St Vincent de Paul Society Australia genetic logo

Donate

Nationally, the St Vincent de Paul Society offers in excess of two hundred programs and services designed to help those who are socially excluded and marginalised.

Find Help

Become a Volunteer

Become a Member

Employment Opportunities TAS

Vinnies CEO Sleepout

Donate Goods and Services TAS

Financial Donations TAS

Donate Goods

Gifts in Wills

Workplace Giving

Our Good Works

Vinnies and Loui’s Vans

Dining With Friends

Youth and Schools

Vinnies Hubs

Accommodation

Recycle Rewards - Spreyton Depot

The V - Where Community Connects

Our Special Works

Marillac House

Cape Country Accommodation

Rosalie Court

Bethlehem House

St Vincent Industries

TasTextiles

Vincent Industries

Get Involved

<h2>Vinnies Shops</h2>
Everything you buy or donate inspires change in your local community.

Shops

Justice and Compassion

Let's Build a Fairer Australia

Low income support

Housing and homelessness

Indigenous Australians

Refugees and migrants

Health matters

Children and education

Energy

Advocacy

About Us

Spirituality

Governance

Our Mission

Our Policies

Contact Us

Publications

Media Releases

Stories

Vinnies Treasures

News & Stories

| Vinnies

Home

ACT & surrounds

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

National Council

SVdP Housing Australia

St Vincent de Paul Society celebrate 125 years in Tasmania

Vinnies Tasmania CEO Heather Kent cutting the 125 year celebratory cake

Image

Vinnies Tasmania CEO Heather Kent cutting the 125 year celebratory cake
The St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) is celebrating 125 years of good works in Tasmania. In 1899 the St Vincent de Paul Society held its first Tasmanian Conference in Launceston’s Church of the Apostles.
Members and friends of the Society came together today to celebrate Catholic mass at the Church and embark on 12-months of celebrations and reflection.
Vinnies State President Corey McGrath said the Society and its network of members and volunteers continued to provide practical frontline support, advocacy and friendship for the most vulnerable members of the Tasmanian community.
“After all this time, the Society has seen many changes, but one thing has stayed the same, we continue to help those in need,” Mr McGrath said.
“We still help people with groceries, clothes, shelter and supply things like assistance with accommodation where it is needed, just as we did 125-years-ago.
“But what has changed is how many people we are able to help. Every single day people across our state are supported by Vinnies and the current cost of living crisis sees these numbers continue to climb.”
In its 125th year in Tasmania, the Society is embarking on a reflective celebration of its contribution to the people of this island.
In 1899, gathering money to help the needy was the Society’s main task. Conference members contributed directly out of their own pockets and raised more than £12 (the equivalent of more than $3,700 AUD today) through personal donations.
A similar amount was made through” poor boxes” installed in churches by the Society. Fundraising and other donations also helped the Society raise funds, eventually earning £37, 13 shillings, and 7 and a half pence in its first year of operation (the equivalent of more than $11,000 AUD today).
The money was used to directly help Launceston locals in need, with conference members attending around 30 requests for assistance that year.
In a time before government benefits, poverty in the colonial towns was widespread, and the number of people seeking assistance from the Society quickly increased from dozens to hundreds.
After observing the success of the Society in the north, another Conference was established in Hobart in March 1905, with 70 men taking membership. Besides food and clothing, the Hobart Conference was also able to distribute packets of tea to bring a little cheer to those enduring hardship.
During the first decade of the 20th Century the Society’s work in Tasmania was increasingly recognised as benefiting Tasmania, even while its activities remain relatively shrouded in under-documented humility.
At one public meeting in Launceston, the then future Prime Minister Joseph Lyons spoke of how “there could be no greater work than the uplifting of a fellow creature,” adding that “he had seen letters of thanks sent to the Society which had brought tears to his eyes and made his heart thankful that they had such an organisation in the city.”
Vinnies is now a major support provider across the community, with op shops, emergency relief centres, plus social enterprises providing supported employment across Tasmania (there are now 28 Conferences across three Regional Councils).

Rich Text