St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria volunteers and members recognised

Three Victorian Vincentians have been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division. Congratulations to Maureen Davey, John Dowling and Maria Dowling for this significant recognition of service and commitment to their local communities over many decades.

Miss Maureen Therese Davey has been awarded an OAM for service to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Based in Ballarat, Miss Davey has volunteered at the Vinnies Shop in Alfredton for more than 30 years and received a St Vincent de Paul Society Service Victoria Award in 2013 and 2018. Each week, Maureen Davey irons donations at Vinnies Alfredton to prepare them for sale. 

Maureen has dedicated her life to advocacy, quiet leadership, and community service. She was born deaf and with legal blindness, and these aspects of her identity have never defined her.

Beyond her work with Vinnies, Miss Davey was a founding member of the Ballarat and District Better Hearing Australia in 1967 and served as President from 2005-2007.  She was also a founding member of the Ballarat Deaf Social Club in 1974. She holds life memberships of both organisations. 

Miss Davey was a founding member of the Ballarat Branch of the Association for the Blind (now Vision Australia) in 1967 and served as a committee member and chairperson of the regional committee for many years. 

Husband and wife John and Maria Dowling have both been recognised for their many years of service to the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria. 

Mr John Gerard Dowling from Burwood has been awarded an OAM for service to the community through service groups. His significant contribution to St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria includes serving as Deputy President of the Eastern Central Council since 2023; President of the Camberwell Regional Council since 2021; and President of the Camberwell East Conference from 2012-18. He has been a member of the Camberwell East Conference since 2010. He volunteered on the Vinnies Soup Van in Fitzroy from 2012-2020 and has volunteered at Vinnies Hawthorn since 2011. 

Beyond his work at St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria, Mr Dowling is a member of the Men’s Probus Club of Surrey Hills and is a former volunteer of the St John Ambulance Brigade. 

Mrs Maria Bernadette Dowling has been awarded an OAM for service to the community through volunteer roles. Mrs Dowling has been an Associate Member of the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria’s Camberwell East Conference since 2013. 

She volunteered on the Vinnies Soup Van in Fitzroy from 2012-2020 and has volunteered at Vinnies Hawthorn since 2014.  

Mr and Mrs Dowling are also regular donors to St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria, and are involved with Matthew’s Offering, a program that supports rural families of patients who have to travel to Melbourne for medical treatment.

The St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria would also like to congratulate Mr William (Bill) Edward McFarlane, who was awarded an OAM for service to the community of Geelong, which included serving as a committee member of Elstoft House in Hamlyn Heights, which was formerly known as Vincentian Village and owned by VincentCare Victoria until 2015. 

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria’s Group CEO Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald AM congratulated the recipients on this significant achievement. “These members and volunteers are the backbone of our organisation, whose decades of service and dedication to improving the lives of others so often goes unseen and unrecognised. I am so pleased that the dedicated, selfless service of Maureen, John, Maria and William has been given the recognition it deserves. Congratulations again, and from all of us and St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria, thank you.”

For the full list of recipients, visit: The King's Birthday 2025 Honours List | Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia 

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ABOUT THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY:

The St Vincent de Paul Society and its wide network of members and volunteers provide practical frontline support, advocacy and friendship for the most vulnerable members of our community. Key services include home visitation; Vinnies Shops; youth programs; soup vans; assistance for asylum seekers and refugees; education and tutoring; and professional accommodation and health services through VincentCare. The St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria has more than 10,000+ members and volunteers, and more than 60,000 across Australia. Internationally, the Society operates in 149 countries and has more than 950,000 members. To find out more visit www.vinnies.org.au/vic.

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Introducing our King's Birthday honourees...

Maureen Davey OAM

Maureen Davey has been awarded an OAM for service to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Based in Ballarat, Maureen has volunteered at the Vinnies Shop in Alfredton for more than 30 years and received a St Vincent de Paul Society Service Victoria Award in 2013 and 2018.

Each week, Maureen irons donations at Vinnies Alfredton to prepare them for sale. Maureen is blind and deaf. Beyond her work with Vinnies, Maureen Davey was a founding member of the Ballarat and District Better Hearing Australia in 1967 and served as President from 2005-2007. She was also a founding member of the Ballarat Deaf Social Club in 1974. She holds life memberships of both organisations. 

Maureen was a founding member of the Ballarat Branch of the Association for the Blind (now Vision Australia) in 1967 and served as a committee member and chairperson of the regional committee for many years. 

John & Maria Dowling OAMs

Husband and wife, John and Maria Dowling received OAMs for their work in the community.

John Dowling from Burwood has been awarded an OAM for service to the community through service groups. His significant contribution to St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria includes serving as Deputy President of the Eastern Central Council since 2023; President of the Camberwell Regional Council since 2021; and President of the Camberwell East Conference from 2012-18. He has been a member of the Camberwell East Conference since 2010. He volunteered on the Vinnies Soup Van in Fitzroy from 2012-2020 and has volunteered at Vinnies Hawthorn since 2011. Beyond his work at St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria, John is a member of the Men’s Probus Club of Surrey Hills and is a former volunteer of the St John Ambulance Brigade. 

Maria Dowling has been awarded an OAM for service to the community through volunteer roles. Maria has been an Associate Member of the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria’s Camberwell East Conference since 2013. She volunteered on the Vinnies Soup Van in Fitzroy  from 2012-2020 and has volunteered at Vinnies Hawthorn since 2014.

John and Maria Dowling are also regular donors to St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria, and are involved with Matthew’s Offering, a program that supports rural families of patients who have to travel to Melbourne for medical treatment.

William McFarlane OAM

Congratulations to William McFarlane on being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his outstanding service to the Geelong community.

Among his many contributions, William served as a committee member of Elstoft House in Hamlyn Heights, formerly known as Vincentian Village and owned by VincentCare Victoria until 2015. His involvement helped support some of the region’s most vulnerable residents with dignity and care. From faith-based service to education, aged care and grassroots sport, Mr McFarlane’s legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of Geelong. We thank and celebrate William for a life dedicated to community.