The Coolaroo story
In 2021, Janie Forrest and her daughter Olivia started Coolaroo Foundation as part of their family’s legacy, but the story behind it begins decades earlier, on opposite sides of the world.
A childhood on the land
Founder and Chair, Janie Forrest, grew up on a remote merino station in WA’s Pilbara region.
The station way of life in the ‘60s and ‘70s included riding the deep gullies along the river and playing with her Indigenous friends, “blissfully unaware,” as she puts it, of how different their futures might be.
Janie went on to pioneer one of Australia’s first alpaca studs.
That work took her and her young family to Peru’s Altiplano region for a year of research in 2001.
There, she watched her own children do what she had done as a child: play and ride horses with their Indigenous friends. This time she saw the disparity clearly.
“Growing up and raising children in remote and wild corners of the world, we learned the power of truly tuning into the places we live in and the people and creatures around us,” Janie says. “We also learned much about the great disparities there can be in life.”
The impact of that time stayed with her.
In 2021, after years of private giving, she founded Coolaroo Foundation with her daughter Olivia to do something about it. Coolaroo Foundation now continues the family’s commitment to supporting regional and rural communities and environments.
“We’ve established this foundation as a family to find and connect with new people and new ideas to address some of these inequities,” explains Janie.
A name that means home
Coolaroo is the family property in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, and for Janie, her children and her mum, it’s a soulplace, their Pacha Mama.
It holds memories of horseback antics and countless tumbles, and of getting back on again.
It’s where the family learned about courage, resilience and about looking after each other.
As Olivia puts, “Coolaroo, the land, hills and farm where we have grown up, is a magical place full of memories, life, love and opportunity.”
What we hope to achieve
‘Our focus is people and places, and the connection between them.
That means safety for women, children and families, strengthening futures for young people, protecting biodiversity and habitat, and growing food that nourishes both people and planet’, Olivia says.
Coolaroo Foundation works to empower regional and rural communities in Australia, with a special focus on the Shoalhaven region on the South Coast of NSW.
What drives us
“We want to create paths for people who may be remote from city amenities, schools and universities, or who may find themselves needing help in challenging times, places or circumstances,” says Janie.
Caring for people also means caring for where they live.
“The lands we live upon, and the flora and fauna who share these spaces, all need our care,” Janie says. “We seek to connect with those who understand and nurture our natural and rural environments.”
“We are so excited at this chance to collaborate with and support wonderful organisations working hard to build fairer communities and a healthy planet.”
If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
Visit our FAQ page to learn about our grantmaking approach or submit a grant enquiry.
“We’ve established this foundation as a family to find and connect with new people and new ideas to address some of these inequities.”