From 28 August 2013, I won’t be available for anything serious for the next couple of months. I’m taking what I call my Melbourne Theatre Company Long Service Leave. After an unexpectedly long time at MTC, I decided to have a break before I went searching for the next challenge. For the last 7 months that break has including some personal time but a surprising amount of work. The University of Melbourne has kindly offered me a part time research fellowship; I’ve done some consulting and teaching about arts philanthropy; I’ve taught a post-graduate arts management course; I’ve co-presented a paper on arts leadership; I’ve been on an Arts Victoria advisory panel; and I’ve had lots of mentoring-type conversations with arts managers. Which has all been rewarding but not quite what I had planned for this year! So now I am departing Australia’s shores and heading towards the Mediterranean. I will be checking emails…but not regularly and not over-eagerly. The next couple of months are about exploring the history and culture, the art and food, the people and landscape of Turkey, Italy, Malta and Greece.

I don’t have a specific return date at this point. It depends on the impact of the ongoing slump of the Australian dollar on budget; it depends on how long I’m prepared to live out of a 20 kilo suitcase and wear the same five t-shirts; it depends how much I miss family and friends and the comfort of my own bed.

So if you have a fabulous opportunity to offer me, by all means send me a message…but you might have to wait. I can’t imagine that I’ll sacrifice the white limestone of Malta or the blue grottos of Capri for just another job.