Australia Day Award winners announced
Published on 26 January 2024
The community spirit exhibited by Campbelltown residents was celebrated during a civic ceremony at Greg Percival Community Centre in Ingleburn this morning where Samantha Oakes, founder of The Formal Project, was named the 2024 Citizen of the Year.
With a mantra of ‘no child left behind’ The Formal Project is a free service staffed by an army of volunteers that provides Year 6, 10 and 12 graduates with formal gowns and suits.
Mayor of Campbelltown Dr George Greiss said Ms Oakes was a worth winner of the Citizen of the Year Award.
“A school formal should be one of the most memorable moments of a young person’s life and The Formal Project ensures that every local student can enjoy it without feeling left out,” Dr Greiss said.
Dr Greiss said this year’s Australia Day Awards showcase the sense of community pride and spirit of volunteerism present in Campbelltown alongside the talents of local people.
“This is a community where people look out for each other and are motivated by a sense togetherness to help others,” he said.
“Congratulations to all the award winners, it’s fantastic to see so many inspiring stories from our community.”
About our Award Winners
Citizen of the Year - Samantha Oakes
Samantha Oakes founded The Formal Project to make sure every student can enjoy their school formal.
The Formal Project is a free service that provides local students with a place to get fitted and dressed for their school formal.
Ms Oakes has collected hundreds of donations from the community to help fit out more than 1300 students across 2023.
With the support of an army of volunteers and Minto Mall, The Formal Project provides dresses, suits, shoes and jewellery.
Money was raised through stalls to help pay for hair, makeup, nails, barber cuts, men’s shaves, formal tickets, personal care items and more.
Young Citizen of the Year - Hayleigh Keogh
Hayleigh Keogh is the current president of Campbelltown Thunder Netball Club, which she established alongside her mother and sister in 2016.
She started the club to be inclusive of all playing abilities and provide affordable options for people to play the game they love.
She combines her workload as President with a role as Umpire Convenor for Campbelltown District Netball Association and as head coach of the Campbelltown District Netball Association’s 11 Years Representative Development Squad.
Miss Keogh mentors umpires and supports them to achieve their badging levels while being recognised herself by Netball NSW for her efforts umpiring at the state level.
Senior Citizen of the Year – Ian Shepherd
Ian Shepherd has been a member of the SES for 38 years, serving the community across a variety of rolls, including as the commander of the Campbelltown SES unit between 2012 and 2018 and 2020 and 2023.
During his time in the SES he has been deployed to major events such as the Thredbo Landslide in 1997, Sydney hailstorm in 199 and Cyclone Yasi in 2011.
Between 2020 and 2022 he led the local SES response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working alongside other agencies to address community needs as they arose.
Despite retiring as the local unit commander last year, he remains active and is respected and looked up to as a mentor by other members.
Environmental Citizen of the Year – Rita Mikolaitis
Almost every day for the past 30 years, Rita Mikolaitis has walked Fishers Ghost Creek at Bradbury, collecting rubbish, loose litter and reporting illegal dumping.
As a passionate advocate for the local environment, she recently collaborated with Bradbury Kindergarten to teach children about the ecological value of the area and started a new Bushcare Group in the area.
She also regularly reports on species present in the riparian zone, including koalas and gang-gang cockatoos.
Sports Award – Angela Jean Fowler
Angela Jean Fowler has been an athlete with Special OIympics Macarthur for 30 years in Ten Pin Bowling and Athletics.
In 2023 she achieved 2 bronze medals and a 7th place ranking at the Special Olympics World Games in Ten Pin Bowling.
In addition to her most recent achievements, she has won gold medals representing NSW at the National Games in both the singles and doubles categories.
Community Group Initiative of the Year – Eden College
Youth Off The Streets’ Eden College supports educational attainment among young people who are disengaged or at risk of becoming disengaged with mainstream education.
Based at Macquarie Fields, Eden College is supporting 43 young people in Year 9,10,11 and 12 to obtain the Year 10 Record of School Achievement Certificate and Higher School Certificate.
The students receive a number of additional supports such as assistance with crisis accommodation, alcohol and drug counselling, youth justice support and counselling and mentoring.