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Shire OK for Aldi site sale By Mike Hast SHIRE councillors have agreed to sell the war memorial land at Somerville to German supermarket chain Aldi for $750,000. The block at 1097 FrankstonFlinders Rd is occupied by Somerville Preschool, but was once the town’s maternal and child health centre. It was built with money raised by residents to commemorate soldiers who died in or served in the Second World War. The land was donated by Somerville’s Thomas Brunning, a First World War veteran. Aldi still needs a planning amendment for its supermarket to go ahead. It owns 1089 and 1093 FrankstonFlinders Rd, which are in the business zone, but needs state government approval for the war memorial land to be rezoned from public use to business. A planning panel will consider the rezoning at hearings in April and make a decision in June. Mornington Peninsula Shire has offered Aldi the use of shire-owned land at 21 Eramosa Road East and 1087 Frankston-Flinders Rd, an existing access road and gravel car park. The two main objectors to the Aldi land sale – Leila Shaw who says she represents “Somerville’s war veterans and their families as well as the town’s pioneering families” and Brenda Thornell of Somerville, Tyabb and District Heritage Society – walked out of the council meeting last week in disgust. After the meeting, Mrs Shaw, the daughter of land donor Thomas Brunning, said the council had dishonoured the memory of the town’s war veterans including those killed in action.
“The council is made up of a handful of people who are strangers to Somerville. Until recent years they have never had a hand in the building and maintenance of our halls, parks, schools, churches, our fruit growers reserve and our war memorials,” she said. “They were built and maintained with dedicated donations from and fundraising by the pioneering families since the 1850s; families still here in the district.” Mrs Shaw said the shire council had repeatedly stated that “Leila Shaw alone was objecting to the land sale”. “I have clearly stated that I speak on behalf of Somerville veterans, those who died in the war, those who were wounded or taken prisoner of war and the pioneering families who worked hard in difficult times of shortages and rationing to build our Second World War memorial. “Why didn’t the shire answer the other letters of objection? Why has it not been publicly stated that the heritage society has more than 55 members all of whom object to this land sale? “Obviously the shire doesn’t want the public to know other people strongly object to the land sale.” She said the $750,000 coming from Aldi should not be used to build a council asset on a state government school site. “The council has never properly addressed the issue of using the Aldi money to build a preschool when most councils are getting out of operating preschools,” she said. Continued Page 4
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Locks lost, hope found: Joanne Bowman uses her hairdressing skills to help Emma Robinson raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Pictures: Yanni
Locks off for leukaemia NINE-year-old Emma Robinson of Crib Point decided to shave her head for the World’s Greatest Shave, to “help out those people with leukaemia to be happy like us”. Her school, St Joseph’s Primary School, is holding a crazy hair day on Thursday to help Emma raise her target of $1000. Hastings hairdresser Joanne Bowman – Emma’s hairdresser since birth – donated her services. It was all smiles in the dining room as the cutting began, but the
curly blonde locks on the floor served as a reminder of the children who struggle daily with cancer. The Leukaemia Foundation’s annual World’s Greatest Shave is open to everyone of every age to shave or colour their hair to help raise money for a cure of leukaemia. Since 1998, one million shaved or coloured heads have helped raise $120 million.
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