25 years of protecting students earns recognition

Townsville School Crossing Supervisor Rhonda Devene was today honoured for 25 years of protecting students attending Heatley State School.

Premier Anna Bligh in Townsville today said Mrs Devene had been a crossing supervisor since the School Crossing Supervisor Scheme was first introduced in 1984 and had protected thousands of children from potential harm.

She presented Mrs Devene with a Certificate of Recognition from the Queensland Government for her valuable service to the community. Mrs Devene is the first of 21 quarter-century School Crossing Supervisors who will receive the honour to mark the 25^th anniversary of the scheme this year.

“What a wonderful thing to look back on – a quarter century of protecting children and teaching them road safety. It’s a great contribution to the community and she deserves to be honoured for it,” Ms Bligh said.

“All our crossing supervisors are protecting the lives of children all over the State every school day, and I know Queenslanders are very grateful to all of them.

“In the 25 years the school crossing scheme has been in operation there has not been one death on a supervised crossing. That is largely due to the dedication of people like Mrs Devene.”

Ms Bligh said that Mrs Devene began supervising crossings at Heatley State School on 7 March 1984, the year the scheme commenced.

“When the scheme started in 1984 there were 353 supervised crossings at 255 schools. Today, there are 1,162 crossings staffed by 1,811 supervisors at 638 schools,” she said.

“Every school day, at least 30,000 students use supervised crossings across Queensland, and at least 176,500 vehicles pass through these crossings.

“The provision of supervised school crossings is a partnership between the Queensland Government, local councils, and most importantly the school community.

“School crossing supervisors play a vital role in protecting and educating children about road safety as they travel to and from school.

“The effort they put in, often in difficult conditions, is to be admired, and for Mrs Devene to maintain this effort for 25 years at the same school is quite extraordinary” Ms Bligh said.

“Responsibility to protect the safety of our children doesn’t only rest with government and crossing supervisors - everyone has a role to play.

“Everyone who drives past a school or around school precincts must be very careful and cautious at all times because children are unpredictable,” she said.

“It’s also very important that parents and carers teach their children the dangers of crossing the road and how important it is to obey school crossing supervisors.

“During 2009, all crossing supervisors will receive a 25-year anniversary pin to mark this significant milestone,” Ms Bligh said.

She said anyone interested in becoming a school crossing supervisor could get application forms and details about the scheme from Queensland Transport road safety staff in Townsville on 4758 7589.

Media contact: Minister’s Office 3237 1111