The Wondering Wattle

01/11/2026

🎉 Happy Birthday, Shannon 🎉

Our wonderful Senior Operations Coordinator, the master of getting ducks in rows, lover of lists-of-lists, and creator of a little order within the chaos in our team.

Shannon, thank you for keeping ALL the wheels turning at The Wondering Wattle and helping convert ideas into processes that actually mean they happen. Your care, organisation and ability to make sense of the moving parts mean so much to our team.

Today’s checklist:
☑️ Cake
☑️ Celebrations
☑️ Know how appreciated you are
⬜ Keep everyone else organised - this one can wait! 😉

Happy birthday, with love from your grateful Wattle crew.

💛

26/10/2026

We have limited availability for NDIS participants in Lauren's portfolio!

At The Wondering Wattle, we're pleased to share that our Support Coordinator, Lauren Shrive, has some capacity to welcome new metro-based participants, particularly people living with psychosocial disabilities and families navigating complex care and support needs. Lauren brings a calm, compassionate and thoughtful approach to Support Coordination. She understands that behind every NDIS plan is a person, a family and often a whole network of people trying to make things work. With a focus on building genuine relationships, Lauren takes the time to listen, understand each person's circumstances and work collaboratively with the people and services around them.

Lauren's portfolio is particularly suited to:
🌿 People living with psychosocial disabilities who benefit from consistent, understanding and relationship-based support.
🌿 Families where multiple members have disabilities and navigating everyone's needs can feel overwhelming.
🌿 Participants with complex support arrangements who need someone to bring services, professionals and family members together.
🌿 People who value a Support Coordinator who is curious, approachable and committed to finding practical solutions.

Lauren is supported by our wider Wondering Wattle team, bringing together different experiences, perspectives and knowledge to help navigate complex situations.

Our approach is grounded in courage, curiosity, community and connection. We don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, and we know that good Support Coordination begins with understanding the person.

💛 Next steps? Send an email to [email protected] to start a conversation about whether Lauren and The Wondering Wattle might be the right fit.

24/10/2026

What a privelege to have been invited to be a part of Disability Intermediaries Australia Advisory Group - one of twenty, from amongst 100s of applications across the country - representing Boutique Providers nationally.

We believe wholeheartedly in the value and importance for participants, providers, family and the economy of excellent support coordination - we see it's powerful value-add every day in big and small ways.

To have been chosen to inform and influence policy development and (hopefully) re-righting the current direction for suppor coordiantion is an honour we take incredibly seriously.

At least, at the end of all of this, The Wondering Wattle will be able to say, "We tried our very best to represent and elevate the voice of the frontline personnel who work alongside the most deserving humans - particpants of NDIS - in our community to aggitate for change. That in itself will have been a commitment worth undertaking."

Brave is kind,
Meryl
💛
Founder, Specialist Support Coordinator

05/10/2026

There is a lot of change happening across the NDIS and disability sector between now and 2028. And with change often comes uncertainty. We know many participants and families are wondering what these changes might mean for them, their supports and the people they have built trusted relationships with. There are still many details we don’t know yet. New pathways are being developed, Thriving Kids is emerging, and we are seeing a greater focus on supports being available both within and outside of the NDIS.

At The Wondering Wattle, we will continue to stay curious, ask questions, listen carefully and share information as it becomes clearer. But most importantly, we’ll continue to walk alongside the people we support. We can’t always know what change will look like before it arrives, but we will strive to make sure people feel informed, heard and supported as we navigate it together.

Meryl 💛

31/08/2026

Wednesday 2 September, 2026
[ONE DAY ONLY]

The Wondering Wattle office will be closed on Wednesday 2 September as our team comes together to support each other and farewell our much-loved colleague and friend, Clare.

For anyone that may have missed the more recent update, Clare very sadly passed away last week following an extremely aggressive terminal illness. She was the most extraordinary Support Coordinator, and human, and we miss her dearly.

Your Support Coordinator will be in touch with you to discuss communication pathways and arrangements should you require support on the day.

Thank you for your understanding and compassion as our team takes this time together.

💛

The Wondering Wattle Team

26/08/2026

It is with the deepest sadness that we share the news of the passing of our adored Clare, Support Coordinator (Paediatrics) on Monday, 24th August, following a devastatingly aggressive illness.

Green was Clare’s favourite colour; fitting for its symbolism of calm and balance, safety and permission. That truly was our Clare.

Clare joined The Wondering Wattle as Support Coordinator (Paediatrics) after a fortuitous Christmas catch-up, when an enduring friendship evolved, quite perfectly, into her joining the team in December 2024.

She was so excited to put her Development Education studies into meaningful practice and to support families in the enormous and important role of guiding and raising their children with disability. She excelled beyond even her wildest imaginings of what might be possible.

For those whose children and teens had the privilege of being supported by Clare, you will know of her fierce commitment to upholding the rights of children with disability and her unwavering belief in the deservedness of belonging for everyone. She especially championed the rights of children with disabilities, as students, to genuinely equitable access to education.

Clare was not only an exceptional Support Coordinator. She was an adored colleague, a trusted confidante, a generous strategist and a deeply treasured friend.

In honour of Clare’s fierce love for her own three children, aged 13, 16 and 18, the GoFundMe originally established to support Clare through her illness, will now contribute to a lasting trust-fund legacy for each of them. Clare worried deeply about not being able to provide the financial stability she had planned and hoped for their futures. Anyone wishing to contribute to that legacy may do so here:

https://gofund.me/01feed21f

We will miss Clare more than all the stars in the sky could ever know. We will carry her influence forward in our work and always remember her wise counsel when it comes to children and capacity building: that “less is often best”, and that "therapy should never mean children missing out on play, joy or the purity of childhood".

💚

23/07/2026

One of the hardest parts of this work is saying no.

Every week, families reach out to us looking for support. We know how overwhelming it can be to navigate the NDIS, find the right people, and feel heard when things are difficult.

But one thing I've always been committed to is ensuring that the people we support receive the time, attention, advocacy and care they deserve.

For that reason, The Wondering Wattle will not be taking on any new participants until at least November 2026.

We never like to say no. However, we also never want to overcommit ourselves, particularly when supporting humans who deserve our full focus and genuine care.

This decision allows our team to continue showing up for the participants and families who have already entrusted us with their journey, without compromising the quality of support they receive.

To our participants, families, providers, and community - thank you for your trust. It is a privilege to walk alongside you.

We'll review our capacity again at the end of October and will provide an update when our books reopen.

With gratitude,

Meryl 💛

14/07/2026

🥾 Walking a Mile for South Australians experiencing homelessness 🥾

On Friday 7 August, our Founder and Director, Meryl, will be taking part in Hutt St Centre's Walk a Mile in My Boots.

National data shows that people with disability experiencing homelessness often require more intensive and longer-term assistance to achieve a safe and lasting housing outcome.

At The Wondering Wattle, we support a number of people with disability who are experiencing, or are at serious risk of, homelessness. Finding and sustaining a safe, stable home can be made even harder by inaccessible housing, discrimination, limited support options and systems that are difficult to navigate.

Meryl will be walking in recognition of the people we support and every human who deserves safety, dignity, connection and a place to call home.

Fancy joining her for an early-morning walk? Let Meryl know so she can keep an eye out for you!

💛 Together, we can help humans find safety, dignity, belonging and the opportunity to thrive.

This National Homelessness Week, I’ll be walking a mile or more a day to raise funds for more than 7,000 people experiencing homelessness in South Australia. All funds go to Hutt St Centre who provides a hearty meal, hot shower and essential support in a safe, welcoming space for people experienci...

12/07/2026

Happy Birthday to our magnificent, wonderful, Sarah! 💛🌿

Your warmth, kindness, quiet wisdom and unwavering care for the humans we support (and the humans you work alongside) are gifts that don’t go unnoticed. You have championed those who deserve to have their voices and choices heard.

You bring calm, compassion and authenticity to everything you do, and we’re so lucky to have you as part of our TWW crew.

We hope today reminds you how deeply valued and appreciated you are, not just for the work you do, but for the person you are.

💛

12/06/2026

Hannah Diviney's Senate Inquiry Submission:

👌On point
✊Powerful
👏Candid
🫶Truly remarkable

Gift yourself 12mins to watch and perhaps share with any nay-sayer's who insist that the 'new' direction of the NDIS reforms are appropriate.

Thank you to Hannah, and all the other 4000+ individuals and organisations who took the time to share your stories, concerns and experiences.

EVEry voice, on EVERY platform, in EVERY way matters.

💛

Video description: Hannah Diviney speaks in the NDIS Senate Hearing...