And the 2023 Get Ready Queensland School Competition winner is…

Get Ready Queensland Ambassador Johnathan Thurston will return to school later this year to visit the winners of the fourth annual Get Ready Queensland School Competition.

Students at St Joseph’s Wandal, Rockhampton will get to rub shoulders with the footy legend while learning about local weather risks and how they and their families can prepare at home. 

More than 560 students from 19 schools across Queensland took part in this year’s competition.

The Get Ready Queensland School Competition helps children learn in a creative and fun way about the impacts of extreme weather and how to Get Ready for them. 

Teachers and students have enthusiastically supported the Get Ready program, which is a key part of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s work to create stronger, safer, more resilient Queensland communities.

Classrooms select from a range of activities, designed for all year levels and aligned to the Australian Curriculum, with one lucky school receiving a visit from Johnathan Thurston following a random draw of all competition entries.

As Queensland is the most disaster affected state in Australia, the activities are aimed at getting children talking about the importance of preparing for extreme weather.

Research by the Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience shows young people want to learn more about local disaster risks likely to impact them and are curious about what they can do to stay safe in a disaster.

Johnathan Thurston has been Get Ready Queensland Ambassador since 2019 and he sees great value in getting young Queenslanders thinking about preparing for the extreme weather we see in Queensland.

From his annual school visits JT has been left with a lasting impression of how invested Queensland students are in keeping their families safe during a disaster.

The Get Ready Queensland program is a year-round, all-hazards, resilience building initiative of the Queensland Government to help communities prepare for natural disasters.

The program is managed by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, the state’s lead agency for disaster resilience and recovery, and is sponsored by Suncorp with support from retail partner IGA.