"I know what camp can do"
For the past three years, Barb has sponsored a camper place at Camp Cooinda.
It's not because she knows the young person who receives the support. In fact, she never does.
Instead, it comes from something much deeper: a lifetime spent witnessing the impact that camp experiences can have on young people.
"I have observed for more than 60 years the amazing gift a camp experience provides for a young person's life," she says.
Barb's connection with Cooinda stretches back decades. Through her late husband Ian, her children, grandchildren and many friends connected with the camp community, she has watched generations of young people grow through their camp experiences.
When asked what young people gain from camp, her answer begins with the outdoors.
"I love nature and being outside," she says. "But it's also the way the camp is structured, with working as a group and feeling that support."
For Barb, one of the most powerful aspects of camp is the opportunity it gives young people to discover what they are capable of.
"The kids seem much more able to express how they feel, or to let go of what might have restricted them in the past. Not only get in a canoe and fall out but get on with their life a little more confidently."
She believes many of the lessons learned at camp extend far beyond a week on the Gippsland Lakes.
"Lots of what happens at camp is about doing things together and relying on each other. That is a wonderful life skill."
When asked why she chooses to sponsor an assisted place, Barb is clear.
"There are lots of things in life that I think everyone should have if we can make it possible. Every child should have a broad enough experience and something to help them with life."
She sees camp as something that not every family can easily access, but something every young person should have the opportunity to experience.
"If they're not getting it elsewhere, I'd like to help them."
For Barb, donating is also about trust.
Over many years she has seen the dedication of the volunteers, the training that leaders undertake, and the care that goes into creating a safe and welcoming environment.
"I trust the people who are involved. I know the training that goes into it. I know the care and safety that's taken."
Each year, Camp Cooinda receives donations that help fund assisted places for young people who might otherwise miss out. Donors receive no personal details about the campers they support but occasionally hear how a sponsored place has made a difference.
When Barb received one such story, she admits it moved her deeply.
"I sat there and wept," she says.
Yet she doesn't need to know who the young person is.
"I don't need to know the specific person. I know what camp can do."
That's perhaps the simplest explanation of why she continues to give.
She has seen the friendships, confidence, independence and growth that camp can foster. She has watched her own family benefit from those experiences. And she wants other young people to have the same opportunity.
As Barb puts it:
"It is a gift. It's a gift to the child who goes. It's an experience they can't get anywhere else."