Middleton Road traffic warden hangs up her flags after seven years amid call for new recruits

Middleton Road traffic warden Margaret Pearce will hang up her flags at the end of this school term after being a friendly face for local school children for the past seven years. Her retirement comes as WA Police puts out a call for more wardens to help fill spots at school crossings across the Great Southern. Every morning and afternoon, rain or shine, Mrs Pearce has been waiting with a smile to help children and parents safely cross the busy road to school. Mrs Pearce said she had always had a love for children, working for nearly three decades as a school cleaner, library officer and now crossing attendant. “I retired from that and then got itchy feet so I went and applied for this job,” she said. Mrs Pearce said she had found great joy in in the role, seeing some regular faces on their daily commute grow with each year from kindergarten to high school. “I will miss the kids, all those little ones that run across the road, they are the ones I will miss,” she said. “They are so happy in the morning, the come up and say hello Margaret and then when they cross the road they say ‘Bye Margaret’. “It is so nice to hear them. “I just thank them for being such good kids and lovely people.” However, Mrs Pearce said she would not miss the freezing winter morning starts or speeding JUdrivers. “I shan’t be getting up at 5am anymore, don’t you worry,” she said. Great Southern traffic officer-in-charge Sergeant Derek Grimes said he hoped to recruit about six new traffic wardens to help fill a roster of current and future vacancies. “They do a huge job for the kids — it is all about safety for the children,” he said. “They have a friendly face in the morning to speak to before they go to school and a friendly face at the end of the day. “But it is that responsibility that these traffic wardens provide to get these children across busy streets at such a busy time of the morning.” “We do need more wardens on a full-time basis and a part-time basis. “If people think they can step into that role we will gladly go through the application process with you because we certainly do need some more down here in the Great Southern.” Sgt Grimes presented Mrs Pearce with a certificate of appreciation on Wednesday. “Margaret has done a great job and the WA Police Force rely on people like her to assist us because these people are actually taking officers from this position and putting us back onto the roads, where we should be,” he said. To apply, contact 6274 8731 or childrenscrossingsunitsmail@police.wa.gov.au.