The St Vincent de Paul Society, one of the largest charitable organisations operating in Australia today, proudly celebrated its 125th anniversary on Monday.
Since the foundation of the first Vinnies conference in NSW, the organisation has grown to comprise of 559 conferences, 270 Vinnies Centres and 21,000 dedicated members and volunteers who assist approximately 4,215 people in need each week.
Manager of the Cootamundra Vinnies store, which has been operating in Parker Street since 1969 and at the Catholic Church for a time before this, Coral O’Laughlin said that in Cootamundra Vinnies is fortunate to have over 45 volunteers, a huge number for such a small centre.
“We are really very lucky,” she said.
“Vinnies in Cootamundra is much bigger than many people think.”
The Cootamundra Vinnies conference comprises of 10 members who conduct interviews, collect clothing from bins and make home visits if required.
“The conference is really the backbone of work in Cootamundra,” said conference member and volunteer Miriam Millgate.
Cootamundra Vinnies volunteers help up to 50 people in need every month, with their services including the provision of food vouchers as well as electricity and gas vouchers.
“Volunteering with Vinnies is really rewarding,” said Miriam.
“You often go home feeling like you have received more than you have given.”
From the early beginnings of St Vincent de Paul in Paris, the Society’s then President -General requested that Charles Gordon O’Neill travel to Australia to establish Vinnies conferences of the in the country.
O’Neill came to the aid of Sydney’s disadvantaged and destitute by successfully establishing the first conference at St Patrick’s Church Hill on July 24 1881.
Over its 125 years Vinnies has continually adapted to social, economic and technological change while still keeping focused on their core mission, to bring hope, comfort and dignity to people in every area of disadvantage.
Vinnies seeks ways to assist people who are homeless, struggling on low incomes, suffering mental illness, families in crisis, elderly, youth in need as well as migrants and refugees.
Cootamundra Vinnies is currently continuing its Winter Appeal and although there have been many generous donations, the organisation is experiencing a shortage of blankets and are appealing to the people of Cootamundra to donate any spare blankets they may have.
