Origins of the VFFF

The VFFF was established as a charitable trust in New South Wales in 1962, through the generosity of the late Sir Vincent Fairfax, CMG.

Vincent Fairfax (1909-1993) was a fourth generation Australian who served his country in war and peace. He began his life in rural Queensland, at Cambooya near Toowoomba, and never lost his links with rural life and the land.

Vincent Fairfax was a leading member of the business community, holding numerous directorships and official positions with some of Australia's major financial firms, organisations with interests in rural Australia and the Anglican Church. He was a Chairman of the AMP and a Director of John Fairfax Limited, publishers of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and other newspapers. His great grandfather, John Fairfax, was an early proprietor of The Sydney Morning Herald.

Throughout his life, Vincent Fairfax was recognised as a person who maintained an extraordinary capacity for work, while also giving his time and patronage to charitable and voluntary institutions. He was a philanthropist who believed that wealth and influence brought responsibility and an obligation to serve the community.