Brewarrina Preschool Director honoured in 2019 Queen’s Birthday

In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2019 Ms Frayne Barker has been recognised for service to early childhood education for her contribution to ECEC through her long standing directorship at the Gainmara Birrilee Pre-school, a service dedicated to Aboriginal children in the New South Wales (NSW) community of Brewarrina.

Ms Barker will receive a medal (OAM) in the general division and is the only recipient of an honor for services to early childhood education and care in this years list.

Ms Barker is a Ngemba Aboriginal woman who after completing her Early Childhood teaching degree at Macquarie University in 1997 returned to Brewarrina where she took up the position of Director at the 25 licence place Gainmara Birrilee Pre-school.

As well as being the long serving director of Gainmara Birrilee Pre-school and actively involved in a range of community focused organisations including the Aboriginal Childhood Support and Learning Organisation, Ms Barker has a strong interest in film and acted as a consultant to the production of the films Mixed Bag and Emu Runner.