After 100 years of supporting the Southport community, each day is still full of surprises for the Members of the Guardian Angels Conference on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

‘We just recently had a visit from a familiar face, a Companion who had been coming to us for help for over 17 years,’ said President Carolyn Anderson, who helped coordinate the Conference’s recent centenary celebration Mass and dinner.  

‘She had spent the last five years living on the street. This time, she wasn’t there to ask for help – she wanted to tell us that she had finally found a place to live and wanted to thank us for all the support we had provided her over the years,’ Carolyn said.

‘Being a Vincentian can be challenging, but it’s a privilege that I don’t take lightly. It’s difficult to hear stories like hers and not be humbled by the role you play.’

The Southport Conference has Members ranging from 18 to 90 years old, with one gentleman still active after 37 years with the Conference.  

Carolyn said that times were getting tougher for their Companions, but the Conference would continue to support people in need however it could.

In the previous financial year, the Southport Conference helped more than 2,300 locals directly or indirectly, and provided over $100,000 worth of vouchers, food and other support.