AFTER almost five years in the top job, St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn CEO Barnie van Wyk will finish up on Friday (October 8). 

Barnie, who came to Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn in February 2017 with more than 20 years of international management and strategic experience, has steered the society through some very challenging and times, including the 2019 Summer bushfire recovery, rebuilding and community development efforts, COVID-19 response plans and major organisational change and fundraising initiatives.

Barnie’s many accomplishments include growing the society’s revenue base to $30 million per annum to ensure its ongoing financial viability, establishing new services and programs to meet the growing needs of Canberra’s most vulnerable, and, in a joint partnership in 2019 between Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn, Catholic Care and the ACT government, he helped established Axial Housing, which provides permanent homes and support services to 20 disadvantaged individuals in the Canberra community. 

A serial CEO Sleepout participant, Barnie raised $107,000 over the last five sleepout events.

He also tirelessly promoted the event with local media as well as business, community and government leaders.

During his time Barnie has helped increase CEO Sleepout fundraising income by 60 per cent, making the ACT the highest fundraising income per capita state in the nation at seven times the national average. The 2021 CEO Sleepout event even culminated a record-breaking $1 million, the highest amount raised in the event’s 12-year history.

In announcing the news, society president John Feint said: “Barnie is an outstanding and passionate leader and has served the Society of St Vincent de Paul Canberra/Goulburn and the community with great commitment.” 

“Under Barnie’s leadership, the society has become a stronger, more capable, community-based and governance-focused organisation,” he said. 

Reflecting on his tenure at Vinnies, Barnie said the commitment by government, Vinnies, the sector and the community to disrupt the existing value chain to improve care for all vulnerable people and programs is inspiring, particularly considering all that happened whilst facing the devastation of the bushfires and the COVID-19 outbreak. 

He also took the time to highlight the commitment of its 2300 strong workforce of members, volunteers and employees

“The Vinnies team spares no effort in ensuring that anyone who looks to us for help receives the very best care and support, whether they are assisted at Vinnies outreach services like Street to Home or Night Patrol, local Vinnies drop-in centres like Blue Door or any of our Vinnies shops,” he said. 

Following Barnie’s departure, Michelle Colefax, the current deputy CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn, will step in as acting CEO.