On Thursday 2nd November 2023, at Government House in Perth, I was named the 2024 WA Young Australian of the Year. From there, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind. In the lead up to Australia Day in January, all the recipients from the other states and territories flew (or drove) in to Canberra for the national awards – which was one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring, chaotic, life-changing, exhausting, and amazing weeks of my life.
Australian of the Year is about recognising ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things. The Australian of the Year website states the awards are for “someone changing lives and Australian society for the better, someone whose challenges and triumphs are manifested in their life experience and personal journey, beyond their career achievements. A person who has taken risks, done the hard yards and been a pioneer that has had a positive impact on a wide range of people’s lives.”
Flying over from WA, our cohort was in Canberra a night ahead of the rest of the crew. Walking into the lobby at the Crowne Plaza was something else – every inch of the lobby was covered in branding, from the doors of the elevators, to the reception desk, pillars in the lobby, and even on the room keys. Caitlin Figueiredo, the Young Australian for ACT gave us a whole list of recommendations of restaurants to explore in Canberra (seriously VisitCanberra – you should partner with this girl!)
Day 1 kicked off with a video shoot, a chance to connect with my family, and an instagram live with the ABC, interviewing each of the Young Australians of the Year. Watch the replay here.
Lesson 1: For an IG live – test your audio, background, and lighting beforehand. Watching and engaging with my fellow YAOTY recipients on their IG Live made me feel prepared and even more excited to meet them.
The first event was a trip to the National Museum for “And the Nominees are…” and “A Night at the Museum” dinner. This was the first chance to meet the other state and territory representatives, listen to their stories, their passions, their missions.
Lesson 2: Brevity is key when telling your story. An introductory pitch should be short, memorable, include some data points, and trigger an emotional response. If you can be vulnerable, do so. The stories I remember most were Mechelle Turvey and Jo Farrell.
Coming out of the closed door session for nominees we were greeted with our first red carpet into the Museum. I had the pleasure of sharing the red carpet with Nikhil Autar, passing the gauntlet of photographers while we caught up about all things tech. Dinner was a beautiful affair of food, wine, conversation, celebration, and connecting on a human to human level.
Lesson 3: Say yes to opportunities. At dinner, we had the pleasure of chatting with the Hon Patrick Gorman MP and his advisor Martina Ucnikova, who graciously offered to show me and my family around on a behind-the-scenes tour of Parliament House the following day.
On Wednesday we split into categories – Young Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Australian of the Year, and Local Hero – to attend lunch at iconic venues around Canberra. The Young Australians went to the Shine Dome, an architectural masterpiece celebrating science, joined by representatives from the Department of Education and Office for Youth. Over lunch, we heard from alumni Nip Wijewickrema and Heidi Prowse OAM about their year as ACT Young Australians of the Year, and what drives them to make change. Naarah surprised everyone with a beautiful performance alongside the band.
Lesson 4: You may forget what people say but you never forget the way they made you feel. Naarah’s rendition of Shallow was beautiful, moving, and emotional. I can’t stress enough how important the arts are.
Determined to fit as much into the week as I could, we took up Martina’s kind offer for a behind the scenes view of Parliament House – the room where it happens. Parliament wasn’t sitting so the halls were eerily quiet as we walked around.
Ducking back to Crowne Plaza for a quick costume change, we boarded the Young Australian of the Year bus to go to the War Memorial for the daily service. The ceremony shares the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour.
Rounding the day was a trip to Government House for a reception hosted by the Governor General and his wife Her Excellency Linda Hurley. A spectacular lawn, backing onto Lake Burley Griffin, overlooking Canberra. A highlight for me was the opportunity to chat to the 6 year old son of Patrick Gorman, Leo, about his love of CodeCamp and dinosaurs; and Mrs Hurley leading the entire 100+ delegation in a rendition of You Are My Sunshine.
Lesson 5: Lead from the front. I entered a conversation with His Excellency David Hurley, knowing I wanted to be on the front foot and share my story, with the limited time we had. I jumped in with gusto, telling him my business, mission and passion. I was told later that this gave confidence to the other guests to share their story, and move the conversation away from small talk about the weather to something more meaningful.
Day 3 started with our portrait shoot with Salty Dingo, and media representatives. Quickest photoshoot I’ve ever done! Afterwards, we lived up to the stereotype of Young Australian by creating content for TikTok. We laughed, we played, we ate Tim Tams.
Lesson 6: It’s all about connection. What we built in our Young Australian of the Year category is so special. I still talk to the cohort on a weekly basis. Part of it is respecting each other as peers, and leaders in our fields, but most importantly, it’s because we shared these moments of silliness, of play, of real connection. Don’t underestimate the value of relationship building.
On the way to The Lodge for the Prime Minister’s Morning Tea, we squeezed in a quick trip to the National Arboretum to get a practice run for the awards show that evening. Arriving at the Lodge was a bit surreal, shaking the hand of Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon on arrival.
Later, I had the opportunity to speak with the Prime Minister, discussing with him what the government is doing to close the technology skills gap which is projected to cost $16 billion in lost opportunities by 2030. Our short visit drew to a close with a group photo of the Australian of the Year nominees on the steps of the Lodge, followed by a second group picture with the First Dog – Toto.
Lesson 7: Be your brand. I made a conscious effort to wear as much purple as possible over the week in Canberra, and wore a She Codes pin on every outfit. This not only gave me something to point to, but helped connect me to the brand name I wanted to be remembered. Just before we left Canberra, the beautiful Naarah called me up to her room. Her friend Lila Landowski had given her this purple sweater, which she insisted I have, because it’s the perfect shade of purple. I’m so grateful to both these legends.
One more lunch, at the National Gallery – sharing highlights, bloopers, and messages from past Australian of the Year recipients. I swear we did more than just eat food!
And with that, the final night was upon us. I taught my mum how to glue on my fake eyelashes, did the quickest hair and makeup routine while also trying to keep on top of work, and we set off for the awards night. What happened next was one of the most special parts of the whole week…
We made a pact on our Young Australians bus that every single one of us would have our words heard. We were asked to prepare a speech, in the event that we were named a national award winner, but 80% of those words are never read out. Not our category, not our year, not on our watch. At breakneck speed, while driving through Canberra, each of the 8 Young Australians read out their speeches to the bus, ensuring that those words had a legacy beyond whatever the result was on the national stage.
Lesson 8: Collaboration not competition. The world is too small to be tearing other people down. Build them up. Celebrate their success. Find joy in their joy.
And the rest, you saw on TV! (If you missed it, you can watch the acceptance speeches from Professors Richard Scholyer and Georgina Long, Yalmay Yunupiŋu, Emma McKeon and David Elliott OAM).
I’m on a mission to change the face of technology in Australia – creating a world where every woman and girl can aspire to, and be comfortable in, a role in technology. You can contribute to that mission by sharing my story – linked here.
Thanks Australian of the Year for the experience.
