NSW Education Minister spots an old friend at Healthy Harold headquarters
Wednesday, 16 Jun 2021
One of Healthy Harold’s high-profile graduates, NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning the Hon. Sarah Mitchell took a trip down memory lane today, visiting Life Ed headquarters in Colyton to see how Australia’s iconic health promotion giraffe has supported local students through COVID.
Pictured (L-R): Life Ed NSW Director of Education, Terese Hooper, Life Ed NSW Director Tim James, Life Ed NSW CEO Jonathon Peatfield, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, Sarah Mitchell, Healthy Harold the giraffe, and Life Ed Educator Natassja Suisted outside the new outdoor pop-up classroom at the Life Ed Colyton Centre.
Life Ed has been delivering health education to NSW school children for more than 40 years. Despite school closures and social distancing measures, Healthy Harold the giraffe has forged forward, so the youngest members of society aren’t left behind.
In response to COVID-19 restrictions and to help reach more schools in regional and remote areas, this year Life Education launched a raft of new delivery options, so no child misses out on vital health and wellbeing education at a time when they need it the most.
From virtual and online options – to a COVID-safe pop-up classroom – Healthy Harold is reaching children in new ways with important health messages, with the support of the NSW Department of Education.
Life Ed NSW CEO Jonathon Peatfield said so far more than 260,000 students throughout the state are set to benefit from the Life Education program this year, thanks to the new delivery methods.
“Kids today are facing unprecedented challenges, with drought, bushfires and now COVID-19. Our mission – empowering our children and young people to make safer and healthier choices through education – has never been more important than it is now,” Mr Peatfield said.
Ms Mitchell said seeing Healthy Harold again made her day and she was excited the Life Ed team was back in schools.
Healthy Harold and the team at Life Education do incredibly important work and I’m so happy they are back in the classroom. The NSW Government is proud to continue supporting Harold and his work, and I hope the new models of delivery mean he can help even more children.
