"I just go 'yep, why not?'. That's my motto in life -- 'why not?'"
That was seventeen-year-old Sam's response when one of her friends asked if she'd like to do the deb.
It's a phrase that might mean very little if you grew up in a city, but for teens like Sam who were raised in country towns like Matong, it remains one of the most important milestones in teenage life.
"The deb" is shorthand for debutante ball, traditionally an event intended to introduce wealthy young women to society once they came of age. The Australian version, over time, has become something unique. Girls dress up in flowing white dresses, boys don sharp black suits, and for weeks beforehand they come together to learn ballroom dancing in the lead-up to the event.
The experience means something different for everyone -- for Sam, it began as a simple act of support for her friend, who didn't want to do the deb alone.
"We started going to practises and stuff and then they were all like, 'you're actually really good at dancing, you're very elegant and, you know, very relaxed," she told The Feed.
"It sort of encouraged me, and it makes me feel better about myself knowing that I can dance."
Sam has spent her teenage years balancing school and work with the responsibility of being a carer for her mother Marie-Anne, who lives with a disability after suffering a series of strokes. The deb ball, for her, was an opportunity to take a night for herself in the spotlight, with her community behind her.
Source: Supplied
"I felt like I was the centre of attention," she said. "But I was so glad to have my family there to support me, watching me try and put the effort in to accomplish getting through the deb."
And she really did put the effort in. The dress Sam wore on the night was given to her by her youth group, Fusion, which has been a huge support to her over the years. There was a catch, though.
"They gave it to me for free because it was stained. It was mouldy and it was like, it was covered in mud and stuff."
"They're like, 'it fits you perfectly but it's just really, really, really dirty'. I was like 'I can work with dirty'."
Sam took the dress home and cleaned it by hand, filling up her bathtub with Napisan and Vanish and scrubbing for hours. The dress was so thick it took two days to dry, but the end result was worth it.
"I looked at it and went like, whoa, I actually got it clean. I was so happy," she said.
Next on the list was finding a partner: after the date organised by her youth group dropped out, Sam gathered her courage and asked Lochlan, who was then a new kid at her school.
"I went to school shaking -- I'm like, mm, this is going to be awkward," she said. She figured that if she asked a new kid, "he doesn't know me, he's not gonna be like no, you're weird."
Lochlan, happily, said yes. "He's actually a really good dancer," Sam said. "So he's like, smashing it, and I'm just there like oh, okay." By the time the deb ball itself rolled around, Lochlan was her boyfriend.
"I'm pretty sure he thought he was better than he was, but it was really good to do it together and make such beautiful memories," she said. "I don't think I could have asked for anything better."
To those that say 'the deb' is outdated, Sam has this:
Sam and the rest of her debutant group. Source: Supplied
"I would like to say that it is an accomplishment that really builds you up and makes you feel better about yourself, knowing that you get a night where your community can see you looking like a princess and supporting you wholeheartedly."
"If I had a daughter I would like her to give it a crack and create the memories that come along with it."
