Corinda State High School Hosts Launch of Get Ready Queensland Week 2024

Corinda State High School
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Corinda State High School has been selected as the launch site for the 2024 Get Ready Queensland Week. Former rugby league star and Get Ready Queensland Ambassador Johnathan Thurston will join local students and emergency services to encourage the community to prepare for the upcoming severe weather season.



The event, taking place on Tuesday, 8 October 2024, will feature an important announcement from the Bureau of Meteorology about Queensland’s severe weather outlook. The school community, including representatives from Queensland emergency services, will come together to highlight the importance of disaster preparedness.

Johnathan Thurston’s Call to Action

Johnathan Thurston will headline a new ad campaign titled “Weather doesn’t plan but you can,” urging all Queenslanders to take action before extreme weather hits. Mr Thurston’s message focuses on the three critical steps to prepare: understanding personal risk, making a plan, and packing an emergency kit. The campaign also introduces an online tool to help residents create a disaster plan, accessed at getready.qld.gov.au.

Mr Thurston likened the importance of planning to his experience in professional sports, saying, “Just as every member of a footy team trains hard to achieve success on game day, every Queenslander can take steps now to Get Ready for extreme weather.”

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Corinda State High School
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Statewide Engagement

The launch event in Brisbane is just one of several activities planned across Queensland. Along with events in Cairns, regional roadshows will reach communities in the southeast, Far North, and western parts of the state. These roadshows will involve councils and local emergency services, offering residents access to disaster preparedness resources and information.

Additional activities at Corinda State High School will benefit students, including an emergency services expo and a Resilient Homes Workshop, which will provide practical advice on preparing homes for severe weather.

Preparing Queensland for the Future

Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) CEO Major General Jake Ellwood (Retd) reinforced the importance of Get Ready Queensland Week as a timely reminder for residents to get organised before the summer months. 

“Over the past year, 66 of Queensland’s 77 local government areas have been impacted by a bushfire, cyclone, flood, or storm,” Mr Ellwood said. He emphasised that those who prepare recover faster from disasters than those who wait for external help.

The QRA, which manages the Get Ready Queensland program, partners with major sponsor Suncorp to promote resilience-building activities. Lisa Harrison, Suncorp’s Chief Executive of Consumer Insurance, highlighted the importance of good disaster preparation practices, which can reduce the devastating impacts of natural disasters on homes and communities.

Corinda’s Experience

For Corinda State High School, the message of disaster resilience hits close to home. The school has experienced severe flooding in both 2011 and 2022, making it a fitting location to launch Get Ready Queensland Week. 

“The lessons being shared during Get Ready Queensland Week reinforce for all of us, especially our young people, why it’s so vital we prepare for the unexpected turns of Mother Nature,” Deputy Principal Rebecca Gilroy said.

With Queensland’s unpredictable weather patterns, this year’s campaign hopes to instil a sense of preparedness in every household, encouraging everyone to take the three essential steps to get ready before it’s too late. 



Residents are encouraged to visit getready.qld.gov.au to start their preparations and take action today.

Published 7-Oct-2024