Skip to Content
Department of Premier and Cabinet

Divisions

Contact Details

By phone
Find the number of a specific division or office to contact them directly or call Service Tasmania on 1300 135 513.

Our staff
Use the Tasmanian Government Directory to find staff contact details

Anne Mary Steele

Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women logo
Anne Mary Steele

Awarded for service to Sport and Recreation

Born: 18 June 1968

Entered on roll: 2008


Throughout our lives we all have our dreams and aspirations. Sometimes we choose to follow our dreams and sometimes we think they are beyond our reach. Everything is achievable. (Anne Steele, February 2007)

Born in Hobart, Anne graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1992 with a Bachelor of Education Degree with First Class Honours. Anne also received the University Prize for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Anne is married with two children. She has taught in the Catholic Education System since graduating and is currently employed at Sacred Heart College, New Town.  

Anne began competitive pool swimming as a nine year old. She went on to represent Tasmania at Australian Open and Age Championships every year between the ages of 11 and 18. She was also actively involved with open water swimming and Surf Life Saving and achieved many awards and state titles.
Anne shifted her focus to marathon swimming in 1996. Her first distance swim was the 25 kilometre Sunset Coast Marathon Swim in Western Australia in January 1997. Due to poor conditions, only 17 people finished the swim. Anne was among them, and was the fourth Australian to finish. In February 1997, Anne won the Tasmanian 16km state title. She then went on to compete in the Pan Pacific Trials in Adelaide in March, where she finished sixth.
Over the next eight years, Anne maintained her involvement with swimming and went on to successfully compete in Masters Level State and Australian titles, Surf Life Saving and Open Water Swimming competitions.
In 2006 Anne began planning the fulfilment of her life-long dream to be the first Tasmanian to swim the English Channel. Anne trained intensively for 18 months before completing the swim on 8 August 2007, in 10 hours, 58 minutes and 32 seconds. This placed her among the top 50 times for all Channel swims.  However, Anne’s swim marked not only the fulfilment of a personal goal. Anne created the Swim for Life Campaign, using her swim as a fundraising effort for the Children’s Cancer Institute of Australia. Through Swim for Life, Anne raised more than $372,000 for research into childhood cancer.

Since her successful English Channel swim, Anne has become a leading figure in the Tasmanian swimming community. In 2007, she was appointed Director of Swimming Tasmania. Anne also writes a weekly swimming column for the Mercury Newspaper and is a highly sought after motivational speaker. She gives talks to a variety of community organisations, schools and businesses on goal setting and achievement.

Anne was recognised for her efforts with the 2007 Tasmanian of the Year award.

<< Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women