Deborah Quilliam

After moving from Queensland to Smithton, Tasmania, Deb completed a swim teaching course that began a 20+ year career in the aquatic industry. Her journey has taken her from teaching, coaching and lifeguarding to an AusAID assignment in Vietnam, where she trained swim teachers and trainers in a drowning prevention program called SwimSafe.

She later became Aquatic Manager of a new facility in Smithton, SWIRL, leading the centre through its first 3½ years before moving to Nepal as an aquatic specialist at Lincoln School, an American International school.

Today, Deb teaches across a diverse range of programs, including infants, adults, access and inclusion, as well as aqua aerobics. She is a lifeguard trainer with RLSSA, a First Aid trainer with St John, and loves volunteering in her local community as an ambulance officer and first responder.

Deb loves the energy that comes from working with people of all ages and abilities and seeing the positive impact that movement can have on how people feel. Her passion for wellbeing has recently led her to complete yoga teacher training in Sri Lanka, and she now teaches yoga alongside her other aquatic and fitness work.

We get pretty good at teaching others to stay afloat — but how good are we at staying afloat ourselves?