Barraba Rotary making a difference in our community

Barraba Rotary: A Year of Dedication, Community Spirit, and Lasting Impact

As the Barraba Rotary Club reflects on the past 12 months, it's clear that our commitment to helping locals and supporting community, efforts remains as strong as ever. Through countless hours of volunteered time, generous support from the community, and a spirit of collaboration, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved together.

One of the highlights of the year was welcoming our exchange student, Wakana Nishimura, from Japan. Her placement was made possible through a joint sponsorship with Gunnedah Rotary and in partnership with Tamworth Rotary. Hosting Wakana has been a truly enriching experience for her and our community and a reminder of Rotary’s global connections.

We continued our support of the MHERV (Men’s Health Education Rural Van) and look forward to welcoming it again soon. This service plays a crucial role in providing vital health checks to rural men and woman and saving lives.

Two successful campdrafts were held at Burindi—one in August and another in May—bringing riders and families together to celebrate our regions horsemanship skills. We are deeply grateful to Paraway Pastoral Co. and the staff and management at Burindi for allowing us to hold these events on their properties and for their behind-the-scenes help.

Our support for the arts included sponsoring the ‘Works on Paper’ exhibition at Frost Over Barraba and lending a hand with the street BBQ and creative workshops. We also assisted the Barraba Pony Club, providing meals at their events and the District Jamboree.

When it comes to community events, Rotary was there—managing gates for the Garden Ramble (organised by the Cancer Ladies) and helping out at the Barraba Show. We also catered for a number of local favourites such as the Christmas Tree celebration, Australia Day, and LLS Day.

A new addition to the Rotary calendar this year was ‘Muddy Mayhem’, a fun-filled weekend of cars and mud. We were proud to be involved and handled the catering once again.

Among our ongoing projects is the DM phone collection, where people can donate old mobile phones to support victims of domestic violence. We’re also proud to be part of a quiet but meaningful support initiative where vouchers for the Barraba Beef Butcher and Saunders Fruit & Veg are gifted to locals in need, distributed with care by the ladies at Opportunity Knocks.

Financially, the Barraba community has shown great generosity and trust in Rotary. We contributed to the Air-Cooled Assembly project, including support toward a shipping container. We also sponsored high-achieving students to attend the RYAG Sheep course in Walcha, opening up new opportunities in agriculture.

Internationally, we donated to the School of St Jude in Tanzania, founded by Gemma Sisia. This incredible project has built schools and is now building a university to empower students through education.

Closer to home, we proudly supported Richardson House, providing funding for a new chairlift and four much-needed special beds. We also contributed to the Queensland Flood Appeal, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, and Operation Cleft, helping improve lives through literacy and health care.

None of this would have been possible without the ongoing support of our community. To everyone who attended events, helped out, donated, or cheered us on—thank you. A special thanks goes to the staff and management at Burindi, whose support made our campdrafts possible.

The past 12 months have been a busy and rewarding time for our local Rotary Club, filled with meaningful community involvement, ongoing projects, and exciting new initiatives. With a strong commitment to helping locals and supporting community events, our members have proudly donated their time and energy to a wide range of causes across Barraba and beyond. With a few new members to the Rotary Club of Barraba we are excited for what the next 12 months will bring. With continued commitment, community spirit, and a passion for service, we look forward to another year of making a difference—together.