VincentCare Victoria launched the ‘More than Meals’ program at Ozanam Community Centre on 18 May 2011.Traditionally the centre provides breakfast and lunch but now also offers dinner one night per week. The meals act as a catalyst for engaging people by offering additional means of assistance including mental health outreach, housing information and referral and alcohol and drug programs.

Recent research carried out at the centre highlighted that for the majority of clients, the meal service is often their only source of food for the day. VincentCare CEO John Blewonski said, “For people living in low grade accommodation or on the streets, being able to access both a nutritionally sound meal and recreational facilities in the evening will make a tremendous difference to their lives”. The ‘More than Meals’ program currently runs on a Wednesday night thanks to a one-off grant from American trust Give2Asia. VincentCare is seeking further support to extend the program to run on additional evenings. Long-time Vinnies volunteer and star of Channel Seven’s ‘Conviction Kitchen’, Ian Curley, officially launched the program.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. Newsletter 252 | July-August 2011

Roadshow is a children’s program run by Vinnies Youth over a week of the school holidays that assists up to 150 children and families. Over the week, three regional towns are visited where Vinnies Youth run activity days with the assistance of local conferences and students from the local Catholic secondary school. This year on Sunday 3 July, 12 young adults from across Victoria embarked on an adventure through Gippsland. Our first stop was Catholic College Sale, where we were met by 16 very enthusiastic student leaders. We provided a fun training night for the students and then they were all back bright and early the next morning to run an activity day full of craft, sports, dancing and fun! From Sale we travelled to Traralgon and then on to Leongatha, where we were greeted by just as many enthusiastic student leaders and repeated the training and activity days. A great week was had by all!

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Travelling to Sale, Traralgon, Leongatha Roadshow

Lavalla College Traralgon student, Georgie

More than Meals launch

Pictured (l-r): Ian Curley with Ozanam Community Centre manager, Rebecca Steunenberg and VincentCare CEO, John Blewonski

R O A D S H O W R E P O R T B Y : A N I T A W I L L I A M S | V I N N I E S Y O U T H

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Dear fellow Vincentians,State Council has strengthened its support to ensure that our Vincentian story remains alive and connected to all its members, volunteers and staff. Goal number one in our strategic plan is to ensure that every member, volunteer and employee of the Society, has an understanding of and respect for the spiritual values expressed by Frederic Ozanam.

Our Story - Our MissionTowards this goal on Friday 29 July 2011 we launched ‘Our Story - Our Mission’ at Gerald Ward House and in September we will take it to staff and volunteers in our Vinnies Centres.The program is focused on learning more about the five people most influential in the development of the St Vincent de Paul Society namely: St Vincent de Paul, St Louise de Marillac, Bl Frederic Ozanam, Bl Rosalie Rendu and Fr Gerald Ward.

Winter AppealThe 2011 Winter Appeal is going well and finishes on 31 August. This year we are hoping to raise $850,000. Currently we are tracking well to meet our target, with over $813,000 raised so far for the Winter Appeal.In addition to the appeal, the 2011 Vinnies CEO Sleepout has raised over $550,000 in Victoria and $4.17 million nationally.

Conference AnniversariesBenalla Conference celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday

12 June 2011. Springvale Conference celebrated its 50th on Wednesday 22 June 2011 and Broadmeadows Conference celebrated its 50th anniversary on Friday 1 July 2011. Congratulations to these conferences on achieving this milestone.

Society Justice in the CityOn the last Wednesday of the month the St Francis Conference in Melbourne presents the Social Justice in the City Series.The next presentation on the prison system will be given by Fr Joe Caddy, CEO of CatholicCare in the Arch-diocese of Melbourne on Wednesday 31 August 12 – 1 pm at St Francis Pastoral Centre, Cnr Lonsdale & Elisabeth Streets Melbourne. God bless

Tony Tome State President

State President’s message

Prayers are requested for...Deceased Members, Volunteers, Family and FriendsElizabeth Benne Mother of Adrian, Manifold Heights ConferenceRay Bilston Member, Strathmore ConferenceVictoria Borg Member, Forest Hill ConferencePeter Bullen Member, Croydon ConferenceMary Cartwright Mother of Judy, Dallas ConferenceMonica Connellan Member, Ocean Grove ConferenceAileen Donohue Volunteer, Cranbourne CentreJohn Fitzgerald President & member, Williamstown ConferenceNorma Harris Wife of Peter, Ringwood ConferenceHarold (Bill) Hitchcock Member, Belgrave ConferenceAlice Kennedy Member, Bentleigh East ConferenceDon McMahon Ex-member, Glenroy ConferenceIan Mansergh Member, Ocean Grove ConferenceDr Anthony Manuel Father of Rex, Gladstone Park ConferenceRobert Muir Duguid Member, Mitcham ConferencePatrick Murphy Member, Geelong East & Geelong ConferencesJulie Picone Member & Volunteer, Geelong Conference & Geelong South CentreOwen Reynolds Member, Yarraville ConferencePeg Simkin Member, Benalla ConferenceNellie Ruby Turner Volunteer, Yarrawonga CentreConnie Van Rossum Ex-Member, St Michael’s Traralgon ConferenceDon Withers Member, Norlane ConferenceTo 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.

From the archives:100 years ago

In 1911, several cases ‘excited the pity’ of conference members. In Collingwood, where the conference had recently been established, there was ‘a splendid field in this city for our labours.’ In West St Kilda, the conference was assisting a widow who lost her husband by drowning on the passage between Melbourne and Sydney and was left with eight children, only one of whom was old enough to earn a few shillings delivering papers. Minutes of a July meeting at South Melbourne reveal that the ‘Grand President of the Particular Council, Br Slattery, attended the meeting and learned with surprise that the practice of reading spiritual extracts from the Manual or Monthly Bulletin was not carried out.’

Special works included the Seaman’s Mission, Braille Writing for the Blind, Hospital Visitation and Boys’ Guilds. Women were prominent In the Cathedral Conference’s Sewing Guild, which supplied over 1,600 garments during the year, chiefly for children attending school and preparing to receive their First Communion.

Visits from the 270 members of the 26 conferences operating at the time numbered 5,926 for the year, slightly down following the recent introduction of the Aged and Invalid Pensions (26 pounds a year).

U P D AT E 3Cheque-mate Compu-Stor

On 25 July 2011, the Society’s State President, Tony Tome and CEO, Brian Dalton visited the Altona-based records manage-ment company Compu-Stor to accept a donation of funds raised by the company.Having participated in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout in 2010, company directors Robert and Jeremy Manford made a commitment to support the ongoing work of the St Vincent de Paul Society. In the last financial year they raised almost $10,000 through an arrangement where a small percentage from every storage box sold is donated to the Society. With Robert based in Western Australia and Jeremy based locally in Altona the funds will be shared between the states. Jeremy Manford said, “Helping Vinnies is something that everyone

can do in some way, even the smallest donations add up. We hope to donate more every year as our business grows.” Reflecting on the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, he said “I find it amazing that business leaders can get together and really make a difference to so many lives in one night. I hope even more CEOs and community leaders get involved in the future. Hopefully we can raise not only more money but also awareness about homelessness, something that can happen to anyone,” said Jeremy.Tony Tome said, “Their fundraising efforts have been amazing, it’s such a great result. Demand for our assistance continues to grow so we rely on the support of generous people like Jeremy and Robert and all of their Compu-Stor customers”.

Tony Tome (left), Compu-Stor CEO, Jeremy Manford and Brian Dalton

Ozanam Community Centre in North Melbourne is a crisis drop in centre, providing a wide range of services to disadvantaged people, including health, legal, counselling, referral and food services as well as material aid. Ozanam Community Centre is seeking a General Practitioner to provide a regular weekly clinic. The team is multidisciplinary including welfare and social workers, a psychologist, dentists, solicitors, an optometrist, and the RDNS – homeless persons program. The team aims to be flexible in responding to the needs of this disadvantaged population. Ozanam Community Centre is a busy and efficient work environment which strives for best practice. GPs interested in working with Ozanam Community Centre should contact the facility manager Rebecca Steuenberg on 9329 6733 or rebeccas@vincentcare.org.au.

GP needed at Ozanam Community

Aged care facility residents of Bailly House saw their men’s shed come to life over the weekend of 21-22 May 2011.The idea for the shed came from the younger (55+) male residents, whom staff noticed were becoming restless in the afternoons after the usual daily activities had finished.Lucy Chapman, Manager of Bailly House said, “For most of these men, that time of day is when they’d previously have been getting home from work and unwinding. The men’s shed provides a place where they can still do that in a way, where they can continue to be active and socialise in a safe environment.Contexx, a construction and engineering company, took on the project to design and build the shed for Bailly House pro bono. “We are so grateful for Contexx’s help with this project because we know what a huge difference the shed is going to make to the day-to-day lives of our residents.”Contexx’s subcontractors C2 Group, Apps Electrics, Barden-Steeldeck, Form700, Willams Steel, Mirage Doors, Higgins and Byrne Construction Systems also supported the project.The shed will feature a work bench with tools and equipment, the use of which will be supervised by staff. “The residents will use it to make things like book ends and small coffee tables. We’ve previously had to use our dining room for this kind of activity once a month, so this means it will be a permanent fixture which is great,” concluded Lucy.Note: The St Vincent de Paul Society’s partnership with Contexx has developed greatly with the participation of several members of their senior team in both the 2010 and 2011 Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Men’s shed for Bailly House

Role of ExecutorThe new Executor of a Will booklet is now available from the Fundraising & Public Relations department. The booklet provides a guide to the role of being an Executor to someone’s Will.

Contact our Bequest Coordinator, Sue Pitt on 9895 5821 to receive your copy.

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Servant leadershipOn Saturday 21 May 2011, 50 of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s servant leaders gathered at Gerald Ward House for the Regional Council Presidents’ gathering.This bi-annual event brings together our Regional Council Presidents and State Council representatives providing an opportunity for networking, reflection, discussion on key issues such as the rising cost of living within our community and how best the Society can respond to these issues.The gathering provided an opportunity to reaffirm and value the contributions made by our leaders in carrying their custodial responsibility of the Society’s mission as well as their role as the teachers and mentors of our

next generation of servant leaders. The event also saw the launch of the Society’s Guidelines for Good Practice resource (April 2011) and the Welcome to New Member Program.We are very blessed within the Society in having such committed, experienced and dedicated men and women. These qualities were well illustrated by the quality of the presentations made and the discussions that followed.The gathering concluded with a moving expression of servant leadership with the ‘washing of the feet’ which was led by our State President, Tony Tome, and followed by Regional Council Presidents who carried out this act of servant leadership.

On Sunday 15 May 2011, 20 mothers from Port Melbourne and South Melbourne being assisted by the Society, came together for a belated Mother’s Day lunch at the Emerald Hotel in South Melbourne. The luncheon hosted by Webjet and organised by Bernadette Andrews with Peter and Annette Young, in conjunction with the St Vincent de Paul Society, was held in memory of a Webjet employee, Judith Horsnell, who died suddenly earlier this year. A diverse group of women came, possibly not fully knowing what the day would entail. Here they were no longer struggling mothers but members of the community, being waited on by the attentive staff. They were shown to their seats, offered a choice of meals and drinks, and were able to order dessert and coffee. There were smiles and laughter as the women forgot their problems and enjoyed the day. One woman commented that this was something that she and her friends would like to do, if only they had the means and, of course, someone to care for the children. They were able to share stories of their lives, share resources, such as where they could get free nappies and older women were able to talk of how they raised their kids, proudly boasting about what they were doing now.Webjet employees also attended the event in honour of their friend, Judith Horsnell, who was described as someone who was always thinking of others. They felt that an event like this would have made Judith smile and indeed could be the start of an annual event. The employees also mingled with all the attendees, and were able to get a unique insight into the daily life of a single mother. Some mentioned that the day had been a learning experience.As the mothers dispersed with a gift bag full of goodies, the organisers were left with mixed feelings, some with a sense of accomplishment, some with a greater understanding of others. Overall, a good day was had by all.The day would not have been possible without the Webjet team and Bernadette Andrews, with Peter and Annette Young, who organised the event on such short notice, with Mary Calleja, Phil Johnson and myself from the St Vincent de Paul Society who invited all the mothers, and of course, the late Judith Horsnell (RIP).Carroll Long Caulfield South/Elsternwick Conference

Mother’s Day celebration

Appo in tmen tsThe following appointments have been made in VincentCare Victoria:

• Paul Zanatta is the new General Manager for Social Policy and Research.

• Jay Jayashankar is the incumbent in the new role of Manager of Internal Audit.

• Michelle Galgano has also recently commenced working part time as the Quality Coordinator for the aged care area based at Gerald Ward House.

• Lisa Sammutt has stepped up from her role as Manager of Ozanam House to be Acting General Manager of Community Services.

Welcome to new staff members and we wish you well in your new roles.

Sharing our history...New posters depicting the St Vincent de Paul Society’s patrons have been distributed by Area Support Managers for display in all Vinnies Centres.Two versions of the A1 posters have been created. • St Vincent de Paul, Bl Rosalie Rendu and Bl Frederic Ozanam

will be publicly displayed in the A1 frames behind counters.• St Vincent de Paul, Bl Rosalie Rendu, Bl Frederic Ozanam, St

Louise de Marillac and Fr Gerald Ward will be displayed in the staff rooms.

Missed out? Contact the Vinnies Centres Suppport Office on 03 9895 5860.

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The Vinnies Centre in Glenroy recently acknowledged long serving volunteers for their work over 25 years. Pictured l-r: Fay Donohue, Clare McCormack, Aileen Queen, Lyn Condon and Maurie Brennan.Unfortunately, due to ill-health, Maurie retired just short of his 25 years of service. However acknowledgement of his commitment to Vinnies through both his work with the conference and centre was recognised with the presentation of a certificate of appreciation.

Glenroy volunteers reach 25 year milestone

Geelong Catswarm up for

On Saturday 30 July 2011, Vincentians in the Geelong region worked together with the Geelong Football Club to do a blanket appeal at the club’s home game against Melbourne at Skilled Stadium.

Geelong Regional Council President, Peter Chiang, said “We’re having trouble keeping up with demand for warm gear so we approached the Geelong Cats and we’re really grateful that they agreed to help us”.

Volunteers collected donations from patrons at the main gate of the stadium as they arrived for the game. Unsure what to expect, they were delighted with the number of people who bought along blankets and coats to donate and are planning to do something even bigger and better with the club next year.Pictured (above): Jen and Peter with a donor at Skilled Stadium and (below) Vinnies volunteers who collected donations of blankets and coats at the Geelong game.

Vinnies

To further our commitment to ‘live out’ our mission, State Council established the position of Mission Integration Officer with the Membership & Development Team, in December 2010.State Council has established a 12 month work plan across the Society as well as the Mission Identity Advisory Committee (MIAC).The inaugural MIAC meeting was held on 16 March 2011 and chaired by State President, Tony Tome.MIAC consists of individuals who bring great life experiences and skills as well as a strong commitment to the preservation, adherence and sharing of the St Vincent de Paul Society mission and our story. The members of MIAC are John Lazzari, Susan Dormon, Bernie Trevaskis, Michael Liddy, Fr Bruce Duncan, Brian Dalton and Patricia McCourt.The work plan lists ways to promote and contribute to a culture that reflects the call of our Blessed Frederic Ozanam and other inspirational mission leaders within the Society’s story; Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Louise de Marillac, Blessed Rosalie Rendu and Father Gerald Ward. The work plan is supported and resourced by the position of Mission Integration, in partnership with our conference members, volunteers and employees.

The work that the committee and I have been focused on has included:• Publication of quarterly spiritual

reflections• Feast Day Celebrations of Saint

Louise de Marillac and Blessed Rosalie Rendu

• A review of the refounding sessions that were held last year and the setting up of the program for 2011

The sessions have generated a lot of interest from people. We look forward to rolling them out in 2011 and getting people connected to and ‘living out’ our great story.I have also had the privilege of getting out and about to meet conference members. I have been invited to attend and speak at a number of festival mass meetings and it has been an absolute delight to join in the celebrations and share a little about our mission integration work.I am always happy to meet with conference members and I thank you again for your service to the Society.

God BlessLivia Carusi

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Calendar DatesWinter Appeal Monday 9 May 2011 - Wednesday 31 August 2011Annual General Meeting Tuesday 8 November 2011, 5pmMass for Deceased Members Tuesday 8 November 2011, 7pm St Francis’ Church, Melbourne

Contributions to Societynews are always welcome.

Email: stephanie.puls@svdp-vic.org.au or send to:

The Editor - SocietynewsSt Vincent de Paul SocietyLocked Bag 4800Box Hill Vic 3128

Phone: 03 9895 5800Fax: 03 9895 5850We endeavour to include as many items as possible in each issue.

A lifetimeof service

William Edward Norman was baptised, schooled, confirmed and married at Sacred Heart Church, Oakleigh. It was there that in 1949 he also joined the local St Vincent de Paul Society conference and he has been a member ever since!

Still active at 88 years, Bill has had a varied career as a Vinnies volunteer. He is currently Oakleigh Conference President and has served the Society in several ways including as a member of the State Centres Board, Vice President of Waverley Regional Council and on committees relating to flood and bushfire relief.

He has been honoured by the Society in having the ‘Norman’ room named in his honour at Central Office and was also the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal presented for his service to the community. Recently the Society presented him with a 60 year long service badge.

“Being recognised as a volunteer was the biggest surprise of my life,” says Bill. “I have enjoyed every minute of my time with the Society, I have many wonderful memories. Lots of changes have occurred but the Society spirit is still strong”

Bill still goes to the Oakleigh Vinnies Centre three days a week accompanied by his wife and Vinnies co-worker, Eileen.

Leslie D Marmo President Waverley Regional Council

Our Story – Our MissionLIVIA CARUSI | MISSION INTEGRATION OFFICER

Ed - Your work over 62 years of service to the Society has touched many Bill. We sincerely thank you for your efforts.

Let us know...So many events and activities are constantly happening throughout the organisation and we would like to share the wonderful work being done by our members, volunteers and staff. So let us know and we can insert your stories into Societynews

Email articles and/or photos to: stephanie.puls@svdp-vic.org.auNote: To reproduce photos please provide them with a digital resolution of 300dpi and label the people in them so we know who’s who.