Advisory Group
Graham Spencer
Founder of Fit to Drive
As a Secondary College Principal in Frankston Graham Spencer was profoundly impacted by the death of a student in 1999 in a car crash. Further young drivers and passengers were killed on the Mornington Peninsula as a horror year on the roads unfolded.
Supported by local Principals & teachers, parents & students, local government & business he initiated the fun run Arthurs Seat Challenge in 2000. With the funds raised from this local community activity and the backing of VicRoads, TAC, Victoria Police & MFB the “Fit to Drive” program was commenced in 2002.
Graham believes the F2D programs builds on the collaborative capacity and potential for local community networks (school, local government, business and universities) to initiate and sustain Government road safety initiatives and actions.
As Convenor of the Advisory Group he has confidence the F2D Foundation programs, with the support of the key stakeholders VicRoads, TAC, MFB and Victoria Police will continue to be based on best practice principles and evidence from the research areas of behaviour change, peer facilitation, school programs and appropriate road safety messages for young people.
Dr Rob Nethercote
BCom, BEd, MEd, DEd, FACE, ADAPEF
Dr Rob Nethercote worked for 32 years in the education sector in Australia, the UK and New Zealand, including as Head of the Trinity Schools in New Zealand and Vice-Master of Queen’s College at the University of Melbourne. He is a life member and Fellow of the Australian College of Educators and a Fellow of the Association of Development and Alumni Professionals in Education (now Educate Plus).
Rob was Chief Executive Officer of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) (2002-2006) and inaugural General Manager of the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety (AIMSS) (2007-2008).
Rob has had a range of community involvements as a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club of Melbourne and as Trustee of a number of foundations. He has served as Board member on Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
Rob’s lifelong interest in road safety began in 1961 from attending the Victoria Police Motor Driving School at Dawson Street Brunswick. In consequence, from Fit 2 Drive’s inception on the Mornington Peninsula, Rob supported CAMS being involved in the program.
Rob accepted the invitation to serve on the Fit 2 Drive Advisory Committee due to his strong belief in the benefits of effective road safety education and Fit 2 Drive’s mission to be Victoria’s leading road safety education provider.
Dr Kerry Montero
RMIT University
Kerry is Senior Lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. For ten years she was Program Manager in the Bachelor of Social Science (Youth Work) program at RMIT. Kerry has been teaching in youth work education for over two decades and comes with an extensive background in youth work, youth health, health promotion and health service delivery to young people, with a particular focus on homeless and other marginalised young people. She was the foundation manager of the Young People’s Health Service for homeless young people at Frontyard Youth Services, Melbourne, and has worked in diverse areas of youth health, youth justice and youth welfare.
Kerry’s research and practice focus over the past twenty years has been in the development of targeted road safety education programs and initiatives for young drivers and passengers, with a particular emphasis on peer education and community based approaches. She was a co-founder and – developer of Fit to Drive program, and undertook her doctoral research on the program. This was subsequently published in her co-authored book Young people and the aesthetics of health promotion. Beyond reason, rationality and risk (with Peter Kelly). She has published papers in health promotion and presented (with Graham Spencer) conference papers on road safety education and health promotion in Australia and internationally (Japan, China, Taiwan, Scandinavia, New Zealand and South America). Through her involvement in the development and delivery of national and international educational programs Kerry continues to be committed to road safety, and the search for the most effective way to engage the creative energy of young people to find solutions to road trauma among their peers. Along with Graham Spencer she developed road safety training programs in Indonesia for BlueScope Steel (Smart Roads) (with Bernadette Ariens) and in Cambodia with for the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation. With Graham Spencer she am development and peer mentor training of university students for the Keeping Safe Blue Datto Program (NSW).
She is delighted to continue to be a part of Fit to Drive and is looking forward to contributing to the work of the Foundation in helping to create a culture of road safety among young people and their communities.
Dr Ray Shuey
APM, BA
Dr Ray Shuey APM, is a Vietnam Veteran, a 41-year Police Veteran and international road safety specialist. His 5-year portfolio as Assistant Commissioner, head of Victoria Police road safety, policy, administration and enforcement achieved substantial road safety reform and road trauma reduction. He is a principle author of the World Health Organisations’ (W.H.O.) best practice publication, “Drinking and Driving – A Road Safety Manual for Decision-Makers and Practitioners” and a contributing author to other good-practice manuals such as Speed Management, Helmet Wearing and Data Management.
His PhD-Doctorate, “Benchmarking International Road Policing in Low and Middle-Income Countries” also developed the International Road Policing Assessment Program. He is an international advisor to Cambodia Safety Solutions, NAUSS University Saudi Arabia and WHO, Safe Systems in Iran. Ray is the recipient of the 2020 Victorian, Senior Australian of the Year, as a road safety champion.
Ray is the founder and president of the International Safety Foundation (ISF), a global NPF organisation facilitating international donations of policing, road safety and medical supplies and knowledge transfer. ISF activities incorporate ‘idrivesafety’, 5-star driver training programs, learners, Seniors, Disabilities (NDIS provider) Fleet & e-learning, challenging the learning paradigm.
Ray is dedicated in his advisory role for the highly credentialled Fit2Drive Foundation, reinforcing our youth in safe driving attitudes and behaviours to develop a culture of safety on our roads. Ray’s support has reignited since his initial involvement as Assistant Commissioner when the program was in early development to its recent delivery milestone reaching over 100,000 participants.
He considers the Fit2Drive Foundation philosophy being delivered by young people to students at initial learner driver age, aligns directly with his commitment of ensuring respect and safety on our roads. Fit2Drive peer facilitators and role models provide key and critical messages empowering youth in responsible life skills and practical actions to ensure responsible life choices. Ray believes this methodology enshrines the simple message of respect – respect for yourself, your passengers, the law and for other road users.
Ray’s work, life experience and research has confirmed that road trauma is predictable and preventable. Fit2Drive associates with this as a proactive and empowering program ensuring our youth learn key life skills in their formative driving years and adopt a culture of safety on our roads.
John Keysers
BSc, MEd
John retired from the Victorian Department of Education in June 2017 after 40 years as a teacher and principal in Victorian schools.
From 2008 John was a senior administrator in the Department of Education and Training working from the Department’s South-Eastern Regional office in Dandenong where has was responsible for the oversight of networks of schools.
John’s most recent positions working within schools were on the Mornington Peninsula where the Fit to Drive initiative originated. John was involved from the outset in the establishment and ongoing development of the Fit to Drive program and, from 2008, the Fit to Drive Foundation.
John was one of the founding members of the Board of the Fit to Drive Foundation. He served as a Board member from 2008 to 2019 and during this period acted as Treasurer and later as Chair from 2017 to 2019. John was instrumental in the establishment of the Advisory Group and became a member of the group after his retirement from the Board of the Foundation.
John has extensive experience within the schools sector in strategic planning and in the use of evidence-based approaches to organisational and program improvement and delivery. John believes that if the Foundation is to successfully achieve its strategic intent then it’s decisions and directions must be supported by a range of effective evidence showing impact over time.
