We support education initiatives in Victoria, with patience and a long-term outlook.
Patience
Good education work takes longer than a funding cycle. We commit for the long term, measure in years rather than quarters, and stay with the organisations we back.
Partnership
We back people and organisations, not just projects. When we fund, we stay in touch and help where we can.
Stewardship
The foundation carries a family name and a founder's memory. We treat both, and every dollar we grant, with care.
How the foundation came to be
The Wetherall Family Foundation was established as a Private Ancillary Fund in 2018, following the passing of Peter Wetherall. Peter directed a significant part of his estate toward the foundation. His three children, Harry, Olivia, and Victoria, now steward it together as trustees.
Peter's belief in education was not abstract. Growing up in modest circumstances outside Brisbane, he won a scholarship to Brisbane Grammar School, then a Commonwealth scholarship in Mining Engineering at the University of Queensland, and later a Rhodes Scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford. Education shaped his life, and he never forgot it.
The foundation reflects that conviction. We focus on Victoria, where Peter and his family lived, and on small grassroots organisations that larger funders often overlook. We do not fund universities or well-resourced institutions.
Our giving horizon runs to 2057, one hundred years after Peter was born. That is deliberate. Good education work takes time, and we intend to stay the course. If you are working in Victorian education and think we might be the right fit, we would be glad to hear from you.
Peter Wetherall
“Seize the opportunity.”
Peter John Wetherall was born in 1956 and grew up in modest circumstances outside Brisbane. A scholarship to Brisbane Grammar School took him to the University of Queensland, where he graduated with First Class Honours and a University Medal in Mining Engineering. He then went to Balliol College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar, where he read PPE with a focus on econometrics.
His career in finance was distinguished. He began in London with Hoare Govett before returning to Australia, where he became the country's most highly regarded resources sector analyst. In 1995 he founded Wallara Asset Management, which grew to manage more than $4 billion in assets over nearly two decades. He later joined the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust to lead its investments, and served as a Councillor of Graduate House at the University of Melbourne and a director of the Royal District Nursing Service. He was also a generous supporter of the Rhodes Trust and the Geelong Grammar Foundation.
Peter was kind, self-effacing, and sharp without making a show of it. He loved bike riding, rowing, and riding horses in the Victorian high country. He passed away in 2018 at the age of 62. The foundation is his final gift, and the family's way of carrying his values forward.
Kept by the family
Harry Wetherall
Trustee
Victoria Wetherall
Trustee