Where community comes first: Celebrating Vinnies Norwood's enduring legacy

When Carmel Wisking walked into Vinnies Norwood in 1979, she had no idea that it would become one of the longest-lasting relationships of her life.

“I first got involved because I went to the same church as Nan Hamra, who looked after the store, and she asked me if I wanted to volunteer,” she recalls.

Back then, the St Vincent de Paul Society store was located in a small shopfront on the corner of The Parade and Portrush Road.

But Carmel enjoyed helping out and soon developed friendships with the other volunteers, so she kept coming in every Tuesday afternoon.

“Sometimes I've had to take some time off because I'm on holidays,” she says modestly.

But after 47 years of service, she's approaching 2,500 shifts as a volunteer and still going strong.

She has seen plenty of changes in that time, including the store's relocation to its current home in the Federation Free Style hall at 70 The Parade.

That move took place 40 years ago this month, and Carmel recently celebrated the anniversary with other volunteers and staff.

“It was very basic when we first moved in,” she recalls.

“But now we have really good heating and air conditioning and it's comfortable all year round.”

That's important, because Vinnies is far more than a retail outlet.

It's also an important community hub where customers find human connections and bargains side by side.

“We get regular customers who I see every week,” says Carmel.

“The ones that come to shop might spend a few hours browsing the racks.

But some of them are just coming in because they want to chat. 

We've always got some nice music playing, and it's an important service for locals who might not have a lot of other people in their lives to talk to.” 

Inside the store, volunteers fulfil the Vinnies vision of creating a more sustainable society through several means. 

Each item of clothing, homewares or book they sell reduces waste because it has been diverted from landfill, and customers save money on clothes and other necessities that are sometimes heavily discounted. 

Every dollar spent also supports Vinnies' charitable work by providing shelter, food, clothing and other assistance to those in need. 

All of that is made possible by the hard work of more than 45,000 members and volunteers across the country, but Carmel says there's always room for more. 

“I'm getting on now, but I still love coming in to help out,” she says. 

“We don't get as many young people signing up to volunteer as we used to, and it would be great to see more people helping out. 

But until then, I'll be here – I always say that they'll probably take me out of here feet first!”

Visit today

70 The Parade, Norwood
W: www.vinnies.org.au/sa/shops/vinnies-norwood
I: /vinniessa