In Praise of WWOOFers

We love our wwoofers. WWOOFer stands for Willing Worker on Organic Farms. This worldwide movement is growing in leaps and bounds as the pre-eminent way for young people, travellers and life changers to participate and learn about organic and natural farming.

Building..

In Australia alone the growth is amazing: In 1997 there were 6424 WWOOFers and 669 Hosts and the WWOOF Book was 174 pages and was printed on conventional paper using standard ink. In 2011 there are 12,150 WWOOFers and 2287 Hosts, the WWOOF Book is now over 420 pages and is printed on recycled paper with soy based ink on presses using solar power.

Partying..

WWOOFers have been coming here for over a decade, and Sam first learnt organic and biodynamic farming by WWOOFing. They stay in our homes, and live with us in the family. We dont "cottage out" the WWOOFers, it takes out too much of the interest. WWOOFers do whatever we do - eating with us, visiting friends and family down the road, watching the footy at the pub, playing music in the shed, and of course, working!

In the Vines..

Our cousin Patrick Leclerc is one of the leading WWOOF promoters in Australia. As a consultant for Work n Holiday, Patrick finds jobs for mainly French backpackers all over Australia. Where language or skills may be a limitation, or where a person is more interested in rich experiences than money, he uses the WWOOF system to get people out into the bush.

Packing Olives..

This year, we have had some amazing WWOOFers, and we have a French WWOOFer from Patrick right now. The biggest problem is when WWOOFers leave... Its such a sad moment for the kids especially. We get attached to our new global friends.

Are you WWOOF material? We prefer WWOOF members (insurance reasons) and non-vegetarian, non-smokers. Give us a call or email - and if we cant have you straight away we have some local connections who also take WWOOFers and might have room.

Update March 2012: regarding VISA EXTENSION through WOOFing, copied from www.wwoof.com.au March Newsletter:
DIAC advise that WWOOFers must work the within the hours specified above for their visa extension application. 28 to 42 hours per week is the industry standard for WWOOFing. If WWOOFers work more than 6 hours per day, then you will need to make arrangements with the WWOOFers for any additional hours they work over 6 hours per day. These hours can either be paid work (this is not WWOOFing and WWOOFer Insurance would not cover the paid hours) or the WWOOFers could have time off on other days in exchange. A week is counted as 7 days.

WWOOFers welcome here!

Our first WWOOFER came here in 2000, and started a tradition that has flourished to the point where we can't quite remember how many WWOOFers we have had or how much wine they have consumed!

Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is an international movement of people seeking to learn and experience life on organic farms.

This is an excerpt from http://www.wwoof.com.au/about.html

• You need to be at least 18 to join WWOOF Australia, members can be of any nationality - including Australian. It should be noted that participants require a level of maturity and independence to participate in the program.
• Due to the physical and mental demands of the WWOOF experience, participants should have at least average physical fitness. The nature of the program is such that it is generally unsuitable for persons suffering from psychiatric or psychological conditions.
• WWOOFers should expect to do 4 to 6 hours of farming /gardening work in exchange for each days food and board (depending on factors like season, workload, quality of their work and the accommodation, etc). These hours can be flexible so WWOOFers have free days but this must be negotiated with the Host.
• WWOOF Hosts will want to check your WWOOF Membership book against your passport or other photo ID when you arrive, if you contact Hosts from a fraudulent websites you will not be issued with a membership book or WWOOFing insurance and Hosts will not accept you.

WWOOFers at Rosnay live with Sam and Simone and undertake all sorts of work, from doing odd jobs in the vineyard and olive grove to helping around the house and garden. We love welcoming WWOOFers, so if you are travelling now please feel free to enquire as to the availability of a WWOOFing position at Rosnay.