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Canberra Today 11°/15° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Constable Kenny Koala farewells his friend

AFTER teaching Canberra children to stay safe for more than 40 years, Stewart Waters, who has been the handler of Constable Kenny Koala will retire today (July 18). 

Mr Waters joined ACT Policing as Constable Kenny’s handler in 2002 and has dedicated countless hours to educating Canberra children on how to stay safe.

Constable Kenny expressed his gratitude towards Stewart Waters for his years of friendship and service during the farewell today.

“Stewart has been my handler, colleague and friend for nearly 15 years. While it’s difficult to say goodbye, we’ve done some great work together over the years and I know Stew has a lot of fun plans for his retirement,” Constable Kenny says.

“Together, Stew and I have visited more than 20,000 school kids each year. We’ve taught them how to stay OK on the roads, in the community and even online.

“My time with Stew saw some big changes to the program. Over the last few years I’ve learnt how to tweet, I’ve got a new website and I’ve even got some new friends helping me teach kids about safety.

“I want to thank Stew for always believing in me, even when others said I was just a puppet. He’s always been there to lend a hand and I could not have done my job without him. Stewart, I wish you all the best.”

David Packwood will become Constable Kenny’s new partner as they continue to provide the educational service throughout Canberra.

The Constable Kenny program is designed to educate preschool and primary-aged school children between three to 12 years of age on a range of safety themes, and to encourage them to turn to police for help and advice.

Information via constablekennykoala.org.au

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