WWOOFing Down Under!
Unabashed Disclaimer: The following post does not contain any content related to running. My blog’s title, RackelRuns, will remain the same, as I, Rackel, indeed, run, though the topics may vary as do my activities from day to week to month. Please continue as you normally would.
Greetings from the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, 9 November, 10pm. The following post reflects on my recent experiences WWOOFing in Australia. WWOOF is an acronym that stands for Willing Workers on Organic Farms. The organization began in England in 1971 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wwoof), and it sought to support organic farming worldwide. It’s an exchange of 4-6 hours a day of varied tasks for room and board. I’d heard of WWOOFing before and was taken by the idea of providing oneself to assist a cause in exchange for accommodation and wholesome, homegrown meals.Over recent years, I have developed keen interest in how the world feeds itself, more specifically, the growth of the organics. Therefore, offering my services as a WWOOFer seemed like a proper way to help out and also learn about organic food cultivation methods/obstacles, create valuable connections, and get to know local families on a more intimate level.
3 ‘farms’ later, I have a new assessment. Let me first highlight a few noteworthy elements of each spot.
1. Ballintaggart – Malanda, Queensland: A biodynamic property run by barefooted, erratic, apocalypse-wary Bood; quarters consisted of a 12-sided ‘observatory’ (house) atop rolling beds of tall vetiver, propped against the inaccessible World Heritage Site. We found ourselves cut off from all modes of communication (not the worst thing in a sense), however, were awake with constant fear of probing, accusingly anti-American/capitalist/art/enjoyment/etc. conversation, and grueling, monotonous physical work, day in and day out. Only once were we briefly graced with the objective of our morning and afternoon weeding, never were we thanked for any of the fine meals we prepared or work we completed, and frequently were we met with outbursts of frustration and discord in regards to communication, cooking, the news, our stay, etc. Oh – I forgot to mention the creeping mass of cockroaches, leeches, ticks, mice, spiders, yes..
Pros: Great food made by us, obtained from the permaculture-based garden every day, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, watching “Legends of the Fall,” reading, one ice cold Cooper’s Sparkling Ale each day, sunrises, great co-WWOOFer company, the smell of the soil, leaving
Cons: cockroaches, leeches, ticks, mice, spiders, putting on my mudsoaked shoes, socks, pants, raincoat each day, rotting dishtowels
2. Gallo Farm – near Atherton, Queensland: A family farm in transition to organic production; varied work included harvesting potatoes, weeding, mulching, and pruning the household veggie patch, planting lettuce seedlings, light weeding. Close, honest conversation with the family members including bright and cheerful kids to keep spirits high, communal cooking, and organizing the roadside stand to sell items grown on the property.
Pros: completing all tasks in the morning, being included in family activities, seeing the results of our work and the connection with the immediate community, eating homegrown produce, family-procured pork (including salame), feeling more like a human
Cons: having only 4 days here; this was the ideal WWOOF setup I’d imagined; more related to the production side of food and observing how farmers being the transformation of their properties from conventional to more sustainable.
3. Toorongo River Chalets – Noojee, VIC: a supposed set of ‘luxury’ self-contained units along the beautiful Toorongo River, about 100km from Melbourne. Picked up by self-serving 18 year-old instead of our host, met with white bread, neon green soda, cocoa puffs, all the meat in Woolworths, and not a clean dish in the kitchen. Work was seldom articulated clearly, tools were shoddy, almost useless for the tasks at hand, and equipment seemed to break on a daily basis due to a combination of the host’s negligence and teenage bravado. I wonder how they seek to become organic and ‘sustainable’ by razing the land with dull shovels and spilling oil into the river post-last4WDvehicle crash, not to mention, happily sucking up all the power in Gippsland with the several space heaters left in each unit.
Pros: weekends off, all of the fresh lemons, chard, parsley, and eggs one could ask for (the only things grown on site, not to mention, neglected), the sound of the aesthetic, winding river, creating a small family for a short few days
Cons: already listed. I wish this place good luck.
Overall:
The principle of WWOOFing is honorable, and I know my ‘host sample’ does not accurately represent all hosts in the loosely regulated network. However, the closest approximation to the whole thing in my opinion is that of indentured servitude. Think back to your United States History class in the 11th grade, and recall this practice which is essentially, government-endorsed slavery. The pitch to the large percentage of unemployed Brits was, “Need a job? Want to come to the Colonies? We’ll pay your way to come help clear tobacco fields AND give you a place to live, food, and clothing. Love, The Virginia Company.” The reality was exploitation of a free workforce – similar to what I’ve seen and heard from other WWOOFers, at least in Australia.
Written after two weeks WWOOFing in New Zealand:
On the other hand, my WWOOF experience in New Zealand has been with only one host. It’s been the most consistently educational, varied, connecting stay thus far. We’re staying in beautiful Matakana, NZ (the North Island) at a mini-animal sanctuary called Skyhouse, operated by the eager-minded, helpful, knowledgeable Rosalind. Her rescued battery hens number fourteen, skittish goats and animated dogs, two each. We’ve been given a reasonable amount of tasks to keep the place functioning, and are proud cultivators of several seedlings to be planted in the newly prepared “lasagna” veggie patch (research this method – it’s a thoughtful method to a healthy garden bed). We’ve visited the local markets and green swap, built a worm farm, helped neighbors, clipped the goats’ hooves, gathered dozens of eggs, played with manure, baked beautiful homemade bread, felt useful. This is truly what my ideal WWOOF experience is.
After this experience, my optimism has been somewhat restored in the act of WWOOFing. I’ve progressed through each of these experiences reminding myself to always have an attitude of gratitude (yes, sounds cliché, but it’s necessary). However, I STRONGLY encourage future WWOOFers to have thorough contact with your host prior to committing to a stay with them or making the oft-long and obscure trek out there. I was a bit too trusting with the brief emails and phone calls when I arranged our first couple of stays. Learning experience: Yes. Content of learning experience: beyond organic farming, I can say that much.
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