WHAT WE DO
Our Mission
Provide Guidance
If you are new to Victoria and find yourself in need of guidance to find your feet or a network of Swiss compatriots, we are here to help you.
Safety Net
If you are a Swiss living in Victoria and require personal or financial assistance, you can count on the support of the Swiss Society of Victoria.
Medical Assistance
Those in need of medical assistance, are helped through the provision of medical supplies, equipment or financial aid.
Bright Future
We believe that continuing the work of our founders is important. That is why we are here to support the young and old, through education and assistance.
WHO WE ARE
About Us
The Swiss Society of Victoria (SSV) was founded in 1879 to assist fellow Swiss arriving in the new country and to provide help to those experiencing hardship or financial strain.
We are a non-for-profit organisation that is entirely run by volunteers and funded through membership fees, bequests, gifts and proceeds from investing its corpus – which enables us to help those who are in need.
Over the past 140 years the Society has assisted numerous people and to this day keeps up its duty of care to Swiss living in Victoria. It is wonderful how the Swiss community has prospered and other Swiss groups have blossomed along with the Swiss Club of Victoria – throughout the entire time the Society has provided help to those in need and to this day is actively involved in the community.
Often people are proud and might feel embarrassed to ask for help. It is not easy to admit to oneself, and especially to others, that help is needed. Each request is assessed individually; ensuring help is delivered in a practical, efficient and dignified manner.
In the past, the Society performed its role without much publicity and often went unnoticed. To increase the SSV’s profile and reach more people in need, we decided to take a more public approach and ask for your support.
If you want to learn more about the Swiss Society of Victoria, want to become a member or know someone in need, we invite you email us via admin@swisssocietyvic.org.
The Annual Membership fee is $10, but a Life Membership is available for persons 60 years or older for a once only fee of $100.
Our Work
We continue to assist
We continue to assist
In 2019 we updated the rules of the Society and also incorporated it with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission to ensure we meet the latest regulatory requirements and set our charity up for the future. This would not have been possible without the hard work of the Committee and the assistance of Jacob Wood from ‘Not-For-Profit Law’.
We were also able to assist a number of elderly members of the community with guidance on how to maximise support from Centrelink and Medicare. Additionally, we provided home improvements and medical aids. We are grateful to the work done by our volunteers from the Assistance Committee, which keeps an active connection with the community. If you know of a worthy cause within the Swiss community please let us know.
Look at our NEWS SECTION for the latest activities