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Aurora Ellis’ parents unveil Aurora’s House at Constable Care Child Safety School in Maylands

Michael Traill & Kate MasseyThe West Australian
Lara and Preston Ellis with their daughter Indi.
Camera IconLara and Preston Ellis with their daughter Indi. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian

The tragic death of a nineteen-month-old girl, killed by her mother’s reversing car on their home’s driveway, is hoped to be turned into a lasting road-safety legacy for WA families.

Police Minister Paul Papalia on Thursday stood side-by-side the parents of Aurora Ellis to unveil Aurora’s House, a purpose-built facility at the Constable Care Child Safety School in Maylands.

Aurora’s House — revealed just a year after the little girl’s death — is “a new safety experience” designed to teach young children about driveway safety, with a focus on reversing vehicles, which incorporates augmented reality.

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Using an iPad at the facility, children can run through a series of scenarios and pick the safest option.

It is hoped the lessons learnt at Aurora’s House will help reduce the number of driveway deaths — which claims the lives of seven Australian children each year.

“It's the opening of a beautiful legacy for Aurora which will serve to educate children and adults forever more in Western Australia,” Mr Papalia said.

Aurora’s father Preston painfully remembered the moment his little girl was killed during the facility’s launch.

“She was right under my feet, in the time it took me to peel one prawn, I heard my wife screaming like a banshee,” Mr Ellis said.

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