Guest Speakers

Members were reminded today that the lifestyle we take for granted is not enjoyed by all Wagga's citizens, when our guest speakers Trevor Urquhart and Michelle Ellis from the Society of St Vincent De Paul, addressed our meeting.

Trevor, who is the Regional President of the Society, said that he is responsible for eight conferences, five in Wagga and three in nearby towns. Vinnies as the society is known, also has Special Works Conferences one of which is The Edel Quinn Shelter conference which is responsible for that institution.

In Wagga, Vinnies also has a Care and Support Centre at 207 Edward St., which is the location for counselling and interviewing those who are seeking assistance. Vinnies also runs op shops and second hand furniture retail.

Trevor pointed out that times are increasingly getting tough for many people and it is not just pensioners seeking help. Many low to middle income families are finding that they need help with electricity bills, medical bills, mortgage payments and rent assistance. Trevor said we live in a great city but many of us don't see the other side of life where people are struggling.

Each of the Wagga Catholic Parishes; St. Michael's, Kooringal, South Wagga and Ashmont have Vinnies Conferences. Members of these conferences, who are all unpaid volunteers, make home visits to needy families on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In 2012 Vinnes in Wagga spent $402,000 in assistance. 2013 financial year it was $482,000. Income is derived from shop sales and donations. All donations received locally are used locally. in the past year 15,000 incidents of assistance have occured.

Trevor said there is a new poor in Australian Society. They are genuine battlers. There is a mythology about dole bludgers but he said you try and live on $480 per fortnight (the dole). 

Vinnies want to set up a food van to provide assistance in the Tolland and Ashmont suburbs. They can't afford to do it alone and are looking for a partnership. It would cost $60,000 to set up a van. They are also looking to use alternative facilities such as the Tolland Community Centre or the Ashmont Hub.

Michelle Ellis from Edel Quinn Shelter spoke about the activity at the Shelter for homeless men. A new building is being constructed on the current Shelter Site and so the residents are in temporary accommodation. The new building should be ready in January.

The new shelter building will have 14 ensuite rooms for long term homeless. In addition there will be more facilities for education and learning, especially life skills. 

Edel Quinn Shelter is designed to cater for men over 18 years of age but hopes to be able to accommodate women as well in the future. Staff at Edel Quinn also have an outreach program which caters for 48 men living in the community.

Trevor Vinnies also has a white good program whereby people can borrow funds from Vinnies to buy whitegoods and they pay them off at no interest. The funds come from a bequest.

After a number of questions our speakers were thanked by President Phil as the meeting was running over time.

The subject was very interesting to members as we contribute each year to Vinnies and we applaud the good work that this organisation does in our community for the poor.

During his talk Trevor paid special tribute to Chris Nash for the excellent service Nash Bros are providing in the construction of the new Shelter.