Morcombes teach skills to help children stay safe

Daniel's parents, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, arrived at St Pius X Catholic Primary School just before 9am in their signature red tour bus to chat with students, staff and parents on the importance of "keeping our kids safe".

The couple's son, Daniel, was 13 years old when he was abducted on December 7, 2003, from an unofficial bus stop on the Sunshine Coast.

It was not until nine years later, on December 7, 2012, they were able to lay their son to rest after his remains had been recovered.

Drawing from their own experiences from the ordeal, Bruce and Denise have since committed to educating children about personal safety and to raising awareness throughout Australia of the dangers of predatory criminals.

Mr Morcombe said he was comforted from looking out onto the sea of red students, who had all dressed in the signature colour for the occasion.

"Daniel was just like any of you, he enjoyed school, sports and playing with his friends," Mr Morcombe said.

"He always felt safe."

Mr Morcombe said he and his wife were not conducting tours to schools across the country to mourn for their son.

"We're doing this to show people it can happen to anyone," he said.

The Morcombes left the students with three key points to remember; how to recognise, react and report potential dangers and threats.

"Daniel didn't have the skills or knowledge of what to do in that situation," Mr Morcombe said.

Mrs Morcombe said they hoped to encourage students read their own body signs and remember "if you think something is wrong, then it probably is".

The Morcombes also touched on the importance of cyber safety and what parents and teachers could do to minimise the risk of internet predators.

"We want everyone to go home and delete anyone they have on Facebook or Instagram that they don't actually know," Mrs Morcombe said.

St Pius X Catholic Primary School principal, Heather Irwin, said she applauded the Morcombes' resilience and courage to share their story in order to help others.

"It's so kind and generous to see them helping students and sharing the knowledge Daniel didn't receive," Mrs Irwin said.

She said the session had not only been informative for students, but for staff and parents.

"Particularly with the cyber safety, there's only so much we can do at school before the students go home," she said.

The Morcombes said they had no plans to stop visiting schools in the near future.

"We will do this for as long as we can," Mrs Morcombe said.