Barraba Rotary Club - year in review

The Rotary Club of Barraba wishes to extend Season’s Greetings to all.

I’d like to take this opportunity to let the community know about what we actually do…….and no!  It’s not just bbqs!

Just some recent history. In 2021 when Mike Simpson was the President, he wrote an article that appeared in both the local newspaper and Community News to aim to attract new members to our club. There was some talk at the time that without the addition and help of some new members then the club may fold. 

That announcement I thought would be disappointing to our community, especially as we have the older generation here in Barraba who have had some connections either through their partners or the community work they were involved in over many years. Apparently, The Rotary Club of Barraba was “the one” back in the day! 

I had a pleasant meeting recently in Port Macquarie with 92 year old Graeme Downs (thank you to Jill White who put me in touch with him). Graeme was one of the original members when the club began in 1955. He has passed on a lot of memorabilia that I hope to share in the future with those who are interested. (Thank you to Brian Coote for scanning the documents on a USB stick for safe keeping.) 

In the early years, being invited to be a member of a Rotary Club was seen as an honour. It allowed business connections between members to help aid in community projects and also in overseas aid through Rotary International. Rotary International has 7 areas of help, and by becoming a Rotarian it connects you with a diverse group of professionals who share your drive to give back. Through regular meetings and events we discuss the community’s needs and develop creative ways to meet them. 

Rotary is a global network of over 1.4 million friends, neighbours, problem-solvers and leaders. Rotarians see a world where people unite & take action to create lasting change in ourselves, communities & in the world. 

My introduction to Rotary was a suggestion by Sue Barrass to our Kylie Kallitsis (now Hall) outside Kylie’s Kitchenshop at lunchtime not long after I arrived in Barraba.  “Why don’t you come and join us tonight at The Commercial?"  The next meeting I was given a “Welcome to Rotary” pack, so I guessed I was in! Bryan Barrass (no relation to Sue) was President at that time.

Many of you might remember the sock collection in 2021 where your donations were left at the pharmacy. 791 pairs & 294 singles were collected and Barraba Rotary won the competition in our district. Our competitors were surprised at our achievement. This showed just what can be achieved when goals are set! The Guinness World record of about 110,000 socks hanging on lines stretching for 10km beat the previous record of almost 7,000 socks on 7km and made an entry into the book.

Our signature project for the club is the Burindi Campdraft that is held twice a year. The event started in 1985 with an idea by the late Ron Smith, Sue Barrass’s partner. The campdraft brings regular competitors from all over the countryside, as they are usually following the circuit to compete in as many events as possible in the rural areas. The campdraft is a team effort by all members and it’s a great day out for club members, spectators, competitors and their families. 

Barraba Rotary Club extends their thanks to Shelley, Pip & Lil Steiger for their efforts & expertise with the entries and to Pud & Ruth Puddicombe for providing the cattle and the lovely surroundings at Burindi on the day. This is our major fundraiser for each year and I am proud to list the donations that Barraba Rotary has made during my years of presidency to date.

Barraba PreSchool……………$12,000

Reagan Simpson……………….$700

Brooke McKinnon………………$1,000

St Joseph’s ………….……. ……$1,060

The Claypan………………………$5,000

Westpac Rescue Helicopter  $200

Richardson House.                 $ 10,000

Zahlie Cabot……………………….$700       

Total of …………………………….   $30,660

Thank you to previous and present club members whose hard work contributed to the fundraising to enable these donations. A great effort for an average of only 10 members per year! 

The PreSchool has their Stephanie Alexander garden well on the way and the newly painted undercover area looks great.

The Claypan has their new kiln in action and our club attended dinner there recently as their “thank you” to us.

Richardson House has their shipping container in place, ready to store their excess equipment.

Our 3 young Barraba sportswomen are continuing to do well in their sporting careers.

Our club supports the achievements of our school students at presentation days and this year contributed to the embroidery of the logo on school uniforms.

As members of the Barraba community, I’m sure that you are involved in some way with the list of recipients above. 

We are always looking for new members! If you can’t commit to being a member, then perhaps just being a friend of the club may suit you, and if a certain event interests you then you might be able to help us on the day. There are a several events planned before I hand over the reins, so please contact our club if you would like to help. 

We are hoping for a fun night of Bar-ABBA…cocktails, music, movie & more! (some dancing queens) 

Maybe a BarraBARBIE Q …….with a lot of pink! 

Runaway Bride Competition……where entrants wear their wedding dresses in a race to the finish line.

Keep an eye out for the advertisements.

There is so much more to Rotary, so if you would like to find out more information, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our members. We’d love to hear from you. We meet every second Wednesday at 6.30 pm for a 7pm start at The Commercial Hotel. 

Current members are (in alphabetical order!) Meredyth Bell (President), Tim Bucknell, Ian Cabot, Faye Corin, Rachel Dodds, Steve Ely, Estrella Hamilton, Ian McColl (Treasurer), Dave Penna (Secretary), Mike Simpson, Jill Turland, Alice Wilson, Margot Yeates

Barraba Rotary Club looks forward to welcoming new                 (younger!) members with new ideas. Our aim is to continue fundraising to support projects within the Barraba community and Rotary International through the Rotary Foundation.

There’s so much more that we can do to better serve our community! Our club wishes everyone a very safe and happy Christmas. Be kind to one other and please help those that are in need, not only at this time of the year, but whenever you can. 

Our Rotary motto is “Service above Self” and that’s a good guide for all to follow.

Meredyth Bell

President - Barraba Rotary 

2022-2023 and 2023-2024