Inspiring a quarter of a million children

A quarter of a million Queensland school children have been inspired to stay safe by the personal story of Brisbane’s Wayne Leo.

Today (Thursday, 4 March) while speaking at Karalee State School, the 250,000th child to hear Wayne speak was in the audience.

A founding member of the Spinal Education Awareness Team (SEAT) program in 1987, Wayne has shared his own experience of sustaining a spinal cord injury, as well as important safety messages, with children from Prep to Year 12 in almost every corner of the state.

Karalee State School staff and students recognised Wayne’s incredible achievement with a morning tea held in his honour at the school following the milestone presentation.

As a volunteer, Wayne dedicates most days of the school year to travelling throughout south-east, central and north Queensland and explaining the challenges of having to use a wheelchair.

As a young, married man and father, Wayne was a Corporal and in his 14th year with the Australian Army when he was hit by a car while riding his motorbike home from work. The driver did not stop. The impact of the accident led to Wayne sustaining paraplegia, which means he has no function or movement from his chest down.

“Kids in general think they’re invincible and that nothing bad will ever happen to them,” Wayne said.

“When I present, I tell the students to enjoy life, but just to exercise some basic caution and think about the consequences of their actions.

“Once they realise how easily a split second action such as texting while driving or diving into the ocean without checking its depth can lead to a lifelong, permanent injury, you can see their attitudes changing.

“At the moment there is no cure for a spinal cord injury and we don’t know how long until one is found. Prevention through the SEAT program is so important to make Queensland school children aware, and ultimately encourage them to stay safe.”

Wayne’s positivity and sense of humour also inspires the children he speaks to and demonstrates that having a physical disability is not the end of the world.

“My presentations wouldn’t be as effective if they were purely a lecture, you need to talk to the students at their level and appeal to them on their terms,” Wayne said.

“I always say, if I save at least one child a year from a lifetime using a wheelchair, then I’ve done my job.”

Karalee State School Principal Bill Freeman said Wayne’s presentation at the school was a significant milestone and he deserved to be recognised for his immense achievement.

The school captains presented Wayne with a clock engraved with the words: “Wayne Leo – Speaking to 250,000 children over 23 years for SEAT, Karalee State School”.

Spinal Injuries Association CEO Mark Henley, who has worked with Wayne for the past two decades, said Wayne’s commitment to SEAT and the safety of Queensland school children was extraordinary.

“I’m not aware of many people who have volunteered for 23 solid years,” Mr Henley said.

“Wayne’s an integral part of SEAT and his loyalty to the program and dedication to injury prevention is deserving of the highest recognition and praise.

“Who knows how many injuries Wayne has prevented by sharing what happened to him and deterring children from acting dangerously?”

Mr Henley said to have Wayne’s 250,000th student milestone celebrated in the Spinal Injuries Association’s 50th anniversary year made the occasion even more significant.

Coinciding with the success of SEAT in the past 10 years, Queensland has gone from having the highest incidence of spinal cord injuries in Australia to today having the second lowest.

Currently, there are 16 presenters volunteering throughout Queensland. Collectively since SEAT began in 1987, more than 1.3 million school children have viewed a presentation.