Idyllic ‘Treehouse Farm’ in Northern NSW is a place abundant in avocadoes, macadamias and custard apples. But they’re not the only things that grow – young people in foster care thrive here too, as part of a collaboration between Wesley Mission and foster parents, Lisa and Gary. 

“When COVID hit in 2020, it was the right time for a change, so we left Sydney’s Northern Beaches for Ballina,” says Gary. “We ended up looking at much larger properties that had a lot of merits, so we could consider fostering on a larger scale.” 

With Wesley Mission expanding the Wesley KickStart program, the 25-acre Treehouse Farm became the perfect place to help young people develop practical life skills and soon everything fell into place.  

“We’re just mum and dad. We saw a huge difference between the lives of our biological children and the kids we were supporting in crisis care, and we had to do something,” Gary continues.  

Wesley KickStart is an innovative program supporting young people to transition from foster care to independence at their own pace.  

Supported by Wesley Dalmar case managers, foster parents care for up to four young people at a time, as they gain confidence, develop living skills, look for employment opportunities or further study. 

Passionate about supporting young people who’ve experienced breakdown in their foster placement, Lisa says becoming foster carers is the best decision she and Gary have ever made.  

“We’ve both had very successful professional careers, and we’ve travelled the world, but being foster parents is the best thing we’ve ever done,” she continues. “I don’t understand why more people don’t do it.”