Kenny the Koala says stay OK!

By Miss Melinda Hamilton, Kindergarten Teacher

Our Kindergarten students had a visit from Constable Kenny Koala who taught them ways to stay safe in the community.

Constable Kenny first appeared on Canberra television on 1 September 1975 as a guest in a show called Junior Police 7, which aired on Capital television.

Since then, Constable Kenny has become a popular character in Canberra, delivering safety messages to more than 20,000 children each year through school visits.

Constable Kenny had some good advice for our students on how to stay safe. These include what to do when you get lost, and the best way to cross the road.

Kenny also had some helpful tips like knowing your parents or carers' real names and phone numbers and having their number on a piece of paper in your shoe or pocket.

The children were also taught about strangers. Most strangers are nice, so there is no need to be afraid of them, but it is better to approach a safe person when you get lost. Safe people include someone with a uniform and name tag or families with a kid just like you. Kenny taught them to move away and yell really loudly for help if a stranger tries to get you to come with them.

A highlight for the students was visiting Kenny's new police car where he sits in the back in a booster seat because he is a little small for his age.

'I have seen Kenny 5 times. He always tells us how to be safe' – Lola

'Kenny said you need to listen to your parents when you are somewhere busy' – Vikram

'You have to hold hands with someone to keep yourself safe' – Rishi