St. Vincent De Paul Society, Dunedin

New Zealand Tablet, Issue 3, 6 August 1908, Page 30

St. Vincent De Paul Society, Dunedin

The annual meeting of the ladies' branch of the ,St Vincent <le Paul Society, Dunedin, was held in $ts Joseph's Hall on Monday evening. ' The Rev. Father Coffey, Adm., presided, and there was a good attendance.

The following report and balance sheet were presented to the .meeting :—: —

In presenting the twenty-third annual report, the committee says it considered it a first and paramount- duty to return •its sincere thanks to all who have in any way, whether at the annual appeal or during the year, supplied the necessary funds -and goods that have enabled it to do so much necessary work. •

During the year the work of St. Vincent de Paul has not been to relax ; everything possible has been done to alleviate the wants of poor people and render their condition :more endurable whenever brought under the committee's notice. 'Our charity (say the committee) is not confined to the Catholic ipoor alone. All, irrespectiye^of creed, receive who. by misfortune irequire the society's help/ Its thanks- are specially due to his SLordship the Bishop, the clergy, the nuns of the Good Shepherd, .'Sisters of Mercy (South Dunedin), Messrs. Callan and Gallaway, jDr. O'Neill, Dr. Hastings, Mr. Cummings (of the Patients and IPrisoners' Aid Society), Mrs. Ansell (secretary "of the Society '.for the Protection " of Women and Children), Adjutant Duff, U.S.S. Company, Huddart- Parker Company, police authorities, :and subscribing members.

General Summary. — Forty meetings were held; 10 children ■sent to St. Mary's (Nelson), seven girls to St. Vincent de Paul ((South Dunedin), eight woir.en to Mount Magdala,. one girl to Ifriends in Auckland, one girl to friends on the West Coast, five iinfahts were sent' to the Karitane Home. The society has had a 1 children baptised. Sixty grocery orders were given out and '616 1 coal orders. A great quantity of made-up clothing has been •distributed, 15 pairs of new boots, 113 yards flannelette, 30 yards iflannel, 82 yards dress material, 6 pairs blankets, etc. The society has 120 honorary members and nine active members. Balance Sheet. To Balance in Expenditure. bank, July, 1907 £28 47 By Groceries ... £17 17 o „ Donations ... 27 17 o „ Coal 23 j9j 9 4 „ Interest ... 055 „ Drapery ... 35 910 „ Poor box ... 912 o „ Boots ;5 I 2 6 .„ Subscriptions... 3415 9 „ Telephone ... 500 „ Haeremai Com- „ Railway fares ... 234 mittee ... 5 5°.,, U.S.S. Co. and „ „ Church coilec- Huddart-Parker* 12 15 6 tion ... ... 58 13 o „ Offerings, Mt. Magdala, etc. 6 11 o „ Urgent board ..." 8 11 9 „ Sundries — Cab hire, «tc. ... 114 o „ Furniture ... 3 7 o „ Balance in hand 41 i_t 6 12 9 - 12 9 T Rev. Father Coffey, in moving the adoption of the report land balance sheet, said the society, had now been in existence for a considerable number- of years, during which time it had •done a great deal of good work in a .quiet and unostentatious •manner — in fact there were' many 'in Dunedin who did not "know - *of its existence. For years it was" composed" entirely of ladies •■of the congregation, but for the last couple of years they had :^farted a men's society in ' connection with the work. As a tmatter of historic fact, the society was originally composed -A 'men, and that was the case in several places at the present, time." The .work of the society was not confined to assisting_any one denomination ; it was purely a .charitable institution, carried on entirely by the laity. The work of the society in Dunedin had been practically left to the women, whOj it was recognised,.~could _ do it much better than the men. They did good work among the children whom' they took from' bad surroundings and placed In homes where they were welt looked after and properly brought «p. Then there was the work among :the fathers and mothers, - in whose homes poverty reigned. ' Another b»anch of the society's work was amongst fallen girls, who were taken away from their evil surroundings and placed "in homes where they -would be well looked after,' and given a- chance to redeem thetnrselves. The work of the society was as extensive as charity

itself, an,d he* had nothing bufpraise for those who were engaged in it. The president (Mrs. Jackson) had a very difficult task, and it required a woman of great patience . and a_ very tender heart to fill the position. He read some time ago the report' of the work done by the society in Australia last year, and from this report he learned that if distributed a sum of in charity in twelve months. In Sydney the society supports a home where 120 fallen boys are maintained without any -State assistance. Some years ago the Government contributed £300 a year to the institution, but that had been withdrawn,. and so the society has now to depend on its own resources to carry on the work. This is only one of the many works carried on in Sydney by the St. Vincent dePaul Society. They had received every assistance from the other- charitable organisations in Dunedin, and he was only too pleased to return their most sincere thanks to the members of these various organisations for their kind help and assistance. He wished to refer in- an especial manner to the assistance rendered by the police, who had- always shown their appreciation of the society's work. In,conclusion he said that a great deal of charitable work was done in Dunedin in a quiet way about -.which -the public knew but little.

Dr. Hastings, seconding the motion, said that the fact *that the work was done quietly and without parade reflected increased credit on the society.

The report and balance sheet were then adopted. The election of officers for the current year resulted" as follows :— President, Mrs. Jackson (re-elected) ; vice-president, Mrs. Mowat (re-elected); secretary and treasurer, Miss Purton (reelected) ; wardrobe keeper, Mrs. Swanson (re-elected).