Margaret Ogden

Margaret Ogden remembers her mother, Betty, as “a very caring woman and a wonderful lady whose life was all about service.” Her mum had a profound influence on the values Margaret still holds dearly today.

Betty shared the same values as Barnardos, and in memory of her mother, Margaret is leaving a gift to Barnardos in her Will. Growing up in a small country town in the English Midlands, Margaret then headed off to university and worked for a year in a hospital as part of her degree. She recalls first meeting the social workers and having a lightbulb moment: “I can do the same as mum and get paid for it”.

A few years after completing post graduate studies in Social Work, Margaret married an Australian and moved to Sydney. Initially she worked for the NSW Community Services Department until she was appointed as a case manager to Barnardos Find-a-Family in 1995 at the newly opened Gosford office.

Margaret has fond memories of her 16 years at Barnardos working with children and their foster carers. “I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved working with the kids in care and met some amazing foster parents. It was more satisfying; we had a smaller number of children on our caseload which meant we had time to really take care of their needs.”

Reflecting on her experience of working with Barnardos, Margaret’s unwavering belief in the organisation is evident: “I trust that Barnardos uses the money well. They’re very professional and have a long history of helping children and changing their lives”.

Since her retirement, Margaret has been volunteering with a number of community groups on the Central Coast, as a continuation of her life of service, just like her mother had done. Margaret’s daughter has adopted those same values and spent some years volunteering overseas.

The values passed onto her from her own mother were key to Margaret’s decision for including Barnardos in her Will. “It’s important to give and I hope my gift will help others”.