\"The real program is how people engage — the decisions they make, and what interrupts their day as they think they're going to go and do that. But instead, they go and do that.\" — Amanda Jackes
This is a special one. In this citizens-only episode, Woodfordia Managing Director and Co-founder Amanda Jackes sits down with Harley Breen to answer questions submitted by you, the Woodfordia community. No standard interview format, no curated talking points. The citizens asked the questions and Amanda answered them.
What emerges is a portrait of an organisation that thinks in centuries, not quarters — and a woman who has dedicated her life to building something she knows she won't live to see completed, and who finds that not diminishing but clarifying.
The questions range from the practical to the personal. Can you stay on site after the 2nd of January? Why is the festival in December and not Easter? How does volunteering work for young people? What's the story behind the carved pavers near the tea house? How does Amanda balance authentic relationships with professional accountability? What is Woodford doing to buy the land back, and how close are we?
The episode closes with Harley's own question: you could lead any organisation in this country, probably for more money, and the 500-year plan will outlast you. So why do you do it? Amanda's answer is worth the wait.
This episode is for:
Every Woodfordian who has ever wanted to ask Amanda something directly
Anyone who has wondered what it takes, and what it means, to build something for the long term
People who love this place and want to understand it more deeply
Dive in to hear about:
Why the festival stays in December, and what Woodford is doing to make it more comfortable for those who feel the heat
How volunteering works for young people, what Champions of Woodfordia is, and why the second program is always the more powerful one
The story of the carved pavers: from the Yellow Brick Road at Maleny to the tea house today
The millennial New Year's Eve, the 3 minutes of silence, and Bill's idea to connect 20,000 birthday candles to a flame lit by the Dalai Lama
The Forest of Goodwill: where the campaign is, what the next target is, and why it's the community that's going to get this done
Why the Elders aren't necessarily male — and what we might be projecting on to them
Guernica, found by walking in a Madrid museum without a map
Bill's tenacity, his humour, his generosity — and how that shapes the work today
Why Amanda does this work, and what it means to live a life oriented around purpose
Key topics: Amanda Jackes, Co-founder, Woodfordia, Woodford Folk Festival, Forest of Goodwill, citizens episode, 500-year plan, Bill Hauritz, volunteering, community, folk culture, arts, environment
To come to the Woodford Folk Festival this year visit: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/
FOR MORE:
Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au
Woodfordia: https://www.woodfordia.com
Become a Woodfordian Citizen: https://woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen/
Forest of Goodwill: https://aforestofgoodwill.woodfordia.com/
CREDITS:Host: Harley Breen | Guest: Amanda Jackes | Executive Producers: Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Josh Weier | Video Editing: Nick Haddow | Music by: The East Pointers | Recorded on Jinibara Country | Recorded June 2026
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