80 years of goodness

St Vincent De Paul Society (Vinnies)
Tireless. Selfless. Dedicated.

Barbara Healy is 80 years old, and she is as passionate today about helping those in need as she was in 1964, when she first started volunteering for St Vincent de Paul Society.

During her long tenure as a volunteer, Barbara has been active in greater Chatswood and served as President of Chatswood Regional Council.

Barbara, a qualified clinical nurse who has worked in Canada, the USA and with the armed forces, is not the kind of person who waits for people in need to find her. She goes out looking for those who may be lonely, depressed or homeless.

She regularly travels to Waterloo, where she has teamed up with nuns and priests to help people in the area.

In Chatswood and Willoughby, Barbara worked with the council staff and the Ombudsman to help the poor and the needy. She also worked with the Willoughby Council to launch Bring your Bills Day to help people struggling to keep up with payments.

"I always treat people in the same way I would like to be treated. I try not to judge or discriminate. I feel frustration, sadness and anger when I can't provide them with what they need. I called the Pope to ask for more assistance," says the courageous volunteer.

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. St Vincent De Paul Society will use its grant to provide people with vouchers for food, electricity, water and gas.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here