A local mother who turned her unimaginable pain into purpose been named the City of Armadale’s Community Citizen of the Year.
Samantha Saffioti lost her 15-year-old son, Tom, three years ago in a single-vehicle car accident in Seville Grove. The driver was a P-Plater, and the car was overflowing with teenagers. Another young passenger was also killed in the same horrific accident.
Unfortunately, tragedies like this are not isolated. Recent statistics show young WA drivers between the ages of 17 and 19 are still the most likely to be killed or seriously injured in road crashes, and novice drivers are particularly at risk of crashing when they are distracted. Despite the overwhelming grief Sam felt (and still feels to this day), she decided to honour her son’s memory and protect other families from a similar tragic fate, by advocating for P-Plater passenger limits.
“It was bubbling away in the background over the last three years,” she said.
“I knew I wanted to make it so others don’t have to go through the same pain. I never got to see Tom graduate – his future was robbed.”
Sam explained that her mission became creating a legacy for Tom by raising awareness of and educating about safe driving.
“I want kids to know how to drive safely on our roads, to know how much their family would miss them if anything ever happened to them, and be accountable for the other people that are in their car, and on the road,” she said.
After several meetings with Road Safety Minister David Michael, the kernel of an idea became a real campaign for change.
“It all sort of snowballed,” she said.
And from December 1 last year, Tom’s Law came into effect, which bans red P-Platers from carrying more than one passenger in their first six months behind the wheel, and brings WA’s road rules in line with other state jurisdictions.
Sam said seeing Tom’s Law enacted last year was a bittersweet moment.
“I’ve been fighting with the fact that it should be a celebration for me, but it’s actually not,” she said.
“Don’t get me wrong – I am so grateful that it’s gone through, to help all these other families.
“And the support of the community when it was first introduced, was just amazing.”
She was also in two minds about the Citizen of the Year honour.
“Recognition is very nice, and I’m very grateful. But this was about raising awareness – that was my primary aim,” she said.
And Sam is keen to keep pushing, with her friends and family all firmly behind her. This year, she plans to introduce two more related initiatives.
The first is the introduction of a Safe Driving policy for sporting codes, with community sporting clubs taking the wheel and encouraging responsible driving amongst young players.
As club president, Sam has already run a successful pilot program at the Roleystone Junior Football Club.
“That policy is hopefully going to land with the WAFC – we’re just trying to get it in their by-laws, and I’ve also spoken to a few other sporting codes that are really interested too,” she said.
“The second initiative is a Road Safety Awareness footy round to coincide with National Road Safety Week.
“We’re hoping clubs will get on board and spread the message on social media with #TomsLaw and #PlaySmartDriveSmart and players will wear yellow armbands in memory of anybody who’s lost their lives or been severely injured in a road accident.”
“I’m really excited about those two things.”
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Dexter Moyo has been named the City of Armadale’s Young Community Citizen of the Year for 2024.
“Dexter isn’t just a bystander – he’s a dynamic force actively contributing to and enhancing our community on multiple fronts,” his nomination precis reads.
Over the past three years, Dexter has been a compassionate and dedicated volunteer at a local aged care facility, and at homeless shelters across Perth.
“All credit to my boys as well, because they come with me every month. We hand out food in Northbridge, Armadale – every area that we possibly can,” he said.
By launching his own clothing brand, Dexter raised over $5000 for community initiatives.
And he’s a guiding force for the next generation, fostering important values like resilience and teamwork through his role as basketball coach at Dale Christian College.
The Examiner asked Dexter what drives him.
“I wanted to be the change,” he said. “I was getting tired of looking at the situation and not seeing many results. And I thought, you know I can actually be a part of that.
“I can be the reason why things change.”
“Right now, I’m studying nursing with the intention of enrolling in pre-med so I can become a doctor.
“I love being able to help others and do my bit for the community.”
Dexter said he felt humbled by Sunday’s award and dedicated it to a higher power.
“It feels amazing to be honoured for the work that I thought no one saw – but obviously someone took notice,” he said.
“But for all of this, I want to give the ultimate glory back to God – I know I’m not able to do this in my own strength, it’s because of him.”
Congratulations also goes to Senior Community Citizens of the Year Angi McCluskey and Nalin Jayawardena.
And this year there was a tie for the local group of the year, with Roleystone’s Wednesday Warriors, and the Kelmscott Agricultural Society’s Kelmscott Show sharing the honour.
“Congratulations to our award winners, and to all those who received a nomination. These awards give the City of Armadale an opportunity to recognise the great work taking place in our community, by those kind and selfless individuals who exemplify the value of service to others,” Mayor Ruth Butterfield said.
