However, he has not stepped away from the society completely as he will still be providing guidance and support as vice president.

He said it was time for a change.

“I felt confident that now’s a good time to step aside and let others lead,” he said.

Mr Van Wanrooy said the reason for joining the society was because he saw it as a vocation.

“I wanted to be a priest to start with but found out it wasn’t for me,” he said.

“I thought I could do God’s work just as well by being very close to the action and that face-to-face contact with people.

“There’s that concern for people who are on the fringe – they’re all God’s people. So that’s been the big driving force that’s kept me going.”

His time at the society began before his time in Yass, where he and his family moved to in 1984.

He became a member of the society when he was still in High School in Kogarah, Sydney.

The first task he started doing was hospital visits at St George Hospital.

Then in 1971, he and Helen married and moved to Campbelltown.

“I joined the society there and we used to see 30–40 families each week. Helen was very supportive of the Vincentian work while we raised three children,” Mr Van Wanrooy said.

When they arrived in Yass, he continued his work with the society here. He recalled the early days: “Within a couple of years, I was the secretary of St Augustine’s Conference – it was really different back then and we had the highway going through here”.

He said that during most nights of the week, there was someone knocking on the door looking for a bed.

“But when the bypass was developed, there was a noticeable drop in that traffic. By that stage, which was in the early 90s, I was president,” he said.

The main highlight of his time, he said, was to help provide basic needs for people.

“It’s important to listen to people, listen to their stories, help them with their immediate needs and give them hope.

“It’s about individual families you help – that’s what I think it’s about. It’s just that person-to-person thing you develop,” he said.

Mr Van Wanrooy also cited the merging of the men’s and women’s conferences to form one branch as a fond memory.

“The amalgamation was a really great move. There was a bit of nervousness among the older members, but it all worked out fine.

“It gave me a better overall perspective of what’s happening,” he said.

It was not always smooth sailing, though.

Asked about the challenges, he said one was helping people manager their utility bills and healthcare.

“It’s a major issue for people on low incomes.

“We’ve also seen an increase in the number of people who need to access medical facilities in Canberra – whether it’s for hospital admittance or doctors’ appointments.

“It’s hard for people on pensions to find that extra money for travel costs – these kind of problems highlight the deficiencies in health facilities here,” he said.

Looking ahead, he said he had hope because of the increase in services.

“In the 1980s, besides the society, there was only the Salvation Army. But over the years, a few more services have started.

“It’s good to see them helping and sharing some of the load and good to be collaborating with them,” he said.

Mr Van Wanrooy would like see things keep going the way they are, saying they will continue “to help people as best we can using this pool of resources”.

Judith Williams has taken on the role of president.

“We’re only ordinary people, but we’re all one team and will continue to help others when they need help,” Ms Williams said.