The Canberra (Australia) Liberals Leader has taken part in the Vinnies’ doorknock campaign most years since he was a child and he and his family, newly arrived migrants from Croatia, were given a helping hand by the society. The Opposition Leader says his father Louis was determined the family should give something back to the charity and all the Seseljas have been Vinnies doorknockers.
For Zed Seselja, doorknocking for the St Vincent de Paul Society’s annual appeal is more than just helping out a local charity, it’s a family tradition.
But this year, Zed Seselja will be taking the family’s involvement to a new level when he launches the month-long fund-raising campaign in Yarralumla this morning. ”My family got some assistance from Vinnies quite a long way back, we were quite young and the family were fairly new to the country,” Mr Seselja said yesterday.
”They didn’t have money for Christmas presents and things, so the Vinnies people came and helped them out.
”When I was young, I remember doorknocking in Kambah, because that’s where we lived, and then we moved to Wanniassa, I remember walking up the hills near our house, getting chased by dogs and various things; it can be a confronting experience, doorknocking.”
Mr Seselja said his parents would be helping out the appeal at St Anthony’s Parish, Wanniassa, while the politician himself would be rattling the buckets in Macarthur and Fadden.
”The work that Vinnies does could never be replicated by volunteers in my opinion. It relies on volunteers, it’s parish-based and it’s absolutely critical,” he said. Noel Towell
To donate to the appeal, visit vinniesdoorknock.org.au
Source: Canberra Times
Tags: Australia, fund-raising
