“My son recently visited Willum Warrain with his Prep class and has not stopped talking about his experience! Thank you for welcoming his school, sharing your space with little people and helping to raise the next generation with empathy, love and respect for our country and a deep appreciation of our First Nations’ people. I wish education had been this wonderful when I was a child.”

“Our team at Development Victoria participated in a series of Aboriginal Cultural Awareness training days at Willum Warrain Gathering Place at Hastings. Our team felt welcomed by Uncle Peter and the day was filled with great learnings and opportunities to immerse in cultural activities. It was an incredible privilege to learn on Country and understand the importance of connecting to Country in such an embodied and holistic way and we feel very humbled by Uncle Peter’s generosity of time and knowledge.”

“A big thank you to you, Peter and your team, on behalf of Karla Dawes Press Office for our Cultural Awareness session yesterday. We got so much out of it and we loved visiting Willum Warrain. We walked away feeling empowered with knowledge and how we can be allies. We look forward to visiting again soon”.

“Such a perfect day at Willum Warrain! From the beautiful cultural tour and nature trail, historical information provided by Uncle Peter, interactive lunch and nourishing environment, the whole day was just magical. Willum Warrain continues to be a such a welcoming space and truly provides a level of hope and healing for all who attend.”

“Another amazing day at Willum Warrain. Our staff and students were so impressed and inspired by all your team presented. Students loved the walk through the Koorie Plant Trail, the ceremony at the ngargee ground, being painted up with ochre and dancing. It was an honour to learn once again about your amazing cultures and history”.

“Thanks to Peter and your Willum Warrain team for such a comprehensive and engaging day. Staff feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They came away feeling informed, energised and with a much deeper appreciation of culture”.

“Everyone was deeply engaged throughout the Early Years Yarning Circle at Willum Warrain. Thank you for sharing your culture, knowledge, wisdom and time with us all, Aunty Ange – your energy and passion are second to none!”

“Thank you for a truly memorable and immersive experience. We loved every minute of our tour. You made us feel so welcomed and engaged. We look forward to continuing our support for your wonderful community.”

“We greatly appreciated Uncle Peter’s valuable time, enthralling storytelling, yarning and humour – including a delicious lunch from the team at Willum Warrain! We also left with a stronger, deeper understanding and respect of First Nations culture and people.

We very much look forward to building a stronger relationship and partnership with Willum Warrain into the future.”

“Elder, Peter Aldenhoven provided a rich and tailored form of cultural engagement for Teacher Education students, reinforcing their semesters’ work in health and education with a focus on relationships, interconnectedness and Country.”

“Uncle Peter’s deep knowledge of plants and link to Country was clear. I liked his stories and how he connected them to ‘now’. I hope we do more work with him in the future.”

“It was truly an enjoyable and enlightening experience for our Plantmark team visiting Willum Warrain today. Everyone that I have spoken to was impressed with Peter’s knowledge and demeanour and the gathering place as a whole. We are all very excited about the prospects ahead in working closely with the Willum Warrain team”

“Our entire staff went to Willum Warrain for a Cultural Immersion Tour – igniting a deeper awareness, respect and understanding of Aboriginal peoples, place and cultures. This multi-sensory experience was thought-provoking and engaging for all staff members. Willum Warrain catered for 140 staff with a delicious bush BBQ and was highly professional in their organisation. Our staff are looking forward to visiting again with our students in 2022.”

“The Haileybury ELC educators received a warm welcome as they entered Willum Warrain.  Peter Aldenhoven eloquently presented a history of local Aboriginal people leading up to present day.  Our educators also came away with increased understanding of the perspectives of the Aboriginal peoples more broadly and will use this wealth of knowledge to actively integrate ways of knowing and being into our curriculum as we unite with our community to celebrate reconciliation.”

“Willum Warrain was the perfect excursion to link in with our Inquiry unit. Staff were friendly and kept the students engaged in a range of activities. The activities helped students to further their knowledge about Aboriginal culture and history. The excursion exceeded our expectation and we are looking forward to returning next year!”

“Thanks to Willum Warrain and all your staff for a great day supporting our Koori students to understand more about their culture”.

“Thank you to all the staff at Willum Warrain for your hospitality today, spending time in the wonderful space connecting with nature and learning about Aboriginal culture. A special place”.

“We had a wonderful time. The staff at Willum Warrain are faultless. Welcoming, engaging and informative. I recommend Willum Warrain to all school groups. And to families. Get along and be delighted by this wonderful place of community.”

“Our management’s visit to your gathering place in October was transformative. So many of our team had very little understanding or engagement with Indigenous people until that day – and for them to hear about the importance of preserving and supporting culture and learn about the stolen generation was very powerful”.

“On behalf of the African/Sudanese Community, thank you for organising the lovely interactive event we had at Willum Warrain Gathering Place. I am sure the experience gained by the Aboriginal, African and extended communities who attended this event was a very positive, rewarding and memorable one.
It gave our community the opportunity to interact with the local Aboriginal community and participate in music, dance, ceremony and blessings and we look forward to sharing our cultures again in the near future.”

“Our Foundation year students recently visited Willum Warren Gathering Place to learn more about Aboriginal culture and the connection to the environment. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, they were engaged and asked many questions. The highlight of the excursion for them was the nature walk and the smoking ceremony. Thank you Willum Warrain. We look forward to visiting again soon!”