Meet Lady Luck

Deborah Hutton says she’s been lucky in life, but Sarah Morgan discovers that this Queensland girl isn’t afraid of hard work either.

Deborah Hutton reckons she could get used to life at the Hyatt Regency Coolum - "particularly with the golf course staring back at you".

“Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet.”

This quote, by former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, comes to mind as I chat over coffee at the Hyatt Regency Coolum to Deborah Hutton – one of the nation’s best-known personalities.

While Deborah professes her career has been due to sheer luck, I quickly come to realise that good old-fashioned hard work and an astute business mind have been thrown into the mix.

In fact, this is an incredibly modest portrayal of a career that has seen the Queensland girl go from spending her childhood in a packing shed on a 240ha Stanthorpe farm to becoming the nation’s resident expert on home and lifestyle.

“I’ve been really lucky and fortunate in life,” Deborah says. “I think this, and having a good sense about people, is why I am where I am today.

“I really fell into modelling at 16, after we had moved to Sydney, when a friend suggested I try it.

“So I thought, ‘Why not?’ I went to see Vivien Smith (of Vivien’s Model Management) and I remember she said, ‘That smile will make a million’.”

Deborah first appeared on the cover of Australian Cosmopolitan at the age of 16. This later led to top international contracts in Germany, Italy and New York, where she worked with the world’s top designers and photographers.

“For something I literally just fell into, I did rather well with modelling and had a great life full of travel,” Deborah says.

“I made some good money and met some really interesting people. But at 22, I got bored and knew I had finished my run. I also knew that I needed a different direction.

“Again, luck came into play, and I scored a role as the face for Myer Grace Bros Department stores.”

For 13 years, Deborah represented Myer Grace Bros as its national ambassador and spokesperson.

“I had a ball and loved my role at Myer,” she says. “This role certainly honed my skills for future work, particularly in television – an avenue I had decided I wanted to follow.”

Following a couple of television programs where she featured as a co-host, Channel Nine approached Deborah in 1994 and 1995 to present a series called Looking Good.

Due to the success of this program, she became the resident authority for Channel Nine on fashion, beauty and style.

She also worked as a fashion and beauty editor for The Australian Women’s Weekly.

“In everything I have done, I’ve always applied myself 100 percent,” Deborah says.

“I still consider myself a Queensland girl with Queenslander values.

“I’m a stickler for punctuality and always have respect for the people I work with – in particular, behind the camera.

“I get asked all the time did I plan my career path, and you know, in all honesty, I’ve never had a structured plan.

“I like to think things happen for a reason. Life is a journey and I love to challenge myself.

“I find it better if I focus on the opportunities which come along in life. Focus on one thing at a time and it leads to other opportunities.

“If you do great work professionally, opportunities come.”

And boy did they come. Over the years, Deborah has established herself as a leading authority on fashion and style. In fact, her sign of endorsement has become highly sought-after in the corporate world.

Alongside launching her own range of homewares, Living with Deborah Hutton, and brand of eyewear, Deborah Hutton Optical and Sun, she is the spokeswoman for Qantas, Holden, Olay Regenerist and Sunshine Coast Lend Lease’s new At Home at Hyatt campaign.

“I enjoy working with a select group of corporate companies,” Deborah says.

“I only work with people and brands I trust and have a great deal of respect for in the business community.

“So I was really happy to come on board when Lend Lease asked me to become involved with their At Home at Hyatt DVD, which showcases the stunning life at Hyatt Regency Coolum.

“Lend Lease is such a dynamic company and I’ve always loved it here at Hyatt.

“I certainly could get used to life at Hyatt – particularly with that golf course staring back at you.

“Another incredible opportunity which came my way. Very lucky indeed.”

Originally published as Meet Lady Luck