Wise Earth Bush School Team

Highly-skilled and qualified facilitators are here to help children achieve full spectrum human potential.

WEBS - Meet the Mentors

At Wise Earth Bush School, our mentors blend expertise, heart and hands-on wisdom.
Each brings years of experience in wilderness education, social and practical learning, emotional intelligence, and creative mentoring, guiding children through a journey of curiosity, courage and connection.

We are facilitators of nature-based learning and human development, committed to nurturing the whole child, their confidence, character and sense of belonging.

With integrity and care, we meet every learner where they are, supporting both their inner world and their outer adventures during this formative season of growth.

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  • Rafaela Abraham is a certified Forest School Teacher and co-founder of Wise Earth Bush School (WEBS). With a passion for outdoor education, she specialises in expanding learning beyond traditional classrooms, fostering a diverse range of skills and understanding among children and their families. With her firsthand schooling experience in Sweden, she brings a holistic approach that has connected children’s love for learning through nature for generations.

    Rafaela’s teaching philosophy centres around engaging children with nature through building respectful relationships, singing, games, and hands-on sensory experiences. Her journey began in Africa, where her early years instilled in her the autonomy and reflective mindset necessary to navigate diverse environments. After moving to Sweden, traditional school settings proved challenging due to her active nature. She found a home away from home in a pedagogy school that embraced varied learning styles, incorporating elements of the Montessori Method with extensive outdoor activities. This experience motivated her to pursue accreditation in Forest Kindergarten Level 3, focusing on:

    • Language, and Communication Skills

    • Personal and Social Development & Well-being

    • Non-Verbal Communication

    • Practical Skills Development

    • Knowledge and Understanding of the World through

    • Physical Development and its Impact on Academic Learning

    Rafaela has earned the Swedish Scouts award, the “Silvervargen” (the Silver Wolf), holds a Waldorf education certification, and completed a degree in International Marketing. Raffy holds a Wilderness First Aid Certification, drawing from her extensive background and the diverse influences of her mentors throughout her life. She has built WEBS on a strong foundation rooted in Forest School and Play Work Principles.

    With her extensive background and commitment to nature-based learning, Rafaela is dedicated to helping your children explore their potential and face life’s obstacles with confidence and strength.

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  • Matty is the co-founder of Wise Earth Bush School (WEBS) and brings over two decades of carpentry experience to the Bush School and Skill School programs. Growing up near Bronte Beach, his passion for surfing and nature inspires his teaching.

    Since moving to the Northern Rivers in 2014 and starting a family, Matty has loved sharing his skills with children. He expertly guides young learners from idea to end product, emphasising practical skills that complement and enhance children’s academic education.

    Why Matty is Ideal for Leading Children’s Learning:

    • Hands-On Expertise: With decades in residential construction, Matty brings extensive real-world experience, coupled with a strong understanding of industry standards, to his teaching approach.

    • Woodworking Skills: Teaching knife safety, whittling, carving, and creative projects to enhance fine motor skills and problem-solving.

    • Oceanic Knowledge: Educating on wave dynamics, rip currents, and water safety, integrating science with practical application.

    • Aquatic Rescue Awards: Bronze Medallion (BM) and Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC)

    • Bush Survival Skills: Leading shelter-building, friction fire techniques, and tool crafting to foster resourcefulness and critical thinking.

    • Nature Connection: Fostering a profound connection to nature, community, and practical skills,

    Benefits for Children facing challenges in school:

    • Enhancing Academic Skills: Projects reinforce mathematical concepts and spatial awareness.

    • Interdisciplinary Approaches: Competency-based learning through fun outcome-focused projects.

    • Scientific Inquiry: Lessons on wave dynamics, fire-making deepen our insight of natural physics, practical chemistry in the real world.

    • Problem-Solving: Real-world challenges build critical thinking, adaptability, encouraging individuals to move beyond the fear of failure.

    • Building Resilience: Hands-on learning nurtures resilience, confidence, and a sense of accomplishment through constructive feedback.

    At WEBS, Matty’s hands-on approach to learning empowers children to excel academically and personally, guiding both girls and boys from the ground up.

A man in a black shirt and hat standing on a sandy beach, raising his right hand with a finger pointing up, surrounded by children of various ages and ethnicities, some wearing swimsuits and summer clothing, with grass dunes and the ocean in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

  • From the Victorian land where old forests still whisper comes Stuart Paton, passionate, grounded, and bold. A devoted father to Amelia and Nixie, Stuart brings sincerity and heart to everything he does.

    An environmental activist for more than thirty years, he has devoted his life to protecting Australia’s native landscapes and wildlife. From East Gippsland’s ancient greens to the forest edges of today, Stuart has stood as a guardian of trees and a keeper of balance, ensuring a future where nature still breathes freely.

    As an arborist and skilled craftsman, his hands know timber, tools, and the quiet language of the land. He shares his expertise in bush survival, native foods, and forest education, teaching others to move safely and respectfully through the natural world.

    Whether leading guided walks, toy story, building nest boxes for wildlife, or teaching the art of balance through circus and coordination play, Stuart infuses every encounter with curiosity, strength, and joy.

    A mentor at heart and a guardian in practice, he brings to Wise Earth Bush School a rare combination of technical skill, ecological wisdom, and contagious enthusiasm, guiding children to grow in confidence, awareness, and wonder for the living world

A young woman sitting on a blanket outdoors beneath a large, twisting tree, reading a colorful children's book about a volcano.

WEBS Administration-

The Administration Team at Wise Earth is dedicated to creating and sustaining seamless experiences for our families and community.

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