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What happens when a LION meets a LIONWhat happens when a LION meets a LION

Register now for the 63rdNational Lions Convention

Lion-Dec-Jan-1-7 Sect 1_template Lion 25/11/2014 8:33 am Page 1


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Connections, influence, friendship, philanthropyDEC - JAN 2014-15 Volume 116 No. 1LION

Lion – Australia and PNGLion - Australia and Papua New Guinea edition ispublished bi-monthly for the Multiple District 201Council of Lions Clubs International and circulated toall members.Published by MD201 Council of Governors and printed byPMP Print, 37-49 Browns Road, Clayton Victoria 3168.An official publication of Lions Clubs Interna tional, the Lionmagazine is published by authority of Board of Directors in21 languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, French,Swedish, Italian, German, Finnish, Korean, Portuguese,Dutch, Danish, Chinese, Norwegian, Icelandic, Turkish,Greek, Hindi, Polish, Indonesian and Thai.Editor: Tony Fawcett, Fawcett Media20 Millett Road Gisborne South VIC 3437Phone: (03) 9744 1368Email: [email protected] Enquiries: Lions National Office31-33 Denison St, Newcastle West, NSW 2302Phone: (02) 4940-8033Lions Australia website: www.lionsclubs.org.auDeadlines: 1st day of month before co ver date.MD201 Council of Governors: C1 Rosemary Wenham,C2 Ron Sargent, N1 Peter Willis-Jones,N2 Lorraine Mairinger, N3 Margaret Pearce, N4 Ian Warren,N5 Dr Anthony Cheung, Q1 Kent Wilcox, Q2 Gordon Bailey,Q3 Greg Rollason, Q4 David Trigg, T1 Michael MacLaren,V1-4 Kevin Tait, V2 Phillip Johnson, V3 Marjorie Radford, V5 Alan Fluck, V6 Peter Niall, W1 Ivan Sturgess, W2 Maxine C. Whitely. Council Chairperson: Warren LathamDistribution of Magazine: Clubs and MembersAdditions to distribution list, deletions, changes of addressand of club will be made only when advised through theClub Membership and Activities report. Non-Lions, librariesand other organisations who wish to advise changes shouldcontact Lions National Office, Locked Bag 2000NEWCASTLE NSW 2300, Tel: 02 4940 8033 email:[email protected] Editor-In-Chief - Scott DrumhellerManaging Editor - Dane La Jo ye, Lions Clubs International300 W 22nd Street, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-8842 USAExecutive Officers: President Joseph Preston, Dewey,Arizona, United States; Immediate Past President Barry J.Palmer, North Maitland, Australia; First Vice President Dr.Jitsuhiro Yamada, Minokamo-shi, Gifu-ken, Japan; SecondVice President Robert E. Corlew, Milton, Tennessee, UnitedStates. Contact the officers a t Lions Clubs International, 300W. 22nd St., Oak Brook, Illinois, 60523-8842, USA.

Directors First year: Svein Ǿystein Berntsen, Hetlevik,Norway; Jorge Andrés Bortolozzi, Coronda, Argentina; EricR. Carter, Auckland, New Zealand; Charlie Chan, Singapore,Singapore; Jack Epperson, Nevada, United States; EdwardFarrington, New Hampshire, United States; Karla N. Harris,Wisconsin, United States; Robert S. Littlefield, Minnesota,United States; Ratnaswamy Murugan, Kerala, India;Yoshinori Nishikawa, Himeji, Hyogo, Japan; George Th.Papas, Limassol, Cyprus; Jouko Ruissalo, Helsinki, Finland;N. S. Sankar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; A. D. Don Shove,Washington, United States; Kembra L. Smith, Georgia,United States; Dr. Joong-Ho Son, Daejoon, Republic ofKorea; Linda L. Tincher, Indiana, United States.

Second Year: Fabio de Almeida, São Paulo, Brazil; LawrenceA. “Larry” Dicus, California, United States; Roberto Fresia, Albissola Marina, Italy; Alexis Vincent Gomès, Pointe-Noire,Republic of Congo; Cynthia B. Gregg, Pennsylvania, UnitedStates; Byung-Gi Kim, Gwangju, Korea; Esther LaMothe,Michigan, United States; Yves Léveillé, Quebec, Canada;Teresa Mann, Hong Kong, China; Raju V. Manwani, Mumbai,India; William A. McKinney, Illinois, United States; MichaelEdward Molenda, Minnesota, United States; John Pettis Jr.,Massachusetts, United States; Robert Rettby, Neuchatel,Switzerland; Emine Oya Sebük, Istanbul, Turkey; HidenoriShimizu, Gunma, Japan; Dr. Steven Tremaroli, New York,United States.

‘We serve’“To create and foster a spirit of understandingamong all people for humanitarian needs byproviding voluntary services throughcommunity involvement and internationalcooperation”

C O N T E N T S4 International President’s report5 Lion meets Lion6 Lions action8 Council Chairman’s report10 Around the nation12 Here come the girls

Page 16 - Newcastle Convention

Page 22- Hay Day soothing Page 4 - Lions take Ebola action

Our c

over

ContributionsContributions for the Feb-March 2015 issue should be submitted by Januar y 1 to The

Editor, Lion magazine, Fawcett Media, 20 Millett Rd, Gisborne South, Victoria 3437 or

emailed to [email protected].

COVER: Named among the top10 cities in Australia,Newcastle is readying itselffor the 63rd Lions AustraliaNational Convention. Fromhang-gliding over Bar Beachto fine dining by the water,Newcastle offers it all.Cover: Daniel Boud,Destination NSW

13 LEHP poster spans the continent15 Supereheroes16 Newcastle lures all Aussie Lions22 Hay day in dinosaur country28 A Lions fantasy, or is it?26 Executive summary


4

PRIDE GOES BEFORE A RISEPRIDE GOES BEFORE A RISE

By JoePreston,Lions ClubsInternationalPresident

Lion

When I was in Africa I sa w something I’ll never forget.I came across two lions in the wild, and the male roared. It wasn’t a meek, restrained sound but a

full-blown, thunderous greeting. Then he continued to stare a t us and roared eight or nine timesmore. He roared with conviction.

That’s what we as Lions need to do. We need to roar with conviction. We need to put our “pawprints” all over our communities. A roar without conviction is merely a loud noise. Sometimes weLions sell ourselves short and don’t realise ho w much we can accomplish. Don’t settle for mediocrityas a Lion or a c lub. As Nelson Mandela eloquently said, “There is no passion to be found playingsmall – in settling for a life tha t is less than the one you are ca pable of living.”

My theme song, which I wrote, encapsulates the importance of pride and roaring with conviction:Dig down deep, let it go, and ROAR like a Lion,Tell the whole world, we’ll never stop tr yin’We are the Lions Club, we can’t be denied, no, no, no,So dig down deep, and Strengthen the Pride. Here’s the key: find the role within your c lub that best suits you. And discover the project for your

club that best fits your community. Soccer star Mia Hamm understood tha t motivation ultimatelysprings from deep affection or a ttachment. “If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with muchconviction or passion,” she said.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Talk to Lions in other c lubs. Read the LION carefully and visitthe LCI website. Tips and tools abound. Or use the Building a Better Club method I’ve developed. It’sa simple, four-step process. Assess your club, establish realistic, measurable goals, put the plantogether and then implement the plan.

This seems like commonsense, and it is. But commonsense also tells us to make changes andimprovements, to Strengthen the Pride, you need to move forward with a plan. Roar with pridebefore you leap forward but do leap. Success in service is all about mustering our pride andappreciating our capabilities. The writer Henry David Thoreau summed it up thusly: “If one advancesconfidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has ima gined, hewill meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

One way every Lion can help LionsTime is really flying by. We are already at the middle point of the Lion year . I am very proud ofall that you have done and are doing.

The foundational focus of my theme is Strengthen the Pride through Ser vice, and you haveresponded! You are reporting a record number of ser vice activities.

Thank you for embracing the “ASK 1” concept where every Lion has been challenged to ask a tleast one person to join our associa tion. In most places we are chartering bigger and more c lubs. Weare trending well in membership gro wth, and by all indica tions we are doing a better job ofidentifying and developing leaders. We have also launched tools to help ever y club increase theireffectiveness. But there is one major area of global concern: the number of dropped members.

There is little use in recruiting new members if we let our existing members slip out the backdoor. In hindsight, I wish that I had put more emphasis on retention. Rather than living with regrets, Idecided to do something about it. We have launched “Keep 1” – a simple concept to drive home theimportance of keeping each and ever y one of our members actively involved.

Very few Lions will ever be involved with chartering a c lub, and for many of our members askingsomeone to join is ver y hard. But every Lion in some way can help keep our members activelyinvolved. It is important to welcome our members, value them, train them, encourage them, mentorthem and more. There is an old saying: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know howmuch you care.” To reach our full potential, we have to give more effort in keeping our members.

As your president, I have vowed to do all tha t I can to Strengthen the Pride. I know that I cannotdo it alone, but together WE CAN.

$150,000 given inemergency aid

Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF)Chairperson Barry Palmer has announceda US$150,000 grant to aid childrenorphaned by Ebola in West Africa.

The current Ebola outbreak has c laimedmore than 5,000 lives and it is estima tedmore than 4,000 children have beenorphaned as a result.

LCIF Multiple District 201 Coordina tor NigelJeny said many Lions in Australia had askedhow Lions could help with the terribleoutbreak of Ebola in West Africa.

“The LCIF Grant will assist the 167 LionsClubs and more than 8,000 Lions who live inthe affected areas to provide shelter, food,health checks and education for childrenorphaned by Ebola,” he said.

“Many of these children, having lost bothparents to Ebola, are now on the streets,hungry and without basic health needs.

“This is a start, but so many moredonations are required to meet the basicneeds of these orphaned children.”

LCIF Chair Barry Palmer is also appealingfor Lions in Australia to assist. Cheques inAustralian dollars can be made out to LCI/LCIF– Ebola Aid and given to District CabinetTreasurers for banking.

Members of the public can dona te throughtheir local Lions club. Please phone 1800655201 for details of your nearest c lub.

As this is an LCIF designa ted project,donations are not eligible for the Melvin JonesFellowship program.

Getty

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Lions join Ebola fight


Port Macquarie’s Tacking Point Lion PhilAdams recently got the chance to meetLions’ animal namesake up close.

With the cooperation of Stardust Circusringmaster Adam St James, Phil ventured intothe big cats’ cage to become part of theaction.

Under the supervision of lion tamerMatthew Ezekial, he entered the cage twiceto raise funds for the c lub.

Fortunately, the lions were too well fed tobe interested in eating Phil, though they didgive him a beady eye during his visit.

“It’s one of those bucket list things youthink of being able to do,” said Phil. “What a

great experience, though it isn’t something I’dwant to do on a regular basis.”

Tacking Point Lions accepted donationsfrom the crowd to enter the cage, with anumber of people expressing their delight a tthe innovative fundraising idea.

The ring master’s commentary addedhumour to the event while informing theaudience of the current community workbeing undertaken by Tacking Point Lions.

Tacking Point Lions repeated thehair-raising activity during each circusperformance while it was in Port Macquarieand raised a little over $1500 in dona tionsfor worthy causes.

LIONmeetsLION


Aiding Ava

Lion6

LIONS ACTION

Battery power

$1 million pledge for helpers

Australian Lions have pledged $1 million to Aussie Helpers.Aussie Helpers was started by farmer Brian Egan in 2002 after going through extreme drought

hardship resulting in the loss of his farm to the bank,.He then suffered severe depression after seeing man y of his neighbours going through the same

pain, which in some cases ended in suicide.Aussie Helpers aids country people needing mental and physical support in difficult times associa ted

with fire, floods and drought. This help is directed toward the typical family-owned farm, bypassinghobby farms and large company or station properties.

V2 Lions Jan and Trevor Hirth from the Portarlington/Drysdale club recently supplied some hands-onsupport to Aussie Helpers.

“Jan and I felt we could help as we had lived on a farm all our lives and sufferered droughtourselves and could therefore rela te to the situation in a small way,” said Trevor Hirth.

“With a vehicle supplied, and emblazoned with Aussie Helpers emblems and sponsoring companies,we set about visiting farmers. The purpose being, not only giving moral support (sho wing someonecares and that the Australian farmer is appreciated) but also delivering food boxes, toiletries andpamper packs where they saw a need, while checking on their need for hay .”

The couple visited eight to 10 farms a day .“Many had no money, no water and no hay. In one particular situa tion, cattle had been shot in the

paddock as they were worth nothing to sell, ” said Trevor.“Often families said they were okay, when in fact we knew they were struggling. We had many tears

of gratitude when handing over food parcels and promising hay .”

Life isn’t always easy for energetic three-year-old Ava but Queensland’s Lions Club ofCapalaba is easing some of her burden.

The club recently held a high tea to helpfundraise for Ava and has agreed to support herfamily.

Ava suffers from Goldenhar’s Syndrome, acraniofacial syndrome that causes certainabnormalities in the formation of the face andhead.

It is considered a rare and congenital disease,meaning it is present a t birth. It affects just oneout of every 3500 to 25,000 babies a t birth.

In her short life, little Ava has had manyoperations and hospital stays and there will bemore operations to come.

Capalaba Lions voted to help Ava’s causeafter an approach from Lion Pat Battle.

For two years Lion Pat with her committeehas organised a fundraising high tea.

Occasionally Ava and her mum Tanya andsister Mia go to Capalaba meetings for friendlyget-togethers.

Bellingen Lions in NSW have given a charge to theelderly and infirmed by supplying fresh batteries fortheir smoke alarms.

This has been an ongoing c lub project for manyyears.

Previously the club did the installing but no w that isdone by the local fire brigade.

RIGHT: Lion Wal Tyson presents smoke alarm batteries toBellingen Fire Brigade members.

HELPING HAND: Ava with her big sister Mia andmother Tanya.


7December - January 2014-15

South Perth Lions have scored acommunity service strike with a $1000donation to an after-school 10-pinbowling group for children withdisabilities and their families.

Known as Incredi-bowls, the groupconsists of 15 families who meet ever yWednesday afternoon at the CanningtonAMF Bowling Centre to network, socialiseand enjoy a game..

Jenny Liedermoy, whose stepson Bradparticipates in the weekly group, says itprovides a safe and nurturing environmentwhere everyone is supportive of oneanother.

“The staff at AMF encourage the kids tocome up and pay for the session, collect theshoes and get set up,” says Jenny. “It’smore than just bowling. It teaches the kidslife skills. It has helped Brad so much withhis communication and social skills.

“It’s also a great opportunity for parentsto form a network. We can have a chatwhile the kids play, talk about what’s happeningat school and sometimes even ha ve a bowltogether.”

The group was formed by disability ser viceprovider Therapy Focus as part of a communityengagement program but is now self-managedby parents and members of the community.

Another parent, Delana Alvisse, regularlyattends with her daughter Jess, who has formednew friendships as a result of the group.“I’vetried a lot of different groups, but this is the onlygroup that Jess feels comfortable enough toparticipate in. She just loves it.

“All the kids support each other. They’ve

become quite good friends and we often ha vebirthday parties after the bowling session orcome in to play on school holidays becauseeveryone loves it so much.”

The $1000 will go towards purchasing bowlingballs and team shirts, giving the Incredi-Bowlersa sense of identity and o wnership.

It was a challengeVictoria’s VermontLions couldn’t resist.

Some months ago theemergency departmentof Melbourne’s AustinHospital in Heidelbergdonated an expensivepiece of equipmentcalled a slit-lamp, usedfor intense eyeexaminations, to Lionsfor an upgrade andreinstatement to aworthy recipient.

The Vermont club through Damien Ziebell financed a $2,500 upgrade to the LED lamps.Recently Dr Jamie Hendrie of the Austin handed the completed slit-lamp over to Genevieve

Napper of the Australian College of Optometry that provides low cost eye-care services to eligibleVictorians through clinics in the Melbourne metropolitan area and, in particular, Aboriginal Servicesin rural Victoria run by a network of priva te optometrists.

On strike

GG’s plauditsRecycling

Genevieve Napper (left) with Lion Damien Ziebell, Dr Jamie Hendrie andthe slit-lamp.

Lions Australia patron, the Governor-General, His Excellency General theHonourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC(Retd), was on hand to congratulate SouthAustralia’s Clare Lions on completing workon a Lions shed and a St. John’s VolunteersMedical Facility.

The facilities were unveiled a t the ClareShow.

The Governor-General is pictured chatting tofarmer Jeff Scott and Clare Lion Da vid Bond.


8 Lion

From Council Chairman Warren

Hello to allAustralian Lions...

The past fewmonths have passedquickly and Lionsaround Australia in allDistricts have beenworking so positivelyin their owncommunities to

“Strengthen the Pride” as requested by InternationalPresident Joe Preston. It has been a pleasure tohear the positive feedback from District Governorsas they implement their programs with theassistance of their District Teams.

As I write this report many District Conventionshave been held and elections have taken place. Iextend my congratulations to all incoming DGEs,1VDGEs and 2VDGs and wish you all well as youstart and/or continue your journey! Enjoy!

Marilyn and I have had the pleasure of attendingfour conventions during October and November andwe thank the District Governors and host clubs foryour wonderful hospitality. Each of these

conventions were well attended, well organised, hadextremely good and very interesting guest speakers(including me), and all exhibited wonderful displaybooths. At each of the conventions, the local mayorafforded the District Governors a civic receptionwhich was a recognition of the support andassistance provided by members of our Lions Clubsto both the individuals and community groups intheir local government areas. We have had greatfeedback from all other 15 Districts as well ... and Iam pleased to report that ever yone very muchenjoys the fun and fellowship that happens whenLions get together! Congratulations all!

It has been very pleasing to hear speakers frombeyondblue and to know the partnership LionsClubs Australia has with beyondblue, the ‘beyondblue – Joining Hands’ project’, is proving sosuccessful in getting both our messages across tothe general public.

I have heard many speakers now and each hasgiven a very different account of their personalexperience with depression. Each openly relatedhow it has impacted on their family lives andthemselves and how they were living and dealing

with their depression.One speaker spoke onhow we think it isnatural to takemedication for anyproblem from the neckand below, but thatthere is a concern if aperson is takingmedication for aproblem above theneck. The speaker thenrequested that wereconsider our ownindividual perceptionsof a person who iscontrolling theirdepression bymedication.

The Long RangeStrategy Committee hasheld its first meeting bythe “Go to Meeting”system. The initialissues are numerousand these will need tobe prioritised.Notwithstanding,membership andfinancial issues inMD201 will, in my view,remain high on the list.

Many will be pleased

that I am striving to master Facebook and Iencourage all Lions to get involved. It is really greatto see so many clubs advertising their eventsthrough social media.

The planning and preparations are well underwayfor the Council of Governors meeting in Januar y andMarilyn and I look forward to meeting all DistrictGovernors Elect and their partners.

Congratulations to those Districts who havechartered new clubs this year! Welcome to the NSWCampus Club, the Adelaide Uni Campus Club, theLions Club of Angle Vale and the Lions Club ofAncho Sudan.

I believe there may be more new clubs almostready to charter and I look forward to welcomingthose clubs as well.

How exciting for ALCCRF to be inducted into the“Hall of Champions” at Sydney Children’s Hospital,Randwick. Reason? Thanks to the generosity ofLions Clubs of Australia, ALCCRF has donated $1million to the Children’s Cancer Institute, Australia.

Take time now to make your plans, and registerand book your accommodation for the MDConvention to be held in Newcastle from 1-4 May2015. It promises to be an exciting celebration ofLionism for all. The Newcastle ConventionCommittee is working hard to ensure this... checkout the website for further information!

We can also consider packing our bags for theLions Clubs International Convention to be held inHonolulu from 26 to 30 June, 2015.

Has your Club been entering its Club Projectdetails on the MYLCI website and included relevantdetails in the Centenary Challenge Section? If youneed assistance I am sure your District CabinetSecretary will be more than happy to help you.

We were all saddened by the sudden passing ofPast Council Chairman Franz Mairinger recently. Hislong and distinguished service to his communitywas recognised at his funeral ser vice. We have saidour last goodbyes to many good Lions and ourcondolences go to all partners who have lost lovedones in recent times.

Since the last report, Marilyn and I have beenvery busy with Lions “work” but we have stillmanaged to enjoy some ver y special family times.Next issue we would like to introduce our family toyou. We plan to enjoy a wonderful family Christmastogether and we take this opportunity to wish youand your families a ver y Merry Christmas as well.We wish you safe travels and may 2015 beprosperous and give us good health and theopportunity to continue in Lions ser vice.

Remember, that as we ‘Serve and Grow Together’we can “Strengthen the Pride” and help those lessfortunate than ourselves.

– Warren Latham

EASY RIDERRecognise the face of the man on back of the mean looking Harley?Yes it’s our own Council Chairman Warren taking the Lions messageout to the people. The occasion was the Lions-run Oatley V illageFestival that raised $30,000-plus for community projects.

Lion-Dec-Jan-8-15 Sect 2 _template Lion 25/11/2014 8:34 am Page 8

From Executive Officer Rob

December - January 2014-15 9

1300 551 997www.goseetouring.com

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island boasts a pristine environment with beautiful beaches, a rugged coastline, World Heritage

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you to join them for their District Convention in 2015

The ‘Joining Hands’program is wellunderway.

This year LionsClubs are partneringwith beyondblue toraise awareness aboutthe important issue ofmental illness anddepression. One in fiveAustralians is

impacted by this illness ever y year, and this meansthat many of our Lions, their friends and family willbe affected. The good news is that it is treatableand that is why our clubs are spreading the word.

This is a great example of our clubs working aschange agents in our communities, something wehave excellent experience at. Preventableblindness, organ donation, disaster preparednessand so many other areas have benefitted from ourLions identifying issues and encouraging ourcommunities to speak about them.

There is still time for each club to get involvedin ‘Joining Hands’ by securing a speaker throughbeyondblue, arranging a meeting and inviting thepublic to attend. Information and forms areavailable on our website at www.lions.org.au – justsearch ‘joining hands’. The project will becelebrated at our next Multiple District Conventionin Newcastle, where beyondblue CEO GeorgieHarman will attend as keynote speaker.

If you haven’t made plans to attend theNewcastle Convention, please think about it. It’snot often that we have the opportunity to host theConvention in our ‘home town’, and the LionsNational Office is planning two open days on theThursday prior to the Convention, and the Tuesdayfollowing. You might be a little surprised about ourcity if you haven’t been for a while; kilometres ofpathways to explore along our working harbour,beautiful beaches, excellent dining and more. TheConvention will be held in our ver y special art decoCivic theatre.

Stay tuned for our next edition where I will writeabout the Lions Centennial and some greatpromotions to celebrate our clubs.

Finally, best wishes to all our Lions for theChristmas period, and for those who may notcelebrate Christmas, some welcome time off withfamily and friends. In particular, my very warmregards to those Lions who joined us this year . Ihope that it will be the first of many Christmaseswith us in service to your community.

– Rob Oerlemans

1. Register for the Lions National Convention in May 2015.http://lionsclubs.org.au/conventions/newcastle-2015/newcastle-convention-registration/

2. Register for the Lions International Convention in June 2015.http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/news-and-events/international-convention/index.php

3. Submit your entry for the Lions Environmental Photo competition.www.lionsclubs.org/EN/member-center/planning-projects/community-environment/lions-green-team/environmental-photo-contest/index.php

COMING UP

Newcastle,site of the63rd LionsNationalConvention,offers manyattractions.Registeronline or seepage 16.


AROUND THE NATION

New wheels means more meals

Was that a Lion I sa w prowling on the roof?

10 Lion

Forster/Tuncurry Lions in NSW gained lots of attention recently when they took tothe roof of the Forster scout hall.

But it was about good deeds rather than grandstanding.The roof had been patched and repaired over the years but the old corrugated iron had

rusted away in some places. As a result, damage had occurred to the ceiling inside the hall. The local Lions reasoned it was time for total replacement.Now with a new roof and flashing, the hall is watertigfht again.The next stage of the project is to paint the eves, fascias and external doors and, as a

separate project and as money is raised, the club will replace the Gyprock sheets on theceiling that have been affected by water damage.

The hall is used by many community groups and funding was gained through fundraisingwithin the local community and a grant from the Australian Lions Foundation.

Total cost is expected to be about $10,000, with one contractor employed and labourprovided by the Lions club.

There were celebratorysausages sizzling aplenty whenQueensland’s Atherton Lionshanded over a brand newvehicle to the local Meals onWheels branch.

The new Nissan Qashqai Auto

Wagon replaced a 20-year-old

Suzuki van the Atherton Meals on

Wheels facility had been using.

Now Meals on Wheels will be

able to deliver more meals in the

district as well as transporting staff

and volunteers to Cairns for

essential training.

The club’s Mil Clay handed over

the keys to Atherton and District

Meals on Wheels co-ordinator Pat

Gane.

Fundraising for the new vehicle

included a charity golf day, a

sausage sizzle and a meat tray

raffle, as well as entering the old

vehicle in the Maize Festival Parade

while Lions walked alongside with buckets for donations. Almost $1000 came from the

general public.

With a general grant from the Australian Lions Foundation, the necessary money was

raised in two months.

NEW WHEELS: Money for the new Meals on Wheels vehicle was raised in just two months.Inset right is the old vehicle used to g reat effect in the fundraising.



The singing of traditional Nepalese songs by members of the Lionsclub of Sydney Nepal Himalayas will have far-reaching effect for youngpeople in Nepal.

The songs, called Bhailo and Deusi Re, are sung during the festival of lightDipavali in Nepal.

The Sydney club’s recital was staged around Glenfield and Macquaire Fieldsareas and raised $711 that will go toward a free health camp in Nepal and alsosupport the non-profit Himalayan Child Development centre.

In Nepal, children sing and dance as they visit homes in their community ,collecting money, sweets and food and giving blessings for prosperity .

Bhailo is generally sung by girls, while Deusi is sung by boys. At the end ofthe songs, the women of the house ser ve food and give money to the singersand dancers. In return, the Deusi/Bhailo team gives blessings for wealth andhappiness.

Victoria’s Cohuna & District Leos Club is just a year old yet it wasn’tslow in getting involved in the T idy Towns contest.

The club did a ‘community needs assessment’ on the area and found thelocal retirement village was having difficulty due to funding cuts.

The grounds had become overgrown and in particular a courtyard andfernery were in need of a clean-up.

Quickly a working bee cleared the area and now Leos and Lions are workingon re-development plans.

“We are proud of our achievements so far but have lots still to do, ” said clubsecretary Liam Treacy.

Leos set about making a tidy town

Songs of the Himalayas reap rewards

A Victorian Lion haswon the state’s 2014Premier’s Award forVictorian Senior of theYear.

Ted Goodacre, alongstanding member ofthe Lismore club, wasnominated by a range oflocal and districtcommunity organisations

Ted volunteers acrossa wide range of activities, including fundraising, rebuilding, maintenanceand project initiatives for the club and community bodies.

A Melvin Jones Fellowship holder for community work, he has beenheavily involved in Lions Youth Exchange camps which annually bringtogether 35 young people from different countries, cultures, religions andbackgrounds. For Ted, age is no barrier to enthusing these young peopleand earning their respect. Many return years later to visit him.

Ted coordinates the Lions Club Roadside Driver Reviver coffee stop,assisting drivers and riders to journey safely . Over the years manytravellers have got to know Ted and seek him out to renew hisacquaintance.

Those who nominated Ted describe him as an esteemed member ofthe community where he has lived for many decades.

People say Ted inspires others with his infectious personality , humourand his uncanny ability to break down social barriers, assisting many toexceed their own expectations.

Lion Ted’sa winningsenior

After 56 years of Lionism, Queensland’s Mareeba club has welcomed its firstfemale member.

Lisa Grimmett was inducted in September. President Graham Sweeper saidher membership was a welcome advancement in the progression of the cluband he anticipated more women would now feel comfortable in joining.

At the same meeting, charter member PDG Mick Borzi (pictured with Lisaabove) was presented with the plaque to accompany the Ambassador ofGoodwill award presented to him last year by then International PresidentBarry Palmer.

Lisa joins the Mareeba boys


12 Lion12

A surefire way to increase membership numbers is to convince non-member partners of Lions that they should join up too.

South Australia’s Noarlunga-Morphett Vale Lions Club has just put thatstrategy to good use.

It’s not often that a community organisation gets to induct three newmembers at once but the club did just that recently with the addition ofsignificent new members. They are all wives of long-standing club members.With a combined community ser vice record of over 90 years, the hard workinghusbands had been trying for a long time to get their wives to join Lions.

Continual invitations from other Lions club members, male and female, finallyhad the desired effect. Although the ‘girls’ have been supporting their husbandsand participating in Lions activities and projects for many years, they have nowofficially joined their husbands as members.

The new members will be involved in projects such as car boot sale stalls,

fundraising barbecues, shed sales, community facility maintenance, phone bookdeliveries, Christmas cake sales, and school holiday and retirement villageactivities.

Watch out, boys!

HERE COME THE GIRLS

LEND ME A KNEE: The boys welcome their newLions ... (from left) Bob Radford and his wife Josie,Club President Colin Annis with Lyn and Chris Ashtonwith wife Petra. And to prove things are equal aroundNoarlunga-Morphett Vale, roles are reversed (right).

A BIG STRETCH: Several Leos did it in style when they visited

Melbourne’s Marion College, Sunshine in August for the Leo Summit. They

and their Leo advisors from Cohuna tr avelled in a stretched Hummer that

had been donated to the g roup for the visit.



Lions weren’t backward in coming forward when the LionsEye Health Program (LEHP) challenged them to promoteOctober’s World Sight Day by taking photos of theprogram’s owl poster.

Forty-eight clubs took up the challenge, photographing the ‘BeWise – Save your Eyes’ poster right around the continent.

First prize went to Camperdown Lions’ bike-riding lady by BillDuncanson (pictured below) and second was Whitsundays Lions’camel shot taken by Sue Gravelle (right). All showed greatoriginality and some, such as the shot bottom right, included thefamous – in this case AFL footballers Luke Ball and PatrickDangerfield.

LEHP’s poster spans the continent


Lion14

It’s a long way from Launceston in Tasmaniato Launceston in Cornwall, UK but today thetwo places are closer in spirit thanks to Lions.

Earlier this year members of Tassie’s LauncestonWindmill Hill Lions visited Cornwall to prepare theway for a twinning of the club with the Lions clubthere.

The approach was made by Byron and LindaDilworth of T1 during a family visit to Europe andthe UK. And they couldn’t have been happier withtheir reception.

Prior to a meeting they were treated to photoopportunities around town by members of the localclub, which includes some of the area’s servingcouncillors.

“We had thought the formal meeting would bejust a Lions-club-to-Lions-club event, with onlythose council members who were membersattending, so we were surprised when the Mayor ofLaunceston, Councillor David Gordon, and the LadyMayor attended in full regalia along with the DeputyMayor, Councillor Brian Hogan, and a past mayor,”said Byron.

“The president of the Launceston Rotar y Club

also attended, adding to the significance of theevent.”

For the record, Launceston, Cornwall was thebirthplace of Phillip Gidley King, the third governor

of NSW. While Tasmania’s Launceston was initiallycalled Patersonia, the name was changed to honourthe governor’s birthplace. And both Launcestonshave a nearby Exeter.

FROM LAUNCESTON TO LAUNCESTON

Tasmania’s Launceston Windmill Hill Lions Byron and Linda Dilw orth (centre front) are welcomed toLaunceston, Cornwall by local Lions.

Hands around the globe



Young people are the future of Lions.That’s a reality recognised by most smart Lions.

And few recognise it more than Queensland’s

Moreton Bay Lions.

Realising that schools are the best place to find

young people, Moreton Bay acts as the steward of a

small yet extremely active Leos club at Brisbane’ s

Bayside State College.

The school-based club is a community ser vice

group focused on supporting both the school

community and the local community.

It’s a formula other Lions clubs might consider .

Under the leadership of Lion Lizz Bevan from

Moreton Bay Lions Club and club president Callum

Symington, the Leos club has been involved in

running barbecues, selling cupcakes for the RSPCA,

assisting the SRC, helping with park openings,

running water tables at a fun run, and engaging

with community leaders through the Lions club at

dinners and other functions.

Students from all grades in the school can

volunteer to join the club and in turn gain the

opportunity to recognise their potential as

community builders both at a school level and in the

wider society.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of

each month.

Students are expected to be independent and

organised, an expectation which all members have

met with flying colours. Students attend regular

meetings run in a ‘standing orders’ model and must

actively plan and execute projects with minimal

assistance from adult supports.

According to Moreton Bay Lions, the students

have done themselves and the school proud, with

projects already being planned for 2015.

Wanting toensure thefuture vitality ofyour LionsClub? Settingup a school-based Leosclub could bethe way to go

SUPERHEROES... making a mighty Lions

difference

SUPER LEOS: Members ofBrisbane’s Bayside State CollegeLeos Club display the enthusiasmthey have for future projects.

World first for local LionN2’s Zone Chairman Chris Howard was

recognised at the ANZI Pacific Forum in

Adelaide in August by International

President Joe Preston.

Chris, from the Canberra Kambah Club, was

the first Zone Chairman in the world to receive

the Zone Chairman’s Award for this Lions year.

More than 400 Lions from Australia, New

Zealand and Indonesia attended the ANZI

Pacific Forum with a good representation of N2

Lions there to congratulate Lion Chris on his

award.


16 Lion

NEWCASTLE LURES ALL AUSSIE LIONSSample the delights and scenic

surrounds of one of Australia’s top 10

cities while attending the 63rd MD201

National Convention. The place to be is

Newcastle, from Thursday, April 30 to

Monday, May 4. There’s a wealth of

things to see and do around Newcastle

and the time to register and make your

bookings is now.

OUTH

For all the details, visit www.lionsclubs.org.au/conventions/newcastle-2015

Situated in the heart of the Hunter Region and

bordered by a stunning coastline with beautiful

beaches is the City of Newcastle. A top ten city in

Lonely Planet’s ‘Best in Travel 2011’ guide,

Newcastle is a city of rich histor y, eclectic culture and

exquisite scenery.

CONVENTIONEERS’ CONVENTION

While the primary purpose is to conduct the

essential business of Multiple District, this Convention

is also for conventioneers.

On the eve of the Convention, conventioneers have

the opportunity of attending local Lions Club

hospitality or a Lioness dinner.

In recent years when Past District Governors have

dined on the Saturday evening, other conventioneers

have been let loose with no hospitality function to

attend. Not so for Convention 2015. “A Night at the

Trots” with a quality restaurant meal and live

entertainment at the paceway is available for

conventioneers.

Friday evening has been set aside for District

functions. Breaking with tradition, Convention 2015

brings Districts together in a multi-room venue with a

racing theme and opportunities for cross-District

interaction.

Not eligible to attend the Past Cabinet Secretaries’

and Treasurers’ Luncheon or the Past Council

Chairmen’s & Past International Directors’ Luncheon?

Don’t worry. Convention 2015 caters for you with

the inaugural Conventioneers’ Luncheon.Queens Wharf, Newcastle offers fine food and entertainment and fabulous views across the harbour .

Phot

o: D

estin

atio

n NS

W




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Buy Australian Made & Save $$$


Amongst the many stalls of produce,around the corner from the face paintingand opposite the Galloway cattle at theNSW’s Murrumbateman Field days, Jorgethe steer stood patiently, looking fantasticin his freshly washed coat and staredcuriously at the large crowd in front ofhim.

With a turnout of over 100 people and anincredible amount of support from localbusinesses and community members, theauction for Hamish Bird and his family raised atotal of $4790, and $281.55 in donations frombuckets circulating during the auction, with agrand total of $5251.55.

Gordon and Jan Matheson from Honeypotfarm initiated the fundraiser with the intent ofgiving something back to the community. Withthe help of the Murrumbateman Lions Club, theMathesons were able to provide support toyoung Hamish Bird and his family.

Born with epilepsy and developmental delay,Hamish uses a specially-trained canine fromSmart Pups Assistance Dogs and the fundsraised will go to the training and care of thedog.

Media Liaison for the Murrumbateman Lionsclub, Simon McGrath, said that it was afantastic day with incredible support from thecommunity.

“We had people donating things right up untilthe last minute. People’s generosity is justincredible, to watch the way individuals camethrough on the day was just inspiring, ” he said.

“There were little bits and pieces here andthere and the biggest seller on the day was akelpie pup donated by Mark and Sylvia Elliottfrom Tumbarumba.

“The most inspiring part of the day was whenI looked up and saw Hamish in the crowd withhis dog and family.”

The Murrumbateman Lions club is excited tomake this a yearly addition to the Field Days,providing each year the opportunity for locals tocome together and support other locals needingsupport.

“We are just so thankful to our communityfor getting behind us and giving so generouslyto a fantastic cause,” Simon said.

Story: Yass Tribune

JORGE THE STEER DOES LIONS PROUD

Along with Murrumbateman Lions, Jorge the steerdid his bit to help young Hamish Bir d with aSmart Pups Assistance Dog.

Lucille Ball once said that “if you wantsomething done, ask a busy person to do it.The more things you do, the more you cando”.

This quote certainly pertains to V5 DistrictGovernor Elect Ann Eldridge.

Many districts have had the opportunity to listenand watch Ann at conventions and club functionsin recent years yet few know just how many areas

she divides hertime between.

Ann joinedChelsea & DistrictLions Club in2001and wassoon on theexecutive, beingelected aspresident,treasurer, boardmember andmembershipchairman over theyears.

As a memberof V5 District

Cabinet she was zone chairman, director ofIT/communications, ALVIF rep and vice districtgovernor

Ann also introduced the Talking Bar CodeReader to Lions as a project through the Chelsea &District Lions Club.

This quickly became a District then a multidistrict project.

Ann has spoken to many organisations tospread the awareness of the wonderful work of theAustralian Lions Visual Independence Foundationthat gives blind and low visioned people a measureof independence

At the ANZI Forum in 2010 she helped run aworkshop on Family Membership that encouragedwomen to join Lions. From this “seed” she startedLions 50/50 Pathway with three enthusiasticfemale Lions in Victoria.

Her enthusiasm for Lions is catching. As well as her many hours with Lions, Ann

works fulltime with her partner PDG Robert Kann intheir business Clubwear Direct.

MEET A BUSY LION


20 Lion

Students worldwide confront bullying, peerpressure and a day’s worth of anxiousmoments that impact their health, academicperformance and wellbeing.

In Turkey, these challenges – and theiroutcomes – are even more consequential because

of a highly competitive school system with limitedopportunities for post-secondary education.

“Turkey has a very young population. Only one-third of the kids can go into university . There is a lotof competition. The kids are always under stress,”says Past District Governor Nilgun Erdem Niord of

the Mavi Halic Lions Club. This is where Lions Quest comes in. Through this

Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF)program, students are learning valuable life skillsand discovering how to make positive choicesthrough social and emotional learning. The program

is now in public and privateschools across Turkey.

Since 2009, Lions inMultiple District (MD) 118have been given more than$275,000 in LCIF grants forLions Quest, working with theTurkish Lions Foundation. Forthe Lions of Turkey, thesegrants helped make changepossible. “My club has alwaysbeen active in education.When we knew that we couldget help from LCIF to startLions Quest, it helped us topush the button and start,”says Niord.

Currently, Lions Quest isthe only social and emotionallearning program available in

Turkey, where it has the support of the Ministr y ofEducation. An evaluation of Lions Quest in Turkey isbeing conducted through Bospherus University, withresults forthcoming. However, Lions and educatorsalready can see the value of social and emotionallearning.

“I got involved in the program becausethe training was so impressive to me, ” says MineGuven, a professor of early childhood education atBospherus University. “The challenges are the sameall around the world. By using Lions Quest wemanage to have peaceful classrooms.”

More than 1,000 teachers in Turkey have beentrained to use Lions Quest in the classroom,reaching thousands of students. “Educating –giving some skills to one teacher means you’rereaching hundreds, thousands of children in alifetime,” says Fatos Erkman, a professor ofeducation, a trained clinical psychologist and anadministrator of the Bospherus University PeaceEducation Application and Research Centre. “We’revery excited to be in alliance with Lions clubsbecause one of the aims of our centre is for peaceeducation at all levels. The Lions Quest curriculumfor all grade levels is ver y fitting in our ideals.”

Updated Lions Quest materials addressingmodern issues and challenges facing our childrenwill be available in early 2015. Through grants, MD118 will translate, adapt and update the curriculumto reflect Turkish culture. The goal is to create anenvironment in which students can focus and getmore out of their classroom experience. So far, itseems to be working.

“Peace starts in the individual, and this is whatLions Quest is doing,” says Niord. “We are teachingthe children how to be peaceful within themselves,how to be peaceful within their societies. And thiswill bring a peaceful world.” – Allie Lawrence

When Lions put their hearts into ser vice, greataccomplishments follow.

Olympics. Just ask the Special Olympics athletesand families in over 80 countries who have receivedhealth care and education as a part of Mission:Inclusion, part of the global partnership betweenLions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) andSpecial Olympics.

Since 2001, Special Olympics has partnered withLCIF and Lions around the world to provide freeexaminations and health education to families andcaretakers of individuals with intellectual disabilities.And now you can add another name to the list ofcountries participating in the project.

In September, Lions in Kenya met with Lions FirstVice President Jitsuhiro Yamada and representativesfrom Special Olympics Kenya to sign amemorandum of understanding introducing thepartnership to the people of Kenya. The agreementwas signed by District 411 A Governor DavinderEari; Samson Ndegwa, chairperson of the LionsSightFirst Eye Hospital; and John Makathimo,national director of Special Olympics Kenya.

With the introduction of Mission: Inclusion, Lionsin Kenya pledge to support the growth of OpeningEyes, LCIF’s vision care partnership program withSpecial Olympics, and ensure that high quality

screening and follow-up care is available throughoutthe country for individuals with intellectualdisabilities and their families.

This support includes engaging Leos throughoutthe country in the Special Olympics inclusive sportsmodel and supporting the creation of SpecialOlympics-focused Lions clubs that integrateathletes through the “Invite an Athlete” campaign.

Lions in Kenya hope to provide increased ser viceand support for individuals with intellectualdisabilities and their families by engaging at least100 Lions in Opening Eyes events and FamilyHealth Forums throughout the year. In doing so, theexpanded program will provide an estimated 500athletes a year with quality vision screenings andfollow-up care.

In addition, the Mission: Inclusion partnershipseeks to build on previous successes by mobilisinglocal Leos and Lions to hold at least one UnifiedSports match, bringing together Leos and SpecialOlympics Kenya athletes.

After the signing ceremony, more than 100athletes received vision examinations as part of theOpening Eyes program. In the future, the Lions ofKenya will help these and other athletes toparticipate in the Special Olympics Kenya NationalGames and prepare them for participation for the

Special Olympics Summer Games in 2015. SpecialOlympics and Lions believe in the transformativepower of sports and ser vice.

Further history was made when Yamada receivedthe charter application for the first Champions Lionsclub in Africa dedicated to supporting SpecialOlympics and working with people with intellectualdisabilities. This new club will be the 12thChampions Lions club worldwide since thebeginning of the global partnership between LCIFand Special Olympics.

Opening athletes’ eyes in Kenya

Lions International First Vice President JitsuhiroYamada observes a vision screening at a ceremony inKenya celebrating the partnership expansion betweenLions and Special Olympics.

Lions Quest makes the grade in Turkey

Lions Quest is helping students in Turkey learn how to handle toughsituations in a positive way.



For many children in the United States withvision issues, the problems aren’t diagnoseduntil they experience trouble learning orpaying attention in school.

By then, it could be too late. Studies show thatunless vision problems are detected and correctedearly, they risk becoming permanent by age 7.

That’s why Lions KidSight USA was formed. KidSight USA is a new coalition that brings

together KidSight programs and Lions around theUnited States to screen the vision of childrenbetween six months and six years. Lions alreadyscreen more than half a million kids annuallythrough state and local programs, so KidSight USAaims to expand on that success by supporting thedevelopment of new programs to reach underser vedareas of the United States.

“Vision affects a child’s ability to see the world,but it also impacts a child’s ability to learn,” says Dr.Ed Cordes, an optometrist and the chairperson ofLions KidSight USA. “Experts say that up to 80percent of learning is visual, so we need to screenall children to identify any vision issues that can getin the way of learning. And we need to screenchildren early to identify vision problems while they

can still be corrected.”KidSight USA has established three levels of

sample screening programs designed to meet theneeds of all clubs and districts. From basiccommunity-level screenings to programs spanningmultiple districts, programs can evolve over time tomeet the needs of individual clubs andcommunities. Experienced Lions screeningprograms will work with new clubs and districts tohelp get their screening programs up and running.All U.S. Lions are encouraged to participate in theinitiative.

“KidSight USA is an important national initiative thatwill help families protect the health of their children, ”says International President Joe Preston. “It builds onour proud history of saving sight and our belief that allchildren deserve to see the world clearly. And withthe help of Lions, we hope they will.”

To help support new screening programs, grantfunding up to US$100,000 is available for qualifyingservice activities through Lions Clubs InternationalFoundation, which has already awarded more thanUS$2 million to support children’s eye screeningprograms in the United States. Screening devicemanufacturers, Plusoptix and Welch Allyn, have also

partnered with KidSight USA to provide financialsupport for the development of the program.

It only takes a few minutes of training for any Lionor volunteer to learn to screen children’s sight. Everychild deserves to learn and see the world clearly ,and with an estimated 4 million children who willrequire professional follow-up care after theirscreenings, it’s easy to see that the need is real.

For information and to get involved in LionsKidSight USA, visit e-district.org/sites/kidsightusa.

– Eric Margules

A pair of eyeglasses can bring the biggestsmile to a child’s face. But the importance ofgood vision goes far beyond momentaryhappiness. Seeing clearly can help a childread better, participate in sports and so muchmore.

Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) andJohnson & Johnson Vision Care Companies(JJVCC) have been working together since 2002 tohelp millions of children see more clearly throughtheir Sight for Kids partnership program. Launchedin Asia and led by local Lions, JJVCC employeesand local partners, Sight for Kids engages eye careprofessionals who train teachers to conductschool-based vision screeningsand eye health education in under-served communities. Whenneeded, students are referred tolocal eye care professionals foreye exams, eyeglasses and furthertreatment and follow-up care at nocost.

Now, LCIF and JJVCC areexpanding their Sight for Kidspartnership to communities inKenya and Turkey. These are thefirst two countries in Africa andEurope to receive Sight for Kidsservices. Through the program,more than 20 million children inunder-served schools andcommunities across the AsiaPacific region have alreadybenefited from Sight for Kids.

In Kenya, more than 20,000 children have beendiagnosed with visual impairments. Sight for KidsKenya will provide a chance for early detection andtreatment of visual impairments and eye diseases.Sight for Kids Kenya plans to train 1,100 teachersin greater Nairobi on eye health and visionscreening this year. These teachers will thenprovide basic eye health education and visionscreenings to students in 55 schools.

“Many children do not know what normaleyesight is, and a lot of eye conditions goundetected. It is very important to spread the wordon eye health, as well as to screen children andprovide the necessary treatment,” says Tanvi Shah,

an optometrist at Lions SightFirst Eye Hospital incharge of Sight for Kids Kenya. “We’re thankfulthat Lions and Johnson & Johnson Vision CareCompanies have come together to help us.”

A 2002 study of southwestern Turkey pediatricophthalmology records showed that nearly 70percent of children with visual impairment hadcases that were considered either preventable ortreatable. Sight for Kids Turkey plans to train 1,500teachers in greater Ankara, with the goal ofreaching 150,000 school-aged children in 500schools. Local teachers will be trained in visionscreenings and eye health.

“We know that the economical situation is notso good, especially in rural areas.Many people need many things,but especially eye care,” saysZehra Guröl, the founder andproject chairperson of Sight forKids Turkey. “Through Sight forKids, now we will be able to reachchildren in need at a more rapidpace, and identify and addressvision issues.”

Sight for Kids Turkey and Sightfor Kids Kenya are sure to make agreat impact in communities inneed. Through this programexpansion, Sight for Kids is savingsight for even more children andspreading smiles around the world.

– Allie Lawrence

By just pressing a few buttons,Lions help save the vision ofchildren in their community.

Sight for Kids expands beyond Asia

KidSight USA launched to save sight


22

Some travellers know outback Hughenden asthe site of the giant replica Muttaburrasaurusdinosaur and the discovery of dinosaurbones.

Yet in recent times drought has been the bigtopic for Hughenden locals, especially farmers.

Situated about 1,400km north-west of Brisbane,Hughenden has suffered crippling drought in thepast two years.

However life became a little brighter for about80 drought-affected property owners, farmingfamilies and property staff after Castle Hill Lionsjoined with the Aussie Helpers organisation instaging a giant Hay Day event.

It was the club’s third Hay Day and by far thebiggest.

Held at the Hughenden showgrounds, the dayinvolved the distribution to farmers of ever ythingfrom of bales of fodder, silage, pods of molassesand blocks of mineral supplement for stock topersonal goods for family or staff members.

There were pamper packs for ladies, gift packsfor men, haircuts, massages and family portraitstaken by a professional photographer.

A recent $100,000 grant provided by theAustralian Lions Foundation and administeredthrough the Castle Hill club was also a big shot inthe arm for the Hay Day.

Aussie Helpers, founded by Brian and NeridaEagan, has been going for 12 years, providingpractical assistance to people on the land.

Through personal experience Brian and Neridaknow what is required to quickly get money andgoods to where they are most needed.

Volunteers from Aussie Helpers travel to remoteareas, moving from property to property andassessing what is most needed. This timecontributions came from local and regionalindividuals and companies, ranging from palletbins of melons, pumpkins and capsicums totransport to move donated goods.

A hall was used for the pampering part of theday and included a canteen area for thepreparation, cooking and serving of food and acovered area with seating and tables for the socialside of things.

Semi-trailers were unloaded by bobcat andtractor and then reloaded onto farmers’ trucks or4WDs.

HAY DAY in dinosaur

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Thousands of Australians could be savedwith regular bowel screening.

In Australia, around 4,000 people die from

bowel cancer each year. Luckily, nine out of 10

cases can be cured if detected early .

With a large number of older Australians

within Lions ranks, it is important that we heed

the message.

Men and women aged 50 and over are

urged to do a simple at-home test ever y two

years.

This life-saving test is sent to all Australians

when they turn 50, 55, 60 and 65 free of

charge as part of the Australian Government’s

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

“Many people don’t realise that bowel

cancer is the second-largest cause of cancer

death in Australia, yet it is curable in around

90 per cent of cases if detected early ,” Cancer

Council Victoria’s Screening Manager Kate

Broun said.

“If more people participated in the free

screening program, more cases of bowel

cancer could be found at an earlier stage

when they are easiest to treat.”

Cancer Council recommends screening

every two years, so if you fall outside the

target group you can speak to your GP about

how to purchase a kit.

Linda Williams from Kensington in Victoria

lost her father to bowel cancer after he was

diagnosed at 69 years of age.

“We had a great relationship. He was a

really good mate as well as being my father ,”

she said. “Not long after he was diagnosed

with bowel cancer, they found secondary spots

on his liver, which grew and ultimately led to

his death. It could have been different. If he

had the test, it might have picked it up that bit

earlier and he might still be alive today .”

Talk to your GP about how to obtain a bowel

screening kit. For more information, visit

www.bowelcancer.org.au.

Time to takethe test?

It’s easy and the life that issaved could be yours


countryThe giant Muttaburrasaurus is a familiar sight to visitors to Hughenden but it’ sbeen drought and the need for hay r ather than dinosaurs that recently hasbeen on the minds of locals.


24 Lion

LIONSOUT AND

ABOUT

SIGHT SAVIOURS: Cleveland Lions Maureen Kean andPauline Denisenko (right) show their spruiking style at theclub’s recent Recycle for Sight stall to collect r eading glasseswhile attracting new members.

SOUNDSUCCESS:Tennant CreekLions welcomeAlice Springsdidgeridooplayer Tommy(right) whoperformed atthe club’sBlack Dog Ridedinner. Thedinner raisedmore than$1000.

WORLD FLAVOUR: PresidentNorm Minton of Victoria’s Mt ElizaLions presents bannerettes tooverseas students Ngoc Hai Chau VoJo from Vietnam and Ikeylia Cowanfrom New Zealand, taking part inthe club’s Youth of the Year judging.

TEA TO THE RESCUE: There was good food and conversation when the Cabarita Beac hPottsville Beach Lions Club hosted a high tea with a fashion par ade and entertainment toaid the Tweed District Rescue Squad. The squad responds to people trapped in motorvehicles, vertical rescues and swift-water rescues while also helping the local ambulanceservice.

COOL LIONS: Kallangur Lions Clyde Howard and Bruce Glover are allgeared up with sundaes in hand for their shift at the Ro yal QueenslandShow. Each year the club aids the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation inselling its famous strawberry sundaes to assist health prog rams at thehospital. This year’s sundae sales raised $140,000.


The year is 1974; the Lions Club ofFantasy Hill met for the monthlydinner meeting last week and rantheir Youth of the Year final. Themembers were astounded with the

knowledge and ability of the young people.Does this sound familiar?

Most members marvelled at the ability of theyoung people to talk to the impromptu questions,especially without preparation! This made such animpression that the Tail Twister of the day decidedto test some of the members to see how they wouldcope with an impromptu question – just like theyoung people had to do.

He (there were no Lady Lions in 1974!) thoughthard to come up with a question. He wantedsomething relevant, interesting that would challengethe Lions.

Lion Bill, your first impromptu question. Will LionsClubs International be as strong in 20 years as it istoday, and are we doing enough to encourage theyouth of today to join Lions?

Before Bill answers his question back in 1974,let me remind you the average age of Lions thenwas somewhere between 35 and 50 years.

Bill would probably have answered by sayingthere were no real problems with membership. Thatthe association is strong and young people happy tobe involved. The young people will come on boardonce they have established their family and careerpaths – just like the current members had donebefore them.

We now move forward 20 years, to 1994. TheFantasy Hill Lions Club is still going well. Manymembers from 1974 are still around, though somehave moved on. Maybe membership is down a little,but the club is holding its own, still involved in manyprojects and doing a good job.

It is of some concern that the average age hasincreased to somewhere between 45 and 55, butthe members are still fit and active. The club has asmall number who have retired from their workinglives but that is good because they are available fororganising during the day. This was always aproblem when the whole club was working fulltime.

The Tail Twister of the day again decided tochallenge the membership to an impromptuquestion following the Youth of the Year event.Strangely, he chose the same question as hispredecessor in 1974.

This time Lion Bill maybe would have respondedin a similar vein to 1974 … The Association isstrong, but there is a little concern that it is gettingharder to recruit younger people. There is an often-quoted saying that ‘youth is the future of Lionism’.People are also starting to look at the organisationas a whole and saying that the times are changing

and we must move with the times. It has been recognised that, in general, young

people don’t like the very traditional way that Lionsdo some things. They see some of the formalities areas being ‘old world’. Whenever the need for changeis brought up, Lions recognise this and nod andagree that there is a need to move forward, to look atyouth “for the future of Lions”. However, wheneverchanges are suggested there is great resistance. “Wedon’t do that” being the common cry.

We move forward another 20 years, to 2014.The Lions Club of Fantasy Hill is now struggling.

Membership is down, the average age is roughlybetween 65 and 75. There are less than a handfulof members under 50 – and none under 35. It isnow difficult to do any real hands on projectsbecause of the age of members. The club stillraises a lot of money and this ensures there is stilla lot of good work done within the local and widercommunity.

One of the favouriteprojects of the club is stillYouth of the Year as itgives the members theopportunity to see and hearyoung people. They are stillwonderful to listen to – andso full of life and hope. Thefuture of the country is ingood hands.

Once again the Tail Twister asks the impromptuquestions. It could be the same Tail Twister as in1994 (with a smaller membership Lions do get todo the same jobs multiple times).

Again the same question. This time the answermay not be as positive as in the past. It mightreflect a fear there are few or no new membersbeing inducted – or those who are joining are ofretirement age, not 30-40 or even 50. The answermight include the now well-worn statements thatwe need change, there are no young peopleinterested in joining. The “youth are the future ofLions” is still the catch cr y.

If these scenarios sound familiar, thensomewhere in the last 10-20 years we as Lionshave missed the boat. Maybe we have been sobusy doing all the wonderful things we do that wehave not fully and vigorously addressed one of thefundamental questions – who will replace us asmembers? What is our succession plan?

It is no longer good enough to simply say youthare “our future”. Whilst this will always be valid –the fact is that now, in 2014, they are the Lions of“the present”.

It is time to hand over the reins. Unless Lions actively involve young people –

NOW, our wonderful organisation will slowly start to

wither. Nobody is suggesting we will fold or becomeirrelevant, but we will be a diminished force in theworld of volunteerism.

In another 10 years the average age could wellbe 70-80. Much of our membership will beincapable of doing the things they do now . WhilstLCI will never fade away, the work of Lionism will beseriously affected with a declining or even stagnantmembership, whilst the general populationcontinues to grow. Projects we consider vital nowmay have to be curtailed or even wound up.

I have been involved in youth projects withinLionism at all levels for over 28 years. I seewonderful young people coming through theseprograms every year.

I see Lions and Lions clubs being enthusiasticand encouraging and encompassing these youngpeople. I also see Lions clubs being resistant tochange. As one younger member of a club said to

me, “we are boring, meetingsare not fun”. Clubs don’t knowhow to change, what otherreason is there to explain whythey are still doing things thesame way as when they werechartered.

There are many things wecan do to encourage youngpeople to be involved. We must

widen our vision and extend our horizons andbecome innovative in the way we do this.

FACT – young people DO want to volunteer. Wemust show them that Lions is the vehicle thatenables them to do so much good for other people.We must work towards facilitating their involvementwith Lions and harnessing this youthful exuberance.

Now is the time to move with the times. It is nolonger sufficient to invite young people to bebystanders and given support roles. They must takethe lead. How did we older members learn the jobswe do or have done? We did them ourselves. Wemade our own mistakes, we learnt the hard way.We can – and must – be around as support, tomentor and offer advice when asked, but we muststep aside and give the young people the reins.

Inviting them to old-style clubs with set andinflexible ways is not the way to do this. There areso many ways to encourage young people to beinvolved, we just need to recognise this and worktowards it – NOW.

Otherwise the impromptu questions at the LionsClub of Fantasy Hill in 2034 – or even 2024 –might be just that – a fantasy.

Lion Adrian Miles, MD Chairman YOTY(2007-10), MD Youth Membership officer

(2010-13), MD chairman YE (2013), Lions CampKoala Director (1998-2014)

A LIONS FANTASY – or is it?The time to act is now, says one of Australia’s most experienced Lions involved in youth projects


“Young people DOwant to volunteer. Wemust show them thatLions is the vehicle”


Lion26

AUDIT COMMITTEE1. The audited financial statements asof June 30, 2014, for TheInternational Association of LionsClubs and Lions Clubs InternationalFoundation were reviewed andapproved. The audited financialstatements will be available followingthe board meeting.

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWSCOMMITTEE1. Appointed the members of theDistrict 301-A1 Advisory Committee.2. Established the purpose, goals andobjectives and changed the name ofthe Advisory Committee to ReviewPotential Vice President Candidatesand revised Chapter II of the BoardPolicy Manual accordingly.3. Adopted a resolution to be reportedto the 2015 International Conventionto amend the InternationalConstitution and By-Laws to reinstatethe office of International Third VicePresident.4. Adopted a resolution to be reportedto the 2015 International Conventionto amend the InternationalConstitution to reallocate boardrepresentation.5. Adopted a resolution to be reportedto the 2015 International Conventionto amend the International By-Laws tochange the name of the “Leadership”Committee to “LeadershipDevelopment” Committee.

CONVENTION COMMITTEE1. Revised start times on the officialconvention schedule of events.2. Established per diem allowancesfor appointed Credentials Committeemembers serving without otherreimbursement, District Governors-elect and District Governors-electFaculty and headquarters staffattending the Honolulu convention.3. Revised policy to updateprocedures, appointments andsystems in Chapter VIII, Paragraph Ein the Board Policy Manual related toCredentials and Elections Procedures.

DISTRICT AND CLUB SERVICECOMMITTEE1. Amended the Club ExcellenceAward and the DG Team ExcellenceAward to encourage electronicreporting and communication. 2. Expanded District 403 B1 toinclude the country of São Tomé andPríncipe.3. Redistricting proposals for District1-E and District 1-L (Illinois); District14-A and District 14-R(Pennsylvania); Multiple District 29(West Virginia); Multiple District 37(Canada and Montana); and MultipleDistrict 104 (Norway); to take place at

the adjournment of the 2015International Convention. Approvedredistricting proposals submitted byDistrict 106 A and District 106 B(Denmark) and Multiple District 13(Ohio), to take place at theadjournment of the 2016 InternationalConvention. 4. Appointed Lions to fill districtgovernor vacancies. 5. Revised the Board Policy Manual tomodernise the process for providingaddress information by replacingmailing labels with electronic dataformats. 6. Amended the Board Policy Manualto allow name badges to be made fornew titles as noted in Lions ClubInternational Official Protocol and asdetermined by the InternationalPresident or Executive Administrator.

FINANCE AND HEADQUARTERSOPERATION COMMITTEE1. Approved the recommendedchanges to the General Fund andEmergency Reserve Fund InvestmentPolicy Statements (IPS). Changesinclude:• The median or modelled return willbe adjusted annually based on theCallan Five-Year Capital MarketsProjection and the approved strategicasset allocation. The expected returnwill be reviewed with the committeeannually and incorporated into thequarterly reviews.• Technical Changes: These includemodification of portfolio benchmark(s),restatement of the existing assetallocation bandwidth, use of morerelevant peer groups and indices, etc.• Correcting minor typographicalerrors.2. Approved minor revisions to theLions Clubs International PurchasingPolicy.3. Approved the 2014-2015 1stQuarter Forecast, reflecting a deficit.4. Approved increasing the annualspending from the General Fundinvestments by an additional US$4million for fiscal year 2014-2015.5. Amended Chapter XXII, ParagraphE.d. of the Board Policy Manual byreplacing “US$.41 per mile (US$.25per kilometre)” with “US$.50 per mile(US$.31 per kilometre)” effective July1, 2015.6. Deleted Chapter IX, ParagraphC.4.c. (2) of the Board Policy Manualin its entirety and replaced it with thefollowing:Charter air travel may be authorisedin advance by the Finance andHeadquarters Operation Committeewhere travel by commercial air is notfeasible and significant cost savingsmay be realised.

7. Deleted Chapter IX, ParagraphC.4.g. of the Board Policy Manual inits entirety, effective July 1, 2015. Asagreed at the Toronto board meeting,effective July 1, 2015, districtgovernors will no longer bereimbursed for office expenses;instead an increase in mileage ratewas approved. This deletion reflectsthis change.8. Approved a housekeeping revisionto Chapter XII, Paragraph E.1. of theBoard Policy Manual to update travelrules to reflect practice, as well ascurrent titles.9. Deleted Chapter XII, ParagraphE.4., I.3., and I.5. of the Board PolicyManual, as these policies are includedin the Employee Handbook and haveno financial impact.10. Approved a housekeeping revisionreplacing the words “Rule No.” with“section” in Chapter IX, ParagraphC.2.b of the Board Policy Manual.11. Approved a housekeeping revisionto Chapter XXII, Paragraph E.b.(3) toclarify the hotel and mealreimbursement.12. Amended Chapter XI, ParagraphD.2.a. of the Board Policy Manual bydeleting the sentence “This forecastwill reflect expenses equal to or lessthan revenues.” This is in conflict withthe association’s long-term strategicplan to subsidise any deficits withfunds from the General FundInvestments. 13. Amended Chapter XXII, ParagraphC. of the Board Policy Manual,effective July 1, 2015, to modestlyincrease the maximum in-districtbudgets for international directors,past international presidents and pastinternational directors as follows:International directorsUS$6,200 to US$9,000Past international presidents US$8,000 to US$10,000Past international directorsUS$3,000 to US$4,000

LCIF1. Revised the Investment PolicyStatement by revising the targetallocations for the Humanitarian Fund,further defining the alternative targetallocations, and several administrativechanges.2. Approved 56 Standard,International Assistance and Core 4grants, totalling US$2,740,733.3. Approved a Core 4 disability grantin the amount of US$1,563,300,which represents the 2015 budget forthe Lions-Special Olympics MissionInclusion program.4. Approved a Core 4 board-directedgrant in the amount of US$100,000,which represents the 2015 budget for

the Lions-Aga Khan DevelopmentNetwork tree planting initiative.5. Delegated the authority to selectthe nominees for the 2015Humanitarian Award to the LCIExecutive Officers.6. Placed a moratorium on theconsideration of all new grantrequests from District 321-C2,effective immediately, and furtherstipulated that District 321-C2 returnall funds disbursed forGA10907/321-C2 by December 31,2014, or the moratorium will continuethrough July 1, 2017.7. Amended Chapter 2 (Operations) ofthe LCIF Operations and PolicyManual to include severalhousekeeping updates on thesections of budget management, LCIFexpenses, grant approval policy andfinancial reports. 8. Amended Chapter 3 (Grants) of theLCIF Operations and Policy Manual toinclude housekeeping update thatUS$100,000 is the maximum amountavailable for standard grants.9. Amended Exhibit D (Forms ofRecognition) of the LCIF Operationsand Policy Manual to includeinformation on the criteria for theChairperson’s Medal and where it fitsin the hierarchy of LCIF awards.10. Amended Chapter 16, ParagraphB (Humanitarian Grants FinancialSpending Policy) of the Board PolicyManual to reflect the revisedInvestment Policy Statement.11. Amended Chapter 16, ParagraphE (General Reimbursement Policies) ofthe Board Policy Manual regardingmileage.12. Amended Chapter 16, ParagraphF (Endowment Funds) of the BoardPolicy Manual in order to becompliant.13. Amended Chapter 16, Paragraph I(Investments) of the Board PolicyManual to reflect the revisedInvestment Policy Statement andeliminate unnecessary language.

LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE1. Approved a Faculty DevelopmentInstitute for qualified Lions in NorthAmerica, to be conducted in 2014-2015.2. Approved the curriculum plan andschedule for the 2015 DistrictGovernors-elect Seminar in Honolulu,Hawaii, USA.3. Approved a Faculty DevelopmentInstitute for qualified Lions in Centraland Eastern Europe, to be conductedin May 2015.4. Approved curriculum and fundingsupport for an Emerging LionsLeadership Institute for qualified Lionsin Africa, to be conducted in early

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA October 5-8 2014



MEMBERSHIP WORKSHOP IN WICHITA, KANSAS, USAEarly this year the Lions Clubs of Kansas USA invited PID Ken Bird and PDGKen Mulcahy to Wichita to run a Membership W orkshop to introduce thenew international membership recruitment program Just Ask, based on the“Project Refresh” program introduced in Australia by PID Ken and PDG Kensome years ago.

As PID Ken and Maureen were on their way to San Diego for the InternationalBoard Meeting they were able to go a bit earlier and do the workshop and PDG Kenand Annette agreed to fly over and attend as well.

PID Ed and Lion Linda McCormick live in Wichita and were our gracious hosts. Wichita is on the mid western plains of the United States, and as they were just

coming out of winter it was quite an eerie sight, as all the trees were stripped barefrom the snow, following a very harsh winter. It was such a contrasting sight for theBirds and Mulcahys coming from our Queensland summer.

We were most impressed by the Lions Headquarters Building as you can seefrom the photo, a grand southern plantation-style building. Lion Linda is theExecutive Officer for Kansas and her office is in the building. She was able toorganise the necessary workshop facilities and promote the workshop to the Lionsof Kansas.

We were made very welcome by the Kansas Lions and they appreciated the two“Kens” making the effort to come and run the Workshop. There was a full house inattendance, ranging from the Council Chairperson Beverley Nicholls, the DistrictGovernor teams from the three Districts, Multiple District GMT and GLT members,Cabinet members, Club Presidents and club members. The workshop ran for the fullday and covered all aspects of the Just Ask program.

PDG Ken had done a tremendous amount of research on Kansas and was able topinpoint opportunities where new clubs could be formed and membership drivescould be effective. During the day the three Districts worked individually in onesegment, analysing the research information and coming up with a three-year planto improve their growth in membership.

We have since received information on progress and the first membership drivesachieved outstanding results. The first drive using the Just Ask program (as outlinedby the two Kens) resulted in 18 new members being recruited from 300 invitationswhich were sent out and the second, from a similar number of invitations, recruited12 new members. They are expanding their efforts gradually with the intention ofachieving their three-year plan and targets.

The Just Ask program, introduced in 2013 in Hamburg, is undergoing a rewrite atthe moment to expand on some areas which needed clarification to improve itseffectiveness. This will be released later in this Lions year and will hopefully beadopted by our clubs as an effective self-help tool to recruit members in our existingclubs and form new clubs.

This is a welcome addition to the suite of programs regarding membership,including this year’s Ask One program from International President Joe Preston, theClub Excellence Process (including CEP Lite), the Blueprint for a Stronger Club, andthe New Club Development Guide. These are all available on the LCI website, and ofcourse your GMT teams are only too happy to give you guidance on how toimplement them.

Report: Lion Maureen Bird

2015.5. Requested that theConstitution and By-lawsCommittee draft language for aby-laws amendment, to bereported to the delegates forvote at the 2015 InternationalConvention, changing the nameof the Leadership Committee ofthe International Board to“Leadership DevelopmentCommittee.”

LONG RANGE PLANNINGCOMMITTEE1. Determined that areallocation of board seats bepresented for approval to thedelegates at the 2015Convention as a constitutionalamendment. This reallocationwould reduce the number ofinternational directors electedfrom Constitutional Area I, andwould increase the number ofinternational directors electedfrom Constitutional Areas V andVI.2. Decided that a constitutionand by-laws amendment toreinstate the office of third vice-president be presented to thedelegates for approval at the2015 International Convention.3. Renamed the SpecialCentennial Planning Committeethe “Centennial ActionCommittee.”

MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENTCOMMITTEE1. Approved “Join Together,” anew club pilot program for twoyears to charter Lions clubs orform club branches at existingcommunity-based non-profits inUSA, Canada, the British Islesand Ireland, Sweden andAustralia. 2. Approved the CentennialMembership Program with animplementation date of April 1,2015. 3. Amended the internationalfamily and women coordinatorjob description to includereimbursement for approvedforum expenses and beretroactive for approved forumsin the current fiscal year. 4. Approved a pilot program fora family and women structurethat mirrors the GMT and GLTstructure in constitutional areasV and VI. 5. Approved the DemocraticRepublic of São Tomé andPríncipe to become the 210thcountry/territory.

6. Amended the Board PolicyManual for the extended billingadjustment period for CampusLions clubs that effective July 1,2015, campus clubs havethrough March 31 for theJanuary per capita billing andthrough September 30 for theJuly per capita billing to amendtheir club roster.7. Approved the name changefrom the “Extension andMembership Division” to the“Membership DevelopmentDivision.”

PUBLIC RELATIONSCOMMITTEE1. Changed the centennial grantprogram to award up toUS$1,500 per district (not toexceed US$15,000) and up toUS$2,500 for single districts. 2. Approved to convert allofficial editions of LIONMagazine from a print to adigital format by January 1,2018. 3. Changed Chapter XVII of theBoard Policy Manual to requirecentennial related articles in alleditions of LION Magazine. 4. Inserted Lions ClubsInternational FoundationExecutive Administrator into theOrder of Precedenceimmediately after the position ofAssociation Treasurer.5. Increased Leadership Awardsfrom 1,280 to 1,680 for Lionyear 2014-2015.

SERVICE ACTIVITIESCOMMITTEE1. Established the positions ofmultiple district and districtReading Action Program (RAP)chairpersons beginning in fiscalyear 2015-2016, andencourage all council ofgovernors and district governorsto appoint RAP chairpersons forone-year terms.2. Selected Leos and Lions toserve as members andalternates for the Leo ClubAdvisory Panel for the term ofNovember 2014 - October2016.3. Changed the name of the Leoof the Year Award to Leos of theYear Award.

For information on any of theabove resolutions, please referto the LCI website atwww.lionsclubs.org or contactthe International Office at (630)571-5466.


Lion28

Stocktake and Christmas Close Down

Last orders to be received by COB Wednesday 10th December 2014.

Avoid disappointment and order EARLY.

Anything received after the 10th December 2014 will be processed & dispatched after the National Office reopens in January 2015.

The National Office will be closed from the 19th December 2014, reopening on Monday 5th January 2015.

Constitutional and OrdinaryNotices of Motion for the

Newcastle ConventionLions are advised that under Clause 82.2.1 of theMultiple District Constitution that all other motions forthe Newcastle 2015 Convention accompanied by detailsof the financial implications, if any, which would, or may,affect any participating Clubs or members and thecommitment, if any, of Multiple District Funds whichwould, or may, be required in the event of the adoptionof the Motion, must be provided to the Executive Officerbefore 3 March 2015.

Project Notices of Motion forthe Newcastle Convention

Lions are advised that under Clause 82.1.2 of the

Multiple District Constitution that Motions proposing a

Multiple District Project, accompanied by full organisation

details of the proposed project and the financial

responsibilities, if any, of the participating clubs, and the

required commitment (if any) of Multiple District funds to

start up the proposed project and to administer and

conduct the project during its first year of operation,

must be provided to the Executive Officer prior to the 1st

day of January 2015.



LEOS ROAR

Congratulations to Leo Emily Sommerville from Southern Cross School Leo Club inQ1 on being named District Leo of the Year. Emily received her district trophy andprize from Lions Clubs International Director Eric Carter at the recent Q1Convention on the Gold Coast.

Emily will now represent her District in the Queensland state final of the Leo of the Yearearly in 2015.

Congratulations also to 2014 International Leo of the Year Megan Hackwood from GVK LeoClub in Q3 on receiving her International Medal and Certificate from Past InternationalDirector Sheryl Jensen at the 2014 Q3 Convention on Bribie Island.

In making the presentation to Megan, PID Sheryl emphasised the views of the InternationalBoard in stating how essential LEOs are to Lions Clubs International.

Over the weekend, PID Sheryl took time to attend the Q3 Leo Forum to personally thankthe LEOs for their ongoing ser vice to their community as members of our great Lionsorganisation.

Special congratulations to Lion Tony Jimmieson, State Leo Coordinator SA/NT, on receivingan International President's Certificate of Appreciation for his dedicated ser vice to our greatLions organisation.

Lion Tony was presented with his certificate by Past International Director Sher yl Jensen atthe 2014 C2 Convention.

I am pleased to advise that with the ongoing support of Lions, Lionesses and Leos wehave seen the recent Charter of the Tambourine Mountain College Leo Club in Q1 (seepicture below).

I would especially like to thank DG Kent Wilcox for taking the time to attend the Charterand welcome our newest LEOs into Lions Clubs International.

Welcome also to LEOs in Cowra (N4) and Penola and District (C2) who are workingtowards charter.

It is a tribute to our Lions family that we are creating opportunities for young peoplebetween 12-30 to serve their communities in a positive way as essential members of Lions!

I thank all members of the Sunraysia Leo Club in C2 for their inspirational ser vice to theircommunity and In particular their recent Halloween trivia night to raise funds for thechildren's ward at Mildura Hospital.

Thank you also to all members of GVK and Aspley Leo Clubs in Q3 on their recentparticipation in Relay for Life.

Their ongoing commitment to making our world a better place is truly inspirational.For our organisation to grow we must see LEOs as the present and future of Lions. We

should always recognise them as essential members of our association.I encourage all Lions and Lionesses to continue encouraging our LEOs by visiting their

clubs, supporting their activities and recognising their outstanding achievements in theInternational and Multiple District Leo of the Year Quest.

So if your club is considering sponsoring a LEO club, Stop Considering – DO IT!Full details on the Leo Club Program are available on the Leo website at

www.lionsclubs.org.au/leos. Say G’day to a LEO Today, you won't be disappointed.

Martin PeeblesMD201 Leo & Youth Outreach Committee Chairman

Lions Australia

Since 1994 the Peel Valley Lions Club has annuallysought out and honoured a countr y music personalitywho has given voluntary service to the communitythrough his/her connection with the genre.

Over the 21 years of the award recipients have includedsingers, songwriters, musicians and those who work tirelesslybehind the scenes – and invariably they are quiet achieverswho have never sought recognition or superlatives for theircharity and community efforts.

President Mike Ham recently announced that nominationsfor the 2015 award are now being accepted. Anyone cannominate someone (via your local Lions club) who they thinkis deserving of recognition.

“Anyone with a country music connection who has given oftheir time and talent to assist charity through their music iseligible,” said Mike.

“It may be someone who entertains members of theircommunity, works on major countr y music fundraising events,and something as simple as giving their time for free to helpout in caring and support programs.”

Nominees don’t have to be Lions but nominations need tobe made through a Lions club and must be made in writingto: The Secretary, Peel Valley Lions Club, PO Box 957,Tamworth, NSW, 2340 or via email to [email protected]. Closing date is December18 this year.

The award will be presented during the 43rd TamworthCountry Music Festival in Januar y 2015. The recipient willreceive a one-off trophy crafted by respected artist FredHillier and will also be given the opportunity to nominate acharity to receive a $500 donation on his/her behalf fromPeel Valley Lions Club.

Enquiries should be directed to Terry Hill on (02) 67656042 or email [email protected].

SOMEONE SPECIAL

Past winners Mark and Alison.


30 Lion

YOUTH OF THE YEAR

Many clubs are now well advanced by havingconducted their club finals or in the process ofplanning them for early February.

If your club has not determined that it willparticipate, there is still time. All it takes is amotivated and enthusiastic club member to approacha school.

Last year, the Youth of the Year sub-committee,along with Immediate past Council Chair, Gary Parkerand Executive Officer, Rob Oerlemans, conducted astrategic review of the Youth of the Year Program.Some of the key features, which were approved bythe Council of Governors in Januar y 2014, werepublished in the June-July edition of this magazine.The committee also made recommendationsconcerning prizes. The committee was aware ofmajor disparities between clubs of the awards thatwere made to contestants. The sub-committeerecommends that awards should be comparableacross the clubs, zones, regions, districts and states.Whilst clubs and districts have the freedom todetermine awards we recommend the following asguidelines for acknowledgement and recognition ofyour contestants:CLUB FINALSa) All contestants receive a participation certificate,YOTY pen or similar.b) Winner; receives a certificate and a gift voucher tothe value of $50.c) Public Speaking winner; receives certificate and agift voucher to the value of $25.

ZONE/MULTI ZONE/REGION FINALSa) All contestants receive a participation certificate.b) Winner; receives a certificate.c) Public Speaking winner; receives a certificate.DISTRICT FINALSa) All contestants receive a participation certificate.b) Winner; certificate, keepsake trophy; award tovalue of $100.c) Public Speaking Winner; certificate, keepsaketrophy; award to value of $50.STATE FINALSa) All contestants receive a participation certificate.b) Winner; certificate, keepsake trophy; $500 from

MD; medallion from MDc) Public Speaking Winner; certificate, keepsaketrophy; award to value of $50.

As soon as your club final has been completed it’ sfinal, the club YotY Chair should forward the namesand contact details of the club’s contestants to theDistrict Chair. Not surprisingly, there has beenreticence by some clubs to do this, citing privacyconcerns. This year the Contestant Entr y Formincorporates a statement, that was structured by theLions Legal Officer, for both the contestant andhis/her parents, requesting their consent to theprovision and maintenance of the contestant’s nameand contact details. It states:

I acknowledge and accept the wish of MultipleDistrict 201 of Lions Clubs International Inc. tomaintain on permanent record my name, addressand contact particulars, in order that it may forwardto me at future timesinformation/particulars/brochures relating to theconduct of the Program and/or otherprojects/activities/events being conducted by LionsAustralia.

I consent to the maintenance of my name,address and contact particulars for such purpose.

Provided that both the contestant and the parentshave signed-off on this, clubs can provide thesedetails to their District Chairperson.

District Chairs forward these details to the LionsYouth Membership Conversion Officer, for thepurposes described above. District Chairs have beenasked to forward, electronically, a pro-forma to clubchairs in order to complete this task. They are alsoavailable from the website;http://lionsclubs.org.au/activities/youth/yoty/yoty-resources/. We MUST bear in mind that all youth whoparticipate in any Lions Youth Program are potentialmembers.

Preparations are well underway for the 2013-14state finalists’ trip to the International Youth Camp atRotorua, which commences on 27th December. At itsconclusion, on the 6th Januar y, Rebecca, Raul,Ashleigh, Laura, Megan and Jordan will spend sixdays as guests of the Lions Club of Fremantle (W2)where they will be involved in activities andsightseeing around Perth and Fremantle. They will

also attend a City of Fremantle CivicReception as well as a reception hostedby the National Australia Bank in Perth.

The 2012-13 National Winner, MollyCampbell, will embark on her prize tripof choice to India, during January.

We welcome Jenny Maguire, QDistricts and PDG Rob Meney, WDistricts, to the National Sub-Committee. Jenny and Rob will becoordinating the Program in theirdistricts until June 2017.

Brian WilliamsChairman, Lions Youth of the Year

Program

The Lions Clubs of Strathalbyn, C2, recently conducted their clubfinal. Pictured from left to right are contestants; Ellen Chinner,Dean Mustac, Shaun Stitt (Club Winner), Emmeline Vivian and KeithKelly (Public Speaking Winner).

CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN

Runners came from Australia, New

Zealand, England and the Pacific for the

36th running of the Bendigo Bank

International King of the Mountain

Challenge.

A project of Q4’s Cooroy-Pomona Lions Club,

the challenge is run over 4.2km with an almost

vertical climb to the top of Mt Cooroora (438m)

and back down.

This year’s event attracted 94 runners with

Ben Duffus winning with a time of 23 minutes

47 seconds. The women’s winner was Kin

Beckinsale (31 minutes 11 seconds). The race

record is held by multiple-winner Neil Labinsky

(22 minutes 43 seconds).

The race starts from the centre of Pomona in

the Noosa hinterland before hitting a series of

small hills and then comes the mountain trek

which is little more then a goat track.

The runners compete for the Trans Tasman

Trophy and winners travel to New Zealand to

compete in the Kaweraus Mountain Challenge.

The challenge is the climax of the Wimmers

King of the Mountain Festival that includes a

family run, school relays, tug of war competition,

a pram race and a skate board competition.

This year over 80 stalls added to the festival

along with rides and games in Side Show Alley.

This year’s festival attracted about 4,000

people.

Monies raised go toward assisting local

community groups and the needy.


An old favouritein a convenient new size

Lions brings you the new mini traditional fruit cake, individually wrapped in a serving for one. Made from a classic recipe with 50% real fruit, it is sure to delight!

For more information contact your local Lions club or go to www.lionsclubs.org.au/cakes


LEND A HAND, OR TWO!

This copy of the Lion magazine has been brought to you by:

Australian Lions needs a hand. Each year we help countlessthousands of people around the world in hundreds ofdifferent countries. But we want to do more. To do that weneed your help. We need a hand in the for m of new membersto expand the load of good deeds being done . Joining is byinvitation but interested men and women over 18 and of goodmoral character and reputation are encouraged to apply.

Just fill in this form and send to the Executive Officer at Loc kedBag 2000, Newcastle NSW 2300 or [email protected] it can be forwarded to a Lions club near you.Full name:Email address:Phone number:Address 1:Address 2:City/Locality:State: Post code:Country:

Facing factsWant the latest Lions news quickly? LionsFacebook is the place to get it – and now it’seasier than ever. Just focus your smartphonecamera on the QR barcode below and it will beyours almost instantly. Or simply type “LionsAustralia Facebook” into your search engine.

Learn what’s on the go, what’s coming up, andwhat other Lions are thinking and doing

LIONSNEWSIN ASNAP


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