In August, we were greatly saddened by the sudden death of our colleague and friend, Tricia Wilden. It is a great privilege for me to be invited to write a few words about Tricia.

When speaking about a member of the St Vincent de Paul Society, there is no greater tribute than to recognise a person as a servant leader. As a staff member supporting the Overseas Partnerships Program Standing Committee (OPPSC), Tricia was, without contradiction, both a true Vincentian and a professional manager serving the needs of the volunteers on the committee.

She was generous with her time, especially in relation to supporting meetings which were held out of normal working hours. Her expertise in all things related to our overseas work was invaluable. For me personally, she was always available and returned phone calls within a very short time, no matter how busy her day. She sought my advice and respectfully pursued any issues until we reached a consensus. Not a bad achievement! I was always fully informed and prepared for my role. She was indispensable to me. Tricia was regarded with great respect and warmth by our overseas counterparts. She instinctively knew the best way to foster a positive relationship with everyone.

Always full of surprises, she revealed during our recent trip to Vanuatu that she had lived and worked there for a considerable time. No wonder we were able to have such a productive visit.

In her role, she was the consummate professional. Meticulous in planning, thorough with documentation, sharing an achievable vision, and above all, the ability to take people along with her. Her CEO trusted her implicitly and her colleagues were always fully supported.

In the few short years in her role, Tricia managed to tighten up so many areas and to record the changes for the future. Our Twinning relationships benefited from greatly improved communications between our overseas partners and our Australian Twins. This was never easy.

In addressing the problem of getting money into a couple of countries where the regulations were quite demanding, she persevered, always keeping in mind that the Conferences in those countries really depended on what we were able to send them. At the end of the day, the people they assisted were the grateful recipients of this hard work. In particular, Tricia showed great empathy for the Vincentian members in India who, with limited resources, were struggling to meet the highly demanding regulations put in place by the Indian Government for money coming into the country.

Her standards were high, and the outcome was that our overseas partnerships were always conducted with the highest rigour. Electronic meetings are a two-edged sword. On the one hand they make communication much easier and less expensive, enabling more frequent contact. On the other hand, they raise expectations and place more demands on everyone’s time. Tricia utilised these meetings to great effect, both within Australia and with our overseas counterparts.

If you are getting the impression that Tricia was an amazing and invaluable member of our team, you are perfectly correct. We will struggle to find a replacement of such a high calibre, but we can be reassured that there are so many things in place to guide us in the future, that we will never lose direction. This is particularly true of our promotion of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Oceania.

Goodbye to a beloved friend and colleague.

Rest in peace, Tricia.