Mike Barnaby Awarded MBE For Work With ROAD In Romania

1st January 2011

Trustees and members of ROAD are absolutely delighted that Lincoln based Optometrist Harold (Mike) Barnaby, (78)  has been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list for services to visually impaired people in Lincolnshire and overseas in Romania and India.

On hearing that he was to be awarded the MBE Mike Barnaby, who has been an optometrist for 55 years, said: “When the letter came I struggled to accept it was actually for me. I was quite shocked. People here take glasses and things like that for granted. Going to Romania is like stepping back in time. I spend a lot of my time in the very poorest villages. Helping people to be able to see what is in front of them again is really very rewarding.”
It has been our privilege to work in partnership alongside Mike for a number of years and witness first-hand the joy of very poor Romanian children, adults and pensioners undergoing eye tests and being provided free of charge with glasses by Mike enabling them to see or read properly for the first time in many years.
Opening a person’s eyes not only enables them to see clearly, it opens opportunities for employment and enables some people to provide for their families when before they could not do so. Eye tests and glasses are available in Romania, but are beyond the means of the poorest people.
Over the years literally thousands of pairs of glasses have been donated to ROAD by people from Lincolnshire. Before being transported to Romania (or India where Mike also does similar voluntary work), Mike Barnaby painstakingly and meticulously categorises them according to their lens strength and type, so they can be accurately prescribed and matched to people according to their need. Mike used to be assisted in this very time consuming task by his lovely wife Josie, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago, the MBE in a way belongs to both of them.
Warmest congratulations Mike. Your MBE is very well deserved and is a fitting tribute to the commitment and kindness of a very special, caring and generous gentleman who we are privileged to call our friend.