NEWSLETTER 281 | MARCH-APRIL 2016

A PUBLICATION FOR SOCIETY MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF

Societynews

Just Art! We are proud to launch our first annual advocacy through art competition this month and to invite all Vincentians and the broader community to participate in giving a voice to people seeking asylum. This is often an overlooked component to social justice, advocacy. In its most easily accessible form, advocacy is quite simply the public support of a particular cause. Every time we take a stance on an issue, we are advocating. If we take that a step further, advocacy is an activity which aims to influence ideas and decisions within political, economic and social settings. It is easy to forget the potential simplicity of advocacy and to let it get lost as “someone else’s” responsibility. It is easy to mistake advocacy for being solely a specialised field for policy makers, lobbyists or politicians, or to say that advocacy is for those in positions of senior leadership who can speak on behalf of a group.

However it is important to remember that we are all advocates. We all have a voice and therefore the responsibility to drive the conversation around social justice issues in ways that promote dignity, love, respect and compassion. People do not only look to our policy and decision makers to form their individual ideas; they absorb a plentitude of ideas and opinions from their peers and their community. Likewise, our policy and decision makers do not make their choices in a vacuum; while it may not always seem so, they need to respond to the thinking of the people. Just Art gives people of all ages the opportunity to impact the conversation and to give voice to a values-based discussion on this year’s topic which supports people who are seeking asylum in Australia.

The treatment of people seeking asylum is one that is challenging the Australian conscience. Just Art invites participants to be part of the discussion in a creative way through artistic representation. Participants in Just Art are asked to create artwork (visual art, performing arts, creative writing, media) in response to this year’s issue. It is not just up to the policy and decision makers to decide our community’s fate and responses, each of us has a role and a responsibility to be part of the conversation. For more information or to download a copy of the Registration or Starter Pack, please visit www.vinnies.org.au/justart or you can contact us at Just.Art@svdp-vic.org.au. We look forward to advocating with you!

Michelle Pereira | Manager Youth & Education Development

JUST ART IN THE MAKING

Dear FriendsNew Chief Executive Officer, Susan Cattermole On Tuesday 26 April 2016, Susan Cattermole commenced as the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria’s new Chief Executive Officer - please join me in welcoming her.Susan holds a degree in Business Administration, a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.She began her professional career in the UK, and emigrated to Australia in 2004, taking a role with St Vincent Health Service as Group Financial Controller. In 2007 she joined Wesley Mission Victoria as General Manager Corporate Services. Wesley provides a range of service programs including Community Detention, Aged Care, Disability Accommodation and Day Services, Lifeline, Homelessness and Out of Home Care. In 2009, she was appointed as Deputy CEO and became Acting CEO from March to October 2011, before deciding to withdraw from the CEO appointment process to take up a role as CEO of SkillsPlus.Susan is keen to meet with members, volunteers and staff across all aspects of the Society’s services and operations as soon as practicable. Please do not hesitate to introduce yourself to Susan when the opportunity arises. We are honoured to welcome someone with such depth of experience to our organisation and I am sure Susan will make invaluable contributions to the provision of our services for people in need.Thank you John Blewonski, Acting CEO I wish to thank John Blewonski who has acted as the Society’s CEO for the past six months, whilst at the same time continuing his role as VincentCare’s CEO during a period of significant change. John has provided invaluable advice to State Council, and worked to strengthen the cooperative relationship between State Council and

the Board of VincentCare Victoria. I am indebted to John, and the VincentCare Board, for his outstanding assistance and commitment. I look forward to continuing to develop the collaboration between the Society and VincentCare on projects such as HomeDirect.Emeritus Vincentians State Council has implemented a program by which the Society can recognise long serving members who are no longer active in the work of the Society, but who wish to maintain a relationship with us. Already over 100 Vincentians have been nominated and recognised by State Council as Emeritus Vincentians. Each Emeritus Vincentian receives a small plaque in recognition, and is recorded on the Society’s Register of Emeritus Vincentians. They will also receive invitations to major events of the Society (eg Ozanam Lecture, annual Thanksgiving Mass).Conference Presidents are invited to make further nominations at any time: details of the member(s) to be recognised should be sent to my PA, Tracey Thomas at tracey.thomas@svdp-vic.org.au’Deceased Vincentian Sadly we received notification that former Western Central Council President, Paul McManus passed away recently.Paul's involvement with the Society began in 2007 and he has had a variety of roles with the Niddrie Conference, Essendon Regional Council, Western Central Council and State Council. His commitment as member, office bearer, emergency liaison officer and twinning officer has been greatly appreciated by the Vincentian family. Join with me as we offer our sincere condolences to Paul's family and friends. Rest in peace Paul.

Thank you

STATE PRES IDENTMichael Liddy

Michael Liddy State President

PRAYERS ARE REQUESTED FOR...Deceased members, volunteers, family and friends• Peter Arbon, Ex-member & Past President

Sandringham Conference• Jacobus (Jack) Castricum, Ex-member

Belgrave Conference• Frank Chetcuti, Ex-member, Altona Conference• Alan Cox, President, Fawkner Conference• Roger Dickens, Associate member

Westernport Conference• David English, Member, Ringwood North Conference• Bryan Jongebloed, Ex-member and volunteer

Melton Conference & Vinnies Melton• Ursula Griffin, Ex-member, Malvern Conference• Clifford Hart, Member, Blackburn Conference• Lynda Kelly, Member, Ferntree Gully Conference• Ann Kerr, Ex-member, Horsham Conference &

Ex-manager/volunteer, Vinnies Horsham• Harry Kilkenny, Ex-member, Moreland Conference• John King, Ex-member, Belmont & Queenscliff

Conferences & Prison Visitation team• Joseph McCarthy, Ex-member, Wonthaggi Conference• Frank McGuigan, Ex-member & volunteer

Deer Park Conference & Vinnies St Albans• Paul McManus, Member, Niddrie Conference & former

Western Central Council president• Genevieve Newman, Member & ex-President

Bairnsdale Conference• Josephine O’Brien, Ex-member

Keilor Downs Conference• Kevin O’Hagan, Ex-member, Wangaratta Conference

Please forward any requests for prayers to Philip Mackey on 03 9895 5837 or email philipm@svdp-vic.org.au

RURAL SAVIOURM A R T I N B U T L E R S O C I E T Y V O L U N T E E RThe Society has over 10,000 volunteers working tirelessly across Victoria to assist people in need. Recently one such volunteer, Martin Butler, was featured in an article by Tom Dawkins which appeared in the RM William’s Outback magazine. Here are some highlights...Martin has been a member of the St Vincent de Paul Society for 12 years and was largely responsible for establishing the Meredith & District Conference six years ago. Like so many of our members and volunteers, Martin has a variety of roles within the community including Teesdale stock owner, rural social worker, mentor to social work students, guest lecturer at Deakin University and Vincentian.He has supported regional Victorian communities through the hard times for over 30 years. One of the roles closest to his heart is as a mental health champion for farmers and their rural communities. “In outlying communities there are very few services and we know that rural communities need unique programs tailored to their particular needs, especially when it comes to matters like men’s health.”Martin’s advice is highly sought by universities to help shape their social-work syllabus, as well as by state and federal governments when planning rural social work policies. He also lends his expertise as a farmer representative on the Sustainable Farm Families advisory board, part of the National Centre for Farmer Health, based at Hamilton. Recently he has played an active role in NCFH’s Ripple Effect project, an online platform working to reduce the stigma among rural males whose lives have been affected by suicide.In 1984 Martin’s two year stint as a social worker in the Wimmera, left a lasting impact. “That time at Horsham really made me the person I am now. It was there that I learned about the trials and tribulations of farming. I saw the importance of volunteer organisations and community groups and how rural towns rely on leaders in their community to make things happen.”Refining his hands-on approach, he became an integral part of the community. “In my work, you’ve got to earn the respect and trust of the communities you’re working with,” Martin says. “It’s so important in the bush.”Meredith-based rural merchandiser Pat Banks saw the benefits of Martin’s efforts during that tough period. “When a drought hits, most of us don’t necessarily know what resources and services are available to assist those who need it most, but Martin brings that knowledge to the table, which makes a huge difference” Pat says.Like so many of our Vincentians, Martin is living Frederic Ozanam’s vision of giving of his time, his talents and of himself to assist people in need.The Society is grateful to all its members and takes this opportunity to thank you all for sharing your time to help fellow Victorians.

The Society in Victoria has recently launched a new corporate relations program to engage corporate supporters in our work.We are pleased to announce that Bosch has come on board as our first Community Champion. Community Champions are organisations who financially support Vinnies, advocate on behalf of people who are homeless and educate their workforces and communities about homelessness. As part of their role as a Community Champion, Bosch has committed to raise

$30,000 though workplace community fundraising initiatives. With Bosch work teams were charged with organising their own fundraising activities and the initiatives have been many and varied. They have included barbeques, a computer swap where staff could purchase used PCs from the company and a silent auction where staff donated used office and personal items that other employees could bid on.Bosch staff have also organised their own Community Sleepout where employees were sponsored to sleep rough for the night to raise money for homelessness. While this sleepout was taking place at the Bosch office, their CEO, Gavin Smith, was also being sponsored to sleep out at the official Vinnies CEO Sleepout at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.Money raised by Bosch through the Community Champion program will be used to help fund the Fitzroy Soup Van.If your workplace would like to become involved in a similar initiative, please contact our Corporate Relations Manager, Lucy Menting on lucy.menting@svdp-vic.org.au

BOSCH | A COMMUNITY CHAMPION

MISSION & SPIRITUALITYThe role of Mission & Spirituality Manager is intended to continue shaping the Society's connection with members, volunteers and employees by sharing our story as well as establishing and consolidating relationships. The role is pivotal in ensuring the Society's spiritual heart remains vibrant and that the strategic direction is aligned with our mission, vision and values. Our new Mission & Spirituality Manager will be an experienced advocate who can nurture change by a collaborative approach.

WELCOME JULIEOn 9 May 2016, Julie Fewster will commence her role as Mission & Spirituality Manager. Based at Gerald Ward House, Box Hill Julie will bring a strong understanding and connection to the Society in this role. I am confident that, in partnership with our members, volunteers and staff, the role of Mission and Spirituality will continue to grow and evolve while remaining true to the spirit and legacy of our Founder Blessed Frederic Ozanam.Julie’s experience includes:• Formation Officer, Catholic

Education Melbourne which included a research project specific to building and maintaining a Culture of Prayer. This culminated in an extensive report to the Archbishop, Denis Hart with the prime focus and recommendation on formation for staff

• Senior Media Officer, Catholic Education Parramatta

• Director, Communications and Stakeholder Relations, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne

• Executive Officer to the Executive, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne as well as having undertaken several pastoral care role.

• In addition to her professional experience, Julie has a strong passion and commitment in mission, spirituality and leadership.

Please join with me to and make Julie feel welcome.

Livia Carusi | General Manager Membership & Development

Over the past 25 years, Ritchies has given $393,000 to the Society in Victoria through its Community Benefit Card Program. Money donated to Vinnies from individual Ritchies stores goes directly to conferences in the store’s local area.Our thanks go out to all the Ritchies shoppers who support the Society when scanning their Community Benefit Card at the checkout.

Also a huge thank you to Ritchies for their wonderful support to people experiencing hardship.

If you don’t already have a Ritchies Community Benefit Card, why not grab one today and nominate your local conference as your designated charity. Any time you shop at a Ritchies store, a portion of your spend will then be donated back to your conference.

Ritchies Community Benefit Cards can be picked up from any Ritchies store. For a full listing of Ritchies stores, visit ritchies.com.au.

SHOP WITH RITCHIES HELP YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

Pictured (L-R): Bright Conference President, Elizabeth Dalbosco accepting a cheque from Ritchies

The Hampton Regional Council along with the Bentleigh-Moorabbin Conference held a very enjoyable night watching the award winning film, Monsieur Vincent, about the life of St Vincent de Paul and the hardship of the French people during his lifetime.It was amusing to watch St Vincent de Paul delivering bread and soup in a wheel-cart. In reality the Soup Vans that we operate today are not much different in assisting people in the need. This movie is very relevant to the daily visits that our volunteers across Australia and the world still follow.

From the very start, volunteers were giving a hand accommodating the poor and looking after the sick in make-shift hospitals.The Most Reverend Bishop Peter Elliott, our Regional Bishop, was our guest of honour and provided an introduction to this movie. We encourage all St Vincent de Paul Society volunteers to watch his movie.

Herbert Portanier | President Hampton Regional Council

MOVIE NIGHT IN HAMPTON | MONSIEUR VINCENT

The St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria has united with others to investigate the true scale of food insecurity in Australia. The verdict: too many Australians are quietly going hungry.On Thursday 21 April, the Council to Homeless Persons launched a special edition of Parity magazine, ‘Beyond Emergency Food: Responding to food insecurity and homelessness’.The publication features four articles compiled by the St Vincent de Paul Society which help to highlight how thousands of Australians are relying on frontline food services delivered by charities.The St Vincent de Paul Society's Acting CEO and VincentCare CEO, John Blewonski, said the Vinnies Soup Van service and VincentCare’s Ozanam Community Centre and Ozanam House are examples of programs that provide vital nutrition and an avenue for social connection.“The St Vincent de Paul Society and VincentCare are dedicated to supporting the 1 in 10 Australians who are living in poverty and providing a meal is one of the most tangible ways we can assist with responding to immediate hunger and to support social inclusion,” said John.“We provide around 1,300 meals to people in need every day in Victoria and food vouchers too, which is a sign of serious strain on Victorian households. Many people simply can’t afford to feed themselves and their families.”The prices of everyday essentials such as health services, education, utilities, transport and housing have climbed significantly in recent years, which means new faces are now accessing food services delivered by charities. The Society's Membership & Development General Manager, Livia Carusi, said the Society’s food services are not just helping vulnerable groups such as people

experiencing homelessness.“Our Soup Van service has been operating for over 40 years and during that time we’ve seen a major change in the kind of people we assist. We started off feeding older men on the streets, today, we offer a response to families, single women, the aged, children and working people who simply can’t afford to meet their food costs,” said Livia.“We know there are thousands of others who are going hungry in silence and it's vital that we acknowledge the full scope of the issue of food insecurity so we can continue to evolve our services and respond to people in need.”The special edition of Parity shares the stories of two Vinnies Soup Van clients and the longest serving Soup Van volunteer, Frank Mullins, who has been serving marginalised members of the community their dinner every Thursday for 40-years.“We have thousands of people relying on our organisation and our volunteers to provide food, which is a basic human right,” said Livia. “We are proud to have contributed to this publication [Parity] and to document the true experiences of food insecurity in Australia.”

F O O D | I T ' S A BA S I C H U M A N R I G H T

On Thursday 21 April 2016, 120 primary school students from 11 Catholic schools gathered at St Joseph’s Primary, Penshurst to celebrate a Mini Vinnies Festival Gathering. The day was focused around “faith in action” and included a Catholic Social Teaching workshop, assembling of toiletry packs for people experiencing disadvantage, a role play about the establishment of the St Vincent de Paul Society and plenty of games and discussion. It was a very inspiring day for all involved and for the wider Vincentian community.

MINI VINNIES GATHERINGThe 2016 Vinnies CEO Sleepout was officially launched on Thursday 7 April, which signalled the commencement of a our fundraising campaign to secure 200 houses for the hidden homeless in Victoria.This event has grown into a flagship

fundraising event for our organisation and provides unique exposure in the corporate sector for the Society. Recently Vinnies Victoria was awarded the Fundraising Institute of Australia’s National Award for Special Events in 2016, which is a strong reflection of the dedication of our local business and community leaders to raise awareness and funds to support the provision of our homeless services. This year we are aiming to raise $1.5m to help fund a new initiative called HomeDirect, which is designed to actively prevent homelessness. HomeDirect will fund 200 houses for the hidden homeless in Victoria - vulnerable individuals who simply can’t secure a stable, safe and appropriate place to live. HomeDirect is a new initiative being developed by the Society and VincentCare.

Pictured (L-R): Livia Carusi, Br Doug Walsh, Soup Van President, John Blewonski, Carol Messer, Deputy State President, 20-year volunteer, Brian Bailey and 40-year soup van volunteer, Frank Mullins

ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY VICTORIA INC.Locked Bag 4800, Box Hill Vic 3128P 03 9895 5800 | F 03 9895 5850E info@svdp-vic.org.au | W vinnies.org.au

CALENDAR DATESVinnies Winter Appeal 2 May - 31 August 2016Social Justice in the City Last Wednesday of the month, February to November, 12-1pm at St Francis' Pastoral Centre, Melbourne 25 May 2016 - Penny Underwood, Founder MediaWise & Lucy Prentice, McAuley Community Services for Women 29 June 2016 - Dr John Falzon, National CEO, St Vincent de Paul Society Australia Regional President's Gathering Saturday 21 May 2016

2016 Vinnies CEO Sleepout Thursday 23 June 2016Regional President's Gathering & Annual General Meeting Saturday 22 October 2016 Thanksgiving Mass Tuesday 8 November 2016

WHAT'S NEW...The Vinnies Shops team loves a change in season as it’s our chance to showcase some of the fantastic pieces you can find in our shops. Our Autumn/Winter looks were officially launched in April and, for the first time ever, we are introducing ‘Shop the Shoot’ where avid op-shoppers can bid on the pieces they love, via our Vinnies eBay site [http://stores.ebay.com.au/Vinnies-Auctions/VINNIES-VICTORIA-DEALS.html]. Supported by exposure on Facebook and Instagram, we are hoping #ShopTheShoot will be a huge success and, just like our shops, all money raised via eBay is redirected to helping the people we assist.

To bring you these innovative promotions, Vinnies staff spend a few days visiting stores, looking for pieces that provide the right mix of stylishness and uniqueness. We collate the items and have a lot of fun putting the looks together.

Our goal is to demonstrate how you can mix pre-loved ‘one-of-a-kind’ pieces, with staples from your wardrobe, to create a fresh new look.

Taking the top Vinnies looks from the photoshoots, we then feature them in the point of sale material for Vinnies Shops. From mid-April all shops will start to feature this new look which is designed to motivate and inspire shopper’s in-store.

VINNIES NIDDRIEVinnies Niddrie was officially opened and blessed by Fr Brian Cosgriff, Parish Priest of St John Bosco's on Friday 19 February 2016.Pictured left is Fr Cosgriff with Vinnies State President, Michael Liddy and Vinnies Niddrie manager, Roz Cooper at the store's Blessing.The shop is stocked full of fashion and accessories lending itself to a boutique look and feel.Vinnies Niddrie is located at 481A Keilor Road, Niddrie and open Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.ED: Thank you Carmen Merrigan, President, Essendon Conference for supplying the photos

VINNIES SHOPS UPDATE F R O M T H E A R C H I V EHAWTHORN CONFERENCE AND THE 'ROCKET' STEAM ENGINE Whilst researching the life of the Founder of Hawthorn Conference, V E ‘Eddie’ Henderson, I discovered that his father, Peter, was a civil and mining engineer who was apprenticed to George Stephenson, founder of the first steam locomotive, ‘The Rocket’ in 1829. Eddie was engaged as Stephenson’s assistant on many projects including surveying proposed routes for railway lines in Belgium. The Henderson family migrated from England to Australia in 1857, where Eddie rose through the ranks to become Assistant Commissioner of Taxation in Victoria. In 1900, he founded the Hawthorn Conference and remained as its president until his death in 1921, aged 72.

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WE ENDEAVOUR TO INCLUDE AS MANY ARTICLES AS POSSIBLE IN EACH ISSUE OF SOCIETYNEWS.YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE WELCOME, PLEASE FORWARD TO: DIANNEB@SVDP-VIC.ORG.AU

F O O D | I T ' S A BA S I C H U M A N R I G H T

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons/Google Original photo source unknown