Barbara Robinson born 26th April 1934 in Gateshead near Newcastle in England to parents John Alexander Robinson and Sylvia Hannah Armstrong who married in 1924. Barbara the youngest of three daughters, eldest Sylvia born 1925 and Jean in 1927. Barbara recalled walking miles to school in the snow. She said it was so deep her Mum had to sew sheepskin onto the top of her boots to stop them filling up.
She attended Rockingham Road school for girls before relocating to Australia in 1948. She and her family sailed out on SS Asturias settling into their family home at Lakemba NSW.
Barbara enrolled at Bankstown Girls school to complete her leaving certificate before embarking on her working career starting out as children’s dressmaker. Deciding she did not like making handmade buttonholes she decided to try out hairdressing. After 2 years of hairdressing she took on work along Castlereagh St and Elizabeth St in the city of Sydney.
Whilst working in the drycleaning business she met Joseph John Humphreys whom she married at Saint Andrews Church in Lakemba NSW in 1954. Barbara recalled that she has no pictures from her wedding as the photographer didn't show up as arranged!
In 1960 she welcomed their first child together a daughter named Donna, soon followed a son named John Alexander in 1961 as he was the spitting image of his grandfather who sadly passed that same year. A few years passed before welcoming their second daughter and final family member Tina in 1967. She continued to work fulltime leaving the drycleaning business after sixteen years.
Barbara started her own house cleaning business often taking Tina with her on jobs whilst Donna and John attended school. During this time her marriage broke down and with her two daughters in tote moving for a short time to Panania before then moving to the Central Coast NSW.
In 1980 Barbara married Ronald Lloyd Howes where they opened a fish and chip shop at Toukley called “Howes your Fish and Chips”. Wanting to live the simple life she moved to the rural town of Glenreagh in 1992.
Barbara has always been a whizz with a needle and thread where till this day she continues to make clothing and alterations including wedding and christening dresses, her creative soul has created many beautiful artworks using several different mediums including pottery and porcelain, pencils and pastels and fabrics. With a lot of hard work and determination she recreated Donna, Tina and daughter in law Gennine’s wedding dresses into porcelain figurines.
Whilst travelling on a train to Sydney she was seated next a man named Bob Franks, spending hours of talking the always romantic Barbara married her third husband Bob. They moved to her current home in South Grafton NSW.
Barbara has three grandchildren Larissa, Kelly and Lee all who have blessed her with great grandchildren, Ruby, Aurora, Lacey, Thea, Evie and Noah. She spends many hours sitting and watching, conversing, and laughing and being loved by her whole family.
