our wildlings crew are highly experienced & passionate about all things PLAY!

nature play, risky play, adventurous play and especially a child's right to play.

NICKI FARRELL | Co-Founder & Director of Forest School

Bachelor of Education - English & HPE
(Middle and Secondary School)

Diploma in Outdoor Recreation
Cert 4 in Environmental Tourism
Cert 4 in Training and Assessing
Level 3 Forest School Leader
First Aid in an Education Setting, CPR, Anaphylaxis, Asthma
Current Blue Card

Nicki is available as a guest speaker and to run workshops and consultations Australia wide.

Raised on a farm in remote South Australia, Nicki's favourite childhood memories are of family camping trips, climbing trees, hiding amongst wool bales and rock-hopping over rock pools.

Accidentally stumbling across the respectful/attachment parenting philosophy shortly after having her first child, enabled Nicki to begin to trust her child's innate curiosity and insatiable appetite to learn through play, which in turn led the family down the rabbit hole of alternative education options.

Nicki's passions and expertise lie in outdoor recreation, educating educators, creating community connections, ecological literacy, environmental protection and stewardship, and ensuring diversity and alternatives in our education systems to better prepare our children for an uncertain future.

VICCI OLIVER | Co-Founder & Director of Beach School

Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology and Ecotourism)
Graduate Diploma of Education
(Middle and Secondary School)
Level 3 Forest School Leader
Intro to Forest School
First Aid in an Education Setting, CPR, Anaphylaxis and Asthma
Current Blue Card

Vicci is available as a guest speaker and to run workshops and consultations Australia wide.

The ocean has always been home for Vicci. Living in South East Queensland has been the perfect backdrop for a life of adventure chasing dolphins and whales on a mission to spread a love for the natural world.

After spending a few years teaching in traditional schools, Vicci's world was soon opened to alternative models of learning, particularly the Forest School philosophy, after the birth of her first daughter. The philosophy embodied many of Vicci's own lifestyle values and seemed to be the perfect blend of world-schooling and wild-schooling.

Vicci's passions and expertise lie in marine education, respectful communication, child empowerment and educational freedom of choice.

AMANDA ENGLAND | Brisbane Area Manager & Program Facilitator

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology
Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary)
Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care
PhD Candidate - University of New England (Investigating Forest School philosophies and pedagogies in Australia) (in progress)
Level 3 Forest School Leader
First Aid in an Education Setting (incl. CPR, Anaphylaxis & Asthma)
Current Blue Card

Amanda is available as a guest speaker and to run workshops and consultations Australia wide. She is available to run Bush Kindy programs at services throughout Brisbane.

From a young age Amanda fondly remembers working away in her Granddad's tool shed, or running around acres of bushland at her Nan’s house. Alongside her siblings she used tools to build double decker go-karts to race down hills and constructed elaborate bush tree houses with pulley systems.

Amanda is an experienced Teacher, qualified in both Early Childhood and Primary. However, she knew early on in her career that she was a passionate advocate for learning through play, in a classroom with no walls. This goes beyond traditional schooling. So with a love of the outdoors and all creatures, big and small, Amanda was attracted to Forest School as a way to not only advocate for children learning through play, but bring back a natural childhood akin to the one she grew up in. You will often see her trying to set up 'risky play' adventures as that is one of her favourite things to do.

When not running sessions, Amanda is working on her PhD researching Forest Schools in Australia. She is extremely passionate about the ethos behind Forest School and loves being able to share that with others.

LINDSEY BOWLES | Sunshine Coast Program Facilitator, Eco Warrior & Admin Whiz

Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Management and Protection
Environmental Educator
Intro to Bush Kindy and Forest Schooling Certificate
Intro to Beach Kindy Certificate
First Aid in an Education Setting, CPR, Anaphylaxis and Asthma
Current Blue Card

Lindsey is a California Native from the Sierra Nevada Foothills. She spent her childhood playing amongst the pines, exploring the wildflower wilderness and adventuring through the snow covered mountains. She traded all that in for sea, surf and warmer weather on the Central Coast where she attended University in San Luis Obispo. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Management and Protection with a minor in Sustainable Environments and a concentration in Education and Advocacy.

She has run environmental education initiatives, mainly within the non-profit sector, in Cali, NZ and Australia but found her true passion with Wildlings, nurturing the youngest generations, fostering stewardship and creating connection between people and place. She is an advocate for play and nature based childhood experiences. She is a lifelong learner, child at heart, lover of all things wild (except spiders) and a shameless cat person.

BRISBANE TEAM

JENNY ELLIS | Senior Supervisor & Playworker

Bachelor of Early Childhood Education
Diploma of Children’s Services

Forest School Leader
First Aid in an Education Setting (incl. CPR, Anaphylaxis & Asthma)
Current Blue Card

Jenny is available to run Bush Kindy programs at services throughout Brisbane.

Jenny is an incredible Early Childhood Teacher and experienced Forest School facilitator who is passionate about early childhood education and believes in child led, play based learning in natural spaces. Jenny is constantly inspired and amazed by the childhood innate sense of wonder and joy that stems from being in nature. As she discovers and explores alongside the children they learn from each other along the way, growing in their resilience, connection and sense of empowerment.

Alongside Sara, Jenny runs many of our on the ground programs. In Jenny’s own words “I am happiest when I can feel the grass under my feet, a breeze blowing through the trees and see a stream flowing by”. In fact when not at Wildlings Jenny can be found hiking through the rainforests of Lamington National Park, standing atop Mt Ngungun and discovering new tracks to explore. This love of the natural world is what Jenny hopes to inspire and role model as she demonstrates a commitment to caring for our environment and community.

ANGELA GRAY | Senior Supervisor & Playworker

Diploma of Children’s Services

Forest School Leader
First Aid in an Education Setting (incl. CPR, Anaphylaxis & Asthma)
Current Blue Card

Angela has been with us since the beginning in Brisbane and loves anything and everything nature related. I often call her a walking encyclopedia as she knows so much about our beautiful surroundings and will often know the names of the flora and fauna that surround us. And if she doesn't, she will soon find out. She has worked with children for many years and is passionate about passing on her knowledge to the next generation, including a love for the Australian landscape. She is from Cairns, but settled in Brisbane many moons ago when her children were younger. She is now a vibrant grandmother, and you will see her out and about running playgroup and kindy sessions. Angela is a beloved member of our team and when you meet her you will understand why!

SARA TURNBULL | Brisbane Assistant Manager, Senior Supervisor & Playworker

Cert 4 in Outdoor Recreation (in progress)
Forest School Leader
First Aid in an Education Setting (incl. CPR, Anaphylaxis & Asthma)
Current Blue Card

Sara is available to run Bush Kindy programs at services throughout Brisbane.

Sara is an integral part of our Wildlings team, and we couldn't run Brisbane without her. She is not only involved in admin behind the scenes but as the Assistant Manager also facilitates most of our on the ground programs. Our families love her for her patience, kindness, and empathetic way of working with children. We love her for her passion for nature and conservation, and the way she always puts the children first! She loves working with children and you can often find her running both our term and holiday programs, patiently guiding a child through a new skill. She is a mum to her beautiful dogs, and is currently studying Outdoor Recreation, so she always has lots of new knowledge to share with us. Sara loves getting out and about and you will often catch her in a new nature spot on the weekends, hanging out with her fur babies.