A “Truck Safety Evening” was recently held at Warragul Fire Station:

Read the Warragul Gazette article here

Gippsland Road Safety Forum 24 September 2015

Summary of Forum:

“WHO’S WAITING FOR YOU TO COME HOME?”

REDUCTION IN SPEED IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR REDUCING ROAD ACCIDENT FATALITIES

Comparison at 21 September 2015

FACTS

• Drivers /passengers are 3 times more likely to die on country roads than on metro roads
• 20% of fatal road accidents involve driver fatigue
• 77% of drivers in accidents run off the roads
• Of the 24 young drivers (18-25yo) killed in 2014

75% were males

71% were killed on country roads

63% were in single vehicle crashes

• A 5km / hr reduction in speed can lead to at least 15% decrease in crashes

ACC Doug Fryer, Beth Carr & Mick O’Keefe

Last year 249 people died on Victorian roads last year and more than 5,000 were seriously injured – some of these people will never make a full recovery. All of these people have family and friends whose lives have been affected by their crash.

Despite improvements in the way roads and cars are built to make them safer, and improved driver education and behaviour, the number of people killed and seriously injured on Victorian roads has been similar for the last few years. The new Road Safety Strategy aims to include actions that will see death and trauma on our roads decline Towards Zero.

Anyone can participate through this online form which has been designed in collaboration with the Victorian Road Safety Partnership Agencies and Wallis Market and Social Research (our privacy policy is here) – specialists whose operations are entirely based in Melbourne who will receive and analyse all the information.

Your answers will be confidential and it will take you about 15 minutes to give us feedback – depending on the amount of detail you give in your answers. If you have any questions about this please contact us at 1800 113 444, by email us at tac_peep@wallisgroup.com.au or call the AMSRS SurveyLine 1300 364 830.

Thank you for participating and helping to make Victorian roads safer for everyone!

Further information can be found here

To go to the survey site please click here

Mentor Gathering 24 May 2015

1. Beth’s Speech

Hello and welcome all,

Thank you for coming tonight. I think it’s important to get together and share stories and hear about the experiences of being part of Baw Baw L2P.

We’ve been in existence since October 2008. The first group of 14 volunteers completed their training in July 2009. There are some folk here tonight from that original group…and still mentoring…..amazing!

We have had a range of funding sponsorship & in-kind support from:

*VicRoads / TAC   * Andrews Foundation  *Trafalgar, Neerim & Drouin Community Bank Branches   *Federal Labour Govt Volunteer Grant   *Barry Bourke Warragul *Baw Baw Shire Council (twice)  *Viva Easy Living *Warragul Rotary *DCSI   *Victoria Police *Warragul Panels *Luciano’s *Quirks Real Estate *Maloney’s Pizzas * Alberto’s Pizzas *Dept of Human Services   *Gary Blackwood’s office   *Warragul Gazette *Gippsland Septic Tanks *Jana Living   *CupandGino   *Autobarn Warragul   *Phoenix Screenprinting   *Saferoads   *Gippsland RoadSafe *In2Food  *Wild Dog Winery *Voyage Fitness *lawyer John Davine   *private donations from families   *Walhalla Heritage & Development League

Our ‘gathering’ tonight includes current & past Mentors, RACV Drive School Instructor Extraordinaire Mark Cantwell, VicRoads area manager Mick O’Keefe, Murray Cook – a Mentor and Baw Baw Shire Councillor, several people who will be joining the ranks after completing training in mid-July, spouses, best friends, musician & nephew Brendan Lloyd and his partner Sarah and my marvellous daughter Jacqui Lloyd.

I have some figures for our program in the last 12 months

Number of Learners active:        47

Total hours driven by Learners: 1,135

Professional lessons:                     103

P’s gained 14….making:                77 altogether

Number of Mentors active:         41

Total hours supervised:                1,074

..with RACV Instructors:              25.25hrs

Terry le Lievre – 22     David Osterlund – 26                      Helene Cunningham – 30  Dee Crosby & Lynette Vaughan – 38        Bill Renwick – 49   Fred Clarke – 58 Fred Everett – 68       Peter Sutton 79 (and he Mentors at Dandenong L2P!!) John Beauchamp – 97

Unknown Information (at this time):

Blue Spark …………..kms

White Barina ……….kms

Before handing over to Greg Walker, and then drawing the winners of our raffle, I’d like to finish up with a poem, entitled “DAFFODILS”…..

2. Beth’s Poem:

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils)

(Updated from Wordsworth’s 1804 version by a Ms Carr of Warragul, 2015)

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high over West Gippsland

When all at once I saw a cloud

A host, of golden volunteers

Beside the lake, beneath the trees

Fluttering and dancing with their P’s.

◊

The Learner beside them drove; but they

Out-did the kids in glee

A Coordinator could not but be happy

In such a jocund company

I gazed – and gazed- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought

◊

For oft, when on my chaise-longue I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood

You all appear unto my mind

And interrupt my solitude

But then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with you silly dills

◊

Congratulations to everyone who attended the get together held at In2Food on Sunday May 24th. Close to 40 mentors, family and friends had a fantastic night of mingling, talking, downing a wine and eating an absolute feast of food organised by the amazing crew at In2Food. Highlight of the night was that only Kevin M. from the mentor group won the raffle (Boy was that an amazing effort thanks to Beth) with close to $300 being raised! The absolute highlight was Beth’s unique poem, inspired by W Wordsworth’s “Daffodils” but slightly altered to a L2P Warragul mentor group.

Hi everyone

The guys at IN2FOOD have prepared this menu for our get together in May. They promise no one will go hungry, and there will be more than enough food for all.

Here is the menu they have provided! So make sure the to come along and enjoy the night.

There will be some light musical entertainment, prizes etc. during the evening! What a great night!

IN2FOOD hot  finger food

Ground risotto balls with roast pumpkin, spinach and the semi dried tomato

House made mini chicken and mushroom tortellini with a sage and rosemary sauce

Greek lamb cutlets with lemon, meet and packed Tatski yoghurt

Prawn and leek dumpling with soy sauce

Chicken skewers with our Moroccan dressing

Golden fried calamari with fresh lemon

House made mini vegetable pastries

Fish goujons with tartare sauce

Potato and leak soup shots

IN2FOOD Cold finger food

Marinated Gipplsand porterhouse thinly sliced with cracked pepper and sea salt

Smoked salmon served on a zuccinni fritter with a lemon cream and dill

Shadows of blue served on Flinders fruit loaf

Candy cherry tomatoes, basil leaf and Tarago olive paste

Baked button mushrooms filled with basil pesto

Vegetarian frittata

Two of our great sponsors Brendan O’Brien (left) from the Neerim & District Community Bank Branch and Phil Drummond from the Trafalgar & District Community Bank. Without the support of these guys our L2P program would not have its much needed community support. Thanks guys!

Bonnie Hughes from Drouin, with just over 80 hours in her log book shows her mentor just how to complete a (reverse) perfect parallel park! She did it in one manoeuvre, and, yes there is a car in front as well, blame the photographer for not capturing it!