Parkes man, Ray Barber celebrated his 99th birthday with family this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Frederick Ray Barber (always known as Ray) was born on December 15, 1915, when his parents, Ernie and May (Klein) lived at “Myralee" on the Newell Highway.
Ray's birth was in itself a miracle for that era as he was expected to be born in February.
His parents were visiting family in Parkes when his mother felt unwell.
The bush nurse was called to attend her and Ray was born later that night.
The nurse rubbed him with olive oil, wrapped him in cotton wool, placed him in a shoe box and kept him in her kitchen on an upturned table with wet sheets tied around the legs to form a humidicrib of sorts.
The nurse kept Ray for three months before he was allowed to go home.
Ray and his two older brothers, Stan and Lance, went to the Alectown School, travelling by horse and sulky.
His teachers were Miss Gudgeon, Miss Grange and the Headmaster was Mr Tom Hewitt.
When Ray was 12 years old, the family moved to Baldry, residing at "Emrose" and his schooling continued at the Baldry school.
On leaving school at 15, Ray continued to work with his father and older brothers on "Emrose" sewing bags of wheat with needle and twine before the wheat was carted to Molong.
The family continued to farm "Myralee", droving sheep along the road between the two properties.
Ray married Myrtle Budd in 1941 and they set up their home at "Emrose" Baldry where they raised their family, Margaret (Reeves), Lawrence (deceased), Neville (in Victoria) and Lynette (Reid, Bungendore).
In 1982, Ray and Myrtle moved back onto "Myralee" and have resided on that property since then.
Myrtle passed away in May 2014 and since that time Janette Barber, Lawrence’s widow has stayed with Ray at "Myralee".
- - - -
Ray actually made the news a few years ago when he refused to leave the property when the Alectown fires took off in 2006.