February eNews - The road is made by walking…
Ubud, Bali 2024
Traveller, there is no road. The road is made by walking … And turning, you look back at a road you will never tread again …
In my final eNews message for 2023 (November 2023), I wrote about waiting, and the uncertainty that comes when we don’t know what is going to unfold before us. As many of you will be aware, I took long service leave over December and January and spent most of that time traveling. We had a fabulous time and this was a very special trip taken with my husband Scott for our 40th wedding anniversary (spent with our children and grandchildren in Bali), and a joyous 60th birthday for me spent in St Emilion, France. As we travelled, I re-read a book I had read several years ago called ‘Sinning across Spain’ by Ailsa Piper (that is where I found the quote by Antonio Machado above) – I would highly recommend it.
I was reminded of how so often when we are unable to see the way forward it is enough, in fact all that we can commit to sometimes, just to place one foot in front of the other, trusting that the road will unfold.
There has been a lot of that happening for SHA as an organisation and for each person working here. In this newsletter there are a number of important updates…
Last week we farewelled our wonderful Communications Leader, Alicia Stafford. Alicia joined SHA three years ago, and it is difficult in such a short space to fully describe the breadth and depth of her contribution. In her own words (that you can read below), Alicia highlights much of what has been achieved over this period. There is little that has come from SHA during this time that has not been touched by Alicia’s creativity, care and expert curation. Alicia has brought a warm and beautiful presence to our team, and we will miss her. We wish her joy as she takes up her next role and steps into new challenges. They are a very lucky organisation!
At the same time as this significant farewell, we were excited to welcome a new team member, Dorothy Donaldson. Dorothy is SHA’s Business Development and Partnerships Leader, and we are thrilled about working together to create new pathways for SHA. Below you can read an interview with Dorothy to learn more. Her expertise, energy and sense of fun has already brought new dimensions to our team. There has certainly been a mixture of tears and laughter in this last week!
At times the road ahead takes some unexpected twists and turns. Our advocacy to secure ongoing government funding has certainly been a difficult road to navigate, and we continue to be grateful for the support received from so many individuals and organisations. Below you will find an update on our advocacy efforts and the ways we continue to step towards the future.
Roads open up before us, and roads lie behind us that we will never walk again. Paths taken, paths still coming into focus, paths yet unknown. I am so grateful for every companion along the way.
Cheryl Holmes, CEO