Barrie says he never set out to do so much, “but when you get involved in your community, when you live somewhere, it’s natural isn’t it - just to get on and do things”.
One of the many areas in which Barrie has “just got on and done things” in is in local government. He first served as a councillor for what was then Stratford County Council from 1973 to 1977 and again between 1983 and 1989. At that point, it became Stratford District Council, and Barrie continued serving as a councillor there until 1998, with a stint as deputy mayor from 1992 until 1998.
Governance, says Barrie, is something he enjoys, despite the many challenges it can bring. One challenging time he recalls in detail was back in the early ‘80s, when Muldoon was Prime Minister.
“We had really high inflation rates and many of Taranaki’s local authorities were mothballing trucks and staff. In Stratford though, as Stratford County Council, we were going ahead in leaps and bounds.”
The aftermath of ex-tropical cyclone Hilda in 1990 was another challenging time, he says, but his time on the council also came with some “wonderful high points”.
“It was through knowing the then-mayor David Walter that my own interest in local history began to develop. He was wonderful to talk to about it all and it got my interest piqued, and since then, that has been something I have really enjoyed, going to Puke Ariki and reading up on things and doing research.”
The 10 years he spent on the Central Taranaki Employment Trust is another highlight, he says.
“Over that time we placed 200 people in employment. It really made a difference.”
Small communities need strong, good governance, he says, and his desire to speak up for his community lead to many years serving in a variety of roles with Federated Farmers.
It’s been a big part of his life, he says, ever since he first joined in 1958. He started out with roles at the local Cardiff branch, from junior member to secretary and chairman. After Cardiff, he went on to be the Central Taranaki sub-provincial chairman, the Taranaki Provincial president, a Dominion Council member and chairman of the National Transport Committee. Unsurprisingly, Barrie has been made a life member of the organisation he has given so much of his life too.
Barrie also gave his considerable expertise in organisation to the local Air Cadet Corps, something he got involved with when his three sons joined. He became a member of the parents support committee, once again soon finding himself in the chairperson’s seat.
“It’s a time of my life I am proud of, and it’s good to look back and see the Air Cadet unit still going strong in Stratford today.”
Another organisation to have benefited from Barrie’s enthusiasm and skill is Rotary. He is a familiar face - manning the sausage sizzle nowadays, of course - but that is just one small part of the many things the Stratford Rotary club has achieved, a lot of which are largely thanks to Barrie’s personal efforts.
Barrie joined the Stratford Rotary club in 1980 originally, and after having to resign due to him having so many other commitments at the time, he was asked to rejoin in 1995 and has been a member ever since. Over that time, he has been president of the group for over nine years, and was a recipient of the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow award in 2006.
While Barrie is undoubtedly a pro at selling sausages for Rotary, they aren’t the only thing he has sold to help raise needed funds for a project Rotary is involved in. A few years ago, he joined forces with Rotary World Peace Fellow Mary Stanley to sell pashminas, 300 of them in total, to help raise money to supply hand water pumps to Nepalese villages in need.
Throughout all these years, Barrie was also running his own dairy farm out in Cardiff, which remains in the family to this day, and he is quick to acknowledge the support of his wife Dorothy.
“She has always been there, making sure everything runs smoothly and everything happens as it is meant to. I certainly couldn’t have done all the things over the years without Dorothy being here.”
