Centenarian Barbara Wagner has followed a simple but effective mantra all her life, “Always aim to be the best you can”, never wasting a moment during her trailblazing journey to 100.
This advice was passed on to the Resthaven Leabrook resident by her father when she was just a child. Barbara has never waivered from the tip, learning new skills at every opportunity and taking on new and interesting challenges as they came along.
Having just celebrated her 100th birthday on August 22, Barbara’s life was full of the unexpected.
She was influential in the opening up of Australia’s meat export trade with Japan in the 1960s and 70s, and she even visited Japan on several occasions. She was president of the local chapter of a global volunteer movement that advocates for human rights and gender equality, and in one year, visited 23 different countries.
Barbara’s childhood home was at a farm near Cummins on the Eyre Peninsula, almost seven hours away from Adelaide (a trip that would have been even longer in the 1920s and 30s).
One of six girls, there was plenty of horse riding and time spent outdoors with some rudimentary conditions at home.
“I had a wonderful childhood. We had no amenities on the farm, and I think my mother struggled with it a bit having grown up in the city. She was like a fish out of water, but she did very well,” Barbara adds.
All of the children were home schooled by their mother – a former teacher – until the local school opened in 1932. This is where Barbara’s love of learning began. She said it was a fabulous experience.
Like all Australians, Barbara was heavily impacted by World War II. She spent four years in military service, serving with the Australian Army Medical Women’s Service (AAMWS).
“I was secretary to (medical practitioner and public-health administrator) Sir Harold Wunderly,” Barbara says.
“He was a brilliant man and very inspiring. I remember when I left the service, he asked me if I was going back to the farm. I said I was, and he looked at me, shook his head and said ‘What a waste’. He wanted me to study medicine. He was such a wonderful man and such a pleasure to work for.”
While Barbara didn’t pursue medicine, she was inspired by Sir Wunderly’s comments. She went on to study accounting and medicine, earning employment at Metro Meat Co, one of the most successful meat processing companies in the State.
Barbara’s background and knowledge from the farm, as well as her new credentials in economics, saw her excel in the company, and she became Executive Director of the Export Division.
“As a female, I wasn’t allowed the title ‘manager. When I left that position, they gave the job to a man (who didn’t have the experience or education I did) and he became ‘manager’ immediately. It really irked me,” she adds.
“It was the only case of discrimination I came up against that I could not change while I was in the role.”
While she was in this position, the head of the company sent her to Japan on a business trip.
“The trade with Asia was just opening up. There was a bit of flak from others that they were sending a woman, but my boss said to everyone ‘They want us to send the best, and she is the best!’. It has been wonderful for me to see how women have gained greater power in the workforce and in government over the years.”
Barbara went on to work at the Newsagents Association of South Australia, eventually gaining entry to the local Chamber of Commerce. Here, she wasn’t even allowed to stay for lunch because it was “just for men”.
In addition to her paid work, Barbara also volunteered with Soroptimist International, a group that promotes grassroots projects to help women and girls achieve their individual and collective potential. Barbara helped to establish the Federation of the South West Pacific group, breaking away from the Great Britain and Ireland group.
She later became the President of the Southern Districts of Adelaide chapter. In this capacity, she attended the Soroptimist International meeting in Singapore in 1983. This wasn’t even her first trip to Singapore: in 1970 she spent 10 months visiting 23 countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Iran, England, the United States of America, and Canada.
“My favourite place to visit was Canada,” Barbara says. She has been there a quite few times as that’s where her sister, Judy, lives.
Family always played an important role in Barbara’s life, too. They all moved to Adelaide together following the war, and Barbara lived with and looked after her parents until they both passed away.
“They were both wonderful parents who brought me up with a sense of clear responsibility,” Barbara says.
Her father’s advice also remained a constant throughout life, as she recounted he once said to “Never be late for work and never leave early – always give the boss a bit more of your time.”
But there was still plenty of time for fun, and an active spirit has no doubt helped Barbara reach 100. She has been a member of the Mount Osmond Golf Club for 70 years and was a passionate waterskier, tennis player, softballer and netball.
Retirement saw some of her hobbies evolve as Barbara took on wood carving, tapestry and more.
“I think I did just about every course the WEA offered,” Barbara laughs. Coincidentally, Barbara’s wood carving teacher now also resides at Resthaven Leabrook. He has checked in on her work and says she progressed a lot further than the skills he taught her.
No matter the task, she has strived to be the best she can be!
“I’ve done lots of things I wanted to do. Many people don’t get around to doing everything. I have seen many changes over my lifetime and am proud to have played a part in positive change,” she says.
I love to hear and read stories about string independent women just like Barabara. Without women like her women would still be left behind.