Dongara 78yo makes final in WA Mother of the Year Award
A 78-year-old Dongara woman who has spent decades fostering children
is a finalist in WA's Barnardos 2014 Mother of the Year Award.
Bobbie Baxter is one of three finalists - alongside Anne Knapp of Northam and Natalie Pereniki of Kewdale.
The winner will be announced on Friday at the State Library of Western Australia, Perth.
Barnardos, a child protection charity, holds the awards to recognise the contribution of mothers.
See Mrs Baxter's nomination profile below:
Bobbie Baxter, 78, has dedicated her life to caring for others.
Her given name is Gloria but her father called her Bobbie, which stuck.
Arriving in Australia from England at the age of twelve, Bobbie lived in Perth and her nurturing started shortly after.
In her early twenties she started taking in pregnant girls, assisting them through their confinement and caring for them and their newborn child.
When these girls were confident they could care for their offspring with the knowledge that Bobbie had instilled in them, they went on their way as a caring mother.
Bobbie and her husband started fostering children in 1986 when their own children had all grown up and left home.
Their first foster child was a three-month-old Aboriginal boy, now 28, who lives in a town close by to his foster mother Bobbie.
Her beloved husband passed away in 2007, however Bobbie continues to foster children.
Mostly indigenous children that come into her care, Bobbie is often given less than 24 hours notice of a child arriving from the Department of Child Protection in Geraldton.
Whether children are in her care short term or long term, the love and care she has for them is paramount in her life.
She feels lonely when there is no child to care for.
Even though Bobbie will be 79 years old next year, her passion and dedication to helping children is as strong as ever.
Bobbie will travel to Bali later in the year where she will work in an orphanage for three weeks.
This humble, unassuming lady is a true inspiration to all those that know her and any child she cares for.
When asked what advice she would give other mothers Bobbie responded; “Look back on your own childhood and go with your heart, every child is different”.
