By JONATHON HOWARD
STUDENTS from Warwick East State School were taught a valuable lesson in personal safety by Child Safety Ambassadors Denise and Bruce Morcombe on Wednesday 8 May.
Mr and Mrs Morcombe’s visit formed part of Education Awareness Week.
Arriving in their special Morcombe Foundation truck, the pair spent about 45 minutes sharing tips and advice to help students recognise, react and report potential dangers.
“You never know what can happen – at school, at home or on the internet,” Mr Morcombe said.
“Life is not always a fairy tale and these rules are about protecting us and those around us.”
Mrs Morcombe asked each student to trace their hand on an A4 piece of paper and write four adults around them that they could trust for help.
She also asked students to make a silent promise that if they felt uncomfortable with something in their lives they would recognise, react and report it immediately.
Mr and Mrs Morcombe’s son Daniel was abducted from a bus stop on the Sunshine Coast in 2003 and his remains were discovered seven years later.
A man is currently facing trial in Brisbane over the 13-year-old’s murder.
The Morcombes combine stories from their horrific experience with some humorous examples to explain the need to recognise, react to and report unsafe situations.
The couple said that while talking about Daniel didn’t get any easier, they felt they were in a unique position to prevent such a tragedy occurring to another family.
The couple said it may have saved Daniel if he’d known the rules of recognise, react and report.
Mrs Morcombe said students needed to trust their instincts and body clues.
“If you’re in a situation where you heart is racing and your palms are sweaty, then maybe you need to recognise the danger,” she said.
“React by running away, and report it to one of your trusted sources.”
