Students across Queensland are getting ready for natural disasters for a chance to win a visit from rugby league legend Johnathan Thurston as part of the 2021 Get Ready Queensland Schools Competition which launched today.

Queenslanders experience more disasters than anyone else in Australia and while we can’t change the weather, we can get ready.

The 2021 Get Ready Queensland Schools Competition is a statewide initiative to educate young Queenslanders about their local weather risks and empower them to help their household and community be better prepared for future disasters.

Get Ready Queensland Ambassador Johnathan Thurston said the Get Ready program helps Queenslanders minimise the impact of disasters on themselves and their loved ones by encouraging the whole family to be prepared.

“Kids are great champions for change – I see this in all the work I do in communities across Queensland,” Mr Thurston said.

“I can’t wait to visit the winning school and talk with students about the disaster risks in their area and the steps they can take as a family and school community to prepare for them.

“Having witnessed the impact of natural disasters on my own community in Townsville, as well as across the state, I know what a difference it can make to how families experience and recover from disasters when they have an emergency plan and kit in place.”

Teachers can select a range of activities from the Get Ready Queensland website, including worksheets, a snakes and ladders style board game and an online challenge, for students to complete. To enter, teachers need to take photographs of students completing the activities and submit online.

Last year’s winning school was Peregian Springs State School on the Sunshine Coast. Principal Gwen Sands said the visit from Johnathan Thurston and the Get Ready team was an amazing experience for the school community.

“Many of our students and staff were directly impacted by the devastating bushfires that ripped through Peregian Springs in late 2019,” Ms Sands said.

Visit the Get Ready Queensland Schools Competition page for more information and to enter.