L2P co-ordinator Jenni Bowles, John Decker, Geoff Poulton, Kim Anderson, Severin Duhring, guest speaker and former L2P learner Daisy Crilly, Martina Cusack, Jan Sabri, Glenn Gillett, Leanne Tyndall and L2P co-ordinator David Bajada.
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It’s traumatic memories such as the pattern on the dress of a deceased car crash victim reminding Glenn Gillett of something his sister would wear — among other more pleasant reasons — that continue motivating him to help youth become safer drivers.
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Mr Gillett has been a driving mentor for the Shepparton L2P program for around eight years and was recently thanked for his service, along with fellow mentors, at a catch-up for volunteers at program provider Berry Street during Volunteer Week.
The community-based program assists learner drivers between the ages of 16 and 21 who don’t have access to a supervising driver or an appropriate vehicle in gaining the experience required to get their probationary driver’s licences.
Before Mr Gillett became a mentor he had retired from full-time employment earlier than planned and was at a loss at what to do with himself.
When he saw an ad calling for volunteers, he knew it was just the thing to fill his unexpected spare time.
“They had a need; I could fulfil that need, so I thought let’s go for it,” he said.
Mr Gillett mentors for four hours each Tuesday, usually spending about an hour with each learner driver.
“I don’t think of myself as an actual driving instructor,” he said.
“But I can share my experiences, share some anecdotes and give an insight into safer ways to do things.”
Mr Gillett said he’d always liked helping people and found it gratifying to see someone develop their skills on the road, including their interpersonal skills.
After successfully teaching his own two sons to drive (proudly reporting they both passed their licence tests on the first go), he said he would continue to mentor other Shepparton youth as long as he could, as it was important to have safe drivers on our roads.
“I have X-rayed many trauma patients and one of the most powerful things for me was when I was working night shift at the Dandenong Hospital many years ago,” Mr Gillett said.
“A couple of young women who’d crashed their car were brought in. One had passed away, but doctors needed me to X-ray her to ascertain whether her neck had been broken.
“I remember her dress had been taken off and I remember looking at it and it reminded me of my sister; it was something she would wear.”
It’s a memory that sticks with him and drives him to be the best mentor he can be.
“If I can help make drivers safer drivers so they don’t end up killing themselves or other people then that’s good,” Mr Gillett said.
Former learner driver Daisy Crilly obtained her P-plates in March with the help of L2P program mentor Severin Duhring.
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Martina Cusack, who has been mentoring with the program for more than 10 years, was also at the volunteer catch-up, where former learner driver and now P-plate-licensed Daisy Crilly detailed her experience with the program to the group.
Ms Cusack, who doesn’t have kids of her own, said mentoring was a great way to stay in touch with young people.
“I have stepkids and grandkids, but they live quite a bit away, so it’s just lovely trying to keep in touch with the youngsters these days,” she said.
“It’s quite multicultural, so we talk to a lot of people from different ethnicities, so we can always learn stuff from them as well, so that’s lovely too.”
The self-proclaimed “blow-in” herself (from Ireland, 21 years ago) still works, so has the task of trying to co-ordinate driving mentor lessons around her work schedule, learners’ schooling and both their holidays.
“When we get it together, I generally try to maximise the time, because we all have busy lives, including our learners,” Ms Cusack said.
“A lot of the learners are new to Shepparton, so particularly when they’ve got some experience, it’s been great being able to take them on the longer drives around Waranga Basin, doing the silo tour.
“We went up to Lake Mulwala when the water was drained to look at the trees and we go to Polly McQuinn’s in the summer and a lot of these people wouldn’t even know these places exist.”
Mentoring is much more than just a driving lesson when you can introduce people to the Goulburn Valley and Australian culture while allowing them to drive themselves on adventures under supervision.
“It takes a while to get to know each other, but then they open up about their aspirations and what they want to do, so you’re kind of like a listening ear for them that’s outside their normal cohort or parents,” Ms Cusack said.
She said she never offered advice but rather took on a bit of a coaching role by prompting them with options.
“I find it really interesting meeting and being in touch with young people and also seeing them grow in their time with you,” Ms Cusack said.
“It works both ways.”
Given the nature of the mentoring is out on the road, mentors don’t often cross paths, so catch-ups such as the one during Volunteer Week and the Christmas lunch Berry Street puts on provide an opportunity for them to come together and “have a good old chat” about their experiences as mentors.
The L2P program is crying out for more mentors to meet the high demand.
Mentors need a current Victorian driver’s licence, and upon signing up will receive a working with children and police check at no cost to them.
Basic training follows, including rules and regulations for working with children, how to mentor them to drive and the kind of speech you must use for maximum effectiveness.
For more information on the program, or to apply to become a learner or a mentor, phone 5822 8100 or email L2PHume@berrystreet.org.au
