Our Story

JBOYS was formed after a tragic single vehicle road accident claimed the life of 17 year old Jimmy Bryant. Jimmy was not only a son, brother, nephew and grandson to his family; he was also an active member of the sporting community, Thangool Fire Station and a leader at Biloela High School. Jimmy was a friend and mentor to many people of all different age groups and his potential in the community’s future has been a great loss. Jimmy had only had his car licence for 10 days; the cause of the accident was driver inexperience and road conditions.

Research by QUT reveals that our young drivers are “60% more likely to be involved in a serious crash then any other age group”. Likewise, a report released by the Australian Government in 2019 confirmed that young road users continue to have the highest fatality rate compared to any other age group. These statistics are evidence of the continued need for urgent change, in order to prevent this devastating tragedy occurring again.

To combat these statistics, JBOYS has focused on both raising awareness and providing comprehensive educational opportunities for this age group, to enhance their driving skills and experience. Since our formation in 2016 JBOYS has organised various community events, and also received amazing support from others within the community organising their own events, to help raise vital funds to support Jimmy’s charity. We hope events such as these, and the awareness they bring, will continue to feature regularly within the community. Thanks to these efforts, in our first year JBOYS sent away 48 students from Biloela to attend Roadcraft’s defensive driver training course in Gympie. By 2018 we hit a major milestone in sending away our 200th student! In 2019 we hope to continue increasing these numbers, as well as expanding our reach by covering more schools and communities to help educate and protect youth on our roads.

This is no small task, but it is vital. Because just one tragic accident, is one too many. Each year car accidents cause unnecessary trauma for too many Australian families. We know that you already understand the importance of this project, as well as the urgent need to protect and train young people during a time in their lives when they are particularly vulnerable. We are sincerely appreciative of your generosity which will be of great assistance in achieving our goals.