[1] Barns grew up in Perth in Western Australia, in the 1970s and was a shy child who did not excel in school.
[3] This experience made Barns angry about how many vehicles had already driven past the dead mother and not thought to check that she may have a joey.
In 2007 alone, 75 joeys were brought into the sanctuary, including Roger on 24 May 2007; it was initially thought he would not survive long.
[3] In 2009, after exceeding capacity at the existing site, Barns moved to what is now known as the Kangaroo Sanctuary, funded primarily by donation and entry fees.
[6] In 2014, Barns married Tahnee Passmore[7] and they share their home with a family of joeys.