Great job, kids

CONGRATULATIONS and special thanks to all who organised, and with impressive efficiency carried out the crisis evacuation practice of the Harkaway Primary School on Thursday 17 October. It was done so well there was very little stress on the 170 students of the school, many of them quite young, in infant grades and several disabled in wheelchairs. It is a major priority that student confidence be built by this practice for the hoped-never-to-happen real crisis. Parents were represented by Luke Cosgriff and Kieran Denver.
Particular thanks to all the police involved; especially Senior Sergeant Pam Marshall who headed the exercise and to Sen Sgt Phil Byrns who stood in for a short time acting in charge, just prior to 17 October.
Special appreciation to all CFA personnel who showed magnificent organisation of their part of the practice evacuation, particularly Berwick fire station officers and their experienced leader Capt Alan Boyd; also all Narre Warren North fire station officers and their leaders.
School principal Ms Wendy O’Brien had prepared her 17 staff for an emergency and when the crisis alarm sounded, in mid-morning, the evacuation immediately commenced and ran with impressive smoothness, with the very young small infant classes exiting first and moving to their special bus with under seven year old seatbelt restraints. Then the next age students moved quickly to their buses, until the fourth bus with the older students were on board and then all moved away from the practice crisis area to the Berwick Leisure Centre in Manuka Rd Berwick. All returned to Harkaway at 1pm for lunch.
As a past acting principal of a school, I was impressed how the students and their 17 teachers moved into the four buses in 24 minutes from the alarm siren sounding and how all staff managed their classes of students with the infectious confidence of leadership, making the students relaxed. It was obvious how everyone co-operated.
Syd Pargeter,
Ash Wednesday Mayor of Berwick City.