After 26 years with the Wingham Memorial Services Club, 17 of them as the club's manager, Barry Murray is moving on to new challenges.
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Wednesday, May 22 is his last day of employment at the club. On Monday he starts work as the new manager at Taree Aquatic Club.
"I think it was time," Barry said. "This is an opportunity that is probably good for both myself and the Club, to get a new person in with new ideas. It's a new challenge and a different scenario. The Aquatic Club has got a few plans about where they want to go in the future and that's attracting me as well."
He's seen a lot of changes through the years, some of them positive and some of them highly challenging.
"This is an opportunity that is probably good for both myself and the club, to get a new person in with new ideas."
- Barry Murray
Highlights for Barry are what he calls the "subtle" improvements he has made to the club - the front balcony that was erected when smoking laws came in to effect in 2007, and internal renovations over time.
He's also proud of "the support we've been able to give the community over the years since I've been here. It seems to grow each year."
The challenges have mostly been the introduction of new laws and regulations - GST, random breath testing, no smoking, and more recently having to introduce programs for handling money laundering and counter terrorism financing.
I'd like to thank the community who welcomed me here in the first place.
- Barry Murray
Barry says he has loved working in Wingham.
"I'll miss the staff. A lot of them they've been here, I've seen them have kids, I've seen the kids now become young adults. And I'll miss the people and the area - it's a friendly outlook.
"I'd like to thank the community who welcomed me here in the first place. Also for the ride, there's been some ups and downs but the ups certainly outweigh the downs.
"I wish the Club all the best."
Julia Driscoll
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
