General News
22 May, 2026
Stay ALERT and safe on our roads
AFTER months of preparation, Warrnambool couple Greg and Jo Moon are looking forward to seeing locals take advantage of the many free events on offer as part of their inaugural ALERT Warrnambool program this weekend.
Motivated by the death of their then 16 year-old son Joel in a single car accident in 2021, the Moon’s are determined to bring driver education to the Warrnambool district.
And the ALERT Warrnambool program aims to do exactly that.
Along with a defensive driving course, which began yesterday (Thursday) at the Warrnambool Airport, led by the professional team at Murcotts, this year’s program has much to offer drivers of all ages and experience.
“We’re determined to ensure everyone in our community has access to the tools needed to help them become better drivers, to know how to maintain their vehicles and to stay safe on our roads,” Jo said.
Included in this year’s program is a session on basic car maintenance which will be held today (Friday).
The first of five sessions will begin at 10am.
This hands-on workshop will be provided by staff at South West TAFE and will include some handy tips such as how to check your tyre pressure, how to fill your windscreen wiper water and how to change a tyre or check oil.
Professional mechanic trainers from South West TAFE will run 60-minute workshops throughout the day (bookings required).
Also to be held today will be a session at the Archie Graham Centre from 1pm-2pm entitled ‘Keeping your confidence as a senior driver.’
Centre staff will be joined by members of Victoria Police for the session.
Topics to be discussed will include practical tips for staying safe and confident on the road, understanding road laws and recent changes, changes in vision/reaction time, mobility that may affect driving, and more.
Learner drivers and supervisors are encouraged to head to The Lighthouse Theatre tonight for a ‘supervise with certainty’ informative session.
This will run from 5pm-6.15pm and will follow a ‘question and answer’ format for learning drivers and those who sit beside them.
Expert knowledge, hints and topics will be provided by the RACV Drive School and there will be free professional driving lesson vouchers given away during the event.
Warrnambool’s Civic Green will be a hive of activity tomorrow (Saturday, May 23).
From 10am until 2pm the team from Southcoast Auto will be on hand to carry out child restraint checks.
This is an ideal opportunity to have your child restrains checked and correctly secured by a passionate professional (time allocation bookings required).
Victoria Police members will also be on hand to fit anti-theft screws to number plates while RAVC representatives will be there to check the life of your car battery.
To register for any of these free events and for further information simply head to https://collections.humanitix.com/free-community-workshopsessions-may-2026
