Hannah Hammoud
Nicole Oborne’s upbringing was similar to many children of first-generation immigrants in Australia.
Her Maltese-born parents made the move to Australia in the 1970s, where they built their lives on the foundations of hard work and respect.
Like many others, their ambition was to offer their children the best life possible in a country that promised opportunities.
It was their strong work ethic that held them in good stead – a quality that has clearly been inherited by their daughter Nicole.
With an extensive resume servicing both the community and the financial sector, Nicole has been honoured for her contributions and awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Nicole has been volunteering as part of the Mother’s Day Classic Foundation since 2007.
The Mother’s Day Classic raises vital funds for breast cancer and ovarian cancer research and has become a community-driven tradition for thousands of Australian families who want to show their support.
As an accountant by trade, Nicole volunteers as a board member on the foundation, bringing with her governance and finance skills to ensure the funds raised are secure and channelled into the right places.
“But I also have quite a big passion for the purpose,” she said.
“I lost my aunt when I was 12 years old to breast cancer. I’ve always had a desire to contribute in any way possible, and I am able to do that as a director on the board, but have also fundraised personally over $100,000 for breast cancer research.”
Nicole said for her, the classic brings with it a sense of purpose to mark the occasion.
“Seeing the way people interact with each other, and survivors crossing the finish line with their family and friends is so special,” she said.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation had to pivot its events to be community focused, rather than hosting the one large run in Melbourne city.
“I took it upon myself to host a community event in Caroline Springs, which has been going for three years now. Last year we were able to fundraise $37,000.
“Both the community events and the big event have their own purpose. We have over 100 events across Australia on Mother’s Day, but to actually have one in my hometown is something special. Just getting to see the local community put their arms around it has been fantastic and I think it’s something that will be long standing for the community.”
Nicole’s financial expertise has been employed across a number of roles, including as a partner at PwC Australia, as a member of the association of Superannuation Funds of Australia and as the Chairperson for Retirement Savings Centre of Excellence – CPA Australia, among many others.
Nicole said that for her, it is a combination of all her roles from the Mother’s Day Classic, to the CPA and PwC that have come together to enable her to have the impact that she has today.
“I’m really humbled by the fact that someone has seen the impact I’ve had, and it is something that I don’t necessarily set out to achieve, I just consider it to be the interactions I have on a daily basis,” she said.
“I consider myself to be a normal resident of the western suburbs. I’ve lived there all my life, I choose to live there and I’m very proud of how the west has evolved. I was educated there, I grew up there, I drive over the Westgate everyday to come into work in the City and I have a sense of pride going home back over the Westgate and knowing I’m surrounded by a community that cares.
“To me this isn’t recognition of a personal accomplishment, it’s a sense of community accomplishment.”
