Update 1 pm: St Patrick's Primary principal Chris McAloon has confirmed a student suffered a suspected snake bite earlier this week.
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"She was treated and went to Ballarat hospital. They didn't find any venom, but they think it was a 'dry bite'," he said.
"Following that we had a snake catcher come around to the school and just check. He couldn't find any snakes, but he said there had been some mowing around the place. He thought that might have made snakes move from where they wanted to be. He did say schools are not a very likely home for snakes because of the lack of food.
"He said the risks going forward are not super high."
Mr McAloon said staff had been refreshed on how to treat a snake bite, including not moving a patient and how to use the correct first aid.
"The reptile catcher also advised us on what to do if we see another one," he said.
Earlier: KEEP your backyard tidy, with no tall grass and no piles of timber.
That's the advice of Grampians snake catcher Mark Francisco, in light of a suspected bite at a Stawell School.
"At least you can see things (if it's tidy)," he said.
"And have a constrictive bandage in your first aid kit.
"That is one of the most important things in case there is a snake bite, to put a proper bandage below the bite right up to the upper arm or leg.
"You can even tear up a shirt or trousers if you've got nothing else to use.
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"Snake venom is taken through the lymphatic glands, not the bloodstream, so a bandage slows down the venom going through your body."
Mr Francisco, of Laharum, said having good lighting outside and being especially mindful on warm evenings were also important safeguards.
He said he had seen more snakes in the area in 2020 compared to the previous year.
"When the weather started heating up last week, I noticed there were a lot of snakes dead on the road," he said.
"They are starting to get around.
"Probably because it's been a more normal year rainfall-wise, there is more food and more cover for them to breed up and to survive a little better."
In a letter to parents earlier this week seen by the Stawell Times-News, new St Patrick's Catholic Primary school principal Chris McAloon said a student had been treated for a "suspected snake bite".
"Thankfully they are fine now and recovering well," the letter read.
"As a precaution we had the school grounds inspected by a reptile catcher. Staff have also completed refresher training."
The Stawell Times-News has contacted Mr McAloon for comment.
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Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
