Into the finals!

Round 20 ended with a convincing win for Port Melbourne
20.15-135 over the Northern Bullants 14.10-94
At half time this result didn't look so certain.
The Boroughs have come from the bottom of the ladder to the top in just two seasons.
Gary Ayres, reflecting on the season, warned about the dangers of over coaching leading to confusion amongst the players, and regret that the media tended to focus on high profile AFL players rather than supporting the talent in the VFL.
As you can see, no dogs are allowed on the Port ground. This has become a hot issue between the Seagulls and Port Melbourne with Williamstown taunting Port Melbourne by holding a dog show on the ground at half time.

Mega trucks or trains?

The City of Port Phillip supported the Rail Freight Alliance in holding a summit of 200 councillors, exporters and farmers from around the state at the Town Hall.
Tim Fischer, former deputy prime minister, and a passionate advocate for rail emphasised the need to re-instate the Webb Dock Rail Link.

With the freight task set to double by 2030, a shift to rail is essential.

Every container on a truck undermines the case for rail.
The summit was particularly relevant for Port Melbourne when there is talk of introducing B triples onto our roads.

Remembering the Great White Fleet

On this day a hundred years ago the Great White Fleet sailed into Port Phillip Bay. This beautiful spring morning, the USS John S McCain was escorted into Port Phillip Bay by the Darwin, to be welcomed by a Boonwerung elder and the US consul.

The Great White Fleet of 16 battleships manned by 14,000 sailors was sent around the world by President Teddy Rooseveldt as a show of strength to Japan.

Find out more about these incredible events of August 1908 at the exhibition at the Port Melbourne Town Hall/Library put on by the Port Melbourne Historical Society http://home.vicnet.net.au/~pmhps/newsfeature.html

The ships were painted white but were coal powered as the smoke from the funnels from photographs show. Imagine keeping them clean.

The sailors had such an amazing shore visit in Melbourne that 154 of them jumped ship.

Drains on beaches

This drain, opposite the London Hotel, belongs to Melbourne Water. It discharges large volumes of stormwater onto our beach. Melbourne Water involved local people in a discussion about a preferred future for the stormwater outlet some years ago.

The preference was for the drain to exit alongside the boardwalk next to the TT Lines carpark. While Melbourne Water supported this option, no funds have been allocated to the project as it is not as urgent as other projects for which they are responsible.

Stormwater carries not only litter but pollutants such as sediments, dog poo and chemicals that are washed off the roads into the bay.

The EPA advises not to swim next to stormwater drains after rain.

I will continue to ask Melbourne Water to make this drain a priority so that it no longer exits on to the beach

Go Borough!

Port Melbourne beat historic rivals Williamstown at North Port Oval yesterday 16.17 (113) to Williamstown 14.19 (103)

Council has committed funds towards a range of improvements at the ground including restoring the Norm Goss stand.

Monuments and Memorials

The War Memorial Fountain has been the place to commemorate ANZAC Day in Port Melbourne since it was erected by the citizens and Council of the former City of Port Melbourne. The gathering attracts more and more people each year.
Over time, the memorial has been weathered by the elements. The responsibility for the ongoing care and maintenance of these memorials has never been clearly assigned.
This week, the Council took the direction of committing funds into the future for its memorials across the city.
The Port Melbourne War Memorial is recommended to be one of the first monuments to be restored.

Premium parking for car sharing

You may have seen Flexicar's bright yellow cars at the corners of Liardet/Bay and Rouse/ Bay and wondered how they are going.
Car sharing schemes work best close to public transport and in higher density suburbs like Port Melbourne.
Flexicar is going very well in Port Melbourne with 43 active members. The two cars are in use for an average of 8.45 hours per day.
If you only need a car for that cross town trip or to go away for the weekend, car sharing is an option with all the convenience of a private car.
hhtps://www.flexicar.com.au/