On Leaving Academic Life

The poet Shelley once observed that “Nought may endure but mutability”. He highlighted the fact that change is inevitable and need not be feared because it can lead to positive renewal.

After having worked in tertiary education for well over two decades, it’s time for me to focus on creative endeavours. It wasn’t something I’d envisaged at the start of last year, but when my alma mater, the University of Melbourne invited “senior” academics to apply for an early retirement package, it was an offer to good to refuse.