Gather Foundation

Gather Foundation A full circle approach to protect biodiversity on Nyoongar Boodjar and mobilise our people into the native food industry through land acquisitions.

Australia Day means different things to different people. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 26 Jan...
26/01/2026

Australia Day means different things to different people.

For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 26 January marks a Day of Mourning and the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and massacres across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands. It represents the start of policies and practices that continue to impact communities today.

The day is often referred to as Invasion Day or Survival Day, recognising both the truth of our history and the strength and resilience of the world’s oldest continuing cultures.

We encourage people to take time to listen to Aboriginal voices, learn from history, and engage with commemorations happening across the country. Aboriginal people have been protesting 26 January for generations. You can read more about that history here:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-21/why-first-nations-peoples-protest-on-jan-26/106248728

For those in Western Australia, a list of events and gatherings can be found here:
https://www.amnesty.org.au/invasion-day-2026-rallies-events/

As an Aboriginal-owned organisation, we share this in the spirit of acknowledgement, education, and respect, and in the belief that truth-telling helps us walk forward together.

30/12/2025

June
• Gather Foundation established by Gerry Matera
• Hon. Ken Wyatt announced as Chair
• Monica Kane appointed CEO

July
• Dialogue commenced with Roelands Mission and Woolkabunning Kiaka Aboriginal Corporation
• Four-month co-design process begins for the Roelands Transformation Project

September
• In-principle agreement signed for a shared future vision
• Alignment between Woolkabunning Kiaka Aboriginal Corporation, Gather Foundation and Weitj Investments

October
• First Land Estate Management Agreement signed

Gala Dinner
• Gather Foundation and Roelands Rising officially launched
• Launched by Hon. Don Punch MLA, Minister for Regional Development
• Former Roelands Mission residents share their stories, including Syd Jackson

November–December
• Engagement continues with funders and future partners
• Ongoing leadership collaboration across Gather Foundation and WKAC

What’s to come in 2026
• Consolidate fundraising and investment
• On-country work at Roelands
• Establish the native food farm

As the year comes to a close, we want to thank our community, supporters, and partners for standing with Gather Foundati...
25/12/2025

As the year comes to a close, we want to thank our community, supporters, and partners for standing with Gather Foundation.

This year, much of our focus has been on the transformation of Roelands Mission Village, a place that holds difficult truths about our shared history. By preserving this site, we will honour the families and descendants affected by the Stolen Generations, ensuring their stories are told and the truth is amplified.

Looking ahead to 2026, we will continue fundraising for the transformation project and are excited to continue the farm clean up so we can start planting the native food next year!

From all of us at Gather Foundation, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season. Thank you for your support as we continue this important journey together.

GIVE BACK TO COUNTRY - ROELANDS NEEDS YOU!Every now and then, something comes along that is bigger than a project, bigge...
01/12/2025

GIVE BACK TO COUNTRY - ROELANDS NEEDS YOU!

Every now and then, something comes along that is bigger than a project, bigger than a clean-up, bigger than any one organisation.

Roelands Mission is one of the most significant places on Nyoongar Boodjar - a place that carries the weight of history, the resilience of our Elders, and the survival of more than 500 Aboriginal children.

And now, for the first time in generations, we have the opportunity to turn this place of pain into a place of power, pride and healing.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to honour our old people and build a future where Roelands stands strong as a centre of cultural renewal, native food innovation, economic empowerment and truth-telling.

And we want you to be part of it.

A CALL TO NYOONGAR MOORT, MOB & EVERY INDIGENOUS BUSINESS ON OUR COUNTRY

If your business operates on Nyoongar Country, this is a moment to stand tall.
A moment to give back.

A moment to show what Aboriginal-led strength, unity and community truly look like.

This project is Aboriginal-led, community-driven and future-focused.

Getting involved is not just support - it is cultural responsibility in action.

HOW YOU CAN BE PART OF HISTORY

We need:
🔨 Volunteers to clean, clear, lift, move and transform
🚚 Trucks, trailers, pressure cleaners, skip bins, gardening gear
💰 Donations to rebuild, repair and restore Roelands into a powerhouse of opportunity

Food and drink provided.

Dates: 5–17 December
Location: Roelands Mission, 575 Sevenoaks Road, Roelands

PUT YOUR HAND UP - CHOOSE A DATE & CONFIRM
Click the link, choose a day, and let us know how you’d like to help:
👉 https://gatherfoundation.org.au/call-out/

Roelands Rises
This is our time. Let’s rise together.

26/11/2025

“Truth-telling is an important part of the fabric of what the future holds.” – Don Punch MLA

At the Gather Foundation Gala, Minister Punch spoke powerfully about the role of truth-telling in building a stronger, more honest future for all Australians.

For Gather Foundation, truth-telling isn’t just about revisiting the past, it’s about creating space for healing, understanding, and shared growth.

Through projects like the Roelands Transformation Project, we honour truth as the foundation on which reconciliation and renewal can truly grow.

🌱 Together, we gather.

A Moment of Return. 🌿Hon. Ken Wyatt AM and Elder Les Wallam, both taken to the former Roelands Mission as children, sit ...
04/11/2025

A Moment of Return. 🌿

Hon. Ken Wyatt AM and Elder Les Wallam, both taken to the former Roelands Mission as children, sit together once more, signing an agreement that will see the site reborn through the work of Gather Foundation.

A place that once held pain and separation will now become a place of healing, learning, and renewal for future generations.

Their return is not of nostalgia, but of purpose to ensure that what happened here is never forgotten, and that something good now grows from this ground.

Roelands Rises.

31/10/2025

Truth before healing. 🖤

Syd Jackson shares his story of being taken from his family as a young boy. Told he was going into town for an ice cream, only to be placed on the back of a truck and taken to Roelands Mission. Where he remained, never to see his sisters again.

Syd’s story is a reminder of the pain carried by so many aboriginal people and the shows the strength it takes to speak that truth aloud.

Gather Foundation endeavors to honour these stories, turning places of trauma, into places of healing, opportunity, and renewal.

We cannot change the past, but we can grow something powerful from it.

24/10/2025

Reflection, renewal, and connection

The Gather Foundation Gala Dinner marked the official launch of our first major initiative, the Roelands Project.

Guests were welcomed with a powerful cultural dance performance by Corroboree for Life, led by Ash Penfold, setting the tone for an evening. Honouring what had been and igniting hope for what will be.

We were privileged to hear from The Honourable Don Punch MLA, alongside meaningful discussions between Founder Gerry Matera, Chair Ken Wyatt AM, Syd Jackson, and Elder Les Wallam, as they shared their vision for transforming the former Roelands Mission into a place of healing, opportunity, and growth.

Under the theme Kaarla Dookening - Creating Fire - we came together to spark change, and fan the flame, celebrating culture, and lighting the path forward for future generations.

Kaarla Dookening – Creating Fire. 🔥Our inaugural Gather Foundation Gala Dinner was a night of reflection, renewal, and r...
22/10/2025

Kaarla Dookening – Creating Fire. 🔥

Our inaugural Gather Foundation Gala Dinner was a night of reflection, renewal, and rising together under the theme Kaarla Dookening - Creating Fire.

We were joined by Elders from Roelands Village, alongside politicians, dignitaries, and philanthropists, as we officially launched our first major project: the transformation of Roelands into a place of healing, opportunity, and growth.

Powerful words were shared by The Honourable Don Punch MLA, Syd Jackson, Gerry Matera, Ken Wyatt AM and Elder Les Wallam, each reminding us that from fire comes renewal and from truth comes strength.

What was once a place of loss now becomes a beacon of hope.

A huge thank you to Gather Foods for organising and catering the event, EON Protection for keeping all of our guests safe, Gather Films for capturing the night and Corroboree For Life for their amazing performance to kick off the evening!

Together, we gather. 🌱

15/10/2025

“The land is our food, our culture, our spirit and identity.”

Sustainability and Environmental Custodianship

Empower First Peoples leadership as custodians of biodiversity restoration and sustainable practices within native food environments.

Get in touch to learn how you can support our charity

[email protected]

Address

28 Lindsay Street
Perth, WA
6000

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