Howdy Pardners...
A riotous welcome to President Wayne who reminded us of the 4 Way Test and that in this day in...
- 1977 the 'US Voyager' took the first photograph of the moon and the earth together and
- Today is International Equal Pay Day
Directors' Reports and Member Announcements
- Rick - food for PICYS (and not just spag bol please) still needed
- Angus - Fundraising committee meeting after breakfast
- Veronica - Shelterbox is seeking volunteers to join the Shelterbox team; Attadale RC's Fremantle Chamber Orchestra Spring Concert on Sunday (see events page)
- Brian J - Speaker program is now full up to end of December except for our Christmas meeting so seeking a Christmas theme speaker
- Owen - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is on tomorrow night. You will receive a phone call between 3.30 and 4.30 to tell you 'where to go'. Remember to pay your host $25 each and take wine, chocolates, flowers whatever you would take if you were invited to dinner.
- Gorby - Vocational visit to the Perkins Institute is on next Friday.
- Eunice - Free workshops on AI and Scammers 19-25 October. See events for more details.
- Ian - Offtraq list is still circulating and whilst we have 9 people from the Club helping out we need more. Info session on Sunday 2pm at the Empire Bar.
Guest Speaker : Anne Curran, CEO St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies)
Ann Curran is the CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society WA, known as Vinnies WA. She has spent more than 20 years working with and in communities across the health and community services sectors, including the past eight years with Vinnies WA, first as the CFO and more recently as the CEO.
Ann was raised in an Irish family outside a small village in County Kildare and emigrated to Australia in the late 1980s.
Ann believes deeply that how we respond to the most marginalised and vulnerable people in our communities is a true measure of our collective health and wellbeing. She believes we are interconnected, and that we have far more in common with one another than we have differences.
Ann delivered a comprehensive presentation on homelessness in Western Australia and the organisation’s multifaceted response. She challenged common stereotypes, highlighting data that show homelessness predominantly affects women, families, and even employed individuals. Key drivers include family and domestic violence, financial hardship, and housing affordability stress.
The St Vincent de Paul Society in WA has served the community for 160 years and celebrated its 160th birthday in November 2025. The organisation is known lovingly as "Vinnies", a community-given nickname reflecting trust and care.
Homelessness doesn’t always look homeless:
- 50% of clients were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
- On any given day in WA 5,070 adults are homeless
- 2,856 unaccompanied children/young people presented to a specialist service in WA
- 75% experienced homelessness before the age of 25
- Almost 3x as many females as males (12-24 years old)
- Life expectancy of person experiencing homelessness 46 years (versus 83 years)
Her presentation outlined Vinnies’ specialist services:
- Tom Fisher House for the chronically homeless (a specialist low-barrier service on Beaufort Street for adults chronically homeless for over six months. It provides dignified accommodation with 12 private bedrooms for seven-night stays).
- Wanjoo Bidi for transitional housing (meaning “the welcome place", serving a large Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Located in the former Murray Hotel. Transitional housing with 33 large rooms for people who have been street-present or need social/affordable housing).
- Youth-focused Passages and Compass programmes:
- Passages Youth Engagement Hubs. A collaboration between Vinnies and Rotary, with hubs in Perth and Peel. Drop-in centres for young people aged 12 to 25.
- Compass Program. Intensive case management for Passages youth ready to move forward. It supports reconnection with family and finding work, assisting a smaller cohort (20–30 young people) but achieves transformative outcomes.
Community support, philanthropy, fundraising (including the CEO Sleepout) and volunteering are essential to sustain these services. The core message: homelessness is a community issue requiring a collective, community-led response.
CEO Sleepout
- Annual fundraising event at Perth Zoo; open to more than CEOs.
- Participants sleep outside with minimal comforts (e.g., cardboard, basic soup) to gain insight into the physical and emotional impact of a night unsheltered without attempting to replicate homelessness.
- In 2026, about 140 people participated in 1.3-degree weather.
How you can help:
SHOW UP – Take part in the CEO Sleepout
- Or encourage a CEO you know to participate
GIVE – Donate. Fundraise. Dollar-match
- Donate to Vinnies Homelessness Services
- Philanthropic or corporate donation
- Nominate Vinnies as a beneficiary
Ann’s presentation can be viewed at:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1E-7qHQb_PkkpF5fFFeJsoJkJ1UlsO_PB?rtpof=true&usp=drive_fs
One Fine(s) Day...
Pocket Rocket Jenny McLean hot on the topic of immigration today, reminding us what a melting pot of multiculturalism we are...
- All migrants to Oz
- Anyone who is/have been involved with Health, Agriculture, Education and/or Construction
- Those who have contributed to boosting the population (e.g. parents, grandparents, etc)
- Electric vehicle drives because us petrol-heads are fed up of sponsoring your quiet service life
- New research being conducted on rats that can be trained to detect contaminated soil - so all those with rats in their rafters, pantry, garage etc.,
Winner of Heads and Tails
Admiral Adams won the toss and doesn't he look admirable!
Attendance
39 attendees in all, including guest speaker Anne Curran, visiting Rotarian Bill Boekmann and visitor (and fellow CEO sleepout mate of Eunice) Emily Choo.
