James Rees is coming back to where it all began.  When he takes the stage at Frankston Arts Centre later this month, the man better known to thousands of Aussie kids as Jimmy Giggle will be revisiting his old stamping ground for a second time.

“When I came back to Frankston a couple of years ago (with Giggle & Hoot), nostalgia hit me right in the face.  I thought ‘Wow, this is where I first performed in a Peninsula School production and now my name’s on the door’.”

James was born in Frankston and was 18 months old when his family moved to Mount Eliza. He went to St Thomas More, then Padua College for a year before following his older brother, Tom, to Peninsula.  “I think it shaped a lot of what I do now.  I loved playing sports and got into the drama too.”

James’s love of performing began early. “Dad filmed us a lot. He had a little camcorder and loved to take videos of all the family at Christmas time and all that, and sure enough me and Tom were planted right in front of it for the majority of it. And Dad encouraged it. We’d act out little plays and puppet shows, and he nurtured that creativity in us from a young age.”

However, he credits his wife, Tori, for giving him “the kick up the bum” he needed to turn his passion into a career.  They met when they were both working at the Canadian Bay Hotel in Mount Eliza.  “She said, ‘Well, if that’s what you want to do, you’ve got to pull your finger out and just go for it’.”

His chance came almost immediately – in 2009 the ABC was auditioning for its new children’s channel ABC3; while he didn’t make the final round, James’s audition reel was handed to the casting director for a new kids’ show called Giggle & Hoot.

“I never looked back.  I was prepared to have a little bit part in a little drama and that’s it.  It was like, ‘Wow, this is awesome!’ 

“The character of Jimmy Giggle was a spin-off of my personality, really. I kept adding things, and I was free to add things if it fitted that character.  If I’ve got a new idea (I can say to the producers) ‘Well, Jimmy Giggle would do that because it’s me.”

Seven years on, Giggle & Hoot shows no signs of slowing down, which suits James just fine. “I love doing it and all the things that come with it. It’s really sweet; it makes kids happy. I do have other aspirations but at the moment I’m not thinking about that.  I love the show too much. I’m having a great time and I’m just riding the wave.”

Giggle & Hoot’s Magical Christmas is at Frankston Arts Centre on Monday, December 19, at 11am and 1pm.  Details: 9784 1060/thefac.com.au

Fred Harrison is a Peninsula boy through and through.  He has lived in Frankston and Mount Eliza for 50 of his 59 years, and when he and his wife recently moved house – downsizing after two of their three sons had left home – they chose to stay here.

“We could have moved out of Mount Eliza and gone to another part of the Peninsula or even closer to the city.  (But) when we bought this house we committed to live in Mount Eliza for at least the next five or 10 years. I just love the area.”

The Ritchies IGA chief executive points to the relaxed atmosphere, the beach, the leafiness of the suburb and “the fact that people who decide to live here usually do so for a purpose – they tend to be more family-focused, they tend to be more sports-centric”.

Certainly sport has played a major part in Fred’s life – he actually wanted to become a professional tennis player – and in the lives of his boys, who all played footy and cricket here. “It’s just a great lifestyle and fun place to live. My only disappointment is I work long hours so I don’t get to see them play a lot, but that’s all part of the business we’re in.”

To that end it will be back to work after spending Christmas Day and Boxing Day with family and friends.  “I’ll probably have a week off in January (but) it’s a busy time of year for us. I’ll be on deck for a fair part.”

That commitment to work is one of the “points of difference” he says helps keep Ritchies in the game against the might of Woolworths, Coles, Costco and Aldi. 

“The fact that we’ve been able to grow from humble beginnings to 80 supermarkets and liquor stores I think is a credit to the intelligence of our business but also very much to the people in the business. We’re up against it versus the chains, so you’ve just got to accept that you have to work longer and harder, and that’s a fair commitment and sacrifice by a lot of people in our business.  We’ve got hundreds of our team who give over and above the call of duty.”

Another point of difference is Ritchies’ enormously successful Community Benefit program.  Launched in the 1990s, it has seen $46.5 million donated to more than 5000 clubs, schools and charities. 

Ultimately, though, Ritchies needs to be price-competitive – and is. “When it comes to milk, people expect us to have $2 milk; when it comes to $8 barbecue chickens they expect us to have $8 barbecue chickens.  So there is an expectation that we have to be competitive and we pride ourselves that we are. You can’t be uncompetitive in pricing these days – you will just not survive.”

Eight new poles have been installed along the Dreaming Trail at the George Pentland Botanic Gardens in Frankston.  The ironbark poles, replacing ones that had succumbed to weather and white ants, tell the Boonwurrung people’s story of the Mornington Peninsula’s creation:

“A long time ago, Bunjil the eagle asked Mindi the snake to help create the land. Mindi was the one that created the rivers and valleys and now she lays waiting beneath the Peninsula. The Mindi path is a reminder that creation is precious and that we must respect and care for mother earth.”

Photos: Mark Calleja

Enjoy the summer at Karingal Hub and Star Zone with dining, entertainment and shopping to keep the whole family happy. Satisfy your hunger at one of the eight restaurants with cuisine including succulent steaks, tempting pancakes, flavoursome Chinese and more.

Why not try the newest addition to Star Zone – Pizza Fellas.  Pop in and enjoy their delicious menu of pizza, housemade pasta, salads, dessert and more. Plus, they have the kids sorted with a special seven-inch kids’ pizza.

There are plenty of great flicks showing this summer at Village Cinemas. Families can’t go past Trolls and diehard fans will be queuing up for the latest Star Wars instalment – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Don’t forget the all-essential popcorn and choc top.

Get your dancing shoes ready for the January school holiday entertainment program. Meet Poppy and Branch from the DreamWorks movie Trolls and visit the craft village to make your own scrapbook picture frame.
For more details on school holiday entertainment and what’s on at Karingal Hub and Star Zone, visit karingalhub.com.au or follow Karingal Hub on Facebook.

KARINGAL HUB SHOPPING CENTRE
A: 330 Cranbourne Rd, Frankston
T: 9789 1192
W: karingalhub.com.au
FB: facebook.com/KaringalHub/

X Factor sensation Amalia Foy is living her dream.  For as long as she can remember the Toorak College student from Carrum has wanted to be a singer, and when she turned 14 this year – the minimum age for a contestant on the hit Channel 7 show – she leapt at the chance to audition.

And what an audition it was – her version of Passenger’s Let Her Go had the audience on its feet and judge Iggy Azalea in tears.  It also prompted a flood of tweets from viewers declaring the show’s youngest contestant a future pop superstar.

“I came to the auditions definitely not expecting much, and when I finished my song they just all stood up, and I couldn’t believe it – I was getting so emotional, Iggy was emotional - that was a really memorable moment for me.”

Amalia has been playing the piano since she was five – she also plays violin – and started singing lessons four or five years ago, and even though she is no stranger to the spotlight,  X Factor is on a whole new level.  Yet she was able to keep her nerves in check.  “They weren’t on my mind as such because I couldn’t not do the audition – I just had to give it my all.  I think it was the drive to just do my best and not worry about anything.

“I love acting, I’ve been in musicals and stuff and I’ve done the school soiree (but) this is my first time applying for something like this, and seriously, I can’t explain what I’m feeling right now – it’s crazy.  It’s one of the best experiences of my life.”

Amalia is full of admiration for US singer-songwriter Adam Lambert, who mentors her in the under-22s group.  “Adam is amazing; he’s so, so good. He’s just so kind and genuine.  It’s all positive feedback that we can work on all the time. It’s really uplifting to know what you can work on for the next round or in the future.”

Amalia’s father stays with her while she’s in Sydney for the show and her mother comes up to see her on weekends.   “My friends and family … I could not ask for better support; everyone’s been so positive.  And the school … I love attending that school.  They’ve really prepped me for this experience because of the leadership they work on with public speaking and responsibility in a sense – they have contributed to what I’m doing now and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Citing Jackson Browne, Delta Goodrem and Birdy as influences, Amalia is determined to forge a career in music no matter what happens on X Factor.  “If I end up winning this competition, seriously, it would be unimaginable; it would be amazing.  (But even if I don’t) everything is set up from this point.  Ultimately I’m achieving my dream.  This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

The X Factor screens on Channel 7 on Sundays at 7pm and Mondays at 7.30pm.

Stonefield, The Kite Machine and Kattimoni have been named as the headline acts at January’s Waterfront Festival in Frankston.

They will take the main stage on the Saturday night, joining an already impressive line-up of family fun and entertainment on January 14-15.

For those who want to get active, you’ll be able to try your hand at snorkelling, stand-up paddle boarding and more, or you can simply relax with a craft beer, wine or cider and a gourmet snack in the Garden Bar, which will be showcasing wineries and breweries from around the region, including Grand Ridge Brewery, Rebllo Wines, Jetty Road Brewery, Mornington Peninsula Brewery and Dromana Estate.

Food Truck Square will offer a scrumptious range of food from burgers to paella to pizza and everything in between, including donuts and - of course - great coffee.  For those who feel like a wander, head to the Make, Bake, Sew or Grow market place, which will showcase a range of products including jewellery, babies’ and children’s items, cakes, candles and lots more, and you can also check out the wealth of Peninsula talent on The Voice of Frankston stage.

For more information, go to frankston.vic.gov.au/Things_To_Do/Events/Major_Events/The_Waterfront_Festival/About_the_Festival

Youngsters across the Peninsula will soon be hitting the training track to get in shape for the second Kids’ Fun Run With K163.

The inaugural fun run last April saw about 300 kids aged 3-12 race the historic steam train at Moorooduc station and raise $19,550 to buy five beds for Frankston Hospital’s paediatrics ward.  Next March’s run, which is being organised by Rotary of Mount Eliza in partnership with Mornington Railway, is expected to attract more than 400 young runners and 1000 parents, grandparents and friends.

Peninsula Health community fundraising manager Renee Mazzoni hopes the run will raise $20,000 for an infant transport incubator for the hospital’s special care nursery.  “The infant transport incubator is a life-saving piece of equipment that keeps babies warm when being transported throughout the hospital for treatments,” Renee said.  “Sick and premature babies aren't able to keep themselves warm enough and risk serious complications like hypothermia.”

There will be multiple fun runs on the day based on age and distance, with the kids running alongside K163 on a relatively short, specially prepared length of track.  The family fun day will also include a petting zoo, face-painting, a sausage sizzle, a CFA display, and lots of refreshments. 

The Kids' Fun Run With K163 is on Sunday, March 19, from 10am-1pm at Moorooduc station. To register, go to mycause.com.au/events/funrunk163

When 3500 tonnes of sand is deposited on the Frankston foreshore next month, more than 20 sculptors from here and overseas will begin transforming it into a fantastic world of dinosaurs, dragons, pirates and princesses.

Among them will be Frankston’s Peter Redmond, who has been sculpting for Sandstorm – the company behind the Sand Sculpting Australia events – since 2006.  “I’ve been told I’ll be working on the gingerbread village, Candyland, so that will be interesting,” Peter said.  “I get to work with a Canadian sculptor we’ve had out quite a few times – I’m pretty excited about that because he’s an amazing sculptor. They’re the people you like to work with because they’re the ones that’ll help you value-add to your skills. I’ve been doing it professionally for 10 years and I’m still learning.”

Peter, whose background is in design and illustration, was introduced to sand sculpting through a work association; within a few years the bug had bitten him and he decided to give it a go. “You tend to find a lot of the people come from design backgrounds – industrial designers, landscape designers, graphic designers - people whose work is spatial issues.

“I really enjoy doing major events in Frankston every year because we get such high-quality internationals coming in – if you see them doing something you haven’t seen before you ask them about it, or if you’re sculpting a female face and you have issues and it’s just not working for you, you can always get help, and that’s knowledge you can keep.  Those are the little increments that build up your career.

“Initially, when I was just starting to sculpt, everything was a challenge because you’ve got to learn new skills and understand ways of working with sand, and part of that is understanding the sand itself because everywhere you go the sand is different.”  In Frankston the sculptors will be working with brickies’ loam from Langwarrin, to which water is added until a Play-Doh consistency is achieved.  It’s then compacted into formwork, hand-sculpted into shape and lightly sprayed with a biodegradable PVA glue so it doesn’t reabsorb moisture.

A small sculpture can take a day or two to complete if there’s a lot of detail; the team of sculptors in Frankston will take about two weeks to create their display, Lands of Imagination, which opens on Boxing Day.  It will be preceded by Santa’s Sand Land from December 16-23.

Frankston High School is reaping the rewards from its community clothing recycling hub.

It was the first secondary school in Victoria to set up a hub for the community to recycle clothes, shoes, toys and electrical goods, and last week its Eco Team received $127.80 from recycling partner SCR Group for the 1278kg it has collected so far.  The money will be used to buy materials to extend the team’s education campaigns and set up an environmental hub within the school.

Sustainability co-ordinator Brendan Mckinnon said the community clothing recycling hub was a great way for students to have ownership of a program that reduces waste to landfill, engages the community, supports global communities and raises money for environmental projects at the same time.

“The great thing about the community clothing recycling hub is that it will be an ongoing source of funds for our Eco Team and it’s easy for the local community to use and access,” Mr McKinnon said.

Eco Team member Valentina Harrasser, who is in Year 11, designed a logo for the recycling hub to let the community know its contributions helped support their environmental projects.  The team also developed an advertising campaign, which included a blog and a pamphlet to promote the hub and encourage its use.

The hub is at the front of the school at 97 Foot St, Frankston.

Cultural Connections is a participant based program operating from the North Frankston Community Centre and targets Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Maori and Pacific Islander youth from 15 to 25 years old who have been disengaged (or who are at risk of disengaging) from school, family, community or culture. The program is facilitated by Frankston Council officers Jeremy Nikora (Cultural Connections project officer) and Grant Lea (Aboriginal youth health officer) plus Pacific Island and Aboriginal leaders and elders, a steering committee made up of elders, local agencies and Frankston Council.

In operation since September 16 this year, the program offers individual development strategies to youth and supports them with alternative pathways to education and employment where traditional pathways have failed. Some of the clients have had encounters with the justice system and some just need guidance to help figure out who they are. The group has room for 20, but Frankston Council hopes to have a positive impact on the wider local community through their cultural events and education programs, held at the community centre and Narim Marr Djambana respectively.

Both Jeremy and Grant have wide experience with mentoring youth, promoting cultural awareness and assisting families. Jeremy has worked on multiple levels, mainly within the Maori and Pacific Island (MPI) communities in a mentoring capacity to youth within the justice system. He sits on a number of community and cultural committees and is regularly consulted to help with MPI community issues, such as the current APEX youth crime wave.  He is also a member of, and tutor in, a couple of Maori performing groups and hopes to encourage and support cultural self resilience within all Polynesian youth who have left their cultural foundations back in New Zealand or the Pacific region.

Grant is a Wulli Wulli and Darumbal man of the Kulin Nation in Queensland and has travelled most of the country. After going back to university in his 30s to do a teaching degree, he has taught high school maths, worked with street kids, had a stint in a youth detention facility and worked with The Brotherhood of St Laurence as an Aboriginal case manager for Youth Connections. He now works with the entire Aboriginal community to help provide a better health service.

If you think you might benefit from participating in the Cultural Connections program with Jeremy and Grant, or know someone in the Frankston North area who may, contact Frankston Council on 9768 1367 - because life is all about feeling connected, isn’t it?

Frankston Council has embarked on a plan to fill vacant shopfronts with creative pop-up businesses. More than one in 10 shopfronts in the city centre is vacant, which the council says can lead to decreased foot traffic and affect existing businesses.  So it wants to hear from community groups, artists, home business operators and creatives keen to get involved in the program by filling vacant shops on a short-term basis.

The council has secured several properties and is working with property owners to secure more through short-term licence agreements. The successful applicants will get rent-free use of the shop but will be required to cover the costs of outgoings, and some properties may require licensees to supply a small bond.

To be successful, applicants will be required to have public liability insurance cover for at least $10 million but they can still submit an expression of interest if they don’t have cover.  The council is exploring options that may enable those without insurance to be shortlisted in the future.

Anyone can apply to fill a vacant shop, and the council will determine the suitability of applications which, because limited spaces are available, will go through a competitive assessment process. 

Go to frankston.vic.gov.au/Business/Other_Business_Programs/Space_Innovators for more details.

Most of us have just started thinking about Christmas, but the Baden Powell Park Scout Group has been thinking about Christmas trees for months.  A great deal of organisation goes into making sure the Scouts have the most beautiful tree possible for your home.

All you have to do is bring your family and Christmas spirit and then it is up to the group’s Christmas experts to help you find you the best tree to suit your needs.  They will ask all the appropriate questions, such as: “What size tree are you after?  How high is your celling? Where is the tree going in the room – corner, or pride of place in the lounge window?  What worked last year?”  and importantly “Can we fit it in your car and do you need a stand?”  If it can’t fit in your car, let the Scouts deliver it to you.

Yes, it can go a little “Christmas Tree Whisperer” sometimes when the Scouts are trying to match perfectly their tree with your family, but they are all over it and they love it.

Scouts will be selling trees from two locations this year - the Baden Powell Park Scout Group on the corner of Baden Powell Drive and Humphries Rd, and Frankston Bunnings, Frankston Power Centre -each weekend in December from 8am-1pm.

To make it even easier and have a totally hassle-free time of it, pre-order your tree and the Scouts will organise the delivery and/or pick-up (South Frankston and Mount Eliza only).  Just phone 9787 3333 or order via www.bpp.org.au

“If you’re not living in Mount Eliza, sweetie, you’re camping out.”

And with that, celebrity impersonator Victoria Ramage, aka Patsy from Always Fabulous (her take on the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous) sets an entire suburb on notice about how she might weave her performing art magic now that she’s living here.

This queen of entertaining with a killer likeness to Jane Turner (Kath from Kath and Kim) moved from the Gold Coast to the “Mt Eliza area darling” about 12 months ago. The Geelong-born woman has a razor sharp memory for names, a skill for off-the-cuff humour and a love of people.  Having settled in with her husband and the two youngest of their four children, Victoria is now starting to appear in character on the Mornington Peninsula social scene. And what a ride we are in for.

As we chat in her “fabulous” dining room, Victoria swings in and out of character. “I love fabulously snobbish people because they’re such great material,” she says in her Patsy voice. Patsy appeared at the annual Fields of Fashion charity lunch at the Mornington Racecourse in September; at a breast cancer fundraising event at Common Folk, Mornington, in October; and at a handful of other Peninsula charity events this year.  Always Fabulous is, in her words, “the entertainment package never short of a Bolli, Stoli and Jolli good time, sweetie darling”.

Victoria and her long-time partner in impersonating crime Jacqueline Gill, of Brighton, burst onto Melbourne’s entertainment scene in their bogan best as foxy morons Not Kath and Kim (their take on the Australian television comedy series Kath & Kim) at a recent Brighton Rotary event. “We rocked up in Jacquie’s little Mercedes sports,” Victoria laughs. “We are in character from the time the wigs and makeup go on. If someone’s watching us arrive, we’ll play the part and fall out of the car”.  Between Kimmy’s killer voice and Kath’s noice dancing style, this act promises to get a party “going off on the dance floor like a pav in the sun”.

Victoria writes all of her own material and tailors it to suit the event and the audience, whether she’s performing stand up, Emcee at corporate events, roving entertainment or icebreakers. And there’s more. Her repertoire also includes former PM Julia ‘Kill-Billard’, Miss Ansett, the outrageous Miss Joan Brook (her take on the late Joan Rivers), Prude & Rude and the Trolley Dollys.

The Australian Film & Television Academy and Warehouse graduate is also about to launch two new acts – Housewives of Melbourne’s Janet Roach and One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson. “I’m going to have to get a prosthetic nose for that one,” she says of Hanson.

Victoria Ramage - what an absolutely Fabulous addition to the Mornington Peninsula. More: thinklight.com.au or phone 0412 159 289.

Anne-Marie Foster says shopping lists were pretty much the extent of her writing experience before she decided to pen a story she had carried all her life.  

It’s a story you imagine would make a cracking film – one of hardship, violence, betrayal and heartbreak - and it’s all the more remarkable because it’s true.  Published last year, The Belle of Belfast is the story of Isabelle and her childhood sweetheart, Jack, and the events that conspired to keep them apart for 50 years before a remarkable reunion initiated by her daughter – Anne-Marie.

“Her life wasn’t just hard, it was almost hard to believe,” said Anne-Marie, who lives in Patterson Lakes and works for Peninsula Health in Frankston.  “It’s about how this brave and courageous woman faces the worst of the worst in life and comes through it all with love and hope in her heart.  It’s a truly inspirational story that lives up to the motto ‘Never give up, never give in’.”
Isabelle was born in Belfast in 1931 and met Jack, a champion Irish dancer, when she was 19 or 20.  They fell in love and vowed to get married and move to Canada.  Jack said he would go first and then send for her.  For two years she waited, heartbroken, but a letter never came.  Eventually she married Harry, and only then found out that her mother had intercepted Jack’s letters – including one with her boat ticket to Canada – and burned them.

The Belle of Belfast documents the incredible events that shaped the life of an extraordinary woman and led finally to her reunion with Jack 15 years ago for her 70th birthday, when he presented her with the diamond ring he had kept for her for 50 years.

“As my Mammy turned 70 years old, I knew there was one more thing I had to do for her birthday -find Jack and tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago,” Anne-Marie said.  “Finding this fella was very important to me after everything my mother had been through, to let him know that not only is she a remarkable human being but she did the right thing.”

From its high-quality villas to its comprehensive range of recreational facilities and support services, the Peninsula Lifestyle Retirement Village is the smart choice for retirees.

The village, set inside a secure, gated community among stunningly landscaped gardens, is designed to be both beautiful and practical. With gardens and walking paths arranged around the superbly appointed clubhouse, its pedestrian-friendly village layout connects residents to friends and neighbours and to the village’s social hub.

Dennis Anderson and Shane Thomas, from Thomas Anderson Design, said the company’s design brief was for a high-quality retirement village similar to that of a luxury urban CBD development. 

“The overall plan was to complete a design that was focused as being a lifestyle village rather than simply a collection of retirement homes,” Dennis said.  “It would include a community hub, ample gardens, walking space and other functions all developed for a better lifestyle.” 

Genus Landscape Design principal Jason Davidson was instrumental in the design of the village’s refreshing garden plan, and said the key to its success was a marriage between the natural elements of the site – including native trees and natural water drainage channels - and a classically styled and colourful formal garden design incorporating fragrant plants known to thrive there.  Three large, community garden planter boxes allow residents to grow flowers, herbs and vegetables.

Other amenities include an alfresco dining area, a well-equipped gym, a library with a shared computer, and a modern cinema.

Peninsula Lifestyle Retirement Village really is the gold standard for retirees.  Inspection times are 10am-4pm Monday-Saturday and Sunday 11am-3pm.

PENINSULA LIFESTYLE RETIREMENT VILLAGE
A: 46 Baxter-Tooradin Rd, Baxter
T: 1800 794 838
W: peninsulalifestyleretirementvillage.com.au

There’s never been a better time to join the Devilbend Golf Club.

This relaxed, friendly golf club is on a drive to increase its membership from 360 to about 550 and is offering 50 per cent off its pro rata rate for anyone who joins between now and January.  As well as membership of the club through until March 31 next year, you’ll receive a golflink handicap and the chance to play in club competitions. You will be able to watch your handicap drop as you play in more competitions and your game improves.

Devilbend has weekly clinics and lessons, a practice fairway, nets and a putting green to warm up on before you tee off, and a rustic clubhouse in which to relax after walking 18 holes around the beautiful course.

Phone or swing by the club for more details.

DEVILBEND GOLF CLUB

A: Loders Rd, Moorooduc
T: 5978 8470
W: devilbendgolf.com.au

When Deniz Marchmont’s daughter, Narece, burst into tears at the plight of Melbourne’s homeless, both knew they had to do something to help.  By chance they came across a YouTube video featuring people crocheting mats out of cut-up plastic shopping bags, and the Facebook group Plastic Bag Sleeping Mats For The Homeless was born.

“I have a friend, Indi, who was living on the street and that got the spark started,” says Deniz, a registered nurse from Sandhurst.  “We had a weekend in the city for Narece’s birthday and she was quite confronted by the homeless situation.  She burst into tears and said ‘You’ve got to do something, Mum; this is insane what’s happening’.  So we came home, did some research, came across the video and put the Facebook group together.”

That was in April.  The group now has 1500 members from across the Peninsula and as far away as Queensland, from school students to retirees.  Between them they collect the bags, cut them into strips, loop the strips together to make plastic yarn – or plarn – and crochet the plarn into mats, which are then handed out to the homeless through the Port Melbourne-based charity Anonymous X.

It takes 600-700 plastic bags and about 40 hours to make one mat, but it can literally mean the difference between life and death.  Indi has spent 16 weeks in hospital with third-degree pressure sores on his spine from sleeping rough; other homeless people have fared even worse.  “How can someone close to my heart suffer like that when having one of my mats could have saved him from that,” Deniz says.  “People think we’re just trying to make homeless people more comfortable - no, we’re saving people’s lives.”

One of the first to join the group was Lilly Guglielmino, of Frankston, who has become Deniz’s 2IC.  “As soon as I saw (the group) I thought I have to join it,” Lilly says.  “It just really touched my soul.”

Anyone is welcome to join the group.  Its Facebook page has videos on how to cut the shopping bags into strips, tie them together to create plarn and crochet the plarn into mats, but your involvement can be as simple as collecting the bags.  Find out more at facebook.com/groups/PlasticBagSleepingMatsForTheHomeless/