Grenade At Show-And-Tell Causes Evacuation At Australian School

The Royal Australian Air Force was called in to a primary school in New South Whales this morning to remove a grenade that was brought in to show-and-tell.

According to News.Com.Au, the grenade was brought to the school by a girl believed to be in Year 5. Teachers immediately evacuated the school after the girl unveiled her grenade.

Newcastle police duty officer Gerard Lawson said:

“There’s no doubt that it did pose a potential threat and the actions we’ve had today are appropriate in the circumstances.”

The Manila Bulletin reports that the grenade at show-and-tell was a World War II “pineapple” grenade. It was removed by an explosive ordnance disposal technician but police believe that it was inactive. According to Lawson, the family obtained the grenade a few weeks ago and said that they did not believe that it posed any danger.

Lawson said:

“In a classroom, certainly if it was live and it was a fully functioning device it would cause serious injuries to all the occupants … I want to warn members of the public that if they have or are aware of military ordnance they should not touch or move it but contact police immediately.”

The school has about 450 students but many of the children were not at the school during the incident. School principal Boyd Allen said that the school sent out an SMS alert to tell parents about the situation. Students who were at the school were taken across the street to a nearby club.