By Deborah Sugirthakumar
Learning does not stop when we leave school. It does not stop when we finish university, start a career or become parents. Learning is something we can continue throughout our lives. It can give us confidence, help us connect with others and open doors to new opportunities.
This is the idea behind the Wyndham Learning Festival, a week-long celebration now in its second decade. The Festival brings learning into neighbourhoods across Wyndham through free events run by community groups, businesses and individuals. The 2026 theme, ‘Lifelong Learning for a Thriving Future’ is a timely reminder that there is always something new to discover.
What makes the festival special is that learning can mean different things to different people. It may be learning a new skill, exploring technology, discovering a hobby, improving wellbeing, developing a business idea or simply meeting people and sharing knowledge.
Former participant Nawaz Marker describes himself as a lifelong learner and says he was grateful to the festival for giving him the opportunity to learn across “so many diverse fields of interest.”
For Nawaz, the festival was not just about gaining knowledge. It also created new opportunities. He says the festival introduced him to different learning avenues, including eye-opening sessions about artificial intelligence. Hosting an event through the festival also gave him renewed confidence after moving to Australia, and even helped him gain new clients.
His experience shows why lifelong learning can be so valuable. Learning can help people feel more confident, especially when they are starting a new chapter in life. It can help us adapt to changes in technology and the workplace, while also encouraging us to try things outside our comfort zone.
The experiences shared by other festival participants tell a similar story. One attendee described the program as “diverse, easily accessible” and said they enjoyed and benefited from every event they attended. Another participant learnt basic sewing and how to use a sewing machine, while others discovered new creative activities, meditation, theatre and ways to use ChatGPT for business.
These stories remind us that learning does not always need to happen in a classroom. Sometimes it happens when we try something for the first time, meet someone with a different experience or discover a skill we never knew we had.
Nawaz strongly encourages people who have never attended the festival to take the opportunity. His message is simple: “GO FOR IT!” He believes there is so much to gain, without the financial burden, because the festival provides free learning opportunities for the community.
That is perhaps the greatest strength of the Wyndham Learning Festival. It makes learning accessible to everyone. Whether you are young or old, new to Wyndham or have lived here for years, there is always an opportunity to learn something new.
Learning does not have an expiry date. When we continue learning, we continue growing and when our community grows together, Wyndham becomes a stronger, more connected and thriving place.
The Wyndham Learning Festival takes place from the 1st to the 7th September
