About
Two working lives, put together
I’m Justine. My working life has really been two careers.
I spent ten years in youth work and community services, across disability, mental health and youth work, before moving into conservation and ecology. I’ve now spent seven years in conservation, including the last five specialising in seed collection.
I still work as a native seed collector, out in the bush collecting and identifying seed for large-scale restoration projects. TerraWander runs alongside that, not instead of it.
The bush is where I feel most at home. It’s where I’ve learnt the most, by doing — working with plants and seeds, paying attention to the seasons, and learning to really notice what’s around me.
Those two careers have come together in TerraWander. I want kids to get curious about the world around them, and to have the time and space to investigate, get hands-on and build their own understanding.
Kids don’t need us to have all the answers. They need adults who are willing to wonder alongside them.
Training
What I’ve studied
Conservation and land management
- Diploma in Conservation and Land Management, North Metropolitan TAFE, 2021.
- Certificate IV in Conservation and Land Management, North Metropolitan TAFE, 2021.
- Certificate IV in Horticulture, North Metropolitan TAFE, 2021.
- Certificate III in Conservation and Land Management, North Metropolitan TAFE, 2020.
- Certificate III in Horticulture, North Metropolitan TAFE, 2020.
- RIAWA seed collection training, 2024.
- DBCA Flora Licence, Regulation 4 and Regulation 60 (current).
Working with young people
- Certificate IV in Youth Work, Child Protection and Juvenile Justice, Central TAFE, 2007.
- Certificate III in Youth Work, Child Protection and Juvenile Justice, Central TAFE, 2007.
Safety and qualifications
Any questions, just ask.
What I hold
- Working with Children Check.
- National Police Certificate.
- Provide First Aid, Provide Basic Emergency Life Support and CPR.
- DBCA Flora Licence, Regulation 4 and Regulation 60.
- $20 million public liability insurance.
- A written risk management framework covering every session.
Keeping ourselves and nature safe
- Leave no trace protocols.
- We love nature and only collect plant material and seeds from the ground and what has fallen.
- During the water week there’s no need to go into the water — the session is from the bank.
- We stay on managed paths and open ground.
- Sessions are cancelled in extreme heat, and run the following Thursday instead.
- To ensure the health and safety of your child at TerraWander, please provide a current, doctor-signed Medical Action Plan alongside their prescribed medication when enrolling in the Field Term.
Where we go
Sessions run in public reserves around Fremantle, Melville and Cockburn, and we rotate through them across the term — that’s what makes the comparison work. I confirm the locations with enrolled families before we start.
