Barbara
“As I learned from growing up, you don’t mess with your grandmother.”
–Prince William
How we met
My Barbar. I was the first grandkid and she didn’t want to go by grandma so Barbar got her own special name, just for her. I’ve always loved that my grandparents had their own nicknames, for my grandfather is Grandmax. Barbar is my mum’s mum, or rather Felicity’s mum.
Barbar may not have been the image of your traditional grandma who you’d visit for cookies after school but she was never short on advice. Upon my breakup a few years ago, she uttered the now famous line of ‘either he’ll come good or men are like taxis. There’s always another one on the way.’
Thank you Barbar for showing me how to still love life deep into your 80’s – with swimming everyday and attending university courses to keep your body and mind active! You have always done what you want and that is incredibly admirable. I’m lucky to be your granddaughter. You set off a chain reaction of three generations of travellers!
Get to know Barbara
What would you tell 13-year-old you?
Hang in and it will all work out.
What food could you eat all day long?
Pavlova with cream.
What was the first concert you went to?
We didn’t really have concerts back then but I remember going to the Perth Royal Show with my sister, Norma, who is 10 years older than me.
What are your favourite travel memories?
I hitchhiked to Spain in my youth. When I was 21, a friend of mine and I, we hitchhiked through France. We bought a ticket all around Spain, jumping on and off the train. We would get off the train and meet someone at the station who take you home for bed and breakfast and then off you went again! One Sunday when we got to a station, we went to catch the train but of course because it was a Sunday and we hadn’t looked at the right timetable! Didn’t matter – we stayed another night.
One year with the kids, we had Christmas in England, which was fun. We were living in this gorgeous flat in Queensway. We cooked a turkey and bought all the beautiful stuff in Harrods. We cooked Christmas dinner and for some reason, we had eaten it and everything early so we jumped in the car. We drove all around London and no body was there! Not a car in sight! Everyone was inside having their Christmas dinner so that was quite funny to drive around the quiet streets of London.
On the same trip, we went skiing in Westendorf, Austria and I had great fun helping out with kindergarten ski school by pulling the kids through snow arches!
“Pot of tea – with an extra pot of hot water. So I can get four cups of tea in one go!”
When are you the happiest?
When I go to swimming at water aerobics to see all my friends.
What’s one travel destination would you go back to?
The Amalfi Coast.
What have been the highlights of your life so far?
Getting engaged and married but probably my 21st birthday trip to South Africa travelling around all on my own.
What do you love most about Perth?
River and the sea being so close.
What piece of advice would you give me?
Don’t ever run after a man or a taxi – there’s always another one coming along.
Would you rather be a tiny elephant or a giant hamster?
A tiny elephant – I suppose that’s what I am!
What, to you, is the most pressing issue women face?
This female and male business is silly really. It’s like a war going on or something.
