CAVING
SKYDIVING
HANG GLIDING
WATER
BACKPACKING
RESCUES
STATION R
Safety Bunny
So far as I know, we were the first to parachute giant stuffed animals into pits.
Around 1987 I was the program chairman for the Nashville Grotto. Jim Lawrence, the grotto safety officer, pulled me aside at one meeting and declared, "We will have a program on safety sometime this year!"
Jim was formidable character, so I immediately began trying to think of how to turn the boring subject of safety into more of a crowd-pleaser. The results speak for themselves. The original Safety Bunny was a slide show presented with synchronized music and narration. After playing at various grotto events, the show hit the big time at the 1987 SERA Winter Business Meeting.
For the proper effect, please read the narration in a strained attempt at a British accent. I won't annoy you with the music, but if you like, just hum the tune from Captain Kangeroo (that is, if you're old enough to know that one). The pages will advance automatically every five seconds, or click if you're a fast reader.
I should mention during the original parachute jumps, stirring music was also boomed down into the pit. Hearing that sound and seeing the silhouette of a gigantic rabbit 200 feet above me is a moment that I shall never forget.
