Serving up Christmas with a Serving up Christmas with a smile...smile...

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. Newsletter 249 | January-February 2011

Current extremes in our weather are resulting inhardships being experienced by many Australians.While Queensland has been hardest hit withflooding of catastrophic proportions as well asCyclone Yasi, here in Victoria we've faced floodingand bushfires in close succession.

In Victoria, over 75 towns have been impacted by thefloods. Where the Society has a presence on theground in affected areas, our volunteers have alreadymobilised to assist those who are in need. The Victorian

Flood Appeal launched and a letter was recentlyforwarded to donors as we continue to raise funds in anattempt to keep up with demand. Despite the growingfinancial pressures we all face, the Society are sograteful for the generosity of people who have donatedwhat they can. Vinnies Centres have also beeninundated with donations and our volunteers continue towork tirelessly to keep up.

All Australians faced with these challengingcircumstances are in our thoughts and prayers.

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F Natural disasters strike homeNatural disasters strike home

The Christmas Appeal ran again over summer with astrong reaction from the public. The every day familysituations struck a chord with the public, who continuedto donate despite the rising cost of living. Thank you toeveryone who contributed to the campaign financially, aswell as those who promoted it in their local parishes andcommunities.Our work at Christmas also included traditional Christmaslunches at our homeless services, Ozanam House andOzanam Community Centre. A full spread of roast meats withvegetables and gravy smelt delicious as it left the kitchenheaded for the 300 hungry and grateful recipients who hadgathered to share the special meal together in the twolocations. Pudding and good cheer followed, with FatherChristmas handing out presents to people as they left.

Ozanam Community CentreOzanam House

U P D AT E

Dear Fellow Vincentians,Volunteers, Staff and Supporters,I trust that you all had a wonderfultime over Christmas with familyand friends. I had a break, fromChristmas Eve till 17 January.The New Year has not startedwell for the many people affectedby the widespread devastating floods that have occurred inQueensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.Our emergency relief people, in consultation with RegionalCouncil Presidents, are responding on a local level torequests as they come in.In response to the floods, we have launched the VictorianFlood Appeal. Donations to the Flood Appeal will assistpeople and communities affected by floods now impactingon large sections of Victoria.When the water goes down we will still be there.Financial donations are the easiest way to make sure wecan quickly provide assistance to those who desperately

need it and help people to get back ontheir feet.Donations can be made via thewebsite at www.vinnies.org.auThe last State Council meeting wasdevoted to revisiting and upgradingour strategic plan to 2015. We lookedat what we have achieved and whatwe did not achieve from the previousplan (2009-2013). We assessed ourcurrent situation with regard to ourstrengths and weaknesses. We havereassessed our goals, and ouropportunities and threats to reachingthose goals and our strategies toachieve our goals. Particular emphasis was given to ourfinancial goals to 2015. We now needto look at action plans to achieve ourstrategies. A further meeting will beheld to finalise the plan.Don't forget the annual OzanamLecture at 7pm on Thursday 24March 2011 at St Francis Church,Corner Elizabeth and LonsdaleStreets, Melbourne. Light refresh-ments will be served in the PastoralCentre at 6pm and there is also a5.30pm Mass at St Francis.Nominations for the election of thenew National President closed on 31January and there were five nomineesput forward. The election will takeplace at the next National Councilmeeting on 19 March 2011.

State President’sMessage

Prayers are requested for...Deceased Members, Volunteers, Family and FriendsTeresa Abraham Ex-Member, Ferntree Gully ConferenceHugh Bourke Brother of Eric, Oak Park ConferencePatricia Dickinson Wife of Ted, Manifold Heights ConferenceRay Ellingworth Past Member, East Bentleigh ConferenceKath Franke Member/volunteer, Kerang/Murrabit Conference/CentreJohn Heanue Member, Burwood ConferenceAgatha Kinsella Ex-Member, Highett Conference, and widow of ex-State

President, Bill KinsellaDonald McCalman Member, Oak Park ConferenceElizabeth Moore Ex-Member, Queenscliff/Ocean Grove Conference &

Volunteer Manager, Queenscliff CentreDamien Mulroy Member Jordanville ConferenceTess Myers Member & sister of Margaret Oates, Lilydale ConferenceDenise O’Connor Widow of Frank, Mentone ConferencePatrick O’Hara Member, Numurkah ConferenceAlice Robertson Member, Wendouree ConferenceMoya Robinson Member, Armadale Conference Noel Ryan Member Ferntree Gully ConferenceJosephine Schembri Volunteer, Vinnies Centres Port Melbourne & LalorMartin Schroeders Daylesford ConferenceFrank Shaw Member, Leongatha ConferenceMargaret Taylor Volunteer, Vinnies Centre SunburySyd Tutton National President, St Vincent de Paul SocietyBr John Webster Secretary, Wendouree ConferenceSeriously Ill Members, Volunteers, Family and FriendsGerald Butler Member, Wendouree ConferenceEileen Caelli Volunteer, Wendouree ConferenceJohn Cahill Member, Geelong ConferenceDaryl Clark Volunteer, Wendouree ConferenceMaureen Daly Member, Wendouree ConferenceNicholas Dureau President, Glen Huntly ConferenceMatt McMahon Member, Geelong ConferenceAlan Ryan Volunteer, Wendouree ConferenceMaree Sexton Wife of Justin, Geelong Conference

To ensure correct acknowledgement please forward any requests for prayers toPhilip Mackey by phone on 03 9895 5837 or email philipm@svdp-vic.org.au.

2011 Ozanam LectureJoin us at the 14th annual Ozanam LectureDate: Thursday 24 March 2011, 7pm

Venue: St Francis ChurchCnr Elizabeth & Lonsdale StreetsMelbourne

Lecturer: Rev Fr Desmond de Sousa CSsRRedemptorist Priest & member of Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in India for over 50 years

Respondent: Maria Minto CahillMembership & Development Advisory Committee St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria

RSVP: Monday 14 March 2011Phone Reception on 03 9895 5935

Light refreshments will be served from 6pm in St FrancisPastoral Centre. Parking at the St Francis Car Park isavailable until 9.00pm. Parking tickets must be validated.

U P D AT E

Bishop Connors and StatePresident Tony Tome openednine Independent Living Units(ILUs) for elderly locals at risk ofhomelessness in Red Cliffs inDecember.Recognising the need in the localarea, the Society funded the units,which are designed so thatresidents can remain independent.The design allows thisindependence but also facilitatesmuch needed and valuedopportunity to socialise for thosewho wish to do so. Tenants have alifetime lease and pay a portion oftheir income in rent, set at a levelwhich will not compromise theirpension.

At the time of the opening NorthWestern Central Council VicePresident, Mr Bob Pollock, said"We're thrilled to be celebrating theopening of the units. Waiting listsfor housing in the area aren'tgetting shorter, so the demand forthis project is certainly there. Theunits are secure and affordable,things that many of us take forgranted."To be eligible for one of the units,a person must be over the age of55, on a Centrelink pension andhave minimal assets. The unitshave five star energy rating whichhelps to reduce the costs totenants, who will pay their ownutility bills.

R E D C L I F F S I L U SR E D C L I F F S I L U S

(l to r) Bishop Connors, Society StatePresident Tony Tome and VincentCare

Board Chair, Peter Johnstone

Wills & Powers of AttorneyThe Society is hosting an informationsession on Wills and Power of Attorney. It will be presented by a lawyer specialisingin wills and estates and include topics suchas the formalities of preparing a will,intestacy, common pitfalls, choosing anexecutor, distribution of personal chattels,changing a will, contesting a will, assets notcovered by the will, special needs ofbeneficiaries, maintenance of records,powers of attorney and guardianship. Thepresentation will be followed by time forquestions. Members are warmly invited toattend. The session is also open to donorsand other Society supporters.Where: St Vincent de Paul Society

43 Prospect Street, Box HillWhen: Friday 18 March

10.30am - 11.30amRSVP: Is essential as numbers are

limited.Call 9895 5800 and leave your name, the number attendingand a contact phone number.

For further information contact Sue Pitt on03 9895 5821 or suep@svdp-vic.org.au

I N F O R M A T I O N S E S S I O N

On 19 November 2010 during 6pm massat St Joseph's Church Red Cliffs, BarryPollock was commissioned as theRegional President for the SunraysiaRegion of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

His wife Maureen was commissioned as thepresident of the Red Cliffs Conference andtheir daughter Danielle McCarthy wasacknowledged as a conference member.

Barry's parents Bob & Pat Pollock have beenstalwart workers for the Society for manyyears and Bob has been instrumental inestablishing Mildura’s Vinnies BudgetGrocery and the newly finished IndependentLiving Units in Red Cliffs.

Sr Rosemary Graham

Three Gens

Gift2Asia to establish meals programVincentCare was recently granted US$100,000 by Give2Asia tostart up an evening meals program at Ozanam CommunityCentre. The program will begin in May and assist approximately 100people per evening with meals as well as other support such ashealth, housing and legal assistance. With additional corporate andphilanthropic support it can be expanded. For more informationcontact Claire Nettley, Major Donor Coordinator on 03 9895 5877.

Sureway Employment gift assists BendigoIn November 2010, Sureway Employment donated $3,000 to theBendigo Conference for Christmas hampers for local families inneed. Sureway is a work experience agency who provide volunteerparticipants at the Bendigo Centre (the program was formerly knownas 'work for the dole'). They are great supporters of the organisationand we thank them for their generous donation.

U P D AT E

Two septuagenarians, BlackburnSouth Conference members, BillGoodwin and Terry Wells, visit 10-11 nursing homes and hostelseach month, entertaining residentswith mini-concerts that last for anhour and comprise about 25 songs,most of which are known to thoselistening to the concert. Bill playsthe keyboard and Terry sings.The concerts are attended by 10-30people, the majority of whom areconfined to wheelchairs or mobilebeds. Residents are invited to join inthe singing, tap their feet or get upand dance if they so desire. Somedo join in but often many appear tobe asleep. However on closer

inspection they are seen to bemoving their lips, fingers or toes intime to the music and this makes thewhole effort most gratifying to theperformers. The residents arealways happy to see Terry and Billwhen they return.The venues vary. Four are run bythe Catholic Church, including threerun by the Society, three by otherdenominations and four by privateorganisations. Occasionally thereare one-day-stands.Last year the they performed 114times. Bill drove over 25,000kilometres, carting his keyboard,amplifier, music and Terry.

Well done Terry and Bill - ED

Nursing Home Troubadours

In Vinnies Centres, we said farewellto Kerry Rohrich after almost tenyears of faithful service. Kerry is aCentres stalwart and will be missedby those who had the pleasure ofworking with him. Michael Rawlinsontakes over as Retail OperationsManager from his role as an AreaSupport Manager, which will be filledin due course.We also said a fond farewell toGeneral Manager of Policy andResearch for VincentCare, AnneTuohey and General Manager ofFacilities, Assets and Procurements,Ray Kelleher. We wish both Anne &Ray well as they move on to newchallenges and thank them for theirsignificant contributions to theorganisation.We welcome Livia Carusi who hascommenced in the role of MissionIntegration Officer in the Membership& Development team. In Finance wewelcome Eva He to the role ofManagement Accountant as well asChristelle Perez and NicoleRobinson who have also beenappointed as team leaders at our twofamily violence services.

Farewells& Welcomes

Amalgamationin GeelongSt Margaret's Conference at EastGeelong were experiencing anincreasing number of calls for helpand a decrease in members able torespond in the East Geelong area.

Therefore the decision has beenmade for St Margaret's Conferenceto amalgamate with St Mary's,Geelong Conference commencing in2011. St Margaret's Conference hasbeen continuously functioning for thepoor in the East Geelong area forover 50 years.

A 'finishing up'/Christmas dinner wasenjoyed by conference members atthe home of the President.

Brian ChandleyRetiring President

U P D AT E

Syd Tutton, National President ofthe St Vincent de Paul Society inAustralia and former Victorian StatePresident, died in the early hours ofSunday 12 December 2010. He diedat the age of 73, having recentlybeen diagnosed with cancer. Syd lived, and died, as a fighter forsocial justice. For him this was what itmeant to be a man of faith. Followingthe example of Jesus, Syd believedpassionately in taking the side of themarginalised even if this meantchallenging the powerful. For Syd, aperson of deep prayer and realcompassion, this was at the heart ofthe Gospel. Born in Richmond, Syd savoured thelessons of his childhood and threwhimself into the rough-and-tumble oflife in all its aspects. This includedoverseas service with the RoyalAustralian Navy as a reservist andnational serviceman. In Richmond 1958, he founded one ofthe first credit unions and also servedas the vice-chairman of the board ofthe Hospital Benefits Association. Syd had a remarkable ability toenthuse and energise those aroundhim. His interests ranged from cricketto the Loyola Musical Society, wherehe met and fell in love with JosephineReay. They married in 1966 and hadsix children and 10 grandchildren. He loved both politics and religion andwas not afraid to talk about either. He

always had a hands-on involvementwith the church and was also involvedin both the ALP and the DLP, standingfor the latter as a candidate for thestate seat of Richmond.Syd had a deep appreciation ofliterature, the arts, theology, politicaland economic theory, and history. Hewould astonish all of us with hisencyclopaedic knowledge of every-thing from Australian Prime Ministersto the Napoleonic Wars. His favouritepoet was George Mackay Brown,whom he had the pleasure of meetingon Stromness in the Orkney Islands.He was a voracious reader, collectedpaintings wherever he went, and lovedto have Tchaikovsky or Elgar blaring inthe background. Syd applied himself assiduously tofurther studies in business manage-ment and accountancy. He spent 51years in the electricity supply industry,serving as manager and companysecretary of the Electricity SupplyAssociation of Australia, secretary ofthe Australian National Committee ofthe World Energy Council andmember of the Executive Assemblyrepresenting Australia.Syd was a member of the St Vincentde Paul Society for more than 40years. He served as the VictorianState President from 2001 to 2006. Hethen served as national secretary fromJune 2006 before being elected asNational President in March 2008. Syd was also a member of the boardof the St Vincent de Paul Society'sInternational Council General, basedin Paris. He was highly respected andloved by Vincentians across the globe,representing Australia and makingsignificant contributions to reform andrenewal of the Society’s InternationalConfederation. He also touchedpeople in a profoundly personal way.Syd was the living embodiment ofhuman solidarity."His total focus on the needs of themarginalised, his willingness to battlefor them - at great cost to himself andhis health - is something I will alwaystreasure. Of all the prophetic people Ihave ever met, he is from the very top

drawer," wrote highly respected SocialAnthropologist Fr Gerald Arbuckle.Syd gave himself completely to thecause of people who are pushed tothe margins of society, both globallyand locally. He continued to call for arevolutionary approach to socialjustice and social change, unafraid ofthe criticisms he sometimes incurredfor this courageous stand. His practical achievements are toonumerous to list but he was notinterested in personal recognition,making light of the papal knighthoodhe received in 2009, threatening toask the Vatican for a horse to go withthe title!For Syd, his work for the St Vincent dePaul Society was simply a matter ofseeking, and finding, God, in thepeople who are oppressed bystructures of injustice and inequality.He went into bat for any group insociety who were degraded anddespised and he did this on a personallevel as well as in the political arena.He loved to foster critical thinkingtaking a personal role in editing theSociety's national magazine, TheRecord, commissioning books andinaugurating the annual Gerald WardLecture on social justice.Syd is survived by his wife Josephine,his children Carmel, Bernadette,Claire, Denise, Geraldine and Stewartand grandchildren Emily, Lauren,Jane, Timothy, Connor, Ryan, Noah,Hamish, Alva and Hans.Edited version of an obituary writtenby National CEO John Falzon

U P D AT E

Did you know...Societynews can be downloaded from thepublications area on our website, log on to:

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Calendar Dates Victorian Flood Appeal

Monday 17 January 2011 - Monday 28 February 2011

Ozanam Lecture Thursday 24 March 2011, 7pmSt Francis’ Church, Melbourne

Vinnies CEO Sleepout 2011Thursday 16 June 2011

Contributions to Societynews arealways welcome.

Email: stephanie.puls@svdp-vic.org.au or send to:

The EditorSocietynewsSt Vincent de Paul SocietyLocked Bag 4800Box Hill Vic 3128

Phone: 03 9895 5800Fax: 03 9895 5850We endeavour to include as manyitems as possible in each issue.

On Thursday 2 December 2010, the daybefore International Day of People withDisabilities, a group gathered at OzanamEnterprises in Mornington to celebratethe opening of their new training room.Ozanam Enterprises, a service ofVincentCare Victoria, provides training andemployment opportunities to people withdisabilities. The company has been inoperation for over 30 years and providesproduction, packaging and manufacturingservices to businesses in southernMelbourne.Local MP Bruce Billson officiallyopened the training room atthe function which was alsoattended by Senator Mitch Fifield, ShadowMinister for Disabilities, Carers and theVoluntary Sector. The building of the training room was madepossible with a grant from the GandelCharitable Trust as well as an investmentfrom VincentCare Victoria itself.At the time of the opening, VincentCareVictoria CEO John Blewonski said, "Prior to

the development of the training room, we'vebeen conducting all our vocational skilltraining in the canteen or a small office,neither of which are ideal. “This new training room allows us to trainour staff in a more appropriate and comfort-able environment. Clients will be learningcomputer, independent living and employ-ment skills in there, just to name a few."

"The service started in 1976 with only 10clients but now we offer training andemployment for 60 people with disabilitiesand have a total workforce of 90. The needfor the training room reflects that growth, soit's a proud day for us. Everyone's reallyexcited that the building is finished andready to go."Festivities for the day continued with theannual barbecue where Louise and Lincoln(pictured above) enjoyed the celebrations.

Celebrating Abilities& Training

Ozanam Enterprises:

Ozanam Enterprises’ new training room provides an area for up to 30 clients and/or staff with access to computers to develop independent living and employment skills.