Barb and David Rugendyke recognised with an Order of Australia

The Cobargo couple are well known in the community after retiring to the to the area 13 years ago, and are now being recognised for their countless years of foster care work, as well as David's voluntary work around the region.

READ MORE ABOUT THE RUGENDYKES: Cobargo family has looked after over 400 foster care children

Upon hearing they'd been nominated the Rugendykes were shocked, unsuspecting of the accolade and Barbara not used to being in the spotlight.

"I'm pretty quiet," Barbara said. "My first thought was 'This a scam, just ignore it don't open it'. Then I read a bit further and saw The Governor Generals seal and said 'I don't think this is a scam you know?"

Later on when they found out they'd been awarded the prestigious OAM, they couldn't contain their excitement.

"We were wrapped. We wanted to tell everybody, we were so excited about it," Barbara said.

"The happiness I get from the children is my motivation to continue with my work as a foster carer. I love the children."

The pair started fostering 30 years ago while raising their family in Canberra, and haven't slowed down, with three kids still currently in their care.

"It's probably closer to 500 kids by now but we don't count them anymore," Barbara said. "We stopped counting at 400," David chipped in.

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While Barbara always had an affinity with kids, it was the suggestion of their own daughter Wendy that got the Rugendykes to start fostering.

"I was in the police force at that time and always saw the need for foster care but didn't say anything. One day our middle daughter who was 14 at the time said why don't we do foster care. She spoke up and that's what started it," David said.

While busy fostering, the power couple have also have their work cut out keeping up with the kids of their own.

"We've got five biological daughters, 30 grandchildren, one great grandchild, four adopted children and 5 long-term foster children," Barbara said.

While she can remember all the close ones, Barbara did admit that the 400 plus was a stretch.

"I remember a lot of them and certainly things will spark in your mind and you'll think, that's was that one," she said.

"I remember one little bloke looked like Paul Newman, Tommy - he was a lovely little fella," David said.

As well as his foster care work, David Rugendyke's OAM also recognised his work in the community - heavily involved in many voluntary local initiatives and groups such as the Cobargo's Rural Fire Service.

READ MORE ABOUT DAVID:

"I was down at the fire-shed, and our son was as well. The crews were going out Wandella and Yowrie evacuating people and I was at the fire shed recording people and where they were going and catering as best I could," he said.

All the while, Barbara was asleep at their Cobargo home which would be burnt to the ground just hours later.

"I lost my marbles after that, we both did," David said, Barbara chipped in "and he's probably got three quarters of them back!"

Citing some tough years and mental struggles following the fires, Barbara noted that the constant that kept some type of sanity in her life was foster care.

"We were living in that little three-bedroom tin shed so we had our little adopted daughter who was eight. And every few weekends we had little twin girls come and stay with us as well.

"It was the one thing that I wanted to keep doing because it normalised my life a bit more. Everything was gone. There was nothing left - no anchors to hold you down.

"Doing foster care, looking after those little ones, it made me feel as if I was still doing something. As if I was still the same person," she said.

Barbara also acknowledged former OAM recipient and Mental Health consultant Kate Tonacia OAM as a big help with navigating life after the fires.

"Kate assisted us greatly after the 2020 bushfire and has become a lifelong friend."

Proud to receive the medal, Barbara said she wanted to acknowledge the work of all foster carers.

"They all deserve it and they all know how hard it is sometimes."

"Sometimes it just really does you in and you think - 'No I don't want to do this anymore, I've had enough of people telling me what I can and can't do with children I look after all the time'. But you get over it, you get over the bumps and you sort it all out, and then you keep going." she said.

"Everybody does their little bit of charity and it's sort of how we look at giving back to the community," David said.

"We can do this and we enjoy doing this."

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