After almost 14 years on the Board, 8 of them as Chair, Michael Darling is stepping down as Chair of Four Winds. His contribution has been very significant.

Michael joined the Four Winds Board in 2013, seeing the role as a chance to deepen his ties to the community of Tilba, where he has had a home for many years. Michael and Manuela Darling became early and generous supporters and Ambassadors, a commitment that grew alongside his role on the Board.

As Chair from 2017, Michael’s career in law, journalism, commerce and governance and the arts contributed to his wise leadership of Four Winds, spanning difficult periods including COVID-19, two bushfires, one of which came perilously close to destroying every building and floods. That Four Winds not only survived each event but continued to thrive owes much to Michael’s steady, strategic leadership.

In his time as Chair, Four Winds moved to an annual Easter festival in 2017, launched the Spring Youth Music Festival in 2018, now a permanent highlight of the calendar, and in 2024, alongside Executive Director Leigh Small, established an annual calendar of events.

Throughout, Michael has championed community, reflected in his strong support for local audiences, artists and partners, and for the Four Winds Indigenous program, including the appointment of Cheryl Overton (née Davidson) as its first Indigenous Creative Director.

His wise, compassionate counsel and never-ending enthusiasm for Four Winds have been remarkable. He will be much missed by Leigh Small and the entire Four Winds Board and team, its volunteers and supporters.

His final act as Chair has been to carefully establish a Co-Chair position with two of Australia’s most experienced and inspiring leaders – Louise Herron AM and Gabrielle Trainor AO, who will begin their tenure in January.

Says Michael:

“It’s time for me to step down and I am delighted that the Board of Four Winds will be in such good hands.
I have enjoyed over 14 years watching Four Winds develop into providing a rich year-round program which has been attended by a growing number of people, many new to our site, concerts and events.
I am particularly pleased that the highpoints of this program – the Easter Concerts, Barragga Yangga, the June Long Weekend Concerts and the Spring Youth Music Festival – have been conceived and developed at Four Winds.
I am looking forward to staying close to Four Winds both as an Ambassador and a keen concert attender.”

Appointment of Co-Chairs Louise Herron AM and Gabrielle Trainor AO

Louise Herron AM and Gabrielle Trainor AO take up the role of Co-Chairs of Four Winds in January 2027.

Both have a love of and commitment to the Sapphire Coast: Louise with a home in Merimbula and Gabrielle in Central Tilba.

Louise and Gabrielle bring complementary strengths to Four Winds, each shaped by decades at the intersection of governance, culture and community. Both built their early careers in law before moving into senior leadership across the arts, business and public life, and both have a proven record of leading cultural institutions – Louise as CEO of the Sydney Opera House, Gabrielle as long-serving Chair of the National Film & Sound Archive and through governance reviews of major arts organisations.

Each has a deep, demonstrated commitment to community impact beyond the arts itself, from Louise’s transformative advocacy for equitable access to the Sydney Opera House, Everyone’s House, to Gabrielle’s work with First Nations organisations and infrastructure development. Together, their shared grounding in law and governance, paired with genuine cultural expertise, gives Four Winds a Co-Chair partnership equipped to guide the organisation with rigour, vision and a strong sense of place.

Louise Herron:

“I’m delighted to be joining Four Winds as Co-Chair with Gabrielle, who I have known and worked alongside for many years. We share a love of this region and a deep belief in the power of culture to bring people together, and to help foster a deep sense of belonging and possibility.
Four Winds is in such an exciting position, and it’s a privilege to be part of its next chapter. We look forward to working with the Four Winds team, artists, supporters and the community to build on its strong foundations to help realise our enormous potential.
Gabrielle and I are grateful to the outgoing chair Michael Darling for inviting us into the heart of this wonderful organisation, enjoyed by so many and generously supported by the local community, the Four Winds Foundation established by benefactors Neilma Gantner and Carrillo Gantner AC, and NSW and Australian Governments”

Gabrielle Trainor:

“I am delighted to be an incoming Co-Chair alongside my friend and colleague, Louise Herron.

Four Winds is a unique organisation, in a magical part of the world.

As a part-time resident of Central Tilba for fifteen years, I’ve seen Four Winds go from strength to strength, making a wonderful contribution to the cultural life of the Far South Coast and beyond. I’m very much looking forward to being a part of its next stage. “

I’m especially pleased to be joining a great Board and taking on this role with Louise.
She is a genuine force of nature whose work in transforming the Sydney Opera House over 14 years is recognised all over the world. Together, we’ll try to emulate the brilliant leadership Four Winds has had in Michael Darling for the past 14 years.

We join in paying tribute to Michael, whose generous and steadfast stewardship has meant so much to all those who love Four Winds. We are fortunate to be building on his enduring legacy and commitment.”

Four Winds 2027 Program to be launched in December 2026

Four Winds 2027 Annual Program will be announced by Executive Director Leigh Small in December 2026; including the Easter Concerts Series, Windsong Pavilion Series, Spring Youth Music Festival, presenting national and local artists from diverse genres.

Leigh, who will step down in early 2027, has led a period of change over the past three years aimed at increasing local attendance and participation, in particular introducing regular Sunday concerts in the Windsong Pavilion.

Leigh said:

“It has been a delight to see the local audience grow and broaden over the past three years. Four Winds is equally loved by artists, national and local, including annual visitors Andrea Lam, The Necks and Fred Leone, to name a few.”

Whilst the number of annual events grew, Four Winds also produced original productions to tour and reach a national audience: Four Winds First Nations Creative Director Cheryl Overton (née Davison)’s deeply moving Barragga Yangga premiered at Four Winds and presented at Queensland Performing Arts Centre; Paul Dean’s composition, The Bega Shipwreck premiered by Four Winds Community Orchestra and recorded by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra; and the Windsong Live Heath Cullen Film premiered at the Far South of Film Festival and soon to be launched on YouTube.

In early 2027, Leigh will step away from the position of Executive Director and continue as a Board member of Four Winds. The Board has begun a search process for a new Executive Director.

Michael Darling:

“We will say more about Leigh’s extraordinary contribution in due course. We’re delighted she will remain an integral part of Four Winds,”.

“Her passionate commitment to connecting audiences to powerful shared experiences remains strong, as does her love of living on the beautiful Sapphire Coast.”

For Media Enquiries
Amelia Novakovic
Marketing and Venue Manager
amelia@fourwinds.com.au
T: 0401 428 332