Hoping to save kids for Daniel
POMONA primary students on Monday had the best possible advice on stranger danger from a couple who have lived every parent's worst nightmare.
Bruce and Denise Morcombe, who have devoted their lives to protecting other children since the roadside abduction and killing of 13-year-old son Daniel, made Pomona State School their first call of a five-day tour of schools as far north as Hervey Bay and Bundaberg.
The Daniel Morcombe Child Safety curriculum will be launched in all Queensland schools this year, but Pomona had an early insight as part of the Recognise, Respond and React tour.
"Today, Bruce and I just asked each other a couple of questions," Denise said.
"One of them is: I asked Bruce if he could give one message to Daniel what would that be?
"The answer is basically recognise the danger and run. You go through the scenario of Daniel's abduction and things like that.
"And you tell the kids that Daniel would have had the early warning signs and would have recognised the dangerous situation."
Denise said the other question put to the Pomona youngsters was what message would Bruce tell any children in the school if they were being harmed by someone they knew.
"The answer is recognise it and report it to someone they trust," she said.
"They recognise a dangerous situation and then they have to be able to react.
"They need to have at least five trusted adults they can turn to. Keep telling them until one of them listens and helps you."
The Morcombes, who were Australian of the year finalists, have a target of speaking to 50,000 students from 120 schools during the year.
In the weeks and months ahead they are scheduled to visit as far north as Cooktown and west to Barcaldine and Mt Isa.
In September last year the State Government made Denise and Bruce ambassadors for child safety in Queensland.
