WelCom November 2020
Sally Babington has been appointed the general manager for the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Wellington Area and began her role in July this year. Mr John Kennedy-Good announced Sally’s appointment before his recent retirement as president of SVdP Wellington Area Council. ‘Sally has worked in social services leadership roles throughout community and government agencies,’ he said. ‘She has a deep commitment to working alongside communities, seeking to understand what people who use social services really want and need.’
Sally has worked in statutory social work and has led teams in special education providing support and services for children with disabilities. She has led change-management programmes for improved services in the prison system, with ACC, Legal Aid Services, and with Barnardo’s New Zealand.
Ms Babington said she was looking forward to working with a committed team in the community, providing services directly to people in need and building on the ‘amazing work’ being done at St Vinnies.
‘I bring an adaptive and responsive leadership style, one that is particularly important in our current world where people are experiencing stress, change and uncertainty’, Ms Babington said.
Mr Kennedy-Good also acknowledged the 15 years of growth and service achieved by the previous manager-secretary, John Rossbotham.
Mr Kennedy-Good also announced Eustie Kamath as his successor as president of the SVdP Wellington Area Council. ‘Eustie has a wealth of experience on social-justice issues and has participated in the life of several parishes. We welcome and wish Eustie every success in furthering the vision and mission of the Society in Wellington,’ Mr Kennedy-Good said.
Eustie has been involved in Church activities in Auckland, Palmerston North and Wellington including Eucharistic ministry, membership and leadership of social justice groups, Passionist Family groups and parish councils; facilitating Lazarus Experience; mentoring Seasons for Growth (for prisoners); advocacy with submissions to Parliament; and was recently President and Treasurer of the Onslow SVdP Conference.
After living and working in three continents Eustie arrived with his wife and three children in Auckland in 1995. ‘We settled in Wellington in 2012 with no intention of moving again,’ he said.
Eustie says he has always been active in the Church and was born to a devout Catholic family in South India. ‘I took my faith for granted until it was severely tested when I went to study engineering in Kanpur at the Indian Institute of Technology. My Jesuit schooling went a long way in giving me the strength to stand up and be counted.’