We would like
to wish everyone a happy and prosperous year for 2008, but are also saying
silent prayers for those suffering floods, drought and fires that seem to be
more and more commonplace than ever before. Communities often find strength and
solidarity during periods of turmoil and unrest, bringing people together for
the common good. In these unpredictable times, we hope that some relief is just
around the corner. If you are in urgent need of help, the Bulletin Board is
proving the way to go, as more and more Wwoofers are accessing it to find
hosts. Ring our office if you are unsure about how to utilize the Bulletin
Board.
Having said
this, our first order of business is the issue of Wwoofers seeking to extend
their Working Holiday Visas through the WWOOF program ( more about this over
the page). Hosts need to be Primary Producers to be eligible to sign the
Form 1263 that Wwoofers who want to extend their visa are required to submit to
DIMIA. Wwoofers are now contacting the WWOOF office in droves to find out who
are the Primary Producer Hosts. If you are a Primary Producer and are interested
in hosting these Wwoofers, please contact our office by phone, fax or email,
letting us know so we can prepare a list of hosts for these inquiries.
2nd Working Holiday Makers Visa
We
have been receiving feedback from Hosts
who are confused
about Wwoofers wanting to extend their Working Holiday Visa (WHV) through the
WWOOF program. The Department of Immigration website changes constantly and, we
here in the office, are regularly monitoring their website to pick up any
changes in policy.
Below are some definitions from the Department of Immigration (DIMIA) webpage on
the terms used in the application (www.immi.gov.au)
and which further define the restrictions in extending the WHV’s.
Seasonal Work
is defined as
any type of work that
is undertaken as the
employee or volunteer of a primary producer.
Who is a
primary producer?
You are a primary
producer if you carry on the business of cultivating or propagating plants,
fungi or their products, maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or
their bodily produce, and manufacturing dairy produce from raw material that you
produced. Examples of the types of work eligible include: Harvesting & packing
fruit & vegetables, pruning/trimming trees & vines, helping with cattle work,
sheep shearing, catching fish or other aquatic species, beekeeping, honey
production, egg production, etc. Secondary processing of primary products (eg.
Small goods processing from butcher) is not eligible. Working for a business
that services primary producers is also not eligible. For accurate information
that is special for your personal circumstances, hosts will need to refer to the
DIMIA website, as WWOOF is not qualified to answer these inquiries. Wwoofers
can visit a
series of Hosts and accumulate the 3 months required work.
See
www.immi.gov.au
for details in what
constitutes the 3 months work requirements.
New
Organic Talkback Forum on the Bulletin Board
We have added
a new forum where hosts and Wwoofers can ask questions and/or give their advice
on organic issues such as pest control, growing certain food varieties, hints
and anything you find interesting in organic/biodynamic or Permaculture topics.
You access the Bulletin Board in the usual way and then scroll down to the
Organic Talkback Forum.
Common
Wwoofer Complaints
WWOOFers
largely complain about issues involving food/accommodation, work hours or Host/WWOOFer
interactions. Just recently, a WWOOFer brought to our attention a host who spent
no time at all interacting with her. She spent most of her time, both working as
well as during her time off, alone. She was in caravan accommodation where the
host did not even talk to her as a person, getting to know her and exchanging
cultures. The hosts were only concerned with getting the work done and nothing
else (Other WWOOFers who had also stayed there confirmed the fact that this host
does not care to interact with the WWOOFers.)
However, this
WWOOFer also visited another host in Geraldton, she says, “he took me with him
anywhere he went, on his boat to catch crayfish, to his friends and even to play
tennis. I had to work, but at least I got an idea of how he lived, what his life
was like and so on…….This was more how I imagined WWOOFing would be”.
One of the
most important aspects of being a WWOOF Host is to be an Ambassador of Australia.
This requires Hosts actually having conversations with their WWOOFers, making
them feel genuinely welcome and part of the family, making an effort in
communication and extending friendship. If hosts are too busy, for whatever
reason, to be involved in relating in a positive way with their volunteers, then
they should question their suitability as a host. Hosts who spend quality time
with their WWOOFers generally seem to have more successful relationships in
their hosting experiences: both hosts and WWOOFers win.
Hosts with
Difficult WWOOFers
Some hosts
contact us about WWOOFers who exhibit strange or unacceptable behaviour, who are
unwilling to work, or those that don’t show up. One host accepted a ‘difficult’
WWOOFer who was ’passed on to her’ by another host because the host ‘just wanted
to get rid of him’. She had no idea that this WWOOFer had been a problem at his
previous host property and suggested there should be some co-operation between
hosts if passing on ‘difficult’ WWOOFers.
Some
ways for hosts to decide who they should accept or not accept is to:
** log on to
the Host to Host Forum on the Bulletin Board and comment on Wwoofers they have
just hosted, and/or look to see if any comment has been made about a Wwoofer who
has contacted them
** ask the
Wwoofer for details of previous hosts they have visited and contact these hosts
before accepting the Wwoofer on to the property.
** ask the
Wwoofer for their name and Membership number during the initial contact, then
contact the WWOOF office to ensure that the Membership book was in fact issued
to that particular person. This will avoid not finding out the true state of
affairs until the person shows up on your doorstep.
The Dangerous Side
of Hosting
A large number of hosts accept would-be WWOOFers who show up at their doorstep
without a WWOOF book, or with someone else’s. They are so glad to get people to
help, so they take them in without checking their WWOOF membership AND photo ID.
What’s the harm, they ask? There are serious issues when accepting strangers
onto your property. You are opening your property to people who you assume are
part of the WWOOF program, willing and honest to put in a good day’s work. But
ONLY after checking for WWOOF membership numbers PLUS photo ID such as a drivers
license or passport, can you be sure. If you find that the person’s name on
their photo ID does not match the name on the WWOOF book, you get a hint of
dishonesty. Some overseas WWOOFers give their book away upon leaving and the
recipients COULD be naïve in thinking it’s OK to assume that WWOOFer's
membership. But if something dear to your heart gets stolen or broken, you will
be blaming the wrong person if you did not check both ID’s-the WWOOF book
membership number AND their photo ID. If an accident occurs where the WWOOFer
requires medical attention, the insurance assigned to each registered WWOOFer
will only be applicable to the WWOOFer whose name appears on the WWOOF book.
This could lead to huge, expensive and complicated problems if the person
injured on your property is not insured through the WWOOF program.
Many hosts do not go to the trouble of checking their visitors thoroughly
because they feel it to be intrusive and/or slightly embarrassing. But it is
better for all concerned that this process be followed for each and every
WWOOFer. WWOOFers often react negatively to being asked for ID “ because no
other hosts have ever asked for it!!” This sets up an uncomfortable situation
for Hosts who are doing the right thing. Rule #1 in the Host Guidelines requires
hosts to record ID and membership numbers of all visitors by way of a guest
book. This protects you and the WWOOFer in case something goes wrong. So PLEASE,
to all those hosts who are not checking ID’s, think again. If the WWOOFers
object, open their books to the Host Guidelines and point to Rule # ONE!
(Email us for a sample Guest Book page as a guide).
Missing WWOOFer
Relatives of WWOOFer
Michel Menelon
I07/14241 are worried
because they have not heard from him recently. His sister wants him to contact
the family. If you have hosted Michel, please contact the WWOOF office.
‘Do Not
Accept’ WWOOFer
Daniel Lawson
I07/2362 from Ghana has had his WWOOF membership cancelled. He is
contacting hosts even though he has been notified that his membership is no
longer valid.
“Eighteen months ago I had a WWOOFer who stayed for 2 weeks. She
fell in love with my donkey, Chloe. I have just received a letter from her,
Chloe had changed her life. She returned to England, completed an intensive
donkey management course, sold her home in Ireland and bought a property in
France! Lorraine is rescuing donkeys, and her sanctuary is dedicated to Chloe!
Also my big Deerhound dog Jabberwocky has received cards & phone calls. So too
has Rosie the pig & Daphne the sheep received phone calls. Pong the duck has
changed peoples’ diets-they no longer eat Duck. Dogs Tahini & Bogart and the big
Clydesdale Tigger have received big kisses via email. Who says animals don’t
change lives?! And WWOOFers enrich mine and all my 100 rescued non-humans! “
SA147
~~~~
“Thank you for your service-we couldn’t run our farm without the
help. In the years we have belonged to WWOOF, we have had very few bad
experiences and I think the key is to accept people as they are and to adjust
your needs to their skills. When things don’t go too well, I always look to see
how I could have explained the details of the job better...and there’s always
the learning.” VM106
~~~~
“We
are a couple who worked on farms last year. We visited Gnarloo Station WN078
for 2 months and it was one of the most wonderful experiences in Australia for
us! They made us feel very welcome there. What was strange for us is that we
found it quite hard to get a place. Some of the farmers we rang were rude and
told us, ‘We don’t need any WWOOFers now’ and hung up. Or they would only
accept us if we had experience, which was especially strange to us because we
are good workers and offer free help.’” I07/93291
Manuela & Ben
~~~~
“Just
wanted you to know it is a great scheme and as long as a frank & full discussion
takes place BEFORE hosting commences, we have found the scheme to be 100%
successful. In the earlier days we were a bit naïve and took anyone who wanted
to come, often finding they were just looking for a free place to stay. Also it
is worth pointing out to hosts to ask for WWOOFer ID and membership numbers! I
know hosts are meant to, but seldom check. It is a common practice in
Backpackers to ‘borrow’ WWOOF books and then pretend to be paid up members.”
WP075
~~~~
“We’ve
had 2 WWOOFers so far. The first, Bernd from Germany, helped us build a
wood-fired pizza oven. He was a wonderful young man who worked very hard, stayed
a month. Our second was David, from Israel. He was also wonderful. We celebrated
Hannekah with him in the traditional food/prayers/songs. He explained the
origins & rituals. We have learned so much from both young men. They have truly
enriched our lives and helped us re-define the way we see family. Both are now
family members and remain in touch. Thank you for this organization!”
QN146
~~~~
“We had this awesome gaggle of girls from Hong Kong. They didn’t
have a clue what they were doing and they didn’t really do much, but MY GOD were
they entertaining! A truly rich cultural exchange. They were just great – they
could see fun, humour, joy and entertainment in just about everything. As a host
I appreciate the aspect of times like that when you feel that friends are coming
to visit, often when your life on a farm means social opportunities are
limited.” NI118
~~~~
“I’ve
had a wonderful year with my WWOOFers. While my husband works overseas a lot I
have delightful, enthusiastic people who work alongside me and what fun we have
(as I survey the pile of weeds: they’re my native violets!) But guess what,
next a.m. all the uprooted violets had been lovingly replanted! WWOOFing - it’s
fantastic, memorable, great friends & stimulating mix of cultures.”
QT129
~~~~
“We have learned our lesson regarding No-Show WWOOFers. First we
ask them to ring us when they are boarding their bus/train, etc and then phone
us when they arrive at the bus stop. They only have to wait no longer than 30
minutes for us.” QR108
~~~~
“If
someone phones up, I ask them to email us their request & details. If we decide
to accept a WWOOFer, I ask them to make their transport booking and email us
their transport booking details. I tell them that once their transport booking
details are received, then I will book them in as ‘accepted’. This has worked
well for us and weeds out those WWOOFers who contact several hosts at the same
time, leaving others in the lurch.
SA062
A
final word
Complaints
about WWOOFers and Hosts would be one of the most difficult issues to deal with
in the office. We are often faced with a “he said she said situation”. In most
cases it’s impossible for us to know what has actually occurred, if indeed
anything has occurred, because we were not there. Naturally there are two sides
to every story. Hosts please keep a record of who has visited your property and
their contact details. WWOOFers please keep a record of the Hosts you have
visited. Why? Because if we receive negative feedback about you, you will be
asked to provide contact details of either WWOOFers who have visited you or
Hosts that you have visited. That’s all for now, all the best from the WWOOF
Team.
WWOOF P/L has a
Privacy Policy detailing the handling of personal information pursuant to the
Privacy Act 1998 and the Privacy Amendment (Privacy Sector) Act 2000. The
Privacy Policy is available for your inspection. If you require any further
details, please contact our Privacy Officer on 03-5155-0218
WWOOF Membership
