DOING GOOD differently

It takes a special type of woman to tackle injustice head-on. The Weekly travels from Arnhem Land to Melbourne to meet four courageous women who are making the world a better place.

- LIZ BOND

Tammy Robinson Dressing up the neighbourhood

Formally Ever After is where wishes really do come true. In this suburban garage, chiffon whooshes, sequins sparkle and taffeta rustles. But it’s Tammy Robinson’s wide smile that really lights up this makeshift showroom in Logan, Brisbane. She started Formally Ever After with a few donated dresses and a Facebook page in 2019. Tammy has now dressed more than 1200 kids who wouldn’t have gone to their high school formal without her help.

“Kids don’t want to ask their parents for a special dress or suit because it’s so expensive,” she says. “I want them to come here and feel worthy. Because their parents aren’t rich doesn’t mean they should miss out on that.”

Tammy’s mission is to ensure every disadvantaged student in Logan has the formal night of their dreams. Her son, Kaleb, encouraged her to start the program. “But I’m just a mum – what am I gonna do?” she asked. He said, “Mum, just try. You can do this.”

Now, parents and their teenagers come in their hundreds and they can’t believe that everything at Formally Ever After is free for them to keep. “Mums ask about payment plans,” Tammy says, “and I explain this is a gift from the community.”

Kids with anxiety or autism arrive with their heads down, but Tammy tells them she deals with anxiety too. “Parents say they’ve never seen their kids as comfortable in a new place as they are here in my garage,” she beams.