November Bulletin (Nov 23, 2025)

November 1 Dirk Jansen: The Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation Group

We seek to encourage and assist landholders to protect and enhance existing vegetation and highlight how everyone can better protect the peninsula’s koala population.

Dirk Jansen is the founder and President of the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation group, established in 2018, to highlight the challenges koalas face on the Mornington Peninsula. Dirk's leadership experience in project and change management at Monash University has helped to grow the group's efforts year on year. To date more than 100,000 plants have been planted across the MP, with a target of planting 250,000 plants by 2030. Dirk has lived in Rosebud for many years, close to Arthurs Seat State Park, where he regularly sees koalas and observes the challenges they face in an increasing urbanised environment. The Groups Vision is to communicate the challenges koalas face and to motivate and support landholders to protect and increase suitable habitat, ensuring we can sustain a healthy koala population on the Mornington Peninsula. They try to actively raise awareness of residents (andf tourists) to protect indigenous vegetation and work to restore koala habitat, securing the koala population on the Mornington Peninsula for future generations. They are a registered Landcare group and part of the Mornington Peninsula Landcare Network. They work closely with the Mornington Peninsula Shire, Parks Victoria, other Landcare groups and private landholders to improve koala habitat. It was sobering to see how the Koala habitat is diminishing mainly from private land owners and developers taking out one or two trees at a time slowly isolating patches of habitat from each other. Dirlk and his group are out each weekend trying to build habitat corridors on private land between patches of habitat. The Group also monitors Koala numbers and raod kill. About 30 Koalas get hit on Mornington Peneinsula roads each year. We learnt there is a a Koala rescue Hospital at Tyabb, that Koalas are scattered all over the Peninsula except in the Cape Neapan sand belt and that it is realy difficult to relocate Koalas from other areas due to different food trees they have adapted too. Deakin Unit does annual counts and have an ongoing research program studying the Koalas. Chlamydia is a problem for them but loss of habitaton on private land is their biggest threat. Koalas can travel up to 60km in a year mainly to find mates and food. Koalas are still breeding on the Peninsula and start using the newly planted trees about 5 years after they were planted. It is a wake up call for us all when you realise Dirk, a migrant from Germany as an adult, is the one who recognised the plight of our Koalas and single handedly started the Koala Conservation group here. Five years later there is over 120 in the Group who are fighting to maintain our Koala poulation. Our Club donated $500 to their cause. We were priveledged to hear and see his prenentation and feel his passion to conserve our Koalas. If you see a Koala injured on the roadside ring Wildlife Victoria hotline.

Dirk receiving his glass from Chair Alan

Dirk in full flight

3 minute Speaker Angus McEwan

If you are looking for a true local boy Gus is your man. He moved here when he was 5 and grew up here, living on the edge of the old Golf course where Peninula Grammar now inhabits. His family house was behind the original Manyung Gallery, now a Child care Centre. His family had a chook farm in that area.They have books of old photos of it and the local area dating back to1902. He remembers Mt Eliza Village being a General Store, petrol station and Post Office. He moved away but has returned and retired here. When you get a chance, have a long chat with Gus.

November 18: Local Business Presentations

Continuing our tradition of hearing from local business, the Speakers tonight are:

Barbercuts, Maxine Cooke
Stories by the Sea Bookshop. Sonja Duric
Maison MAI Gift and Florist Shop, Mariana Sa

All of these businesses are recent additions to the Mt Eliza shopping scene. The Maison MAI shop has connections to Ukraine and also has a small supply of designer Ukrainian clothing.

Maxine Cooke

Maxine owns the barbershop for males called Barbercuts in Mount Eliza. She first moved to Mount Eliza, about five years ago and started working in a local hairdressing salon. She then planned to start her own business. Then a girl who had a shop in Ranleagh Drive under Le Hoangs Vietnamese Restaurant decided she was going back to Scotland to live. Maxine had solid support from her clients so, with all the feedback that she received and a good support network of friends, she took the next step. She decided that it would be a good opportunity to open up her own shop and have it as a walk-in barbershop. Maxine trained in England as a hairdresser and with her experience here in Australia, she had laid a good foundation to succeed. Very soon, a girl who was working in the salon she had previously worked in, joined her as her business grew. They presently specialise in men’s hairdressing and they have clients ranging from 2yo to 95 yo. They tend to stick with standard haircuts rather than sophisticated styles. Her clients appreciate the walk-in approach without the need of an appointment and her excellent cutting skills. She has found a successful niche in the hairdressing market in Mt Eliza.

Marina Sa

Mariana is the founder of Mason Maine a local Florist and Gift Shop on Mount Eliza Way. They stock fresh flowers, kids wear, plenty of clothing, jewellery, and more. All goods are sourced from Australia and Europe. Her story did not start in Mount Eliza. About 8 years ago, she started the her first shop in South Yarra and was the first business in Australia to stock a French cosmetics and skincare company that was very popular and famous in Paris, but not available in Australia. She thought it would also be a wonderful opportunity to connect more with people and with the community if she started working with small Australian brands as well, with people who actually were making products themselves. She sold jewellery and wholesome houseware products such as soaps creams, candles and other homeware products. The flowers came later and became a big part of her story. The flowers brought colour, emotion, and life, and became a big part of everything that she did. Now she is making her own candles and things. In her words “We would say that we are a brand that celebrates beauty, creativity and connection.”

Then in 2021, right in the middle of Melbourne's multiple lockdowns, she made the decision to relocate from South Yara and to Mount Eliza. It wasn't an easy time as you can imagine. However, Mariana believes it was the best decision of her life. So with her husband she settled here and relocated the shop. She felt that even though South Yarra was incredible, it was very fast and competitive, and you didn't get a chance to meet local people and to feel like you're a part of the community. In Mount Eliza she genuinely feels the care and support from locals, and you gets to know people, to learn their names and learn about their families. Mariana is from Ukraine originally, and in Ukraine, she wasn't a florist and didn't make candles - she was a lawyer. Moving from law to flowers, was quite a transition. She's been in Mount Eliza for 4 years now and ready for a new challenge. The shop is going to change and operate as an online business and Mariana is partnering with her shop colleague, Maria, to create a new business called Wickedest Times. Maria is an incredibly creative and a professional photographer with a brilliant, artistic eye. With Maria’s experiences in styling, flowers and arranging they complement each other, so together they are launching a floral studio that will be focussing on events celebrating weddings, events, gatherings and other milestones. Stay tuned to the next exciting venture of these two artistic businesswomen.

Sonja Duric

Sonja has recently opened “Stories By the Sea” a new bookshop on Ranleagh Drive, next to the fish and chip shop, Fins and Scales. They have a lovely space dedicated to books and reading and creativity. Along with her husband Ian and friend Mel, a sports psychologist, a good friend Mel, they designed and set up the bookshop. Sonja had dreamed about running a bookshop for the last 5 years, and been trying to find a space in Mount Eliza. Up until now, unsuccessfully, then luckily, this space became available and they snapped it up. The bookshop is an independent bookshop that has general books, all the new releases, all the old classics and, in particular, indigenous and local authors. Sonja and Ian have another job, which is running a design practice, so they have a huge focus on architecture and design as well. The experience in the “other job” enabled us to design the bookshop. They designed it so it's made out of dismountable key parts. It means if they ever had to move or relocate, which they do not plan to do, they can pack everything up and move it to a new place. They have also designed the shelves so that they are easy to move and rearrange. (They have had inquiries about purchasing the shelves for homes, so if anybody wishes to purchase the shelves, they can get their joiners to make them). The other very, very, important thing about the bookshop is the focus on employing neurodiverse young adults. The whole goal is to provide employment for people who might find it more challenging to get employment and they have 2 young people who are diverse in training now. They also have many other things in the shop, other than books. They have some beautiful homemade artworks by Mel, who is a very well-regarded textile artist. They also have some beautiful artworks and quilts, works from a local creative company which imprints, photographs on stone. This is a must visit new business in the village.

November 25 Elma Reynolds District 9815 Foundation Chair

Elma gave us a most thorough presentation about the Rotary Foundation that for new members was most enlightening. It is important that all of us are aware of the Foundations great work and also that unlike most charitable foundations we have barely any admin fees so the recipients of foundation money get a bigger slice of the pie. Rotary Foundation has the highest possible ratain with only 9% going to admin unlike most other where 30-40% is common. Elma explained the different arms of the Foundation handing money out: Global Grants, District Grants, End Polio Fund, & Disaster Fund. She then looked and Money in: Club donations, Individual donations and Endowments. Money that is donated in Australia is then available for Australian Clubs to donate. All donated money spends 3 years in an investment Fund to raise the money to cover administration costs it is then realeased to the various donation funds of the Foundation. For clubs to gain access to the funds, they need to raise funds for a project then the Foundation matches the clubs fund Raising. For Global Grants the Club needs to work with a Rotary Club in the area where the funds are to spent. In a global fund the Foundation matches the Funds raised by the club times 2. Elma was a strong advocate of Clubs and individuals donating more to the Foundation however they can to maximisze the "bang for your charity buck" that the Foundation enables. Elma's presentation was most informative and thorough. She is a great ambassador for the Rotary Foundation.

Elma Reynolds with Chair Chris Angerer

3minute Speaker Andy Simpson: Helium

Andy gave us an insight into the importance of Helium in the Medical imaging industry, especially with MRI. At present 40% of the world’s helium production is used in MRI machines. The helium allows the MRI to operate at a temperature of -269C. (consider this: the lowest possible temperature is -273C). The MRI machine is filled with helium when it is made and hopefully doesn’t need much topping up in its lifetime. There is a finite supply of helium on the planet, mainly extracted from natural gas. Qatar and USA produce the most. The price is forever going up and is now $38/litre. Gone are the fundays of talking funny from breathing in a dose from a helium balloon! Each MRI is filled with 1500 – 2000L of helium. Siemens used about 120,000L a year but with better designed MRI’s the usage is dropping. New machines may only need less than a litre. Let’s hope so as we cant make helium, you need a star to do that.

Andy with his well designed powerpoint.