Eve Langham nominated for Pride of Australia Award

Tragedy struck Eve Langham’s life in 2002 when she lost her daughter, Erin, in a car crash. With a strong will to make a difference, Eve has since taken on many roles within the community in her attempt to save lives and stop the ripple effect caused by losing someone to a car crash. Taking action has led to Eve being nominated for the prestigious Pride of Australia Award (opens in a new window).

At UWS, Eve works within the Academic Registrar’s Office as a Student Enquiry & Information Services Officer on the Campbelltown campus. Outside of UWS, Eve volunteers her time with the Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) where she delivers a module called Victims of Road Trauma within the Traffic Offenders Intervention Program. “In our presentation we talk about statistics, how easy it is to be a good driver, and I tell my personal story of what happened to Erin and the effect, and the consequences of bad driving behaviour,” says Eve. Eve delivers around 60 presentations every year.

Eve also delivers a few presentations each year as part of a program for Year 11 students called U Turn the Wheel Program and Drive to Stay Alive, and works with young offenders in a program run by the Attorney General’s Office called Forum Sentencing. “The forum comes up with a contract that the offender enters into which will repair the harm, and stop the offender from reoffending,” says Eve. “I am involved in around 20 of these every year.”

Eve’s mission doesn’t end there. She founded and leads a committee for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in the Wollondilly Shire. “This is a United Nations initiative that is commemorated on the third Sunday in November,” says Eve. “This day is dedicated to remembering those who were killed or injured in road crashes and their families and communities, and pays tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals who deal with the traumatic aftermath of road death and injury.”

Eve knows first-hand that losing someone to a car crash affects hundreds of lives. “The message is for drivers to realise the consequences of bad driving behaviour and take personal responsibility for their actions.”

While countless lives, not least Eve’s, were changed forever in 2002, Erin’s legacy lives on through her mother’s work.