From many roles to one farewell: Leonie Oakes takes a bow

No job description has ever been broad enough for Leonie Oakes.

She’s a case worker, a psychologist, and a group driver for the Sydney Street Choir.

“When I joined six and a half years ago, it was a very different choir,” the Social Welfare Worker said.

“My role has grown so much because I’ve just kind of tried to respond to what the choir wants.”

But this week, Oakes steps down from her position, becoming one more member of the singing community she helped shape.

The Scientific Officer at the University of New South Wales began her role with the choir in 2018 while searching for full-time work.

It would only be for six months, she thought.

“I just couldn’t leave,” Oakes said, laughing.

“It just sort of draws you in.”

She remained fluid over the years, happily morphing into any role her choir members needed, Oakes explained.

“Sometimes I’m walking into housing with people. Sometimes I’m going to a doctor’s appointment, or going to the courts,” she said.

“I just learned so much.”

And much like her role itself, the Sydney Street Choir also took on many forms.

“It was always changing all the time because the choir had different issues,” Oakes said.

“Originally, we just met and we sang. But they kept on saying, ‘Oh, can we kind of chat? Can we do more things?’

“So, over the years, we’ve tried to make the choir a much more, bigger family and they’ve responded very well to that.”

Oakes had many achievements in her time with the choir. One of her favourites was bringing in more women, which is now split evenly, 50-50, she said.

But her proudest was surviving COVID.

“Choir on Zoom is the worst thing,” Oakes said, jokingly.

“When vaccines became available, our choir instantly went. They knew about vaccines and they all went and got vaccinated really quickly.”

While the choir grew and changed throughout the years, Oakes said it always held one definitive characteristic: community.

“It’s sort of taken on a life of its own. The choir has really grown and supported each other.”

Oakes recalled a moment which reflects just this.

It was two years ago, she said, when one choir member became ill and had little time left to live.

“It was Christmas, and my phone was off. So, the choir decided they would be there to support her in her final moments.

“Everybody in the choir pulled together and made sure she had food, visited her once… twice… three times a day, called doctors, called ambulance, contacted her family.

“By the time I came back to work, she had passed.”

It was a sad experience, but a meaningful one to Oakes. It showed the strength of community among members, whether she was there or not.

“They had supported her,” Oakes said.

“The choir was there.”

Though members had created a community amongst themselves, Oakes thanked the PAYCE Foundation for making it all possible.

“PAYCE was always so open to things we were doing,” she said.

“The choir has evolved and changed, and they’ve been lovely about that. They’d tell me to keep going –­ the big picture is about community and involving people.”

While Oakes departs from her position with the choir this year, she said she will return to take part in some rehearsals.

“I can’t leave them. They are such extraordinary people that come from so many different backgrounds and they’re so supportive of each other,” she said.

“It’s really lovely being with them.”

The role was funded by the Sydney Street Choir Corporate Challenge – the brainchild of the PAYCE Foundation.