St Vincent de Paul Society celebrate 125 years in Tasmania

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).