Wandi Nerida

19/12/2025

As 2025 draws to a close, we want to say a big thank you to our staff, community and supporters, for your compassionate support this year.
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A special thank you also to our participants and their families, for trusting Wandi Nerida with the care of their loved ones, as we continue to provide holistic eating disorder treatment and support.
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Swipe through to see some of the holiday cheer taking place around Wandi, with a special appearance from our resident therapy dog, Triya!

We wish you and your loved ones a joyful and restful festive season, and a hopeful, relaxing, and fulfilling 2026. Wandi Nerida will continue to support participants over the holiday period. See you next year!

16/12/2025

The weather wasn’t initially on our side – but tomorrow’s forecast is looking sunny with a chance of Skydiving Santas, who are raising essential funds for a very important cause!
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After being postponed due to winds, several dedicated Butterfly and Wandi Nerida staff, along with three exceptional community fundraisers, will tomorrow take the ultimate leap of faith skydiving for Wandi Nerida, Australia’s first residential recovery centre for eating disorders.

Show your support for Butterfly Foundation’s CEO Jim Hungerford, Director of Wandi Nerida Danielle Doughterty, Wandi Nerida Nurse Unit Manager Hannah Beighton, Wandi Nerida Kitchen Manager Nerys Kinnaird, and community fundraisers Nell (Elanor) Gooley, Rhonda Biggs and Greg Biggs by donating now.

Every dollar raised, big or small, can help provide life-changing, intensive residential treatment for eating disorders – severe, psychological illnesses that have one of the highest mortality rates.
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https://skydiving-santas2.raiselysite.com/

29/11/2025

The good news? We've seen a full dress rehearsal of our Skydiving Santas and they did NOT disappoint! They were, however, temporarily grounded by strong winds and will now take flight tomorrow at midday. Please keep those donations rolling in to help more people affected by long-term eating disorders to get the caring, person-centred, specialised care that Wandi Nerida can provide. Let's make recovery a reality. Donate here: https://skydiving-santas2.raiselysite.com/

27/11/2025

Wandi friends... We have just TWO sleeps to go before our Skydiving Santas parachute for purpose to raise vital funds for Wandi Nerida...

Bursting out of the aeroplane gates, we have:

* Jim - Our CEO, not shy of admitting that he is really scared!

* Hannah - recently returned from exploring the globe in time to explore the skies.

* Rhonda and Greg - young-at-heart locals joining us because "it sounded like a fun thing to do" and they wanted to support the Wandi mission.

* Nell - a passionate, regular skydiving enthusiast, who's travelling all the way to Qld from Victoria to take this leap!

* Nerys - Head chef of Wandi and is as keen as the mustard in the cupboard to take the leap.

* Dani - our Wandi Director, doing it for Wandi, but we're not sure if it'll be Dani or Jim who'll be rattling the walls of the aeroplane more with their nerves!

You can watch Jim's personal LinkedIn message about facing his fears below.

We're so grateful to our skydivers for facing their fears (or interstate trips with the whole family!) to join us in this very special event. You can show your support by sponsoring them, or sending them messages of encouragement at https://skydiving-santas2.raiselysite.com/

We're looking forward to a great morning at Stumer's Creek park in Coolum, this Saturday (before the next rains hit!). We'll be sizzling sausages from around 7am, so pop on down and enjoy a snag and a cold drink, or browse our thrifting clothes rack, or other sale items, just have a chat with us. We'd love to see you there!

If you have a fear of heights, you’d agree that participating in skydiving would be completely off the table – but not for Butterfly’s CEO Jim Hungerford! 🦋 We talk to Jim about his decision to get involved in Skydiving Santas, our upcoming fundraising event, supporting Butterfly’s eating...

25/11/2025

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.

Safe. Everywhere. Always. is a call to action to come together and commit to meaningful change. We all have a role to play in making safer spaces for women everywhere and always.

There are many ways in which a woman can be controlled. This includes, but is not limited to sexual, social, emotional, cultural, spiritual and financial abuse, as well as a wide range of controlling, coercive and intimidating behaviour. 2025's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is focusing on “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”. Digital violence includes:

- Image-based abuse/ non-consensual sharing of intimate images – often called revenge p**n or leaked nudes.
- Cyberbullying, trolling, and online threats.
- Online harassment and sexual harassment.
- AI-generated deepfakes such as sexually explicit images, deepfake p**nography, and digitally manipulated images, videos or audio.
- Hate speech and disinformation on social media platforms.
- Doxxing – publishing private information.
- Online stalking or surveillance/tracking to monitor someone’s activities.
- Online grooming and sexual exploitation.
- Catfishing and impersonation.
- Misogynistic networks – e.g.manosphere, incel forums.

If you need help or want to learn more, please visit the following websites -

https://unwomen.org.au/
https://whiteribbon.org.au/
https://1800respect.org.au

23/11/2025

This Saturday, our Charity Event: Skydiving Santas, Wishes for Wandi is taking flight! We can't wait to share this special event with our Santas, our supporters, beach visitors and dog families alike. We'll be holding a sausage sizzle for charity and a small market stall. If you're in the neighbourhood, please do stop by and grab a snag and cold drink, and maybe a treat for you pup too! 🪂

13/11/2025

Today, 13 November, marks the beginning of Transgender Awareness Week 2025.

Transgender Awareness Week is a week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community.

The Inside Out Institute reports that research into eating disorders in transgender and gender non-conforming people is very limited, however the studies that have been completed do suggest a greater incidence of eating disorders in this group than in the general population. Findings suggest that transgender people are more likely than cisgender people to have been diagnosed with an eating disorder or to engage in disordered eating behaviours.

Whilst there is no single cause explaining why some people develop eating disorders, body dissatisfaction is one of the strongest predictors for their development. Transgender people commonly experience body dysphoria, and body presentation is both internally and externally brought to greater attention for transgender people which may result in increased levels of body dissatisfaction.

The Butterfly Foundation’s National Helpline counsellors receive regular LGBTQI+ training and provide free, confidential and non-judgmental counselling, referrals and information. Contact their hotline at 1800 33 4673, or head to their website https://butterfly.org.au/

For some amazing resources visit -

https://www.minus18.org.au/

https://www.lgbtiqhealth.org.au/

https://www.acon.org.au/

https://twenty10.org.au/

https://qlife.org.au/

https://www.transhub.org.au/

06/11/2025

Search engines say people skydive for "the thrill of freefall, personal challenge, community connection, and the unique perspective of the world." If you've skydived before, you might have been mesmerised by the sight of the curve of the earth, or laughed as your cheeks flapped in the wind, or thought you'd never felt more alive! We can't wait to hear what our Skydiving Santas will say about their jump on 29 November on the Sunshine Coast. Will you join them in this once in a lifetime chance to jump (and fly!) as a Skydiving Santa? Help us bring end-of-year hope to the 100 people who die each month from the impact of eating disorders. Fun and adventure awaits! Will you join them? Register now! https://skydiving-santas2.raiselysite.com/

03/11/2025

Have you ever heard the saying, "No hoof, no horse"?

To the great dismay of many horse lovers, these big, 'single-toed' horses can't survive on three legs. Unlike many other four-legged mammals (such as cats and dogs), if a horse sustains an injury that's severe enough, it will lead to death.

Luckily for Soda, he saw the vet as soon as possible to receive the emergency care he needed to save his hoof and, therefore, his life. He still has a long road ahead to full recovery, but we're still going.

Donate today to help us help Soda. We can't wait to see you back in the paddock soon, Soda!
https://help-fund-treatment-for-beloved-therapy-horse.raiselysite.com/

30/10/2025

Horses are tricky patients because they really don't like being confined in stalls and stables! They're clever, inquisitive animals and need mental stimulation as much as physical. While being in hospital, one of the things Soda has had to help him feel better about being away from his home at Wandi Nerida, and away from his friends, is the chance to play with some horse toys, like this bright, squishy yellow sensory toy! :) If you'd like to help and support Soda's medical bills for his recovery, please head to https://help-fund-treatment-for-beloved-therapy-horse.raiselysite.com/

29/10/2025

WILL YOU JUMP WITH JIM?

I wonder what being 'brave' means to you? In my home, I remind my son that when he's feeling scared, it means he's about to do something really brave!

Butterfly's CEO, Jim Hungerford, has also been thinking about being brave. He just registered to skydive for Wandi, here on the Sunshine Coast, even though he's honestly "quite scared". Why is he doing it? Jim's supporting Wandi Nerida's fundraising event, Skydiving Santas, Wishes for Wandi, helping to raise vital funds for people with eating disorders.

Jim says he's jumping because "everyday people struggling with an eating disorder, people struggling for their life and their future, are finding the courage to reach out to seek help. To make the decision that will help change their life... to make the call on behalf of their child, because they know that if they don’t, they may not have that child in the future. And if I’m not willing to face my fears, how can I expect this of them?"

Will you face your fears, too, and skydive for the 100 people who die every month from an eating disorder, and for the many more that are diagnosed? Register to take the plunge and jump with Jim!

If you're unable to jump, you can still support those who do! Visit the Skydiving Santas website and contribute your sponsorship donations to the ones who are parachuting for purpose.

Every dollar raised goes to helping someone recover, to someone who needs to believe there is still hope for them, and to someone whose life can still be saved.

Please join us for this very special event. Let's send our Wishes for Wandi out in the world and let them fly!
https://skydiving-santas2.raiselysite.com/

27/10/2025

Oh, no! Our beautiful therapy horse, Soda, has had an accident. While playing in the paddock, a sharp stick punctured the sole of his hoof and hit the bone inside. Ouch! :( But Wandi is a place of healing, and we're committed to Soda's healing, too. He needs hospitalisation, vet care, stabling, bandaging and a lot of equine management to get him fully back on his four big feet. Can you help contribute to Soda's recovery journey? Donate today to help get him back to doing what he does best -- providing healing therapy for all our participants here at Wandi. ❤️
https://help-fund-treatment-for-beloved-therapy-horse.raiselysite.com/