The Royal Life Saving Society WA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the following appointments.

Mr Vaughan Davies has been appointed as President following his reappointment as a Director at the 2025 Annual General Meeting and will serve a three-year term as President of the Board.

Vaughan has built an extensive career in the public sector, starting as a casual pool lifeguard before moving into community services, tourism, and Aboriginal affairs. He spent a decade in local government overseeing the management and construction of swimming pools across regional Australia before becoming Regional Manager for Tourism WA in Broome. In 2016, he was appointed Director General of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and now serves as Assistant Director General at the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.

A passionate open water swimmer with multiple Rottnest Channel crossings, Vaughan is deeply committed to drowning prevention and water safety. He first connected with Royal Life Saving WA through the Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pools program and joined the Board’s Aboriginal Reference Group in 2017. Vaughan sees the organisation as a trusted and well-established leader in aquatic safety and governance. He is dedicated to ensuring all Western Australians have access to swimming and water safety programs, particularly in remote and multicultural communities, through strategic partnerships and strong leadership.

Dr Justine Leavy has been appointed as Secretary of the Board.

Dr. Justine Leavy is an Associate Professor in Health Promotion at Curtin University, where she leads research in injury prevention, health program evaluation, and mass media campaigns. As a Research Fellow with the Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health (CERIPH), she has spent over a decade evaluating Royal Life Saving WA’s drowning prevention programs, including Keep Watch, Adult Water Safety, and Youth Water Safety.

A widely published expert in public health, Justine is a member of the International Drowning Research Alliance and co-Director of the Drowning Prevention Evidence and Evaluation Project at Curtin University. She has held leadership positions in academia and health promotion, including serving on the Australian Health Promotion Association Board and as a member of Curtin University’s Academic Board.

Justine joined Royal Life Saving WA to bridge the gap between research and practice, ensuring evidence-based strategies inform drowning prevention efforts. She is committed to using her expertise to enhance the organisation’s impact, helping Western Australians stay safe in and around the water.

Congratulations to Vaughan and Justine on their respective appointments and we look forward to their continued leadership as we move forward with our Strategic Plan.

You can read more about our current Board members here, or contact the Board via the link below.
Contact the Board