Governor-General visits Bethlehem House

In August Her Excellency, the Hon Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia, visited Bethlehem House to tour the facilities and meet with those working and staying at the accommodation.

A ‘Special Work’ of the Society, Bethlehem House is the largest provider of crisis and transitional accommodation for men experiencing homelessness in Tasmania.

The Governor-General said she is using her time in the role to shine a light on services that offer kindness and care to people.

“I want to thank you all on behalf of all Australians for the work that you do here and for how long you have been doing it. It is the job of the Governor-General to show up and express our gratitude,” Her Excellency said to the excited staff of Bethlehem House.

“My term as Governor-General will be all about care and kindness and people’s sense of belonging.

“I am six weeks into my time as Governor-General and I have not yet been to many parts of the country, but we wanted to come to Tasmania early,” she said.

Her Excellency was given a tour around the two campuses by Bethlehem House Executive Manager Stephen Shreeve, St Vincent de Paul Society National President Mark Gaetani, Tasmanian CEO Heather Kent and Homes Tasmania CEO Eleri Morgan-Thomas.

During the tour she met with and talked to many residents about their experiences with homelessness and how Bethlehem House is supporting them.

Her Excellency also met Father Graham Howard who joined the celebrations on the day.
Father Graham was involved with the creation of Bethlehem House back in 1972 and has continued to provide pastoral support to the men of Bethlehem House for the past 14 years since concluding active ministry.

“Special Works hold a very special place in our hearts because they are our organisation’s core service and are driven by what we see in the community. We are delighted to have seen the growth of Bethlehem House over the past 52 years,” Ms Kent said.

“There are about 75 men that are accommodated on this site, and they are supported by an absolutely incredible team of inspiring individuals that work so well as a team.”

The tour concluded with the Governor-General presenting an historic coin to the National President and State CEO as a symbol of appreciation and ongoing support.