Before we say Happy New Year, all of the WWOOF team wish to convey our shock, horror and condolences to all those affected by recent flooding across the continent, cyclones and the bush fires south of Perth and elsewhere. The will of the people to triumph in times like these are a true example of the resilience of communities. In keeping with this, WWOOF will extend free Host Renewals for all those who are having financial difficulties as a result of these tragedies. Please contact the WWOOF office to arrange this. Our hearts go out to all those who have lost friends and relatives in such dreadful circumstances.

WWOOF is putting up Bulletin Board notices, asking for WWOOFers to help with the clean up. If you have any special needs for volunteers, the Bulletin Board is the best way to express your needs.

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WWOOF Host Fee Rise

WWOOF has not raised the Host fees for nine years. Due to the increased costs of postage and printing, we are reluctantly increasing Host renewal fees from $45 to $50. The concession rate of $30 will increase to $35 as of April 2011. It is not a huge price rise and WWOOF is proud to say we have kept our fees to a minimum throughout the years.

The deadline for the next Host Renewal period is APRIL 30th. Late Renewals will no longer be accepted. Any renewals or alterations received after this deadline will not be included in the July 2011 WWOOF Book. The reason for this is that too many hosts request we keep them in the new edition, intending to pay after the deadline, but many never pay, meaning needless entries in the new edition and excess administrative work. We send invoices out at least 6 weeks before the deadline and therefore think enough time is allowed for hosts to pay before the deadline. Hosts experiencing financial difficulty or exceptional circumstances, can notify us at any time to waive their fees.

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Following the recent changes to the WWOOF Host guidelines, child care and HH duties will no longer be listed in Host entries in the WWOOF Book, we are progressively deleting all references to these jobs in Host entries. Too many hosts are having the WWOOFers do nothing else but housework & child minding, which needless to say, is not the main thrust of the WWOOF program. Only during inclement weather are these jobs to be offered.

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Host Resources Page

On our webpage at the very top of any page, hosts can now click on ‘Host Resources’ to find everything they need to know including Guest book pages to download, Immigration/Visa extension information, Workcover & insurance information & many other topics that hosts may find useful.

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News, Notices and Interesting Bits

Profile of serial WWOOFer, John Sandilands ~ i10/8799 & i11/3337

My own story started when a fellow employee and WWOOFer himself suggested that when I retired (which I did in 2008 at 56), I would do well in WWOOFing, so I joined, as well as taking up long distance cycling to compliment the ideals of WWOOFing. In March 2009 I set off with my bicycle to WWOOF the full length of the UK & finished off cycling 4000kms through Belguim, The Netherlands, Germany & Denmark.

The first few months of 2010 I spent with hosts in Tasmania, my favourite Aussie state. Stand out hosts included Malcolm Donald, TH145; Jack Foreman, TN122; and the Ulbrich family, TN174. I decided to go further thinking Cooktown would be a reasonable destination. So I started off in Brisbane and stayed with great stand out hosts: Vern Mietzel, QT065; Hilltop Farm, QG155; and Toomaree Farm QG228. Sometimes hosts & WWOOFers don’t work out. The few times I was glad to leave a host property ahead of time were mainly due to hosts not giving a clear account of the expectations of WWOOFers.

Overall my WWOOFing time has been fantastic and when I do settle somewhere, I have intentions of becoming a host myself, when I’m not off cycling and WWOOFing the big wide wonderful world.

Regards, Cycling Sandi the wandering WWOOFer (& baby boomer biker who used to be a hitch hiker)!

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WWOOF turns 30 in 2011! WWOOF Australia was founded 1981, more in the next newsletter....

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Bulletin Board Update

We have improved our Bulletin Board (BB) and now WWOOF Host contact details & photos can be put in Host profiles & signatures. We encourage hosts to set up a profile with photos to give WWOOFers using the BB a clear picture of you and /or your property. There is a link to instructions for this at the top of every Bulletin Board page on our website, or you can e-mail us or ring the office on 03-5155-0218 for more information.

“Guests” on the Bulletin Board can now only see the log-in page of the Bulletin Board. In order to see the topics they must register, and once validated as genuine WWOOF Members, they will also be able to see profiles & signatures on each post. Don’t put any contact details in topics, as people can see all the topics (except the Host to Host forum) while waiting to be validated, and people do register who are NOT WWOOFers.

All Hosts are registered to use the Bulletin Board when they join WWOOF. Your Host number is your log in name and your password will have been sent to you with your welcome pack. If you cannot remember your password please let us know what you would like it to be and we can re-set it for you.

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Garry visits WWOOF Hosts, VB071, in the Grampians

Between Christmas and the New Year I was travelling with my partner, Maree through Victoria and dropped in on some WWOOF hosts. We stayed the night in Pomonal with Aidan, Tom and Aileen who live below the Grampians near Halls Gap. They have created vast wetlands on their property which is fed from two creeks and a large catchment area from the Grampians. They were able to achieve this huge project with the help from many WWOOFers over a period of 5 years.
There are a series of ponds that flow into each other with aquatic plants that Aidan grew from seed in his nursery and planted out, again with help from WWOOFERS. Aidan commented that it is important to work alongside the WWOOFERS and to remember that they are not paid employees and can’t be treated as such. These people were mostly from cities and had never really experienced growing plants or creating habitat for so many species of animals and took a lot of knowledge away with them. There were so many great stories and comments in their WWOOF visitor’s book and we really enjoyed reading them.
There are five species of frogs that have been attracted to the wetlands, (one that is on the endangered list), birds, reptiles and plants. Tom, Aidan’s father is very knowledgeable on the bird and plant species of the area. Aileen is known for making the best scones on this planet. Aidan, Tom and Aileen run Grampians Paradise Camping & Caravan Parkland, and as we discovered, it is a piece of Paradise.

Garry Ainsworth, Managing Director

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~FEEDBACK~

The most brilliant WWOOFers we have now, have WWOOF’ed in Japan, and told us how pleasantly surprised they were with the service and friendliness of the Australian WWOOF organisation. You have been most helpful to them, making them very happy and that has made us happy, as they are certainly one of the best people we’ve had visit.
VM187

WWOOFers at my house last year, they are all wonderful! I think I strike a bad egg about 1 in 100. Bless them! Last Feb I had 14 of them( 13 Asians + 1 German) & 1 week to build dunnies for the Jackys Marsh Forest Festival. NONE of whom had ever lifted a hammer in their lives. It was insane, but those girls surveyed, levelled, sawed, concreted, hammered, drilled, bolted, etc until they dropped! And we have the BEST Aussie dunnies now as 100’s of festival goers photographed them, calling themselves “Sheethouse Constructions”, I am SO PROUD of those girls! They all came from apartment lifestyles in HK, Japan, Taiwan, etc. Thanks, WWOOF, you’ve changed my life.
TN098

I have travelled from the UK to Australia with my guide dog, Holly. I wasn’t sure how WWOOFing was going to turn out, but I was lucky enough to visit 2 wonderful hosts. Sally Pryor ND032 was very welcoming and made my first WWOOFing experience enjoyable. I then spent a month with Mark & Heidi Walton NA109 in the Snowy Mountains. I have made life-long friends with these wonderful people and enjoyed the family so much that I am going back for a month before me & Holly fly home. I would also like to thank the WWOOF team, especially Danny whose regular phone calls to check on our well-being were much appreciated. Travelling with a Guide Dog is quite a challenge-but through WWOOF Australia I have met some fantastic, accommodating people.
Kelly i10/9933

I can’t agree more about hosts being ‘precious’ regarding bulk emails. What’s the problem, I ask? Some of our best WWOOFers have bulk emailed. If a WWOOFer has to wait for individual replies, they could be wasting a lot of valuable time hanging around waiting for a response– AND as a host allowing them to use my computer to find another host, I want them to find one quickly. One WWOOFer told us she doesn’t write long emails anymore because she doesn’t get a reply and the effort was wasted. I was the only host who replied to her out of 20 farms. It was their loss, as she was a really great WWOOFer.
NV220

Over the last 8 years we have hosted 140 guests. With only a few exceptions, everyone has been great. We can’t say enough good things about the experiences. Our property has changed for the better as well as the enrichment of our lives. This year alone we’ve met 28 new friends that have helped build an art studio, constructing new garden beds for fruit & flowers, & harvesting 98 fruit & nut trees. WWOOF you’ve saved our lives!
NA060

I have found that you should always ask for their WWOOF number upon inquiry. If they don’t have one, I insist they get a membership number. Interestingly, those that do get the number turn out to be good and those that don’t I do not hear from again.
WP094

We are becoming more & more frustrated with people coming & flat-out lying about their WWOOF membership. Many WWOOF Books are left at backpackers, etc & anyone can pick them up and claim to be the owner. We now request WWOOFer membership numbers upon initial inquiry-don’t just assume they are members because they say they are. One of the girls objected to our checking her membership, as she said “none of the other hosts did. They don’t care!“
QU258

WWOOF office reply: For your own protection, the WWOOF Host guidelines require Host check & record ID & membership number of every WWOOFer who visits in their Guestbook. Hosts who don’t check ID (like they should) make it more difficult for the hosts who DO check ID.

It took some talking to convince my Dutch WWOOFers that the laughter they kept hearing were not drunk neighbours, but a bird called a Kookaburra!
NE006

I have WWOOFed in Canada & Australia and Host QG279, R & M Middleton of Brisbane were the best yet. Why? They give you your own space but yet take an interest in you whilst providing top class eco accommodation. I was given a wide range of tasks to do so there was no tedium. I was able to choose the meals and when I left I was presented with 3 bottles of Australian wine! We had some great conversations, sharing our views & life experiences. Top marks!
Al i10/1386

We’ve had the usual mixed bag this year, most good. We try to be kind to them, feeding them well, etc, taking them shopping for their preferences in food. Very touching when they ask if their selection is too dear. Thanking them for their thoughtfulness, we insist they buy anything they want. Their manners have been exemplary. Some coped with heavy demanding work. Had great results from Timmy (Dutch), 2 Swedish guys & pleasing stays by 2 French & 2 Spanish girls.
TN123

Hi, just wanted to say we had our first host experience, lovely Wing Tsui i10/2479 from Hong Kong stayed for 15 days. This was her first WWOOFing experience & we found her to be incredibly willing & able person. She got all our snake season brush cutting done, she pitched in without being asked, kept going with mundane work & looked for alternatives. She intuitively gave us ‘space’ in the morning & evenings & our times together at meals & during the working day were easy going. A hard worker within her capability, she gave everything a go, with a heart & spirit of WWOOF in the right place. A great experience. Thank you Wing...you will be fondly remembered as will your smile & giggles.
TH232

We too have just had our first experience as hosts. And it was wonderful. Thank you Jana, a well-experienced WWOOFer but nevertheless energetic, enthusiastic, friendly, happy & helpful. You have left a lot for those who follow to live up to.
NU250

The contrast of Hong Kong city life to tent/caravan camping proved a huge shock and their faces registered outright horror at the sight of an outdoor loo! After a few days they shed their fear of insects and the wide open sky, and settled into a routine of early to bed-early to rise, happily pitching in to whatever task we were tacking, including shovelling manure. Never before had they seen the full moon rise with an unobstructed view. Never before had they showered from a bucket and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Never before had they warmed themselves around a crackling fire. By the time the 2 weeks had passed they were reluctant to leave their hosts and return to Hong Kong, taking with them lifelong experiences.
NH116

I joined WWOOF to extend my visa for a 2nd year and not having any farming background I didn’t think I could last the duration. How wrong I was! Tracey & Stephen QN194 made me feel part of the family straight away. Tranquil & heavenly, the farm is beautiful and over the past 3 months I was lucky enough to try my hand at almost everything from feeding animals, building bird pens, planting vegetables, mulching, even beekeeping on occasion. Not only did they open their home, but also their hearts. This has been a life altering experience for me, one I’ll never forget. I now have a new family I can’t imagine being without.
Sophie i10/9628

Both my prodigal sons have returned to live with me for a while and I have given them the rundown on how WWOOFing works. When I had Kelly, i10/1930 here, they both made her most welcome, down to picking her flowers from the roadside. Often I would find the 3 of them playing at rambos with toy dart guns, causing a ruckus & hysterical moments. I am missing her terribly. We actually are keeping in touch via emails, blogs, exchanging music, recipes & photos. She surely made a huge impact on my quirky household. I am really pleased to be going on this WWOOF Host journey and to be able to gain so much knowledge & experience from it.
VG091
 

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All the best from the WWOOF Team: Garry, Debb, Traci, Tam, Lorraine, Manda & Danny

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WWOOF Memberships

$65

**Hosts receive $10 for every WWOOFer they sign up! Contact us for details**

New Host $60

Annual Renewal $50

Concession $35

Certified Organic FREE*

*Host Registration and Renewal are free on receipt of a copy of your current certificate from an AQIS Certifying Body