The hi-vis vests were out and train brains switched on at Home Hill Community Kindergarten last week.

Wilmar Sugar’s Community Relations Manager Kylie Newman and Communications Officer Emily Jones visited the kindy to talk about cane train safety, and the importance of using their train brains now that crushing has started.

During the visit, the children learnt how the sugarcane they see growing in paddocks across the Burdekin is harvested and turned into raw sugar at the sugar mill. 

They also learned how big and heavy cane trains are, which is why they take so long to stop. A 40-tonne locomotive weighs about the same as a humpback whale, and one full cane bin weighs about the same as an elephant.

The children then watched a video showing a series of real-life incidents where people didn’t use their train brains around cane trains. The footage was captured on CCTV cameras fitted to Wilmar’s locomotives.

To finish off the visit, one lucky student got to dress up as a mill worker, and every class member received a Wilmar hi-vis vest and Sam the cane train goodie bag to take home.

With crushing now under way across many of Queensland’s cane growing communities, it is important that people remember to use their train brains and lookout for cane trains when they travel through those regions.