Sara Barber

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Sara Barber represented Canada in competitive swimming at multiple international events. Barber was 15-years-old when she swam at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, placing fifth in the 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay with Helen Stewart, Gladys Priestley, and Virginia Grant. She also swam in the 100 metres backstroke and the 100 metres butterfly at the Melbourne Games, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Two years later at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales she was part of the Canadian quartet that won silver in the 4 × 110 yards freestyle relay and bronze in the 4 × 110 yards medley relay.

In 1959 Barber won three silver medals at the Pan American Games in Chicago. In the 100 metres backstroke she finished just one-tenth of a second behind the American swimmer Carin Cone. Barber’s other medals came in the relay events, finishing second in both the 4 x 100 metres freestyle and the 4 x 100 metres medley. One year later she returned to the Olympics for the Roma Games, where she came ninth as part of the medley relay quartet and 13th in the 100 metres backstroke. At the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia, she replicated her results from the previous edition of the Games, once again winning silver in the 4 × 110 yards freestyle relay and bronze in the 4 × 110 yards medley relay.

After retiring from swimming Barber became an outreach worker with the United Church of Canada. In addition to working on local church matters, she travelled all over the world to help less fortunate children, including volunteering at a refugee camp in Thailand and helping to build a school in Nicaragua. In 2008 Barber was honoured with a Peacemaker Award from the YMCA for her commitment to social service.