Members of the Manning Conference
During the late 1940s and early 1950s the senior boys of Aquinas College, encouraged by their Chaplain had a junior branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society in which they had their early experiences of assisting those in need in the community.
Father Ernest Rogers encouraged this work. He, of course, was also caring for the Catholic families of Manning and South Como and was so followed by Fr Scully.
The boys would raise moderate amounts of money for the under- privileged. They financed and organised a "treat day" for the children of Castledare Home. Lots of fun and buckets of icecreams for all. Another task was their regular "hands-on" effort in making cement bricks at Bronte Street, East Perth for the construction of the men's night refuge, Camillus House.
Father Carmody, as early as 1958, had seen the value in having the Society in Manning Park and invited Ned Murray and George Furlong (State President and Vice President) to establish a Conference in the Parish. Jack Loney was appointed President and the members were George Collopy, Ray Green, Ken Coster, Brian Courtney, Bill Verjans, Lloyd Greenwood and Joe Edwards. A wide area was serviced - Bentley, Wilson, Queens Park, St James and Maniana.
People in dire financial straits were then able to get some assistance with the provision of food, clothing and bedding, partly collected from other parishioners, and from the central depot, by the Manning group and distributed where needed. In addition to homes, hospitals were also visited and then it followed that women were eligible to join. Among the first to join were May Backhouse, Nancy Rosman, Margaret Wilcox - at present there are four women in the Conference. Succeeding Presidents have been Bill Verjans, George Collopy, Ken Coster, John Fogarty, John Wilcox, Des Mulcahy and Kevin Fitzgerald.
Successive parish priests have appreciated the worth of the St Vincent de Paul work, seeing the need as they visit their people.
In 1981, in fact one month before Father Carmody died, the St Vincent de Paul Society started its shop in the Karawara Shopping Centre. From it the Society was able to pass on clothing, at very low cost, using the income to purchase goods where donations were not meeting demand.
Growth in the need for such assistance has been such that during 1991/92 the now twelve active members and some auxiliary members acquired and distributed food in this and neighbouring districts to the value of around $18,000. More than twenty families in Manning and Karawara received regular assistance during 1992.
It is of interest to note that, in 1992, Jack Loney was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of his many years of service to the Society.