JT honoured at Townsville launch of kids campaigns
Newly retired rugby league legend Johnathan Thurston was today presented with a limited edition North Queensland Cowboys inspired birth certificate design when it was launched at the Queensland Murri Rugby League Carnival in his adopted home city of Townsville.
Thurston was at the Carnival to celebrate the regional expansion of two programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, increasing the rate of birth registration and kindy participation by providing Deadly Choices branded birth certificates and Kindy Kits. Both campaigns have been running successfully in South East Queensland since 2016.
The regional launch is the result of a partnership between the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service (TAIHS) and Deadly Choices with the support of Education Queensland and the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
TAIHS CEO Kathy Anderson said the decision to begin the regional expansion of both campaigns starting in Townsville will have a measurable impact in the region,
‘When we first spoke with Deadly Choices about these campaigns and their impressive track record of results we were very keen to make them available to our community, she said.
‘More than a quarter of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children born in South East Queensland since 2016 have received a birth certificate through the Deadly Choices campaign – and we know that some of those kids would not have had their birth registered otherwise.
‘And with JT having been the very recognisable face of the Deadly Kindies campaign since the very beginning, our Townsville community has long been asking when the Kindy Kits will be here. We’re very pleased to announce that they are now available for those children enrolled to go to Kindy next year once they’ve had their health check.’
Thurston said he was pleased to see the initiatives available in his adopted hometown,
‘I’m really proud of my heritage, of my culture, he said.
‘These programs are instrumental in getting our mob health checks, into school and into the workforce. These programs weren’t around when I was younger and it’s great now our culture has access to these programs to close the gap. It starts at this level, it starts at this age group, and these programs are great for our mob.’
The birth certificates and kindy kits are now available through TAIHS clinics.
