CEO Sleepout Archives - SW Accountants & Advisors

CEO Sleepout

Stephen Follows — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 04:43:50 +0000

Our team is back for the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Our 10th year!

This year marks our 10th anniversary, and we’re aiming to build on our incredible $600k+ total raised to date.

We’ll be sharing updates from our team about why they’re participating, along with reflections from those who have taken part in previous years. It’s a great way to see the personal stories behind the fundraising and the real impact that donations can create.

Some exciting updates

Steve Allan and Matt Hingeley are joining the Sleepout for the first time.
Duane Rogers, who was part of the very first group back in 2017, is back in action.
Bessie Zhang will take on her third state, participating in Perth!
Matt Oakey has been invited to step up as a Vinnies CEO Sleepout Ambassador.

You can donate to our teams across Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, and Western Australia to help us make an even greater impact. See all our teams and support their efforts here.

The funds raised go towards services delivered by St Vincent de Paul Society Australia, including emergency accommodation, food assistance, crisis support, counselling, and long-term programs that help people rebuild their lives.

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout is an annual fundraising event that brings together business and community leaders who spend one night sleeping outdoors held on one of the longest and coldest nights of the year to gain a small insight into the challenges faced by Australians experiencing homelessness and people at risk of homelessness. This year’s event is held on Thursday 18 June.

Our teams this year

Victoria

Matthew Oakey

Director, Business & Private Client Advisory

Contribute to Matt’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 9th Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Vinnies CEO Sleepout Ambassador.

Chris Dexter

Director, Business & Private Client Advisory

Contribute to Chris’ fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 6th Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Steve Allan

Director and Chair, Business & Private Client Advisory

Contribute to Steve’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 1st Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Duane Rogers

Director and CEO

Contribute to Duane’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 2nd Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Stephen O’Flynn

Director, Tax

Contribute to Stephen’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 3rd Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Queensland

Vincent Shi

Director, Business & Private Client Advisory

Contribute to Vincent’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 6th Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Jeremy Wicht

Director, Business & Private Client Advisory

Contribute to Jeremy’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 6th Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

New South Wales

Michael Goodrick

Director, Business & Private Client Advisory

Contribute to Michael’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 2nd Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Western Australia

John Dorazio

Director, Business & Private Client Advisory

Contribute to John’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 3rd Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Matthew Hingeley

Partner, Audit & Assurance Services

Contribute to Matthew’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in his 1st Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Bessie Zhang

Partner, Audit & Assurance Services

Contribute to Bessie’s fundraising efforts here.

Participating in her 3rd Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

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SW’s 7th CEO Sleepout in 2023 | Record fundraising

Rachel — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 05:39:47 +0000

Together as a team, SW has raised over $100,000 nationally for Vinnie’s CEO Sleepout this year, bringing our seven year tally to over $400,000. All of these funds will have a positive impact on helping end the cycle of homelessness in Australia.

We are incredibly proud of our 15 participants this year, not only for the amount they raised but also for their compassion towards Australians who are struggling to find shelter and enduring the cold while living on the streets this winter.

Matthew Oakey

Jeremy Wicht

Vikas Nahar

Bessie Zhang

Leo Luan

Michael Qin

Chris Dexter

Tony Principe

Vicki Lam

John Dorazio

Stephen O’Flynn

Tom Mullarkey

Abi Chellapen

Luke Fernandes

CEO Duane Rogers said, “Of course, it can’t be done without all our team members, staff and the generous donors, and we are humbled by their contributions. Also, a very big congratulations to Partner, Matt Oakey for taking the lead with this firm community initiative for its 7th year, and to Amanda Lee and the Co2 Committee for their organisation and promotion to build awareness of our efforts.”

Matt Oakey says: ” This is the 7th year I have participated in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, and there were two key words from last night: respect and hope. I know that through our participation and fundraising, SW has created hope for the hard working team at Vinnies and the people that need their support. With the increased cost of living, Vinnies have had a 30% increase in requests for assistance. For a wealthy country like Australia, I question why do we have people who are sleeping rough and making choices about paying the rent or food? We need to respect those in our communities who are disadvantaged and help lift them up.”

Here’s what some of our other team members had to say about their experience:

“We heard heart-wrenching stories, that moved me deeply, from some of the people that have been helped by Vinnies’ holistic approach.”
Stephen O’Flynn

“Doing the Sleepout is always a great reminder of both how hard it must be to sleep rough night after night and the great work that Vinnies do to assist those in need.”
Chris Dexter

“Certainly extremely grateful to have a home. The stories of other experiences were heart wrenching.”
Tony Principe

“After one night sleep rough with snoring, having a safe and comfortable place/bed to sleep, it is such a treasure gift.”
Vicki Lam

“The food was good, and it wasn’t too cold so I can’t complain at all. The hard floor did made sleeping difficult. And the snoring. ‘Twas a symphony of snoring during the night!”
Tom Mullarkey

“It’s hard to imagine anyone sleeping well when sleeping rough – the 11pm and 4am street noise soundscapes gave us a small glimpse of what it can be like.”
Luke Fernandes

“So glad to be able to do a small part in tackling a big issue. Being able to hopefully have some families and especially some children get a warm and safe place to sleep is the main reason I help out. Every child has the right to a safe environment to sleep or call home so its important to help. I am proud of the effort by my fellow SW partners to contributing in a small but vital way to addressing the major issue that WA is facing. I urge more people to get involved next year.”
John Dorazio

You can still make a donation and it is not too late! Tax deductible donation until 31 July 2023.

Donate now

This activity supports two of our key SDGs

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