Mate's Gift

01/11/2026

Emma’s turn in our little Mate’s Gift crew interviews!

Emma has been part of our Hairy Hounds Playground family for many years now and is also on Mate's Gift board, so having her join us on this journey was extra special.

Emma has put so much time and energy into helping us fundraise and support the work we do, often from behind the scenes back home in Melbourne.

But this time she got to see it all firsthand. All those fundraising efforts, all the hard work and all the support coming together to make a real difference to the lives of animals and the communities we work with.

It’s one thing to help make something happen from the other side of the world, but quite another to be standing right there, seeing the animals receiving care and meeting the wonderful people who make these clinics possible.

We absolutely loved having Emma along, sharing these experiences with her and seeing her get to enjoy the results of so much of her own hard work.

Here’s Emma sharing a little of her experience with Mate’s Gift.

2026 Mate's Gift Fundraising Tour

31/10/2026

Next up in our catch up videos with our Mate’s Gift crew interviews is Agung, one of our very special friends.

Agung is originally from the local area, which makes having him join us for our clinics even more special.

One of the things we love most about these journeys is the friendships we’ve made along the way, and Agung is certainly one of those people who has become very dear to us.

It’s wonderful having him as part of our crew, sharing the experiences, the laughs and everything that comes with our clinic days.

We’re so grateful for his friendship and love having him alongside us.

Here’s a little chat with Agung about his experience with Mate’s Gift.

2026 Mate's Gift Fundraising Tour

31/10/2026

We had a bit of fun catching up with our crew during the Mate’s Gift clinics, doing little interviews to hear about their experiences, how things were going and some of the memorable moments along the way.

In this one, Sarah and Declan chat about one of our patients who decided to follow us on our walk to the clinic.

Apparently some patients are quite happy to make their own way to their appointments!

2026 Mate's Gift Fundraising Tour

25/10/2026

And for those already asking when we’re doing it all again! 😂

We’ve got a very small journey to Thailand in February, followed by two journeys to Bali in 2027, both with limited numbers.

We’re especially excited that several of our 2026 guests are coming along again next year. It’ll be wonderful to have some familiar faces and that fabulous adventurous spirit joining us!

And yes, Sumatra is happening again in October 2028. The list is already filling up, so apparently some of you haven’t had enough of us yet! ❤️

💚💚🐾🐾

Pete's Mission Journey - Northern Thailand

25/10/2026

And just like that, our 2026 Mate's Gift Fundraising Tour has come to an end! ❤️

And what a wonderful journey it was.

We’ve been thinking about how to put into words just how much this experience meant to us, and it really comes down to one thing. The people.

You can spend twelve months putting a journey together, choose the most beautiful places to visit and organise some incredible experiences, but without the right people to share it with, it’s just another tour.

And this was never just another “tour”.

To our extraordinary bunch of guests, thank you for being brave, adventurous, open minded, kind, supportive and such incredibly good sports!

You embraced everything Sumatra threw at you. The early mornings, long days, bumpy roads, heat, unexpected surprises and all the wonderful chaos that comes with travelling through this beautiful part of the world.

You stepped outside your comfort zones, went with the flow, had a laugh and threw yourselves into every experience.

But what made us happiest was watching the way you treated each other and everyone we met along the way.

The friendships, kindness, patience, encouragement and genuine respect were just beautiful. There was always someone ready to lend a hand, share a laugh, offer a hug or help someone who needed it.

And you certainly weren’t afraid to roll up your sleeves!

Together we supported local communities, experienced wonderful traditions, made new friends and helped hundreds of animals.

Seven days of sterilisation clinics, 283 animals sterilised, community projects, jungle adventures, beautiful villages and some truly wonderful people who welcomed us into their homes and communities.

And amongst all that, we certainly managed to have plenty of fun!

There were birthdays, music, dancing, laughter, a few happy tears and an enormous amount of love.

And then, to finish it all off, a wedding on Mate’s birthday!

Our Mate's Gift family grew even bigger when friends and family joined us at Lake Toba for the wedding celebrations, including our much loved Tangkahan family and loved ones from Australia.

Having everyone together for those final few days was something we’ll treasure forever. There was singing, dancing, swimming, eating, drinking and enough laughter to last us until the next journey!

That’s what makes these journeys so special. Helping animals and supporting communities will always be at the heart of Mate’s Gift, but bringing people together and forming friendships that continue long after everyone goes home is something pretty wonderful too.

We hope you’ve all come home with wonderful memories, a greater love for Sumatra and the knowledge that you genuinely helped make a difference.

To everyone who was part of our 2026 journey, thank you for caring, getting involved and making it so much more than we could ever have planned.

The places were beautiful and the experiences unforgettable, but the people made it extraordinary.

And if there’s one thing we’ll take away from this journey, it’s just how much love, kindness and joy a wonderful bunch of people can bring into each other’s lives.

With all our love,

Your Mate’s Gift family 💚💚🐾🐾

20/10/2026

As our Mate's Gift fundraising journey comes to an end, we want to say a HUGE thank you to our wonderful friends Carli and Agung from Exploring Sumatra.

Your friendship, support, endless assistance and all the work behind the scenes have meant so much to us. We simply couldn’t have made this journey as wonderful and successful without you both.

We’re so grateful for everything you’ve done, but even more grateful for our beautiful friendship. And what better way to finish than spending a couple of days enjoying some well earned downtime together!

We also want to give a very special thank you to all the wonderful local businesses and people who helped make our time at Lake Toba so memorable.

A huge thank you to the TABO Cottages team, the Phinisi Lagundi boat crew, Kasa Bakery, our fabulous becak drivers, Laster Jony’s Guesthouse, Ebikel Restaurant Home Made Pizza, Ando Sipayung from Pondok Kreatif in Parapat and his fantastic band, and our lovely local guide Roy.

From the delicious food and wonderful music to the boat adventures, cultural experiences and countless laughs, you’ve all played a part in making this journey so special.

One of the most beautiful things about our Mate’s Gift journeys is the friendships we make, the local communities we get to know and the wonderful people who welcome us with open arms.

Thank you for looking after our crew, sharing your beautiful corner of Sumatra with us and helping us create memories we’ll treasure for years to come.

Terima kasih banyak to each and every one of you! 🐾🐾💚💚

🇮🇩 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗔 🇮🇩
Selamat Hari Minggu – Happy Sunday! Here’s the latest from Sumatra.

𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘
🌧️ It’s hard to see through the haze quite what the sky is looking like beyond grey, but it’s been mostly dry for us this week, with a few light daytime showers and the odd torrential overnight burst. More wet weather is expected in the week ahead (for the northern regions of Sumatra).

𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦
We’ve had a busy, fantastic week with the Mate's Gift team, who are just winding up their tour here in Lake Toba. There have been cultural experiences, scenic scooter (& becak) trips, animal welfare support days, boat cruises, and a tonne of amazing food and great music.

A big thanks to the local businesses and people who made this trip extra special: The TABO Cottages team, Phinisi Lagundi boat crew, Kasa Bakery team, our lovely becak drivers, Laster Jony's Guesthouse team, Ebikel Restaurant Home made Pizza, Ando Sipayung from Pondok Kreatif, Parapat & his fantastic band, and our lovely local guide, Roy. This week was incredible because of all the talent and hard work here in Tuktuk & beyond. Terima kasih/mauliate to you all.

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗔 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦
⛰️ Mount Sibayak in Berastagi is closed for hiking activities from until 15 November. Authorities state that time is needed to improve hiking routes and infrastructure, as well as allow the natural environment a rest and time to regenerate.
💨 Sadly, smoke from fires in southern Sumatra has been particularly intense this week. Most of Sumatra Island has been blanketed in pretty thick haze, which is also affecting nearby countries like Malaysia and Singapore.

Air quality throughout the entire region ranges from unhealthy to toxic, and millions of people are suffering as a result. The independent forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas reports that 900,000 hectares have been burned throughout Kalimantan & Sumatra.

We have no words to convey how immense and tragic the scale of this disaster is – but please, research what’s happening and spread awareness if possible.

That’s it from us this week. See you next time – sampai jumpa lagi.

18/10/2026

We finished off our weekend up at Toba Animal Friends Sumatra delivering bags and bags and bags of goodies to help make life a little easier for our dog and cat friends 🐾🐾💚💚
Thanks to all who joined and clipped and bathed and sorted and helped with cuddle time
🐾🐾💚💚

2026 Mate's Gift Fundraising Tour

18/10/2026

Parasailing fun!!!

2026 Mate's Gift Fundraising Tour

17/10/2026

With just one more day left of our Mate’s Gift fundraising journey, we certainly know how to finish with a bang!

And what a special day it was!

We had our very own private ferry, a fabulous live band, beautiful food and, most importantly, the most wonderful company!

We set off across the magnificent Lake Toba to visit the stunning Situmurun Waterfall, part of the UNESCO Toba Caldera Global Geopark. This beautiful waterfall is particularly special because its waters tumble straight down into Lake Toba. What a spectacular place to spend the day!

There was swimming, singing, dancing, plenty of eating and drinking, and so much laughter. The music barely stopped, and neither did we!

After all the hard work, long days and incredible experiences we’ve shared over the past few weeks, it was just lovely to spend a day relaxing, celebrating and enjoying each other’s company.

What makes these journeys so special isn’t just the work we do or the places we visit. It’s the friendships we make, the memories we create and the wonderful people who become part of our Mate’s Gift family.

A day full of happiness, surrounded by people who have made this journey so incredibly special.

And what a way to celebrate everything we’ve achieved together!

2026 Mate's Gift Fundraising Tour

15/10/2026

More Pea farm happiness 💚💚🐾🐾