Brendan Simpkins

YOUNG learner drivers in Gawler have been left in the lurch following a heartless vandalism attack.

The Wheels in Motion program has been put on hold following damage caused to the learner vehicle last Tuesday night.

The vehicle’s front and rear windows were significantly damaged, with the rear window smashed entirely, as well as the car’s bonnet, roof and side doors.

Entry was also gained to the vehicle and the perpetrators smashed the vehicle’s touchscreen centre console.

David Weatherly, who is involved in the program through the Rotary Club of Gawler Light, said it was likely the car would be written off because of the damage.

Mr Weatherly said he was “frustrated” with the callous act.

“Frustrated that people can do this to others...you know it happens but you hope it doesn’t happen to you,” he said.

“To actually have it happen where you are trying to do something for the young people around the Gawler and Light area.

“It’s that frustration that you can’t continue to help them for a period of time, and disappointment in that you lose a little bit of faith in human nature.

“But we will pick it up and work out what we can do to get it back as quickly as we can.”

The Rotary club helped establish the program in 2018.

It assists people aged between 16 and 25 who are disadvantaged and do not have access to a car or a licensed, supervising driver.

The program aims to boost job prospects and further educational opportunities for youths in Gawler and surrounding areas by helping them reach the required 75 hours of driving needed to obtain a provisional licence.

More than 70 drivers have gone on to obtain their licence through Wheels in Motion since the program was established.

Mr Weatherly said there were six participants in the program who had under six hours of driving left before they could get their P plates.

The program was just about to resume after a temporary pause due to lockdown.

With the Gawler rail line still closed due to electrification work, Mr Weatherly said having a driver’s licence was essential for young people to move around.

“The major concern is the delay it causes for these young people,” he said.

“They get in a routine of being able (to drive) and they’ve just come out of lockdown and they were about to start putting hours in...this pushes it back, this gets them back to before the program was even established.”

Mr Weatherly expected to know this week if the car was a write-off and how the program could proceed.

Earlier this year, Wheels in Motion was named Community Group of the Year through Gawler Council’s Australia Day awards.

Updates on the status of the program can be found on the Wheels in Motion Gawler Facebook page.