IN 1833 A YOUNG STUDENT IN PARIS, FREDERIC OZANAM, AND HIS COLLEAGUES WERE DEFENDING ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANITY. THE ARGUMENT WAS THAT CHRISTIANS WERE DOING NOTHING TODAY FOR THE POOR, THAT FREDERIC AND HIS FRIENDS WERE DOING NOTHING THEMSELVES TO HELP THE POOR AND THAT THEY WERE ONLY TALKING ABOUT CHRISTIANITY, WITHOUT ANY ACTION. THEY WERE CHALLENGED TO "SHOW US YOUR WORKS." THIS CONFRONTATION PROMPTED FREDERIC AND HIS FRIENDS TO ORGANISE AND ENLARGE THE WORK OF ASSISTING THE POOR THEY WERE ALREADY DOING WITH SR ROSALIE RENDU, A DAUGHTER OF CHARITY. THEY DECIDED TO SET UP A SEPARATE ORGANISATION OF STUDENTS COMMITTED TO CHARITABLE WORK – THE CONFERENCE OF CHARITY. THEIR TASK WAS TO WORK "FACE TO FACE" WITH THE POOR, TO GIVE OF THEIR MEANS, TIME, AND KNOWLEDGE TO HELP THESE PEOPLE. ONE OF THE OLDER MEMBERS SUGGESTED THAT THE GROUP TAKE AS ITS PATRON ST VINCENT DE PAUL – THE CONFERENCE OF CHARITY BECAME THE SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL. AS THE WORK OF THE SOCIETY BECAME KNOWN MEMBERSHIP INCREASED UNTIL IT HAD TO BE SPLIT UP. AS MEMBERS MOVED FROM PARIS TO RETURN HOME OR SEEK EMPLOYMENT, THEY STARTED OTHER CONFERENCES. IN JUST A FEW YEARS, THE SOCIETY HAD SPREAD TO MANY COUNTRIES WHERE THE "FACE-TO-FACE" HOME VISITATION REMAINS THE BASIS OF THE WORK OF THE SOCIETY CONFERENCES TODAY.

IN 1880 A SCOTTISH ENGINEER NAMED CHARLES O'NEILL ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA FROM NEW ZEALAND. HE HAD JOINED THE SOCIETY IN SCOTLAND IN 1851 AND WAS A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL GENERAL IN PARIS. HE HAD ALREADY FOUNDED A CONFERENCE OF THE SOCIETY IN OTAGO NEW ZEALND WHILE HE WAS WORKING THERE. AFTER RESPONDING TO A REQUEST BY THE PRESIDENT GENERAL IN PARIS TO COME TO AUSTRALIA, O'NEILL WAS GIVEN PERMISSION BY ARCHBISHOP VAUGHAN TO ORGANISE THE BIRTH OF THE SOCIETY IN SYDNEY. THE CONFERENCE OF ST. PATRICK’S CHURCH HILL WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FOUNDED ON 24TH JULY 1881. WITHIN TEN YEARS, HE HAD ESTABLISHED 20 CONFERENCES IN THE SYDNEY METROPOLITAN AREA AND, IN 1886, ONE IN BRAIDWOOD IN SOUTHERN NSW. IN 1884 O’NEILL FOUNDED THE REGIONAL COUNCIL OF SYDNEY AND BECAME ITS FIRST PRESIDENT. IN THIS WAY THE STRUCTURE OF THE SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL WAS ESTABLISHED WITH A SOLID FOUNDATION. TODAY HIS WORK HAS BORN RICH FRUIT WITH THE SOCIETY, MAINTAINED BY VOLUNTEERS, REPRESENTED THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA IN MANY SPECIAL WORKS AND PERHAPS MOST ICONICALLY IN THE EVERPRESENT 'VINNIES' STORES.

THE SOCIETY IS ORGANISED IN 'CONFERENCES' USUALLY LINKED ORGANISATIONALLY AND BY TITLE TO THE PARISH. THESE CONFERENCES CARRY OUT THE GENERAL WORK OF THE SOCIETY AND ALSO OPERATE THE WELL-KNOWN VINNIES STORES. 'SPECIAL WORKS' OUTSIDE THE GENERAL WORK OF THE SOCIETY ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SPECIFICALLY FORMED CONFERENCES. THE LIST BELOW IS OF LOCATIONS WHERE THE SOCIETY MAINTAINS OR MAINTAINED A PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERY CONFERENCE AS NOT ALL CONFERENCES OPERATED SUCH AN INFRASTRUCTURE NOR HAS IT BEEN POSSIBLE TO TRACK DOWN ALL FORMER CONFERENCES. NEW LOCATIONS WILL BE ADDED AS INFORMATION AND PHOTOS BECOME AVAILABLE.

BATHURST

BEROWRA

BLAYNEY

BROOKVALE

CANOWINDRA

COOLAH

COONABARABRAN

COONAMBLE

COWRA

DEE WHY

DUBBO

DUNEDOO

FORESTVILLE

GALSTON

MONA VALE

NARRABEEN