Our History
The St Vincent de Paul Society was first active in NSW in 1881 and continues to provide assistance to people experiencing disadvantage.
1833
The St Vincent de Paul Society was founded in Paris in 1833 by 20‑year‑old university student, Frederic Ozanam and his friends.
1881
Charles Gordon O'Neill joined the St Vincent de Paul Society in Scotland at just 23 years of age. He moved to Sydney in 1881 where he founded the first St Vincent de Paul Society Conference in NSW at St Patrick’s Church Hill in Sydney's Rocks District.
1891
The first Special Work of the Society was founded in Surry Hills.
1922
Until 1922 Parish Conferences had organised wardrobes of clothes for people in need by collecting local donations. When this practice became too difficult to manage, the idea of Vinnies Shops where people could purchase second‑hand items was born.
1938
The Matthew Talbot Hostel was opened by Bishop Norman Gilroy in Kent Street to help the many men experiencing homelessness in Sydney. It moved to Woolloomooloo in 1965, where it remains to this day.
2006
The Ozanam Learning Centre in Woolloomooloo opened. It offers a range of educational programs, recreational activities, a drop‑in day centre and extensive information and referral services for men and women experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
In the same year, the first Vinnies CEO Sleepout was held at Sydney Olympic Park, with a handful of CEOs raising around $5,000.
2013
The St Vincent de Paul Society celebrated the bicentenary of its founder Frederic Ozanam’s birth.
2015
The Matthew Talbot Hostel celebrated 50 years at its Woolloomooloo location, a site now synonymous with the service.
2017
2020
We supported over 4,500 households and made an on‑going commitment to support communities devastated by the Black Summer bushfires with funds raised from the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal, which raised $25.2 million nationally.
2022
The St Vincent de Paul Society commemorated the Centenary of Vinnies Shops in NSW. From humble beginnings, the first shop opened in the inner west neighbourhood of Newtown, Vinnies Shops have grown to more than 220 across the state raising vital funds to support the good works of the Society.
2025
The Vinnies CEO Sleepout celebrated its 20th anniversary. From humble beginnings in 2006, the Vinnies CEO Sleepout has provided business and community leaders with greater awareness of homelessness and raised more than $100 million over its lifetime to support the vital work of Vinnies Services.