Western Port
View the whole picture.
YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT’S ON THIS WEEKEND FOR PENINSULA FAMILIES FACEBOOK:
peninsulakids.com.au mornpenkids
com.au
An independent voice for the community
INSTAGRAM:
Your weekly community newspaper covering the entire Western Port region For all advertising and editorial, call 03
FREE
THE P RO PE R TY INSI G HTS SITE
Wednesday 15 January 2020
5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Family favourite a lure to take on Cats character
THE offer of a prime role in the Young Australian Broadway Chorus production of Cats is a dream come true for Nathan Derix-Brown, of Somers. The former Padua College student, 18, plays the naughty Macavity in the National Theatre Melbourne production running for 10 shows, 17-25 January. The new interpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical is set in a crumbling English Music Hall during the Great Depression. It honours the era when T S Eliot wrote the original poems for his children in the 1930s. Derix-Brown, who has trained with the Peninsula Ballet Ensemble, Somerville, under Sharyn Peters, for four years, says the dance-based musical has always been a family favourite. “It’s all character work, with dance and song; I love the passion and the movement,” he said. “I must have seen it at least 20 times – ever since I was a little kid. It meant a lot to my family as it was the only musical my grandmother ever saw on stage.” Derix-Brown says he loves playing Macavity. “He’s the bad cat who commits all the crimes ... He’s never actually caught because he’s never there but you just know he did it.” Derix-Brown was enticed into dance by a friend at the end of Year 8. “I was told they were looking for male dancers at PBE and I’d always liked dancing,” he said. “They were all so welcoming and took me in. I had no experience but I was able to work my way up to their level.” Up until then he had performed only in Padua College plays Beauty and the Beast and Annie. A performer for now, Derix-Brown has his sights set on a future in directing. He completed his VCE last year and has enrolled in a film and television degree course at Swinburne. Stephen Taylor Showtime: Nathan Derix-Brown plays the naughty Macavity in the National Theatre production of Cats. Picture: Supplied
Decades of decisions being checked Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire officers are “reviewing decisions” made over the past seven years involving three companies at the centre of investigations by the Independent Broadbased Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). However, the review involving hundreds of files will be extended back
decades, if necessary, according to the mayor Cr Sam Hearn. “We want to look at everything, not just back to an arbitrary date,” he said. “Three decades is quite a lot to look into and we want enough external involvement so it doesn’t just appear to be council looking at itself.” Cr Hearn said council “intends to make [the review findings] public” but could be asked to withhold information by IBAC or the police.
The review by shire officers of any council decisions made involving Mornington-based Watsons Pty Ltd, Schutz Consulting Pty Ltd and Wolfdene Built Pty Ltd announced in December followed three weeks of hearings by IBAC which revealed hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations being made to local councillors, MPs (Labor and Liberal) and political parties; bags of cash delivered to one councillor by a former mayor and state
Jewellers
TYABB AUTOMOTIVE “SMALL TOWN FEEL...BIG TIME SERVICE”
SERVICING AND MECHANICAL REPAIRS FOR ALL MAKES AND MODELS
PH: 5977 4319 22 MORNINGTON - TYABB ROAD, TYABB VIC 3913 WWW.TYABBAUTOMOTIVE.COM.AU
MP; and, the promise of a $100 million prize hanging on a minister’s stroke of a pen to allow rezoning of land. Watsons director John Woodman unsuccessfully stood for Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Briars Ward in 2012 and 2016. In the 2016 council election, Watsons donated $2489 to Briars Ward candidate, now councillor, Rosemary Clark. Cr Clark was incorrectly named by The News as deputy mayor in the 24/12/19 article “Shire probe into permits”.
Cr David Gill said on Monday he would “make sure the review of permits goes way back … the results should be made public”. “If [the results of the shire’s investigations] go to IBAC they will be public, but I don’t want to compromise the IBAC inquiry,” he said. “How do you ever get to the bottom of these things where politicians and councillors are involved? Continued Page 6
FREE MEAL
Celebrating OVER 40 YEARS
Buy one meal get one free*
in jewellery manufacture
Jewellery for all occasions WE WILL BEAT ANY PRICE Drive through to Craft Village Trading hours: Thursday to Sunday 10am-5pm
TYABB CRAFT VILLAGE 14 Mornington-Tyabb Road, Tyabb Phone 5977 3711
Your Authorised Husqvarna Servicing Dealer
VALID ONLY ON PRESENTING THIS VOUCHER. LIMIT $15.95 ON FREE MAIN MEAL EXCLUDING ENTREES, SENIOR AND KIDS MEALS. ONLY TWO VOUCHERS PER TABLE, NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. EXCLUDES PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. CONDITIONS APPLY. MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS. VALID UNTIL 06-03-2020