Speakers – Aquafutures International Conference

Jul, 2021

Speaker Update – RJ Houston

RJ will be speaking at our Palm Beach Conference, via zoom.

RJ Houston is the National Manager – Aquatics at Royal Life Saving Australia. RJ started in the aquatic industry over 17 years ago as a lifeguard and swim teacher and has worked in roles across local government, not-for-profit, management bodies and peak bodies.

Previous to this role, RJ has worked both as a facility manager and as a state manager with responsibility for industry events, coordination, advocacy and particularly compliance and safety, developing and executing state-wide risk management strategies for the aquatic industry and aquatic recreation sector.

RJ has studied and holds various qualifications in legal studies, politics, work health safety, emergency management, project management, investigations, auditing and business administration. RJ is currently studying a Masters of Business Administration.

Speaker Update – Em. Prof John Pearn AO RFD

Emeritus Prof John Pearn AO RFD will be joining us as a speaker at our Palm Beach Conference on Friday 3 September 2021 and discussing ‘Bystander Rescue the “D” in DRSABCD’.

Professor Pearn has an extensive and diverse career as a paediatrician, surgeon, military physician and academic. Early in his career, John enlisted as a Captain in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, and in 1998 was promoted to Major General, serving as one of Australia’s most senior doctor-soldiers. In the same year, John was appointed Surgeon General to the ADF, where he served until his retirement in early 2001.

In 2018, Prof John Pearn was a Diploma Award Recipient for his significant contribution to Royal Life Saving Society knowledge in the areas of drowning and near drowning through academic and practitioner research for over 40 years of productive impactful research.

In addition to Professor Pearn’s research, he has also been a valuable mentor to younger researchers in the field. He also assists Royal Life Saving Society – Australia to be across new research in the field through his role as National Medical Advisor.

Key Note Speaker – Andrew Chan

We would like to welcome aboard our Mareeba Conference Key Note Speaker, Andrew Chan.

Andrew Chan is currently the Learning Project Manager for Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW), Andrew joined the organisation in 2018 and has delivered a number of key learning initiatives.

Most recently, Andrew successfully designed and delivered an innovative learning solution to a cohort of 2,600 people. This was shared and presented to other international counterparts at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2019 held in South Africa.

Andrew represents SLSNSW on a number of Technical Advisory Committees formed by SkillsIQ and AIS (Australian Industry Standards), he is also a member of ERTOA (Enterprise Registered Training Organisation Association) and Deputy Chair of AUSTSWIM Advisory Committee – NSW.

In 2013, Andrew was appointed as International Liaison Officer in a volunteer capacity representing RLSSQ to establish a close and mutually beneficial relationship with Long Tou Life Saving Club in Macau through a range of activities and annual re-accreditation workshops. This initiative assists the local Life Saving Club with building local training capacity.

Category Archives: Speakers

Jul, 2021