A year of celebrations for Aberfeldie Primary School

Aberfeldie Primary School had double the reason to celebrate this year as they marked 100 years of educating local children and 21 years as a proud SunSmart School.

To honour the occasion, the school welcomed Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Ben Carroll MP, Cancer Council CEO, Todd Harper AM, and Head of SunSmart, Emma Glassenbury.

“We’re proud of the ongoing impact of our SunSmart Schools Program. When schools like Aberfeldie Primary and early childhood services educate and create cultures around sun protection, they’re not just keeping children safe today, they’re shaping lifelong habits that will help prevent skin cancer for generations to come,” said Emma.

Established in 1988 by Cancer Council Victoria, SunSmart is one of the longest running and most successful skin cancer prevention programs in the world with 90% of schools and early childhood centres across Victorian part of the program. Since the introduction of the SunSmart Schools Program and extremely successfull 'Slip, Slop, Slap' campaign in the 1980s, there has been a large decline in melanoma rates for people under the age of 50 years - the generation that has grown up with SunSmart messaging.

This change doesn’t happen overnight. It is the result of the enduring impact of communities coming together in support of a common goal. With your support, we will continue to support families to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide, and advocate for policies, programs and environments that protect our children from harmful UV.