”Spirit of adventure” would be the best three words to describe Barbara. While she doesn’t like to talk about herself or boast about what she’s done, she has many wonderful stories to tell.
Barbara has spent most of her life in Goulburn, where she grew up.

In her earlier years, she worked as an Administration Officer for the Legacy organisation, which she enjoyed due to the independence that the role offered and not having to worry about office politics.

She has a close relationship with her children, who she calls her “greatest achievements”. Both her children have battled and survived cancer diagnoses, and she feels immensely lucky to have them and her ten grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.

Barbara fondly remembers her second marriage as one of the happiest times of her life. She and her husband loved to travel together, with some of Barbara’s favourite places to visit being Cuba, Israel, London, and the Taj Mahal in India. Barbara also loves to travel with her daughter, and hopes to be able to return to London with her for a ‘pre-dementia adventure’ – as they coined it. In particular, they would love to visit the castle where Downton Abby was filmed, as they are big fans of the show!

COVID made travelling far more difficult, but Barbara feels very lucky to have been able to visit so many different places, and can now cherish those memories forever. She believes everyone should travel so they can experience everything the world has to offer, and appreciate how other people live and what makes us different.

Barbara strongly believes that we should all celebrate our differences, because it’s what makes life interesting. “Just be kind to one another, and watch how the world changes,” she says.
Barbara has lived at Warrigal Goulburn since it opened nine years ago, and has even been the Village President for some time. She says it’s fantastic having the community around her, and everyone in the village is very considerate of others around them. Social bus trips, BBQs, happy hours and fish and chips make for a great social scene, and a fantastic way to find company! She’s never starved for options as you can easily fill your day.