Rotarians invest in safety

Queenstown Primary School pupils (from left) Grace Hastie (6), Will McWilkin (5), Scarlett Rose (6), Jiwoo Song (6), Yash Dass (5) and Cody McRae (6) in their new vests.  Pictured (back, from left) are Rotarians Pat Jefford, Bruce Jefford, Chris Campbell, Queenstown Primary deputy principal Jim Turrell and Queenstown Rotary Club president Tracey Maclaren.

Almost $20,000 worth of new high-visibility vests have been delivered to five primary schools in the Wakatipu this week, in the fourth year of a community initiative spearheaded by the Queenstown Rotary Club.

Rotarians Pat and Bruce Jefford said 2400 vests had gone to Arrowtown School, St Joseph's School, Remarkables Primary School, Queenstown Primary School and Glenorchy Primary School, supported by the Sovereign Trust and NZSki.

The initiative was started by former Queenstown Rotary president Chris Campbell in 2008, prompted by a national Road Safety New Zealand initiative.

Mr Campbell told the Queenstown Times yesterday the first set of vests for the schools was funded from proceeds gained from a Melbourne Cup event held in the resort.

"It was a road safety thing.

"We have a zero fatality rate in Queenstown [for children].

"It's the same old thing - rather than being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, give every child a safety vest and try to keep our road toll at zero. Because it's a community thing, funds being raised go back to the community by way of vests."

Mr Campbell said all primary school children received a vest on "day one" at school and it was mandatory to wear them on school outings.

Children were also encouraged to wear them to and from school each day.

Some children had also taken to wearing them on skifields to stay visible on busy mountains, he said.

Six-year-old Scarlett Rose said she liked wearing her vest "because they keep us safe ... because cars can see us more".

Mr Campbell said the school vest project would be ongoing for the Queenstown Rotary Club as new vests were required each year for new entrants and to replace those lost, damaged or outgrown by the children.

 
- Report/Photo by Tracey Roxburgh