My name is Deborah Belyea and I am the founder of Zeyawgub Consultancy.

I am a proud Torres Strait Islander woman of the Samuawgadhalgal people who descend from the Guda Maluilgal people of the Top Western Islands of the Torres Strait. My roots also extend to the Dhoeybaw clan of Dauan, and the Bamaga-Saibai people of Cape York Peninsula.

Zeyawgub (zay-ow-goob) is the Southern Wind that belongs to the Samuawgadhalgal people, and is essential in informing my cultural identity.

I have a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts), Bachelor of Education (Secondary, Humanities) and a Master of Social Studies (majoring in Indigenous Studies) and bring to Zeyawgub’s services an extensive knowledge set. My teaching career spans over 20 years, as a: classroom teacher, Head of Department (English and Humanities) and Head of Curriculum (Language and Culture), in school settings in remote Indigenous Australian communities and regional Queensland. I have also taught online at universities across New South Wales.

As an artist, my art work has appeared in numerous exhibitions from the Brisbane Power House through to Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Thursday Island. I have also been commissioned for corporate artworks, such as for the Torres Strait Regional Authority's 30th Anniversary Celebrations.

Most recently, I was awarded the winner of the 2024 National NAIDOC Poster competition with my piece, Urapun Muy (One Fire). https://www.naidoc.org.au/