• The position is open until filled.
• Location: Licola, Gippsland, Victoria
• Position Length: Jan 2024 – Dec 2024

Join the Crew and Join the Adventure with Wollangarra!

As a staff member at Wollangarra you’re an essential part of a small community based around a truly unique outdoor and environmental education program and lifestyle. The Wollangarra philosophy is about doing rather than talking and fixing rather than complaining, so your days will be filled with hard work and a strong sense of purpose. You will introduce young people to the Victorian mountains through a program of practical conservation through outdoor education, which will help them to see environmental issues as exciting and demanding challenges to the way we live, rather than endlessly depressing and negative threats to our future. 

Each week a new group of young people will come across the flying fox and get to experience a way of life that has largely been forgotten. They’ll leave behind their mobile phones, watches and timetables. They’ll get to bake bread, split wood, tend the veggie garden, collect the eggs and light the fire. They’ll get the opportunity to contribute to something positive in a meaningful way and feel like a valued member of the community. 

The position requires that you reside on the Wollangarra property. You will live and work with four to five other staff members, the two directors and their 3 kids (aged 10, 10 and 9). Wollangarra becomes your workplace, home and family for the year. This brings lots of laughter, fun and adventure. The role is highly physical. Your time at Wollangarra will offer a challenging, but immensely rewarding experience. For the right person, this is an experience of a lifetime. 

Find out more about Wollangarra via our website: www.wollangarra.org 

who are we looking for?

The successful applicant will be a motivated, hard-working person who is looking to make a positive contribution to an organisation that aims to inspire young people to grow, learn and ultimately make a positive contribution to their own communities and the environment. 

The successful applicant will be part of a close-knit team of leaders working alongside and under the guidance and support of the directors. The role will enable a real “hands-on” approach to all aspects of contributing to and managing the Wollangarra program and property. You will be a good “people- person” and someone who is able to get your stuff done whilst helping to support the others on your staff team to be successful in what they are doing as well. 

Duties

Mandatory Requirements

• Current full manual driver’s license
• Current Victorian Working with Children Check (can be obtained once accepted for the position)
• Current Victorian Police Check Certificate

Desirable Qualifications and skills

• Qualifications in outdoor education, outdoor recreation, the environmental sciences, or education.
• Wilderness First Aid certificate
• Training in four-wheel drive or chainsaw use.
• Swimming Bronze Medallion
• Food Handling certificate
• Skills in a variety of property management tasks (gardening, catering, building, farming etc).
• Manual drivers licence is required (can be obtained once accepted for the position)
• Any musical skills are a bonus and welcomed!

other information: 

The position includes accommodation, training and food costs (within reason), postage and phone calls, four weeks annual leave, most Saturdays off and one weekend off a month, a monthly honorarium allowance, plus superannuation. You can borrow Wollangarra’s hiking gear for the duration of the year if required, and we have access to good discounts at some outdoor retailers and suppliers.

You may receive (depending on start date) accredited training, if required, in Wilderness First Aid, Bushwalking, Four Wheel Driving, Chainsaw Operation and Bronze Medallion. You will also have the opportunity to learn on the job a variety of skills like; managing the small farm at Wollangarra, bushfire prevention, conflict management, behaviour management, building and small machinery maintenance, tractor driving, and outdoor and environmental leadership skills . Having previous training in these areas is beneficial, but not essential. It is highly recommended that prospective applicants experience Wollangarra firsthand. A visit can be arranged by contacting the Directors at [email protected] using the subject line: Outdoor Leader - Licola (Voluntary) enquiry via EthicalJobs.

If you are wondering whether this role is the right fit for you, you are encouraged to call or email Wollangarra and speak with the acting directors Dan and Julliet Obrien.

The book “‘Secondhand and Solid’ - How We Built Wollangarra” was written by the founder Ian Stapleton. It provides an excellent insight into the history and philosophies of Wollangarra. As such, it is recommended reading for prospective applicants.

For More Information:

View the Position Description attached or head to our website: wollangarra.org/jobs-at-wollangarra 

This wonderful four minute video below highlights some of what a year at Woll is like for our staff.