Since 2021, the Williams Wildlife Warriors have been growing into a powerful force for environmental education and community connection in Williams. What began as a small afterschool initiative has become a thriving, hands-on program helping young people develop deep knowledge, respect, and care for their local environment.
The program is run by leader Gemma Haddrick – Library and Projects Lead at Williams CRC – who has built a flexible and responsive learning model that meets 4–6 times per school term, adapting to seasonal opportunities, community projects, and visiting specialists.
At its heart, the Wildlife Warriors is about connection—connection to their local environment and to community.
The Williams Wildlife Warriors have become a key contributor to Williams’ growing reputation as a sustainability leader. Their work has supported several major community achievements, including:
- Playing a significant role in Williams’ success at the National Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Awards 2026, including:
- Overall Winner
- Behaviour Change Management
- Young Legends categories
- A major contributor to Williams 2025 WA Tidy Towns Awards Overall Winner
- Winners of the 2022 WA Tidy Towns Environmental Education Award, recognising the long-term commitment to youth environmental learning
Through consistent participation in restoration, education, and community events, the Wildlife Warriors have become a clear example of behaviour change in action—showing how young people can help shape a more sustainable future.
Rather than following a fixed curriculum, the program evolves each term based on what is happening locally. This flexibility allows children to learn directly from real-world projects and visiting experts, making every session different and meaningful.
Activities regularly include a mix of environmental science, cultural learning, and creative expression such as:
- Tree planting with Peel-Harvey Catchment Council (PHCC)
- Water hydrology and water quality studies with Dr Ben Cole
- Local flora seed bomb making and revegetation activities
- Natural dye workshops delivered by Educated by Nature
- Waterway health and invertebrate studies with PHCC
- NAIDOC activities and cultural learning experiences
- Local endangered fauna education sessions with PHCC
- River clean-ups and litter collection projects
- Wildflower walks exploring seasonal biodiversity
- Teepee building
- Bird feeder construction and habitat support
- Outdoor plein air painting and nature art
- And many more evolving community-led experiences
Children are not only learning about ecosystems—they are experiencing them through art, storytelling, physical activity, and community participation.
Whether they are testing water quality, planting trees, or painting outdoors, participants are encouraged to observe, question, and connect with the natural world around them.
A major strength of the program is not only what it teaches, but how it brings people together.
Through her work with the Wildlife Warriors and broader community initiatives, Gemma Haddrick has also been highly commended in the Dame Phyllis Frost Local Hero recognition, acknowledging her ongoing commitment to youth development, community connection, and creating opportunities for people of all ages to engage meaningfully in local events.
Her approach consistently focuses on inclusion—ensuring that children, families, and volunteers all have pathways to participate in community life.
In just a few short years, the Williams Wildlife Warriors has become more than an environmental group. It is the beginnings of lifelong community participation, a training ground for environmental awareness, and a symbol of what sustained grassroots action can achieve.