Governor launches videos that inspire Queensland school children to stay safe

Short videos that will inspire tens of thousands of Queensland school children to practice safe behaviour were launched by the Governor of Queensland Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley, AO, at the Spinal Injuries Association today (Thursday, 21 May).

The Governor, who launched the videos as patron of the Association, also met with staff, supporters and board members. 

The 14 short videos, ranging in duration from 30 seconds to two minutes, will be used by the Association’s award-winning injury prevention program, the Spinal Education Awareness Team (SEAT).

Starring six Brisbane teenagers and three SEAT presenters, who all use wheelchairs, the videos are a mix of “what if” safety scenarios and videos of presenters carrying out everyday activities such as driving a car, swimming and getting in and out of bed. They were funded with the generous support of the Ian Potter Foundation. 

“For primary school children, it’s often difficult for them to understand how someone with a spinal cord injury can still drive or go swimming, so these videos will be a great addition to our already strong program,” said SEAT presenter Robert Spencer, who stars in several of the videos.

“These videos also raise awareness of people with a physical disability and what challenges they face in everyday life when carrying out what used to be simple activities, such as getting out of bed or buttoning up a shirt.”

This year alone, 15 SEAT volunteer presenters throughout Queensland aim to speak to around 80,000 school children. These videos will be seen by tens of thousands of Queensland children for many years to come.

Riley Chapman, 14, his sister Cassidy Chapman, 13, and Toby Edmanson, 13, are three of the stars of the new SEAT videos.

“Filming the new SEAT videos was a lot of fun, but we hope that the safety messages in each scene make other kids stop and think how a split-second decision can be pretty dangerous,” Toby said.

Riley and Cassidy agreed and said it wasn’t until they heard how easy it was to damage the spinal cord, that they realised something as simple as fighting in the backseat could lead to a car accident and potential injury.

Spinal Injuries Association CEO Mark Henley said it was an honour to have the Governor launch the new videos.

“Injury prevention is integral to the Association – it’s part of our Constitution. To have Her Excellency launch these important components of our program lends further credibility and importance to the program and the need to educate children about safety.”

SEAT has been operating in Queensland for the past 22 years, with more than 1.2 million children viewing the program in that time.