People volunteer for various reasons, but John Decker’s inspiration for teaching kids to drive is mostly about damage control, having “seen a bit too much” of what unsafe driving results in as an SES volunteer for 48 years.
Fourteen years ago, he signed on to become a driving mentor with the L2P program when it started in his area.
Every Tuesday since, he’s taken at least three students from Numurkah Secondary College out for hour-long driving lessons to help them get their 120 learning hours ahead of sitting their licence tests.
But it’s not just about clocking up compulsory hours.
“It’s about teaching people to be safe on the road,” L2P co-ordinator David Bajada said.
Mr Decker said he usually experienced restless sleep on Monday nights, thinking about which students he was teaching the next day, where they were up to and what he was going to take them through.
“I worry about all my kids,” Mr Decker said.
“I want them to stay alive.”
The former carpet layer will probably always wonder how his students are progressing, but on Tuesday, he hung the L2P car keys on the hook for the last time and will work on reclaiming his sleep now he’s retired for the third time in his life.
The first was from paid work, the second officially from the SES — although he still has a hand in some lighter duties with the service — and the third from L2P.
With 50 active mentors, 130 learners enrolled between Shepparton and Moira Shire and another 70 waiting on a list, L2P co-ordinator David Bajada said Mr Decker’s departure would leave a huge gap.
Mr Bajada said often people were daunted by the prospect of teaching young people to drive and shied away from signing up to mentor because of that, but he emphasised there was no need to fear.
“It’s a proven fact that learner drivers are the safest drivers on our road,” he said.
“They have the advantage of two sets of eyes.”
Mr Bajada’s fellow L2P co-ordinator Jenni Bowles said mentors were taken through thorough training to be able to train learners with ease.
“The program sets it up so well, it’s stage approached,” she said.
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.
Mr Decker has mentored more than 50 kids for a combined total of more than 1000 hours.
His last drive with L2P was at 11am on December 10.
Poetically, it was also his last student, Numurkah Secondary College Year 12 graduate Daemyn Beaton’s last learning drive ahead of sitting his licence test the next day.
Mr Decker said seeing his trainees succeed and getting their licences was the highlight of his volunteering with L2P, but he had also enjoyed socialising with the kids, and witnessing their hunger and joy to learn.
L2P has a 95 per cent pass rate, with 70 learners successfully passing their probationary licence tests this year so far, up from 43 for the whole of 2023.
L2P will run a mentor training day in January.
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
Follow Shepparton and Moira Shires L2P program on Facebook.