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Zane Silvester

Zane Silvester

Indigenous First Nations lifeguard, professional surfer, and water safety coach for youth on Australia's Gold Coast; son of Brook Silvester and leader in reconnecting young Indigenous peoples with ocean culture.

Jun 25, 2026

29:23
Yeah.
29:23
And that's why I feel like with this whole thing that we're doing, it's great because it gives, um, gives young, like, so basically you've got like me being a young, like, indigenous lifeguard, I can show the younger crowd that like I can connect with them better and relate to them better, 'cause I'm in their sort of age group, you know? And I feel like that's a massive thing is because you get, you know, sometimes a younger crowd ain't gonna wanna listen to someone that's a bit older.
29:54
You know? Like my dad could be trying to teach someone younger, around my age something, they might n- not wanna bother, but, but then when they've got someone like me and they see, "Oh, he's indigenous, like, just like me," then it opens up like, it open, they open up to it.
30:08
And I feel like that's the biggest thing, like you were saying about learning how to voyage and, um, read the stars and all that stuff.
30:14
That to me is almost bigger than like just being able to be a good swimmer.
30:21
Because it's like if you can read the water and you can spot a danger, or, or even if you get into danger and you know how to, like, you know, people can get into a rip and they, they're the strongest swimmer in the world and they still won't, they won't come out on top against the ocean, you know? They, but whereas someone like myself, if I get caught in a really bad situation, I could, I know the waterway, uh, I know the waters and I know how they work, so I could, you know, that's, I feel like that's a massive thing is like te- educating people on what to even do when you're in danger.
31:55
Yep.
31:56
Yeah, I reckon, I know, it's nearly like there should be a...

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