Wingello may seem a little out of town for some but not so far for Barbara Mitchell.
Barbara chose to live in this lovely little village after having moved from Sydney.
Far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city would seem like an unusual choice for some but not so for Barbara. She chose Wingello on purpose because of the peace and quiet and the immediate access to the freeway that it offers so that if she does need to travel she is reasonably close.
Travel is a pastime that Barbara has most definitely availed herself of over the course of the last few years.
When, at the age of 41, she was devastated by divorce, she was determined not to “lie down”.
Barbara was very determined to get up and get on with her life.
“I could either sink or swim,” said Barbara, “I decided to swim”.
She went backpacking; she travelled the Nile on a Felucca and went on Safari in Africa.
When she worked, she worked to finance her travel.
Many thought that she was a little crazy for backpacking “at her age” but that did not stop her.
When she returned from her backpacking adventure she was offered a job as a tour guide and then a year later was offered a position in Los Angeles, also working in the travel business.
She became so intrigued with the American way of life that she decided to plan a trip throughout the U.S. She would take on this adventure and travel in a motorhome.
She is one who “will never say die - never give up” and was certain that this adventure would come to fruition. When asked to speak at Toastmasters she gave them an address on the trip that she was planning.
Toastmasters encouraged her to speak on what she knew and she had planned her trip so well that she knew exactly what she wanted.
She impressed the Area Governor of Toastmasters so much that he and his wife asked if they could join her on her travels.
It was an interesting experience driving such a large motorhome “with the steering wheel on the wrong side, and having to drive on the wrong side of the road.”
The Home was decorated with Australian signs and they were received very warmly on their travels and made many new friends.
After they returned home she was offered a position in Real Estate. This was a position that she contemplated for some time before finally succumbing and giving it a go.
Whilst she was married she had experience in owing her own business in the field of trucking and squash courts.
Barbara had been an excellent squash player in her younger years and was a founding member of the NSW Squash Association being quite a competent second grade player.
Not only did she start working in Real Estate she also took on the challenge of selling the Art Deco units in the Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay area.
To make sure that she did the best she could she studied the architecture of the area and joined the Art Deco Society. Barbara organised walks through the area highlighting the buildings. On her first walk the police thought that the 140 people were staging a demonstration rather than going for a leisurely walk to take in the charm of Art Deco. So keen was her interest in Art Deco that she was the Australian Representative to the first World Conference held in Florida in 1991.
After a while she took over the franchise of the Richardson and Wrench office in Double Bay.
Barbara encourages women to get out and attempt new things.
She encourages them by example. Always one to take on a new challenge, master it and move on Barbara believes that “the worst thing a woman can do is stay in one job too long”.
“People skills come from getting out there and making mistakes” It is important, of course to learn from your mistake but just as important is not to dwell on those mistakes and the need to move on.
“It’s funny the thing you get into” said Barbara whose most recent venture is a business in Marulan. She went to store her belongings and ended up buying the business. Always one to make improvements she has increased the number of storage units from 8 to 120.
If there is something she wants then she enjoys learning how to make it.
To some extent this is a practice she put into place when having her house build in Wingello. She knew what she wanted and she knew that it needed to have a resale appeal if ever she decided to sell. Not one keen on mowing the lawn she had her garden designed so that there was minimal lawn on her one-acre block.
Barbara is concerned that many women are too busy working on life’s necessities that they lose sight of their desire to do what they want.
Women need to slow themselves down and do what they want to do.
Barbara says “I haven’t done anything spectacular” but she definitely has done many things.
“I came here to retire,” said Barbara who hasn’t stopped since she moved down here.
She has travelled through 60 countries and still has a desire to travel more.
Future travels, however, will be more about meeting people than seeing sights.
Barbara is concerned that there are far “too many negative women” and that they should get out and do what they want to do.
It is much easier to be negative than to take positive steps in a positive direction.
When Barbara got divorced she could easily have sat around feeling sorry for herself but she felt it was time to get up and do what she wanted to do.
“A woman doesn’t have to give up,” said Barbara and she is definitely one to live by that.
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