Age is no barrier for the like-minded duo set to lead the St Vincent de Paul Society in WA through the next four years.
Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Mark Fitzpatrick and President Jeff Trew both say they have a good working relationship and a shared vision to help the community.
Mr Trew, who took over from outgoing State President Clément Astruc, was commissioned on September 1 at St Mary’s Cathedral.
The role of State President is a voluntary position that is voted on and elected by the Society’s membership and is served over a four year term.
Mr Trew first joined the Society in the early 60s where he volunteered at the Palmyra Conference while starting a family.
“We were newly-married at that stage and just beginning our family but there was a realisation from a friend there were people living not far from us that were really struggling and had a lot less than we did, and we didn’t have much.”
After serving as the founding President of the Society’s Myaree Conference, Mr Trew took a break to focus on raising a family and rejoined the Woodlands Conference in 2005.
Unlike Mr Trew, this is his counterpart’s first role in the organisation.
Mr Fitzpatrick, the 37-year-old CEO, has a history working for Catholic not-for-profits including Southern Cross Care and says for him it’s about making a difference. “We keep getting more and more demand for our services, which is a real shame. If I had my way I’d be doing us out of business because [of] no demand, but unfortunately I’m probably not going to get to that in my lifetime.”
Mr Trew says the Society is experiencing the opposite with more and more people knocking on their door, with homelessness and the lack of affordable housing the biggest problems in WA.
“These people are on a knife-edge all the time. You and I can’t understand that or fully appreciate that; we don’t live like that. It only takes a single bill to push them over the edge,” he says. “That’s our roll, to help them over this little hiccup and get them back on their feet.”
The Vincentian duo say they will work together over the next four years to ensure the immediate welfare benefits and services are provided but also that through advocacy and justice, they will make a difference to society.