞƌƐ ZĚ͕ ,ĂƐƚŝŶŐƐ ϯϵϭϱ WŚŽŶĞ͗ ϱϵϳϵ Ϯϭϱϱ ŵĂŝů͗ :ĂŵĞƐΛǁĞƐƚĞƌŶƉŽƌƚƚƌĂĐƚŽƌƐ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ