Cr Race Barstow

First term councillor, Cr Race Barstow, grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, USA and immigrated to Sydney, Australia in the late ‘90s.

Race moved to Maitland in 2002 to raise her family in a location with spacious backyards, sidewalks to ride their bikes on, nearby green spaces and a community they could get to know.

With a background in career development and rehabilitation counselling, Race has dedicated the last 15 years to helping people find meaningful ways to participate in the community. Being Secretary of the Women’s Network Hunter for over a decade and holding leadership roles with Girl Guides NSW, ACT & NT, Race is passionate about supporting women and young people to become leaders.

These passions inspired Race to run for council, and she is excited to help form an informed community, shape our community for the coming generations and provide a fair voice for the people of Maitland. 

‘Maitland has a unique ecosystem where you can live in the community without ever having to go outside of it, but within a matter of minutes be in the Hunter Valley vineyards or the city of Newcastle. It’s beautifully situated, and it’s just one of the many reasons we’re one of the fastest growing regional cities in NSW.’