STAFF
Richard Delahunty – Managing Director
A seasoned world traveller, our Managing Director Richard has immersed himself in many of the rich landscapes that Earth has to offer; from Arizona’s Grand Canyon to the ruins of Pompeii. He is fascinated by the ancient world, keen to dig deep into our archaeological past and uncover the roots upon which the modern world is founded. Inspired by the wonders he had seen on his travels, Richard wanted to set up educational tours that would encourage young Australians to see it for themselves, hence, in 2012 Libertas Travel was born.
Richard is a big believer in first-hand experiences and his specially curated tours are designed to bring students outside the classroom to experience the world for themselves; whether that’s in the NASA space simulator, the Acropolis, or in the Smithsonian Museum.
Natalie Levy – Business Development Manager
Affected by the travel bug from an early age, Natalie has worked in the tourism industry for over 20 years. She has been able to combine her passion for both travel and education for the last decade, working with teachers to create customised overseas study tours. She also designs and leads syllabus linked professional development tours specifically for teachers across a range of subject areas.
Natalie is a qualified teacher with degrees both in Business / Tourism / Italian and Education. She is an experienced tour manager, leading groups across Europe since 2005.
Natalie is a strong believer in the value of travel and its ability to open minds and expand horizons. She has travelled extensively throughout Europe, Australia, Asia and North America, but does have a soft spot for Italian history, culture and food.
Jenny Owen – Corporate Services Manager
Jenny is responsible for all aspects of our administration and financial operations. She has a background in legal and investigative agencies in the public sector, and evaluation, strategic planning and social policy research.
In addition to her business prowess, Jenny loves travelling to wild places – be it hiking in the remote Kimberley, or immersion in the culture and history of Japan while walking the Kumano Kodo pilgrim trail. Her top travel highlight - a voyage to Antarctica, South Georgia and The Falklands – a place of unspoiled beauty and wonderful marine and bird life. Travelling there invited reflection and reinforced for her that this great wilderness is precious, increasingly vulnerable, and that we must advocate strongly for its protection.
Russell Windebank – Travel Operations Manager
After 35 years in the tourism industry, with expertise in both domestic and international group travel, Russel remains passionately committed to his career.
Having explored Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia and having supervised tours for up to 2,500 travellers, he excels in crafting unique itineraries and handling complex travel logistics. He is a wonderful facilitator of syllabus-linked educational travel for Australia’s teachers and students.
Russel's mission is to transform "tourists into travellers" by providing lifelong, off-the-beaten-path experiences, including exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, farm-to-table culinary delights, and scenic moments sipping coffee and savouring pastries in bustling piazzas.
Caitlin Hoey – Operations Co-ordinator
With a lifelong love of travel, Caitlin believes that no education can be truly complete without experiencing the world outside of your hometown.
Caitlin is our operations co-ordinator, managing all of our tour group travel arrangements. She is our airline guru and loves the chance to help organise additional travels for teachers and other adults on our tours.
Caitlin has been working in the travel industry for a decade, starting off as a retail agent before specialising in school group tours. Her tertiary education was in literature and writing and is particularly passionate about literature-related destinations.
Although having already travelled extensively across Europe, as well as parts of Asia and South America, the bucket list is still long!
Marianna Rossi – European Operations Coordinator
Marianna is responsible for the coordination of the operations and bookings for our tailor-made study tours to Europe. Originally from Munich, she has called Rome her home for most of her adult life.
Marianna has over 25 years’ experience working in the travel industry and applies this extensive knowledge to the organisation of our tours. Being on the ground in Europe means she is up to date on local conditions and can provide on the ground support to our groups whilst on tour.
She also has a great understanding of the specific needs of Australian school groups. Marianna is fluent in German, Italian, French and English which is a great asset when dealing with suppliers all over Europe. She has enjoyed travels throughout Europe, North Africa and Australia.
Ashleigh Rote – Content Creation and Design
Ashleigh is our UNSW qualified conceptual development, design and marketing specialist.
Ashleigh assists with producing print or digital resources to improve tour related communications with teachers, students and parents. She believes in business transparency, listening closely to client feedback, and can transform the most complex subliminal desires to physical form.
Being a self-supporting business woman, she strongly believes in the opportunity Libertas provides for our youth in expanding their independence skills and knowledge of global systems that will influence our future as a society.