At first glance, you might think Leo Muhri is just a typical carpenter. But it is worth taking a second look. He hails from St. Radegund near Graz and began his apprenticeship as a carpentry technician in 2015. In his second year, he decided to pursue his apprenticeship with Matura. "The cool part is that in our company, we are given time off for school – so it is considered working hours when you are in class," he shares. For a while, Leo attempts to finish his diploma faster but quickly decides to continue at a normal pace, dropping the evening English course.

After completing his apprenticeship, he spends some time in the assembling workshop before moving into planning. It is in planning that he says, "I kind of slipped into design." He then worked for Jürgen Kalcher for a year. Meanwhile, his desire to spend time abroad grows. He decides to take the plunge. Thought and done.

Leo travels for a total of seven months through Africa with a friend. Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Zanzibar. They stay with a family by Lake Victoria, working in exchange for food and accommodation. Along the way, Leo contracts a “little” bit of malaria. A “bit” because when you talk to him, you get the impression that it is just part of the experience. "Malaria wasn’t so bad. It was more the loss of appetite and how quickly you lose weight," he explains. "It was the rainy season, and huge swarms of mosquitoes would pass over the lake like clouds. You had to hold your clothes over your face when going outside, or you would inhale the mosquitoes." In Zanzibar, Leo and his travel companion spend two months working for a charity, helping local people learn skills like permaculture. Leo assists in setting up a carpentry workshop. "Once you've experienced that, you really learn to appreciate what we have here. And what it means to be truly poor."

After seven months in Africa, Leo spends three months at home before heading off to Asia. The Asian trip is short-lived, as the Food, the Humid Heat and Leo don't get along.

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How did Leo end up back at Josef Göbel? "Inge Resinger heard I was back, and she called to ask if I would want to come back. That is a real compliment. You can hardly say no to that." You can tell that he never had intended to say no. He has been back only a few months and is still in the onboarding phase, In a new area of responsibility, of course.