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Your weekly community newspaper covering the entire Western Port region For all advertising and editorial, call 03 AN emergency service worker is reaching out to first responders and veterans who have experienced trauma, offering a free, ocean-based program for “post traumatic growth”. Operation Soul Surf is the brainchild of Sergeant Barry Randall, who is based at Forest Hill police station, but has brought the program to the Mornington Peninsula. Randall said the program provides opportunities people who have suffered trauma to experience the healing power of surfing and the ocean. “I founded OSS in 2021 and have put 50 current and former first responders and veterans through our program,” he said. “I have booked out courses already for spring and summer and look forward to supporting more folks through surf therapy. “My programs run for four consecutive Saturdays, with 10 participants on each four-week course.” The course is free and includes all equipment and an after surf meal each session. the program is partnered with the East Coast Surf School and is based at Point Leo. Randall said surf therapy had increased in popularity around the world in recent years and data collected showed its therapeutic benefits. “We encourage our ‘soul surfers’ to embrace the healing power of the sea. The ocean resets our brain waves frequency, puts us into a mild meditative state and relaxes the nervous system offering a mood boosting effect,” he said. Randall said OSS was the only program of its kind in Victoria that specifically supports veterans and first responders. To learn more about the program go to operationsoulsurf. com/ Liz Bell
Wednesday 29 June 2022
5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Riding a wave for therapy ZAC Day finding the right balance in the surf during one of the Operation Soul Surf programs run at Point Leo for first responders. Picture: Scott McAulay
Shire ‘no’ to Esso’s bid for power
Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has called on the state government to investigate health risks and environmental impacts of a plan by Esso Resources to use ethane gas to generate electricity. Esso has an oversupply of ethane, a by-product from natural gas used at its fractionation plant at Long Island, Hastings. The company says burning the gas - or flaring-off - is the alternative to
setting up an ethane-driven electricity power plant. It says the plant will produce enough electricity to power 35,000 household a year will increase the peninsula’s greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent a year. While the decision on Esso’s power generation plan rests with Planning Minister Richard Wynne the shire, relegated to being classed as “a stakeholder”, can make a submission. At the Monday 20 June planning services committee meeting councillors voted six to three to oppose the plan despite a 13-page officer’s report
which stated, “the proposal’s climate change impacts are acceptable”. “Further, it is considered that environmental and amenity impacts resulting from the proposal do not warrant objection,” the report by principal planner Lachlan Howard stated. “Here we go again, industry thinking it can pull the wool over our eyes,” Cr Lisa Dixon said, listing the plan along with past proposals at Crib Point for a bitumen plant and AGL’s failed bid for a gas import terminal. Dixon said the report “appears light on detail” and did not mention the need for an EES, quantative risk assessment,
possible atmospheric pollution, Western Port’s internationally-recognised Ramsar wetlands or the need for an exclusion zone for aircraft, with Tyabb Airfield being 2.5 kilometres away. “To me, that is disgusting, really disgraceful.” Dixon said Esso held a public information session “but no one there could answer the questions being asked, which I find very disappointing”. Cr Steve Holland said by opposing Esso’s electricity generation plan council was “quickly cementing its reputation as the anti-gas shire”. “No gas, no electricity, no jobs — it's
back to the dark ages,” he said. “My gut feeling is that the state government will probably approve this … you’re opposing an electricity generation project for the sake of it and against the recommendation of our officers. “All this does is signify that the council is happy to pump gas into the atmosphere, but not turn it into electricity. The mind boggles.” Cr David Gill likened Esso’s plan to Kawasaki Heavy Industries use of brown coal to produce hydrogen to be exported from the Port of Hastings to Japan. Continued Page 18
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