A PUBLICATION FOR SOCIETY MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS AND S TA F F
St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.
Newsletter 246 | July-August 2010
Ozanam Lecture The 13th annual Ozanam Lecture was held on 3 June 2010, with Fr Richard Benson CM the special guest lecturer. Fr Benson is a Vincentian Father and member of the Congregation of the Mission in California USA. He spoke to the theme 'Go and Do Likewise! Revisioning the St Vincent de Paul Society for the 21st century’ with the enthusiasm for the mission, faith and thirst for good which were the hallmarks of the Society's foundation. The large crowd gathered Vinnies Youth members (pictured above) enjoyed the at St Francis' Church in evening while Damian Coleridge (right) is pictured with Melbourne enjoyed Fr the 2010 Ozanam Lecture guset speaker Fr Richard Benson and Catherine Collins Benson's passion for the vision of Vincent de Paul and the enthusiasm with which he expressed his ideas. His lecture was followed by a response from VincentCare Victoria Board member, Catherine Collins. Catherine reflected on being ‘a new Vincentian’ as well as discussing the recent changes from St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services to VincentCare Victoria, in both name and vision. "Whilst revisioning, refounding, or whatever the term, must eschew complacency, there is much to celebrate here in Victoria and in Australia as the commitment to sharing the story has actually borne fruit over several years" she said.
NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO KNOW THIS No one should have to know how to keep their whole family warm in winter when there's simply not enough money to pay the energy bills. Yet thousands do. This was the theme of the Society’s Winter Appeal this year, where we asked our donors to help us meet the increasing demands that you see on the ground day after day, week after week. The appeal also included a 16 minute documentary, in which some of the most disadvantaged people in Australia were asked to share their survival strategies. They know things about self-preservation that many of us could never even imagine. Whether it’s a homeless man talking about sleeping in groups because it’s safer or a survivor of domestic violence describing how she would hide food for herself to live on – the documentary features genuine survival strategies and stories of those who have had to know things that no one should have to. View it at www.vinnies.org.au/winter Donations to the 2010 Winter Appeal have exceeded $800,000 which is an increase on last year’s Winter Appeal.
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U P D AT E
State President ’s Update
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BY TONY TOME Dear fellow Vincentians, Volunteers, Staff and Supporters The Winter Appeal closed on 31 August and up to 31 July the appeal was running ahead of last year and our target of $800,000 which is very encouraging. The average donation is up on last year, however, the number of donors is slightly down, and we hope to make this up during August.
YEARS AGO
The Vinnies CEO Sleepout closed on 31 July and raised $411,499 which is fantastic. The event surpassed all targets set and augurs well for next year. By now you should all be aware of the challenges we face this financial year in balancing the budget because of the increase in welfare demand. I encourage all conferences to work with your Regional Council Presidents to keep your welfare expenditure at last year's level. If we all pull our weight we will achieve our goal. Since taking office I have attended Festival Days in Mildura of the Sunraysia Region, in Orbost of the East Gippsland Region, in Ararat of the North West Central Council as well as the North Eastern Central Council meeting in Wangaratta and the opening of the Wangaratta Conference Facility. The July State Council meeting was held in Ararat and it has been a great pleasure to meet so many dedicated Vincentians at these functions and to listen to their enthusiasm, stories, ideas and, in some cases, frustrations. As Michael Thio said in his official speech as President General-elect, "We should use our God given talents to help others and be innovative and think ahead. It can be enriching and rewarding and bring about great manifestation of our practise of Christian charity - our love of Christ and our love for our neighbour; one of the two great commandments of God." With every good wish
Tony Tome State President
Prayers are requested for... Deceased Members, Volunteers, Family and Friends Gerrit Buntsma Ex-President, Ringwood North Conference Dennis Cannon Member, Gisborne Conference Lucy Cary Mother of Paul, Caulfield South Conference Jean Chadwick Member, Kerang/Murrabit Conference Frank Colyer Secretary & Member, Drysdale Conference William Firman Member, Blackburn South Conference Patrick France Member, Kensington Conference Mary Jackson Member, Lilydale Conference Deidre McClure Member, Hawthorn Conference William Maher Ex-member, Blackburn Conference Marie Murphy Member, Laverton/Altona Meadows Conference John Naughton Ex-Member, Malvern Conference Frank O’Connor Ex-President, Queenscliff Conference Kevin Pekin Member, Warrnambool West Conference Jack Potter Member & husband of Mary, Mentone Conference Shiela Reid Member, Wangaratta Conference Peter Riley Member, Ashburton Conference Frank Ryan Ex-President, Springvale North/Mulgrave Conference Margaret Wride Member, Berwick Conference To ensure correct acknowledgement please forward any requests for prayers to Philip Mackey by phone on 03 9895 5837 or email philipm@svdp-vic.org.au.
The Society’s Elisabeth Bond Archives holds many treasures. The following is an extract that appeared in the St Vincent de Paul Society’s fledgling State Council Annual Report in 1910. “In one of the districts visited by some of the Brothers was a case of frequent bouts of intemperance by a woman, who otherwise lived a respectable life with her daughters, the latter most religious and hardworking girls. The woman was not so far gone in the above weakness to have lost the sense of shame, and the visits of the Brothers appear to have had a salutary effect. The lesson to be gained from the above is that where cases of intemperance are to be found, it is suggested that the Brothers make a practice of visiting such homes oftener than once a week, and it may be possible, where tactful men handle such cases, to get the unfortunate concerned to promise to abstain from liquor at least until the next visit, and so on.” The archives has just completed an audit of conference minute book holdings. It was disappointing to note that half our conferences are not represented in this collection. Conferences are urged to forward all but their current minute books to Gerald Ward House in Box Hill, clearly marking these documents for the archives. These documents remain the best primary sources for the history and development of the Society throughout Victoria. Visitors are most welcome to the Elisabeth Bond Archives, Level 3, 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. They are open most Thursdays. Please note: Our Archivist, Kevin Slattery is a volunteer so we recommend contacting Kevin on 9819 3766 prior to visiting the archives to avoid disappointment.
U P D AT E OZANAM ENTERPRISES W h e r e a l l pa c k a g i n g a n d collating needs are met Did you know that the St Vincent de Paul Society has a division that can assist you with all your packaging and assembly needs? Ozanam Enterprises' area of expertise is bulk mailouts and collating showbags, advertising and promotional material, labelling and sorting. They also specialise in custom-made furniture, ranging from desks and tables to cabinets and noticeboards. Glenn Hodgkin, General Manager of Ozanam Enterpises said "With our huge workforce at hand, large scale factory premises (over 3,000 square metres), as well as full logistics and warehouse loading/unloading facilities, Ozanam Enterprises has the capacity to handle all your packaging requirements, no matter the size or quantity". So next time you need some packaging or furniture give Ozanam Enterprises a try. We provide work for adults with disabilities, and by using us you will be supporting this employment. More information is available at www.ozanamenterprises.org.au
Seeking access to grants? Try GAD! Since its launch last year, the Grant Availability Document (or GAD) website has been going from strength to strength. Designed to provide Conference and Regional Presidents with access to the latest national and state-wide grants, the site offers a step-by-step guide on the application process and features tips and documentation to help you apply. Regional Presidents were sent logins last year and Conferences can apply directly to Claire Nettley, Major Donor Coordinator for their own login. With the increased demand on our services year on year, GAD offers an excellent opportunity to apply for additional funding.
A recent addition to GAD is the Small Grants for Small Rural Communities program that will offer about $900,000 a year in grants to benefit people in rural and remote communities. We’ve also just posted up a number of community grants for regions such as South Gippsland, Murrindindi and Moonee Valley among others. We’re keen to hear your success stories too so if you’ve been using the system, please write and let us know how you got on. Visit GAD at www.vinnies.org.au/gad or to apply for a login email claire.nettley@svdp-vic.org.au with your conference details. Good luck and happy grant hunting!
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Farewells & Welcomes The St Vincent de Society has recently said goodbye to two valued staff members. Following more than 16 years service to the Society’s Membership & Development team, Damian Coleridge left the organisation in June, moving to a role at the Archdiocese of Melbourne. In farewelling Damian, Patricia McCourt, Manager of Membership & Development, said "I wish to thank Damian for his dedication in supporting our members and acknowledge particularly his special contribution to the spiritual life of the Society." Bill Boyer replaces Damian in his role supporting conferences and regions in the North Eastern Central Council. We also said farewell to Tony Thornton, State Manager of Vinnies Centres. Tony's retirement follows more than 12 years working with the organisation, including almost five in his most recent role as State Manager. Society CEO Brian Dalton said of Tony, "His contribution over many years has been significant. I take this opportunity to acknowledge Tony's achievements over his time as State Manager and wish him and his family health and happiness for the future". With farewells come new faces. We welcome to the St Vincent de Paul Society family new State Manager of Vinnies Centres, Garry McBride. Garry has been involved as a member of the State Centres' Board of Management for some years and was appointed as Chair in April 2010. In addition, Garry was consultant to the National Centres Committee (on a part-time basis) and instrumental in facilitating the sharing of ideas and the development of new strategies across the Society. New appointments to the State Centres Board of Management include: John Lazzari as Chair and John Bohan as Deputy Chair.
U P D AT E Vinnies Centres The Vinnies Centre - Heidelberg recently celebrated one year of operation from its new location at The Mall. Cameras from the local newspapers captured the celebrations as volunteers enjoyed morning tea. Congratulations to the whole team at Heidelberg on the hard work undertaken to achieve this milestone.
Bulleen Conference revival Bulleen Conference has had an exciting new start after a three year respite. With the great support of Parish Priest Fr Wahid Riad, the conference was revived in April. With the great energy of Greythorn Conference past-President Bob Stewart and the enthusiasm of the nine members and 10 volunteers who have joined up, the Vincentian works in the Bulleen Parish can continue. The revived conference was formally endorsed by Camberwell Region at its April meeting. The conference's new leadership is John Bruce (President), Theo Eversteyn (Vice-President), Kim Huynh (Secretary), Gina Varasso (Assistant Secretary) and Rocco Gagliardi (Treasurer).
International President General visits Australia Michael Thio, International President General of the Society, recently visited Australia, including some time spent here in Victoria. Michael, a Singaporean, is the first International President General to be elected to the Society from outside Europe. He visited Australia en route to a major Asian Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society in India, which brings together over 20 Asian countries to discuss poverty strategies in this region.
Vinnies Corporate Partnerships Following the Vinnies CEO Sleepout in June, our fundraising and marketing team have been nurturing the relationships created with CEOs on the night. One partnership that has already come to fruition is with CompuStor. Jeremy Manford (pictured right), Director of Compu-Stor's Melbourne operations slept out here in Victoria (his brother Robert, head of Perth operations, slept out in Western Australia) and described the experience as ‘a real eye-opener’. Both Jeremy and Robert felt that there was an opportunity to help so they are taking care of our document storage for a significantly reduced rate and will donate a percentage of the sale price of every box sold. (Compu-Stor, among other things, sell empty boxes). "Each year we can help provide much-needed funds to the St Vincent de Paul Society which will assist people who are homeless or struggling to make ends meet in our community," Jeremy said. You can find out more about Compu-Stor at www.compu-stor.com.au
In other news from Vinnies Centres Evelyn Banavas, formerly Manager of the Vinnies Centre - Malvern, has taken on the role of Zone Manager [Zone 1]. Congratulations Evelyn. A new manager for the Malvern Centre will be appointed in due course.
Special Thank You for Vinnies Youth On behalf of Wimmera Region we would like to say a big thank you to young St Vincent de Paul Society members for the wonderful day they put on in Horsham. 31 children from the area really enjoyed the day. The young St Vinnies were fantastic. The work effort and organisation was just great. Thank you all so much on behalf of the St Vincent de Paul Society. Bernadette Ryan President, Horsham Conference
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Vinnies Youth Royal Gala Ball Friday 10 September 2010 San Remo Ballroom Mass for Deceased Members Tuesday 9 November 2010 Annual General Meeting Saturday 13 November 2010 Contributions to Societynews are always welcome. Email to: dianneb@svdp-vic.org.au or send to: The Editor Societynews St Vincent de Paul Society Locked Bag 4800 Box Hill Vic 3128 Phone: 03 9895 5800 Fax: 03 9895 5850 We endeavour to include as many items as possible in each issue.