Building on the ‘superpower’ of Vinnies in SA
News
Clinton Jury is well aware of the magnitude of the task at hand as he takes on the role of chief executive of one of the State’s largest volunteer organisations at a time when the need for its services has never been greater.
Clinton has joined the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies SA) after 30 years of leadership experience, including with the Australian Red Cross, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and, most recently, the Local Government Association where he was chief executive for four years.
As a long-time ambassador of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout and a member of Vinnies SA’s Commercial Advisory Committee, Clinton has a good grasp of the vast footprint of the organisation, which he describes as its “superpower”.
It’s one of the reasons he’s planning to get out and about as much as he can to check out the grassroots operations supporting 100,000 people in SA every year.
“It’s a huge challenge because of the nature of the people we support, they’re often in various stages of distress,” Clinton told The Southern Cross just a few weeks after starting the job and ahead of a trip to the South East.
Shortly after Clinton’s appointment, Vinnies SA put out an eight-page impact statement that reels off the number of nights’ accommodation given out at Vinnies men’s and women’s crisis centres, the assistance visits by volunteers and the meals offered by Fred’s Van, Vinnies state-wide food service.
It is impressive but much is done on the quiet.
“I think our people do what they’re doing without necessarily much noise or promotion,” he said.
“My role is to help support the systems and structures Vinnies provides to help South Australians in need. It’s phenomenal the amount of work that goes on that nobody hears about.
And our challenge is to make sure we continue to attract supporters and donors because the need is getting ever greater.”
Indeed, there is far more to Vinnies than a series of high street shops to offload unwanted goods and sift for bargains. But that’s often where knowledge of the lay Catholic charity that has operated in SA since 1884, stops.
The public might be aware of the Vinnies crisis centres and the work it does with refugees and asylum seekers, Clinton said, but its one-on-one community visits by members (22,283 in the 2024-25 financial year) and local support are less known.
“So much of our work is very reliant on community support. As with many organisations like ours, it can feel like we are only scratching the surface,” he continued.
“We know poverty doesn’t discriminate. If we learned anything through COVID, we all found out how things can change from day to day.”
“Through our shelters and our emergency shelters, we see a lot of women who are experiencing domestic and family violence. No one is immune, from what I can see. The financial stress that people are under is extraordinary.”
“I’ve always been a passionate advocate for building strong, healthy, vibrant communities and I think that the true measure of a civilised society is how we treat our most vulnerable.”
Even ‘small’ successes at Vinnies mean huge impacts for individuals. Like a former fly-in, fly-out worker (Duncan) who spoke at the 2025 Vinnies CEO Sleepout about how he found himself suddenly sleeping rough after losing his job and is now on the up.
“He’s doing well, he’s got a roof over his head now. He’s also managed to get back into employment again, which is phenomenal.”
Putting work aside when Clinton gets home to his wife and three children every evening, is not always a given.
“As a family, we always tried to do things for other people and contribute where we can,” he said.
“So service, and charity for want of a better word, is quite deep in the family. You’re never really fully aware of the impression you leave on your children and I want to leave a good one.”
For every person Vinnies helps, Clinton predicted there were another 10 or 15 that could also be helped. Getting to the root cause is paramount.
“Sometimes you need to truly take the time to understand what’s going on to be able to impact those causes,” he said.
“I don’t think we can do it for everybody but every person we can do it for makes a significant difference.”
A new five-year strategic plan early in 2026 will be invaluable in supporting Vinnies’ 2500 members and volunteers in SA.
“Our superpower is our footprint,” Clinton said.
“We are in pretty well every community. You may not see us, but we’re there and I think that’s an opportunity to really be front and centre.”
Clinton sets broader Christian values above strict religious affiliation. Being a good person and trying to make a difference comes first for him. This aligns with the Vinnies principle of helping anyone in need, regardless of their background.
Even in his seaside Glenelg suburb, societal challenges abound.
“It’s a lovely part of the world,” he said.
“But you don’t have to walk far to see people who are doing it tough.
“You see a lot of cars where you know people are obviously sleeping and it’s very easy to look past it. I think it’s incumbent on all of us just to be a little more curious in the situation, perhaps be a little less dismissive.
“And help where you can.”
