SOUTHPORT CONFERENCE CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT

After 100 years of supporting the Southport community, each day is still full of surprises for the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland Members of the local Guardian Angels Conference.

The Conference is comprised of more than 20 local residents, known as Members, who dedicate their time to meet with locals experiencing hardships, homelessness and disadvantage and do what they can to help.

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

“She had spent the last 5 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.

“Being a Member 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 here.”

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

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

With homelessness on the rise across the Gold Coast thanks to a worsening state housing crisis, Carolyn said the situation had never been so challenging for struggling Southport locals.

“Issues are a lot more complex these days. There’s lot of mental health issues, especially with homelessness,” she said.

“I couldn’t tell you why. Some situations are beyond what you can control – all you can do is listen to them, provide companionship and hopefully when you finish, they leave with a little bit more hope than when they walked in.”

For more information about St Vincent de Paul Queensland, visit vinnies.org.au/qld. To request support, please call 1800 846 643.