Preston Campbell

Thomas Leon Preston Campbell OAM is a celebrated Australian rugby league figure and community leader whose career both on and off the field embodies resilience, purpose and connection. Well known to the Yuin community, Preston was born in Inverell, New South Wales and began his playing career with the Gold Coast Chargers in 1998 before moving to the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks (1999-2002) and then the Penrith Panthers (2003-06), where he helped secure the 2003 NRL Premiership.

Standing at 167 cm and weighing around 73 kg, Campbell’s body size belied his impact: over a first grade career spanning 267 games, he scored 86 tries and 279 goals, accumulating 903 points. Campbell’s achievements include being awarded the prestigious Dally M Player of the Year in 2001. But it is his off field legacy that has earned him widespread respect: in 2008 he was awarded the Ken Stephen Medal for his outstanding community service.

In 2015 he founded the Preston Campbell Foundation (PCF) which connects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with culture, purpose and opportunity through education, training, employment and mentorship programs. Campbell has said: “The work of the Foundation focuses on a better future for all our kids and aims to provide them a message of hope in their personal journeys”¦ I want to give back to the game which has given me so much”¦to me, rugby league is a vehicle for change and to inspire, whether you play or support the game.” Through his dual legacy as a dynamic athlete and committed advocate, Preston Campbell continues to inspire a new generation proving that individual greatness in sport and service to community can go hand in hand.