Memorial honours Eric Montgomery, whose legacy lives on through DECA

On Monday, April 22, a memorial service to celebrate Mr Montgomery’s remarkable accomplishments and historical significance took place at DECA Shepparton.

In the 1970s, Mr Montgomery established the Goulburn Valley Driver Training Complex, now known as the Driver Education Centre of Australia or DECA.

About 100 people whose lives had been impacted by both the man and the organisation he founded attended the memorial — generations of driving instructors, Wodonga TAFE employees, emergency service groups and his family and friends.

During the event, Wodonga TAFE executive director of education and training Graham Hart called DECA “a brand that’s synonymous with not only the region, but across the world”.

But beyond spearheading the complex, Mr Montgomery left a legacy best summed up by those who worked alongside him.

Former DECA driving instructor Noel Wood recounted when he first saw Mr Montgomery give a road safety presentation.

“From then on, I knew his passion was stopping the carnage on our roads,” he said.

According to the Transport Accident Commission, the number of fatalities on Victoria’s roads was a bleak 1061 in 1970.

It was Victoria’s highest-ever road toll.

“Eric wanted to do something about it,” Mr Wood said.

“I joined him in his efforts along with a lot of other people ... no-one knew how many doors Eric had to open to get support for this complex.”

The sentimental part of the celebration came from Mr Montgomery’s children, Camille and Simon Montgomery.

The pair did the honours of unveiling a plaque, cementing Mr Montgomery’s legacy on the facade of the building.

Regrettably, the need for his road safety crusade remains as critical today as when DECA was founded.

Last year saw 295 lives lost on Victorian roads, the highest toll in 15 years.

“Crisis,” Mr Wood said.

“I look at what’s happened to the Careful Cobber program, which should be funded because children out there are still killing themselves, and it starts down there (at DECA).

“That program was about helping our young people get the right education before they got out on the roads, before they’re getting picked up off the road in an ambulance … Monty could see that.

“We should be out there telling the government to get back to training our young people.

“Unless we do that, we’re never going to get rid of the road toll.”

Following the service, guests snaked through the building’s hallway and, on the left, were greeted by a collage chronicling DECA’s past.

“There’s such a proud history,” Mr Hart said.

“I think the impact the place had on the generations at the time is something that can be replicated and can continue into the future.”

Could Wodonga TAFE be alluding to a reinvigoration of DECA’s original programs?

Mr Montgomery’s absence has undoubtedly left a void, but his legacy?

That must and will be fulfilled.