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Connections, influence, friendship, philanthropyJUNE - JULY 2015 Volume 119 No. 4LION

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 Lions quick to act6 Lions action7 Convention Newcastle 10 Newcastle candids13 LCIF: Field of dreams

Page 7 – Convention Newcastle

Page 10 - Convention candidsPage 9 – Young winners

Our c

over

ContributionsContributions for the August - September 2015 issue should be submitted by July 1 to

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

emailed to [email protected].

COVER: The highpoint of theAustralian Lions year, theNational Convention came toNewcastle last month and theNSW city got a taste of justwhat Lions is all about. For allthe reports and pictures ofwhat went on, start readingon page 7.

14 Council Chairman’s report18 New District Governors22 Around the nation24 Lions out and about26 Committee vacancies/appointments28 Australian Lions Foundation report

SPECIAL ISSUEMD201 National Convention

Newcastle


Lions quick

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Lions’ three most important wordsLions’ three most important words ::

SERVICE, SERVICE ANDSERVICE, SERVICE AND SERVICESERVICE

Lion

By JoePreston,Lions ClubsInternationalPresident

“Strengthen the Pride through service forcauses so worthy and just.” That is the openingline in my theme song. The key word in thesentence is “service.” Service is thecornerstone of my program. All other concernssuch as membership, leadership and cluboperations ultimately support, enhance andfurther our service to others. As Lions, serviceis our identity, and service is our mission.

As I travel around the world, one of my grea testjoys is seeing and learning of the c lubs’ success inserving. It is also rewarding to see c lubs bringingin new members and developing their leaders.More members give us more hearts and morehands, which should lead to more ser vice. Andbetter-trained leaders will surely help us to bemore effective and efficient in the way tha t wedeliver that service.

There is no boilerplate plan for success, but Ihope that you will find the stories in this issue ofthe LION to be inspiring. Within these pages areclubs that accomplished great things – that werenot preordained. Clubs took the initia tive, took achance and performed service that took familiesand communities to a far better place than theywere. Their success can be yours too. Whether it’simproving a service project, starting a new one orrecruiting and retaining members, it’s entirely inyour power to be successful.

Success is what Lions are all about. Clubs haveembraced the Centennial Service Challenge to help100 million people. Clubs are reporting service atrecord levels. This is generating positive energyand enthusiasm. We care, we share and we do.

Thank you for all you ha ve done to Strengthenthe Pride. Our recently announced CentennialMembership Awards program recognises Lionsand clubs for adding members and starting c lubs. Iam confident that you will put tha t same “can-do”spirit into making it successful.

Here is something that I composed on anairplane that sums up how I feel: Our efforts arenot over/our journey far from done/lift up yourhearts rejoice/ we’ve only just begun.

It’s a Lions world – andwe’re glad of that It was a privilege to ser ve as your internationalpresident in 2014-15. I mean that sincerely andliterally. It was a privilege to visit a school inIndia run by Delhi Lions for 52 years, aprivilege to be at a Lions-sponsored f acility inFrance that conducts important research ongene therapy for rare diseases and a privilegeto observe classes for children who are deafand blind in Turkey. Travelling the worldallowed Joni and me to see firsthand howLions worldwide improve their communitiesand embrace the spirit of ser vice.

For 98 years Lions have grown stronger, andthis year was no exception. In 2014-15 Lionsshowed that Melvin Jones’ vision of like-mindedpeople joining together to help their neighbourscontinues to resonate across borders and in ourcontemporary, fast-paced modern culture.

My theme was Strengthen the Pride. My pride inLions especially was strengthened this year.Thanks to the leadership of c lub presidents anddistrict governors and the individual efforts ofmembers, we saw solid gains in membership, avery successful start to our Centennial Ser viceChallenge, strong participation in new initiativessuch as the Worldwide Week of Service forChildren and continued support for establishedprojects such as the measles campaign.

Joni and I wish to thank all the Lions who wereso hospitable to us this year, and we also thank allLions for their magnificent service. Beforebecoming president, I thought I had a good graspof Lions’ commitment to ser vice. But the depthand range of our activity is astounding. I lookforward to meeting many of you at conventionsand other Lions events and ea gerly anticipate ourhuge centennial celebration in 2017 in Chicago.

Many Australian clubs respondedquickly to the devastation caused byTropical Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu.LCIF MD201 Co-ordinator Nigel JenyOAM reports clubs held bucketcollections in their local shoppingcentres and organised events to raisemuch needed funds.

Thousands of the people in Vanuatu, inthe direct path of Tropical Cyclone Pam,lost everything. Garden plots were sweptaway by the turbulent sea surges,preventing them from growing food fortheir families.

The Lionesses of Innisfail, NorthQueensland stated in their letter tha taccompanied their donation “As we havebeen in the same situa tion a number oftimes, we are only too ha ppy to help insome way”.

Lion Kathy Sebat of Noumea providedgraphic reports from Vanuatu and NewCaledonia Lions of how Lions weremaking a difference to people’s lives.

The rebuilding of communities is goingto take many more months, even years,she said.

LCIF in addition to the initialEmergency Grant of US$10,000 has givena Major Catastrophe Grant of US$100,000to the Lions of Vanuatu.

Said Nigel Jeny: “The Lions of Vanuatuand New Caledonia together with LCIFwill need the help from all the LionsFamily in Australia to rebuild communitieson these tiny islands in the Pacific.

“Please send your donation to LCI/LCIFDisaster Relief Fund to your DistrictCabinet Treasurer for banking into theAustralian LCI/LCIF account.”

The Vanuatu club also receivedinvaluable help from the French andAustralian army teams that moved intothe region.

In Australia, Queensland’s RunawayBay Lions Club raised $7,823.25 tosupport Cyclone Pam victims.

The club set up a collection desk witha couple of donation tins for a week a tthe local Runaway Bay Shopping Village.

Earthquake,

Aid for Vanuatucyclone heartbreak


5June - July 2015

Among local clubs quick off the mark after thousands died when a 7.9magnitude earthquake devastated Nepal in April was Sydney NepalHimalaya.

The club, which among others comprises several Nepalese ex-pa ts,immediately launched an emergency appeal to help the children and familiesand Past President Raj Koirala flew to Nepal to lead a team of volunteersproviding emergency support.

The club appealed to Australian Lions to continue providing funds todeliver food, clean water, shelter, and medical assistance to Nepalese victims.

Donations can be made through Lions c lub Sydney Nepal HimalayasEarthquake Relief Fund – BSB: 062-190, Account No: 1040-9615Commonwealth Bank.

cyclone, storm and flood relief

While drought still affects parts of Australia, many areas aroundNewcastle suffered cruel wind storms and flooding just before our 63rdNational Convention in the NSW city.

A natural disaster zone was declared for 12 local government areasincluding Dungog and other towns in the Hunter.

As Convention Committee Chairman PCC Keith P arry told attendees, manylocal Lion volunteers would be returning to horribly dama ged homes,outbuildings and gardens.

The Dungog Lions Club was given $100,000 in cash to help local peopleaffected by the flooding to purchase essentials such as glasses and hearingaids for victims.

Sydney’s Nepal Himalaya Lions launchearthquake emergency relief effort

Newcastle Convention organisers return hometo flood and wind losses

1. NEPAL EARTHQUAKE TRAGEDY: Sydney Nepal Himalaya club joined recovery effort.

2 CYCLONE RELIEF: Lions emergency goods are landed in Vanuatu.

3. HUNTER REGION FLOODS: Flood havoc preceded our 63rd National Convention.

4. LIONS BRING HOPE: With Lions support, New Caledonia is fighting back.

5. FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Runaway Bay Lions hand over a $7,823 cheque.

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to act on numerous emergency fronts


Lion6

LIONS ACTION

During the South Australia’s Sampson Flat bushfire earlierthis year, members of the Kersbrook CFS f aced possiblecatastrophe when a volunteer suffered a cardiac arrest.

The firefighters did not have their own defibrillator and a CPRdefibrillator had to be sourced from a neighbouring volunteer firecentre.

Realising this could not be allo wed to happen again, TorrensValley Lions joined with Lions Clubs of Adelaide Italian, Mt Barkerand East Torrens and, with a grant from the Australian LionsFoundation, presented five defibrillators to brigades of theGumeracha CFS Group.

The Lions Club of Golden Grove also provided funds, The defibrillators are pictured (below) being handed out a t a

local ceremony.

In a major milestone, Victoria’s Castlemaine Lions have teamed with not-for-profit charitable organisation MASARG to help fund a respite house for peoplewith disabilities and their families in the area.

The club has already handed over $40,000 with a commitment of a further$200,000.

Work has started on the facility tha t will provide both short and long-termsupport.

MILESTONE: Lions and MASARG supporters (above) look on as MASARG president SteveStreeter and Ross O’Neil of VR Builders sign the official documents for the r espite houseproject. Photo courtesy Castlemaine Mail

It was an egg-citing time in the children’ sward of Victoria’s Ballarat Health Services’Base Hospital when the Easter Bunn y (akaV1-4 DGE Maureen Thorpe) visited KaseyPrendergast, 8.

Ballarat Lions helped the bunny deliverchocolate eggs, furry bunnies and teddy bearsaround the paediatric and adolescent ward.

Kasey had been admitted days earliersuffering pneumonia and the visit helped put asmile on her face.

She was one of the seven children whoremained in the ward during the Easter break.

Nurse Emily Veal said most patients were senthome to spend time with their families. “We tryto get as many children home as we possiblycan. Some of the kids feel as if they will missout if they are in hospital.”

Eggs and bunnies were dona ted by Big W andColes Ballarat, with the club supplying 30 of itsbears.

This is the second year the c lub has visitedthe hospital at Easter.

Photo courtesy Justin Whitelock

Lions commit to respite care

Averting possible tragedy

A “real” bunny


7June - July 2015

63rd Lions NationalConvention report

One of Australia’s great historic theatres played host to Australianmembers of the largest service club organisation in the world when Lions came together for our 63rd MD201 National Convention.

For four days, Lions from all over Australia and overseas gathered in thestunning 1520-seat Spanish Baroque-style Newcastle Civic Theatre to listen,to debate, to meet up with old friends, to be entertained and generally towork out how we can more successfully ser vice the needs of thoserequiring a helping hand.

Opened by our own Immediate Past International President Barry PalmerAM and with sergeant-at-arms PDG Bruce McLeod overseeing the action,the Convention ranged from the emotional with a moving keynote addressfrom beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman and the intensely-discussed with a

motion to increase dues being voted through, to the incredibly entertainingwith a massed ukulele group bringing the house to its feet.

There were cheques handed out to worthy causes, awards presented,incoming District Governors and our new Council Chairman Phillip Johnsonfrom V2 welcomed, and a plethora of Lions displays in the adjacentNewcastle City Hall.

Some might have forgotten the last Na tional Convention staged inNewcastle in 1992 and some might not even ha ve been born then, but it willbe a long time before a ttendees forget this 2015 event.

When it came to a c lose, Convention Committee Chairman PCC KeithParry and his team of volunteers could be ha ppy they had done Lions andthemselves proud.

Convention

NEWCASTLEOur 2015 National Convention proves a winner on many fronts

READY TO START: The 63rd National Conventionaudience readies itself for Day One in the historicNewcastle Civic Theatre.


Lion8

63rd Lions NationalConvention, Newcastle

He was Australia’s first Lion elected as InternationalPresident and in Newcastle Barry J. Palmer AM wasback in his old stamping ground, officiating for the lasttime as LCIF Chairperson on home soil.

Fittingly, the convention gave him and his wife, Anne, thereception they deserved.

After a moving and funny keynote address on their Lionsjourney over the past four years, Immediate Past InternationalPresident Barry directed the attention elsewhere by making aposthumous award of a Leadership Medal to PCC FranzMairinger OAM that was accepted by his wife LorraineMairinger.

The award, he said, was for the Kangaroo Valley Lion’stireless work with his wife for Lions both here and atinternational conventions.

He also presented PDG Nigel Jeny with the Ambassador ofGoodwill medal. But by convention’s end the attention hadreturned to the IPIP and his wife when they were presentedwith a framed photograph of themselves.

Immediately the convention ended, Barry was on a planeagain, this time to finish his last duties as LCIF Chairperson.

TOKEN OF THANKS: Council Chairman Warren Latham and DGE Lorraine Mairinger with IPIPBarry, his wife Anne and the portrait presented to them.

IPIP Barry’s sentimentalNewcastle goodbye


June - July 20159

Youth triumph in Newcastle

For Sunraysia Leo KaterinaBlekic, 19, from Mildura it wasa dual triumph, taking off boththe overall Leo award and, toher own astonishment, thepublic speaking award.

“I’ve never won a publicspeaking award ... ever,” sheenthused while taking part in apost awards hug-a-thon withwellwishers.

For the Youth of the Yearoverall winner, year 12 studentPatrick Cross sponsored byQ3’s Brisbane Bardon club, itwas a similarly happyoccasion.

“You never know howwonderful the Lions Club isuntil you come here today,”said a jubilant Patrick of theevent.

The Youth of the Year publicspeaking winner was Hannah

WINNERS ALLThere were plenty of winners inNewcastle and some of the major oneswere:

The Ted Horwood Award for the best

story in the LION magazine over the past year ,

this year won by Dick Tracy of Melbourne’s

Lions Club of Glenroy for his report “The house

that Dick built”.

The report looked at Dick Smith’s funding

via the Australian Lions Foundation of a

“granny flat” for a disabled girl.

The Fonnie Tresise Lioness award for

humanitarian service went to the Lioness Club

of Palm Beach Currumbin for its work in

regard to a service for house-bound readers

and the Tweed Heads Library.

Most who attended the Convention came a way singing the praises of theyoung Leo of the Year and Youth of the Year finalists who competed on theCivic Centre stage.

Worsley, sponsored by the Lions Club of InverellMacIntyre, with a speech titled “The ‘F’ Word”, theaudience showing relief when the “F” turned out tostand for “feminism”.

Patrick’s overall win brings him a $4000 overseastrip and $1000 cash, while Hannah receives halfthat.

For her Leo of the Year win, Katerina Blekic

receives a trip to New Zealand with the Youth of theYear finalists to attend a youth camp, or $1,500travel expenses to promote Leos and personal travelor education expenses to the value of $1500 – plus$500 for her public speaking win.

Interestingly, as Youth of the Year enters itssecond half century, its invaluable sponsorship fromNAB has topped $900,000.

Youth of theyear winnerPatrick Cross ...

“You never know

how wonderful the

Lions Club is until

you come here

today”.

Dual Leoof the Year winner Katerina Blekic... “I’ve

never wona public speaking award ... ever”.

DEEP IN THOUGHT: TheLeo of the Year judging panelhad some tough decisions.

Time to prepare for Echuca and HobartEchuca, the paddlesteamer capital ofAustralia, will be the site of the 2016MD201 National Convention with Hobartfollowing in 2017.

The Hobart Convention will mark the 100th

anniversary celebrations of Lions and will bestaged at the Wrest Point Casino.

Committees for both events were active inNewcastle with displays. The EchucaConvention runs from 12th to 16th May.


NEWCASTLE CANDIDS1. HISTORIC BACKDROP: Newcastle’s majesticCivic Theatre provided a fitting home for most of theConvention’s events.

2. DINE TIME: Immediate Past InternationalPresident Barry Palmer and Council Chairman WarrenLatham dine with international guests.

3. ADDED ROAR: Australia’s Leos were present inforce to share their message with Convention patrons.

4. WORD FROM THE TOP: Prime Minister TonyAbbott appeared on the big screen to welcome Lionsto their 63rd National Convention and to hail the w orkof the organisation.

5. BIG ON BRASS: Newcastle’s Hunter School ofPerforming Arts marching band played up a stormduring a lunchtime show.

6. TULIP TIME: Newcastle Ukestra memberDorothy Pritchard got the Civic Theatre audiencebopping with her Tiny Tim looks and lyrical vocalrange.

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7. ALL ABOARD: Echuca’s Lionswere in full character to lure members tonext year’s National Convention in theirriverboat home on the Murray.

8. GOOD OIL: Jackie North andSandra Pettit of the Mater Foundationhad all the latest info on the LionsProstate Cancer Research program.

9. HATS OFF: Lions OperationsCoordinator Samantha Salmon did abrisk trade in caps on the Club Suppliesstand.

10. PICK THE DG: The Cab Secs gottheir revenge on stage when it cametime for the DGs to bid far ewell.

11. ON THE MOVE: Last year’s Leo ofthe Year winner, Joel Pattinson-Cashman(top), joins this year’s happy finalists in acelebratory get-together.

12. HANDOVER: After a year ofmarshalling the troops, MD201 CouncilChairman Warren Latham presentsincoming CC, Phillip Johnson of V2, withhis own gavel.

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12 Lion12

Newcastle’s Civic Theatre overflowed withtoe-tapping happiness when the ukulele-strumming and singing performers ofNewcastle Ukestra filled the auditorium withmusic.

With ukulele teachers, performers andcommunity workers Mark Jackson and JaneJelbart in charge, the massed group, including allages, had Lions bopping to the music.

A surprise for Lions was the appearance withthe group of Executive Officer Rob Oerlemans.

A keen musician who has played guitar formuch of his life, Rob later revealed he has beenworking on his ukulele strumming with the groupfor several months.

Well known around the Hunter, NewcastleUkestra’s high energy gigs have in recent timesbrought the ukulele right back into fashion.

Happy and they know it!Here’s the happiest Lions Club in AustraliaThe Lions Club of North Lakes has taken out the inaugural‘Happiest Lions Club in Australia’ competition.

Said Club President Diane Unwin: “We knew we were a happy andsocial bunch in our club so, when Lions Australia announced thecompetition, we decided to enter.

“The competition involved answering a series of questions aboutwhy we are so happy and preparing a video clip of club members outin the community enjoying themselves. Club member and entertainerChris Doyle composed, wrote and recorded a song, then used it as thesoundtrack for the video.”

The video is available on the Multiple District, District and Clubwebsites so take a look.

President Diane was present at the MD Convention in Newcastle to collectthe award which included a certificate and three Melvin Jones Fellowships to be

awarded at the club’s discretion.“Maybe next year your club will enter and who knows, you might just be the

happiest club in 2016 – but you’ll have to be happier than we are, ” said Diane.

In the MOOD

FEEL THE RHYTHM:Choir leader Jane Jelbart

(above), a ukulele

teacher, banjo player and

marine ecologist, gets the

music thumping, while

(left) Lions EO Rob

Oerlemans performs at

his soulful best.

Newcastle Ukestra has

made the ukulele so

popular that the local

music store sells about

25 a month, where

previously it sold only a

few dozen a year.


13June - July 2015

LCIF

Chris Branan played Little Leaguebaseball as a child and later coached aLittle League team. His 10-year-old son,Jake, loves baseball and plays as well.Like father, like son?

Well, not exactly. But, well, close enough.Jakes uses a wheelchair. He didn’t play

organised baseball until Lions helped buildCity Pond Park in Covington, Georgia, USA.The park is designed for players withphysical and mental disabilities. The game isa little different from a standard LittleLeague game, but the feelings of pride andsatisfaction for players and parents are thesame. With the new field, Branan feels likehe and his son are carr ying on a familytradition. “This is a dream come true,” saysBranan.

Making dreams come true is the stock-in-trade of the Miracle League. Founded in1997 in Georgia, the Miracle League haspioneered baseball for youths withdisabilities. The game is played on anadapted, accessible field. Communitymembers serve as “buddies” to assist theplayers. Every player bats once eachinnings, reaches every base safely andscores a run before the innings is over . Andevery team and every player wins everygame.

The Lions of District 18-I were awarded aUS$75,000 Standard Grant from LCIF toassist with the construction of the MiracleLeague Field at City Pond Park. Lions havebeen actively involved in many aspects ofthe project, from fundraising to marketing,and have even supplied professional labourand construction materials. The parkofficially opened in April with 100 players oneight teams.

Before the field at City Pond Park, thenearest Miracle League was in aneighbouring county. That’s where Morgan, asix-year-old with spinal muscular atrophytype II, was forced to play for two years. Thedrive was worth it. His older siblings playedsports, and he felt left out on the sidelines.

Morgan now plays for the Phillies, and hisfamily cheers him on in his hometown.“Having a Miracle League field so close tohome means we have a place to call our

own and makes baseball more accessible tolocal kids,” says Tangi Forman, his mother.

Lions supported the field because theyknow that sports play a significant role in thedevelopment of children. They teach motorskills, teamwork and sportsmanship and canhelp lay the groundwork for a healthy life.And aside from that, playing sports is a heapof fun.

Mickie Bradley and her son, Taylor, arealso thrilled that Miracle League has cometo Newton County. Taylor had played with theMiracle League in nearby Conyers for 12years, and his family has seen hisconfidence build immensely. Watching Taylorplay is a great experience for his family andfriends. “How you view the simple things inlife will be forever changed after you witnessthese athletes with the biggest smiles andsqueals of laughter from hitting that ball andhearing everyone cheer for them,” saysBradley.

With the help of local Lions and LCIF, noone in Newton County is left out of the greatAmerican pastime. Play ball!

Field of dreams built forthose with disabilities

BIG HITTER: Miracle Field is a place of jo y.Photo courtesy of the Miracle League of Newton County

NEWCASTLENATTER

BACK STORY: While Hearing Dog “Laura” was a favourite with

Convention attendees, trainer David Horne revealed that her life

of service might never have happened but for the fact she had

been saved from a “puppy farm” by an RSPCA officer.

PHILANTHROPY LIVES ON: The Lions Eye Health FoundationAustralia is $20,000 better off thanks to a bequest made onstage by former International Director of Lions Clubs InternationalGeorge Higgs. It came from the Jean & Geor ge Higgs FoundationPerpetual Fund established during Jean Higgs’ lifetime.

What’s a stampworth?: If you save,

process and bundle them up

they’re worth $9,200 to

stamp collectors. That’s how

much, it was announced in

Newcastle, the Australian

Lions Children’s Mobility

Foundation has benefited

from stamps collected by

Lions through the Australian

Lions Stamp Club. Pictured

(right) with some of those

stamps is the club’s Ross

Paine.

EYE HEALTH: The hundreds of thousands of Papua NewGuineans afflicted by eye conditions will benefit from a $289,800SightFirst grant from LCIF to the new Lions National Resour ceCentre for Eye Health that was announced at the Convention.

FITTING TRIBUTE: Lions who passed away during the year

were remembered with a delightfully simple ceremony with

roses being placed on a tree, followed by singer Tom Eckersley’s

moving version of the Bette Midler hit The Rose.

PACKHAM WINNER: The Syd Packham Award for the best PRcampaign of the year went to the Kids Communicate autismproject run by Sydney’s Lugarno club.

FIGHTING BACK: The fight against prostate cancer received a

hefty boost with a $210,000 cheque presented to Brisbane’s

Mater Hospital by the Lions Prostate Cancer Research Program.



14 Lion

From Council Chairperson WarrenFROM THE MULTIPLE DISTRICT

Hello to all fellowLions, Lionesses andLeos.

The time has come towrite my last report to youas Council Chairpersonfollowing a greatConvention in Newcastle.

On behalf of all Conventioneers let mecongratulate PCC Keith Parry, his Committee andvolunteers for organising and running a verysuccessful MD Convention. This was achievednotwithstanding the horrendous weather andresulting damage including electrical blackoutslasting several days just one week prior theConvention.

There were many highlights at the Conventionincluding the following:n Presentation by International Director Eric Carterwho was with us for the entire Convention togetherwith his lovely wife Karen. n The presentation by IPIP Barry Palmer of theAmbassador of Goodwill Award to PDG Nigel Jeny.n The inspiring presentation and forum by the CEOof beyondblue, Georgie Harman.n The Youth of the Year Final was an extremely highstandard of competition. Congratulations to all StateWinners. The winner of the Public Speaking Awardwas Hannah Worsley of N1 District sponsored byLions Club of Inverell McIntyre. The National overallYouth of the Year winner was a young man with agreat future, Patrick Cross of Q3 District, sponsoredby Lions Club of Bardon. Congratulations, Patrick!n The Leo of the Year Final was fantastic.Congratulations to all State Winners and to LeoKaterina Blekic who was named National Winner for2015. We congratulate her and know she will have amost successful year.n Presentation by IPIP Barry Palmer and theattendance by both Barry and Anne. They arealways warmly welcomed at any meeting of Lionsand they always give us a greater sense of pride inbeing a member of Lions Clubs International andgreater motivation to continue to serve ourcommunities.n The new branding and video presentation byAustralian Lions Children’s Mobility Foundation and aspecial appearance by little Marley ... what a star!n The presentation from Australian Lions ChildhoodCancer Research Foundation including ChairmanBob Buckley handing over the “Hall of Champions”Special Award received from the Sydney Children’sHospital, to the Multiple District. This rare andprestigious honour is awarded to

groups/organisations that have donated in excess of$1 million to the hospital. n Great evening entertainment was provided with aDiamond Gala Ball, District evening events and aNight at the Trots.n Entertainment PLUS! The appearance by Ukestra,a Newcastle community group made up of childrenand adults from 9 to 90 singing and playingukuleles. They had us singing and clapping along inno time. And the Hunter School of Performing ArtsMarching Band. What a professional performance!Fantastic!n The Remembrance Ceremony is always veryemotional as we remember our absent Lions, familyand friends.n All of the presenters, those involved with thedisplays, the City of Newcastle and Mayor NuataliNelmes.nWe also had the pleasure of hosting CouncilChairperson from MD 202 David McDonald and hiswife Jill, and the Council Chairperson fromMD 307 Ina Liliana Gunawan and husbandGunawan Utomo.

Thank you all for playing your part inensuring that a memorable convention wasenjoyed by all.

On Thursday afternoon 30 April, followinginterviewing those nominating for theposition and their spouses, the DGEs electedDG Phillip Johnson from V2 as MD 201Council Chairperson for 2015-2016.Congratulations to CCE Phillip and hislovely wife Anne. Marilyn and I wish youwell and are quite sure you will have abusy but very enjoyable year.

Prior to the Council of Governorsmeeting and the MD Convention, Marilynand I attended the equivalent meetingsin Napier New Zealand. MD 202 has seven Districtsand it was a pleasure to be invited to the Council ofGovernors meeting.

We were warmly greeted by our New Zealand“cousins” (pictured top right) and thoroughly enjoyedthe experience. When given the opportunity Imentioned I had tried to buy a book entitled “The Artof Underarm Bowling’ as a gift for CC David. Thisbrought howls (of approval, I thought) from the NZLions, but I balanced the ledger by advising Icouldn’t find a copy of a DVD showing Australiawinning the Bledisloe Cup. We were able to leavethe building alive! Thank you to CC David McDonaldand his wife Jill for their hospitality and friendship.

Following our own MD Convention, we thenrepresented Australia at the MD 307 Convention

held in Ancol, Jakarta (pictured below).We were made welcome and very well looked after

by our Indonesian ‘Brothers and Sisters’. They havefour Districts spread over quite a large area and eachheld their Convention on the day prior to the MDConvention. There was certainly time for fun andfellowship at very elaborate functions each evening.

The membership is interesting. They have anumber of senior Lions but the majority are youngerand all involved in government or business. One halfof the members are women. They are all veryenthusiastic about being Lions and serving thoseless fortunate than themselves.

CC Ina Liliana Gunawan and her husbandGunawan were great hosts and we also thank themfor their friendship and hospitality.

I also take the opportunity to remind all Lions thatwe are all members of our own club’s MembershipCommittee. We are now approaching that timewhen, in the past, we have lost members. Would you

please ensure that you treat all fellow members asmembers of your family. If you haven’t seen amember for a meeting or two, phone them, see howthey are going, and make sure that they are OK.Make them feel they are wanted and worthwhilemembers of your club. Let’s do everything possibleto “Stop the Drops”.

Marilyn and I have had a great year. We are veryappreciative of the opportunity that we were givenwith my election as Council Chairperson. We wouldlike to thank all DGs and spouses of 2013/14 fortheir continuing support and friendship.

We would also like to thank all 2014/2015 DGs,spouses and companion for their efforts, supportand friendship. All have worked hard to ensure ourorganisation and its members can continue to serve

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June - July 2015 15

From Executive Officer Rob

It was great towelcome so manyLions to my home townin Newcastle NSW forthe Convention.

Although the terriblestorm a couple of weeksprior to the Conventionadded a ‘degree of

difficulty’ to the final planning for the Convention,the disaster along the east coast was an importantreminder about why we serve. Lions along with somany other volunteers are an integral part of thesolution to life’s problems

This is the first time we have askedConventioneers to provide details about theirConvention experience and so far, more than aquarter of attendees took the time to complete thesurvey. This is a great result. The responses arevery informative and, in the main, balanced. Thereis always a desire in the Council and ConventionPlanning Committees to respond to positive andnegative feedback from the previous Convention,however often they are only hearing the ‘squeakywheels’. The Convention Survey provides broaderfeedback.

Although I haven’t looked at the survey in detail,there are some interesting differences in theresponses from first conventioneers compared tothose who have attended many conventions. Sincewe are focussed on encouraging Lions to attend theconventions, the views of these first conventioneersare very important to understand those elements

that are attractive to Lions who are new toconventions.

It is very important to listen to feedback, honestlygiven, whether positive or negative. I’ve had thepleasure to work with nine Convention Committeesmade up of very skilled Lions, who are absolutelycommitted to making the Convention the best it canbe. Achieving the plan, of course, is dependent onmany variables. Luckily we are part of anorganisation whose motto is “we make thingshappen”.

The Convention adopted the new “Lions Care”project. This project will continue our work in raisingawareness about anxiety and depression. We willbe providing some information to clubs in the nextfew weeks about how they can engage with thisproject but put simply, there are three pathways:1. Beyondblue – Engage with the “ConnectionsMatter” strategy with beyondblue. Connectionsmatter is about reaching out to isolated people inour communities, including family and friends tohelp them get connected. A very simple andachievable strategy is to invite people to your clubmeeting to participate in the friendship andfellowship of our Association.2. Black Dog ride – Many clubs already supportBlack Dog ride, founded by Lion Steve Andrews inarranging motorcycle rides around Australia to raiseawareness about depression. Clubs on the rideroute are invited to assist with events andfundraising.3. Club initiatives – Local clubs have theirown projects operating in this space. Share

your success stories.Our incoming Council will shortly travel to Hawaii

to complete their training and commence their yearas the Council and as District Governors leading ourAssociation. My best wishes to the incomingCouncil and all our clubs for a successful Lions newyear. – EO Rob Oerlemans

Coming up1. Last chance to book tickets for theAustralian Reception and DownunderBreakfast in Honolulu. Go to the ClubSupplies shop at www.lions.org.au2. Bid for the 2019 MD201 Convention:Bids are sought from Lions Districts and Clubsto host the 2019 Multiple District Convention.For full details and a bidding package pleasecontact Executive Officer, Rob Oerlemans [email protected]. ANZI Pacific Forum, Auckland NewZealand – The forums are a great way tomeet Lions from our Constitutional Area aswell as our International Leaders. Forums alsoprovide training workshops useful to clubmembers. Any Lion is welcome to attend aForum. For more information follow the links tothe Forum website at lionsclubs.org.au/anzi-pacific-forum-2015.

their communities.Special thanks to all of our

Foundation and Project leaders for theirongoing efforts on your behalf.

More thanks to the NationalExecutive and the National Co-ordinators for their work and effortson your behalf.

Thank you to Rob Oerlemans andstaff at the MD office for their supportand efforts during the year. They workvery hard to ensure support isprovided to our members throughoutAustralia.

The results for the year are due tothe combined efforts of every Lion inthe 19 Districts of MD 201 and haveensured that we continue TO SERVEour communities. I am certain this

objective has once again beenachieved.

I have had great support,encouragement, understanding andlove especially over the past two yearsfrom my wonderful wife Marilyn andtogether we have done our very bestto carry out our duties during the yearto positively represent ourorganisation and members. We areextremely grateful for the opportunitygiven to us TO SERVE.

Marilyn and I have wonderfulmemories that will stay with us for therest of our lives.

We wish you all good health andbest wishes ... till we meet again.

– CC Warren Latham

BEATING DEPRESSION: National Convention keynote speaker Georgie Harman,the CEO of beyondblue, receives a cheque for $5000 from Council Chairman Warren.Lions are encouraged to join with beyondblue in a strategy to reach out to isolatedpeople in our communities. See details in Executive Officer Rob’s column below.

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June - July 2015 17


MD 201 District Governors 2015 - 2016

District C1

Name: Rob RoyalName ofPartner: SandyRoyalName(s) ofChildren:Matthew &BenjaminNo. of Years aLion: 25 Years on ClubBoard: 20

Years on District Cabinet: 8 Years on MD Committees: 0Theme/Motto for Year: Dream, Achieve and Makea DifferenceMain Objectives for Year: 1. Develop the healthscreening project to a point where as a jointexercise with C2, put a skin cancer screening buson the road, servicing all of SA & NT. Through thisand other joint projects with C2, increase theexposure of Lions in our community 2. Make sure that all Lions not only enjoy what wedo, but really believe we do make a difference inour community 3. Stop the dropLions Interests: Health screening projects(especially skin cancer screening) and projects likeHearing Dogs, Lions Australia Spinal CordFellowship. If there was any doubt about us makinga difference, these projects prove itOutstanding Lions Achievements: To me themost important thing that I have achieved in Lionsis to have gained the respect and support of somevalued Lions mentors to the point that they pushedand pressured me to put my name in the ring forthe role of District GovernorAwards: Awards are important but they are notwhat drive me in my life with Lions Business Interests: To retire! To get individuals,businesses and governments to invest more in R&Din this country, then support the commercialisationand development of that research without taking itoff shoreCivic Interests: To ensure that we live in acommunity that looks after the less fortunate Sporting Interests: Port Adelaide Football Club.C’mon The Power

Name: DaveThomasName ofPartner: MargieThomasName(s) ofChildren: Wehave 4 adultchildren - Ros,Liam, Jason &Daniel and 5grandchildren

(and a 6th on the way) with 2 great grandchildren.(yes I know we look too young)No. of Years a Lion: I have been a Lion for 12years, 9 at Naracoorte and 3 at Robe after I retiredfrom the Police Force, and Margie for 5 years, 2 atNaracoorte and 3 at RobeYears on Club Board: 11 years including 3 asPresident and Secretary etcYears on District Cabinet: On the Board for 7years in various roles including Zone Chair (2terms), CBL (2 terms) and VDG etc. to currentYears on MD Committees: nil Theme/Motto for Year: Our Future Starts Now Main Objectives for Year: Membership &retention, club health & welfare, communityinvolvement, increasing awareness of Lions outsideof our own organisationLions Interests: Constitutional awareness andconformance, youth and Special Olympics.Outstanding Lions Achievements: Coordinator and organiser of the $$$'s for DoonasProject that raised $160,00 for doonas and pillowsfor bushfire victimsAwards: James D Richardson Award and ALCMFSilver Award, National Police Service Award, SAPolice Service Medal and National MedalBusiness Interests: Retired Police SeniorSergeant after 42 years and now deckhand on the'Dads Navy' fishing boat Gwendoline catchingcrayfish in the beautiful seaside town of Robe, S.A.Civic Interests: Lions, Red Cross driver,community bus driver, Red Cross Tele Crossvolunteer during fire danger seasonSporting Interests: Watching any sport involving aball (except soccer) and passionate cricketsupporter and follow the Adelaide Crows in the AFL.Baiting the current C1 District DG (and his wife)both Power supporters when the opportunity arisesalthough not too often at the moment

Name: Peter W.MercerName ofPartner: JuneName(s) ofChildren: (Peter)Craig & Robina(June) Cher &PeterNo. of Years aLion: 47 years(19 August 1968)

Years on Club Board: 43 Years on District Cabinet: 35 (member ofCabinets on three different Districts)Years on MD Committees: 5 (MD CabinetSecretary Trainer)Theme/Motto for Year: If we all do a little –together we can achieve a lotMain Objectives for Year:Membership/leadership – having fun doing itLions Interests: AdministrationOutstanding Lions Achievements: Beingawarded Life Membership of Lions International by

my ClubAwards: International Leadership medal (awardedby PIP Kay Fukushima), Advanced Melvin JonesFellowship (3), District Governor Star Award,Ian Stockdale Humanitarian Award, Harry JenkinsFellow Award, Numerous District and Club awardsBusiness Interests: Retired, previously projectadministration – quality assuranceCivic Interests: Until recently: Secretary KempseyVeterans Golf Club, Chairman Dahlsford GroveLifestyle Village – Liaison Committee, boardmember Kempsey Golf ClubSporting Interests: Golf (an enjoyable walkinterrupted by numerous stops)

Name: SallyElizabeth WiltonName ofPartner: StanleyWiltonName(s) ofChildren: Assecond marriagefor each of us,we share ourchildren:Stephanie, James(Sally), Darlene,

Julie, Darren & Andrew (Stan)Grandchildren: Christopher, Justen, Rachael,Amber, Matthew, Braddon, Tahnee and Lachlan.No. of Years a Lion: 9 Nowra Club Years on Club Board: 8Years on District Cabinet: 5, acting as ZoneChairman for 2 years, Women in Lions Leadership, 2nd VDG, 1VDG, and looking forward immensely tobeing District Governor in 2015-2016Years on MD Committee: First this year Theme/Motto for Year: Achieving our DreamsTogetherMain objectives for year: To minimise the Drops,increase club growth, to encourage harmony, andrespect for our fellow members, and encourageleadership and membershipLion Interests: Youth activities, and programs,member involvement in community activitiesOutstanding Lion Achievements: Holding asuccessful Women in Lions symposium, receivingthe Melvin Jones Fellow Award for enthusiasticinvolvement in Women In Lions LeadershipAwards: President’s 5 Star, 2009, Move to GrowRetention 2010, James D. Richardson Honour2011, DG Appreciation Award 2011, Advance LionsGraduate 2012, Zone Chairman Excellence 2011,Win Tyquin Award, 2013/2014, Melvin JonesFellow 2014Business Interests: Retired surgical nurse,previously trained in rehabilitation, palliation, agedcare, dementia care and surgical /orthopaedicnursing. Trained at Dubbo Base HospitalCivic Interests: Raising funds to assist childrenfrom disadvantaged backgroundsSporting Interests: Watching NRL, cricket, followSt George Dragons team. Enjoy bushwalking andgardening

District C2

District N1

District N2

Lion18


Name: DavidHeggartName of Partner:PDG NoeleneHeggartName(s) ofChildren: MalitaNo. of Years aLion: 35Years on ClubBoard: 35

Years on District Cabinet: 10Theme/Motto for Year: Ignite the Passion WithinMain Objectives for Year: Develop an “opendoor” approach to leadership and be inclusive withdecision making processLions Interests: Interaction with CabinetMembers, ALF and LCIF projectsOutstanding Lions Achievements: Helping tofinalise a school playground developmentAwards: 100% President’s (several), ZoneChairman’s appreciation (several), Mary Jamiesonrecognition, Melvin Jones FellowBusiness Interests: RetiredCivic Interests: Observing local council and itshandling of civic affairsSporting Interests: Observing golf tournamentsand surfing carnivals on TV (i.e. passive participation)

Name: Anthony J(Tony) SmithName of Partner:JudyName(s) ofChildren: Natalie,Michael, David,GregoryNo. of Years aLion: 11 Years on ClubBoard: 10

Years on District Cabinet: 6Years on MD Committees: 0Theme/Motto for Year: Fun, Friendship, ServiceMain Objectives for Year: To encourage anddevelop future leaders in our organisationLions Interests: Promote/support Lions foundationsOutstanding Lions Achievements: To have theconfidence of my peers as District GovernorAwards: Although I have been honoured withmany awards, to me they are unimportant. It is thejoy of service and making a difference that mattersBusiness Interests: I worked in management,sales and marketing for many years before takingup a career as an insurance broker. Even though Ihave been retired for a number of years I am ofteninvited to consultCivic Interests: In the process of being accreditedas a community transport driverSporting Interests: I enjoy swimming and surfingin warmer weather and cricket as a spectator

District N4

District N3

Name: ElvioMunzoneName of Partner:GaeNo. of Years aLion: 26 Years on ClubBoard: PastPresident, fouryears on the ClubBoard

Years on District Cabinet: 15 Theme/Motto for Year: We Serve with Pride andPassion Main Objectives for Year: Unite the District inbonds of friendship, member welfare-retention, tocontinue to serve our community’s needs, to shareour pride in and passion for our Lions Club with thebroader community and to tr y to increasemembership. To bring Lions to the next generationby actively encouraging the growth of Leo clubs inour DistrictLions Interests: Youth projects, Children’s mobility,ASD-Autism awareness, International Relations,foundations, fun and fellowshipOutstanding Lions Achievements: ClubPresident, Region and Zone Chair, Guiding Lion,NSW Director ALDAF, Director Nurses ScholarshipFoundation, Past District Governor Awards: Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow,International President’s Medal, James DRichardson Honour Award, Star Award, InternationalExtension Award, Neil Williams Award.Business Interests: Retired Civic Interests: Autism Community Network Sporting Interests: Lawn bowls, AFL – SydneySwans

Name: PeterOliverName ofPartner: LionHeather OliverName(s) ofChildren: David,Debbie, Kristy,Cathy, FletcherNo. of Years aLion: 15 (+6Apex)

Years on Club Board: 13Years on District Cabinet: 5 Years on MD Committees: 0 Theme/Motto for Year: GREEEDY (Growth,Retention, Energy, Excitement, Dedication, Youth –oh and an extra E for Effort, without which nothingwill happen!) Main Objectives for Year: Membership retentionand growth Lions Interests: Lions Children’s Cancer ResearchFoundation, YOTY, LMRF Outstanding Lions Achievements: Advanced

District Q1

Lions Leadership Institute. President Kingscliff LionsClub 3 times, construction of the Kingscliff LionsPurple People Eatery & the Original Kingscliff LionsChuck Wagon which is now cared for by TweedCoast South Lions Club, Guiding Lion Tweed CoastSouth Lions ClubAwards: Melvin Jones Fellow, James D RichardsonHonour Award, International President’s DiamondInnovations pin, 2 key awards. DG Star medal,Pushy Award Business Interests: Fulltime pumptechnician/engineer with SAS Mechanical Pty Ltd,and parttime hobby farmer on 16 acres overlookingthe Tweed Valley Civic Interests: Past National Secretary AssetManagement Council, Past Finance CommitteeMember Relationships Australia Queensland,supporter of Medicines Sans Frontieres Sporting Interests: Golf (hacker), lawn bowls(unbiased mostly), world champion pole walker(pole walked with a 4-man team from Melbourne toBrisbane 10 years ago for Careflight and CatholicOrphanages)

Name: KathScullyName ofPartner: RussellHold Name(s) ofChildren: (2)Stefan m. Shelley– 3 grandkids,Jeffrey m. Erin –2 grandkidsNo. of Years aLion: 13

Years on Club Board: 13Years on District Cabinet: 6 Years on MD Committees: 0 Theme/Motto for Year: Looking Forward in aChanging World Main Objectives for Year: Helping clubs to growby embracing change and enjoying the experienceLions Interests: Preventative Health for OlderAustralians – Prostate Cancer, Cardiac Health, EyeHealthOutstanding Lions Achievements: Nothingstartling – MJF, James D Richardson Award, ALLICert., 2 x Int. Pres Cert of Appreciation, club &cabinet level appreciation awards, Shire CouncilCommunity Service AwardBusiness Interests: Accountant & auditor Civic Interests: Have been on Regional ArtsDevelopment Fund panel, disabilities employmentservice board, working with regional HospitalFoundationSporting Interests: Follow rugby, play golf on rareoccasions

District Q2

June - July 2014 19

District N5


20Lion

Name: RoddChignellName ofPartner: Wendy Name(s) ofChildren: Emma& Alissa +grandchildrenOliver, Patrick,Isabel and AmeliaNo. of Years aLion: 36,

including 13 years Junior Chamber InternationalYears on Club Board: 15Years on District Cabinet: 10 Years on MD Committees: 7Theme/Motto for Year: Better TogetherMain Objectives for Year: To work with clubs tobuild strong leadership foundations and toencourage them to engage with other communityorganisations in supporting their communitiestogetherLions Interests: Youth and LeadershipDevelopmentOutstanding Lions Achievements: Qldrepresentative on MD Leadership Developmentcommittee, Graduate Faculty Development InstituteAwards: Melvin Jones Fellowship Award, HelenKeller Fellowship, Ian Stockdale Award, James DRichardson Award, Professor Ian FrazerHumanitarian AwardBusiness Interests: Retired, remain involved witha number of community foundations and collegeboardsCivic Interests: Police Citizens Youth ClubSporting Interests: rugby, golf

Name: LesCrossmanName ofPartner: LynneCrossmanName(s) ofChildren:Steven, Kathryn,Shannon, Brettand NicolaNo. of Years aLion: 18

Years on Club Board: Over 10Years on District Cabinet: 9 Years on MD Committees: nil Theme/Motto for Year: Look Forward To ChangeMain Objectives for Year: Form one new LionsClub and one new Leos Club, increase Districtmembership numbers, more development for ZoneChairmen Lions Interests: Youth Projects especially Leos andYOTY Outstanding Lions Achievements: Q3Convention 2002 Chairman Awards: Nil Business Interests: Now retired

Civic Interests: Participating in communityactivitiesSporting Interests: Now watching sport on TV

Name: AnnetteOgilvieName of Partner:WidowName(s) ofChildren: Son Lex,2 grand-daughters,4 greatgrandsonsNo. of Years aLion: 29

Years on Club Board: 27Years on District Cabinet: 25 Theme/Motto for Year: We Believe We Can Do! Main Objectives for Year: Support and improvehealth of clubs, Retention Training and Leadership Lions Interests: Training youth projects Awards: MJF, James D Richardson, ALLIcertificate, Cab/Sec outstanding award Business Interests: Retired oncology nurse Civic Interests: Currently secretary of the DavidCollins Leukeamia Foundation and the ChristmasCard charity Shop Sporting Interests: Walking in the bush and on thebeach near my home, reading and making cards

Name: MaureenThorpeName ofPartner: JohnThorpeName(s) ofChildren: KylieNo. of Years aLion: 12 Years on ClubBoard: 6

Years on District Cabinet: 6 Years on MD Committees: 0Theme/Motto for Year: Dream it – Do it Main Objectives for Year: Increase Club/DistrictLeadership participationLions Interests: All youth areas, in particularAustralian Lions Childhood Cancer ResearchFoundationOutstanding Lions Achievements: 100%President Awards: DG Appreciation AwardsBusiness Interests: Retired retailerCivic Interests: Emergency support group Sporting Interests: Following grandsons basketballachievements and a supporter of CollingwoodFootball Club

District V1-4

Name: WayneOakesName ofPartner: JudiOakes Name(s) ofChildren: ErinMaree Oakes(deceased) andCaitlyn FitzgeraldNo. of Years aLion: 14

Years on Club Board: 10Years on District Cabinet: 8Years on MD Committees: 1Theme/Motto for Year: Live to Make a DifferenceMain Objectives for Year: Reduction inmembership loss, increase in membership, at leastone new club and all Cabinet members (includingme) challenged to sponsor at least one new Lion bythe end of my year as DGLions Interests: Membership, promoting Lions asthe best service organisation on the planet andworking for my community through that organisationOutstanding Lions Achievements: Having theprotocols I established for handling InternetMembership Inquiries accepted as the nationalstandard and being given the opportunity to writearticles on it for the Australian GMT NewsletterAwards: Numerous DG Appreciation Awards,Double Diamond Award for service to membership,International President’s Founders MembershipGrowth Award.Business Interests: Former police officer (35years), semi-retired however involved in selling kithomesCivic Interests: Proud member of the Lions Club ofCamperdown, Building and Maintenance CommitteeChairman for local Uniting Church, recently retiredas President of Ambulance Auxiliary, member ofCorangamite Shire Council Sporting Interests: Bike riding and hoping to learnhow to play golf

Name: Ian GrationName of Partner:Sue Gration Name(s) ofChildren: 4No. of Years aLion: 18 Years on ClubBoard: 15Years on DistrictCabinet: 9

Years on MD Committees: 3 Theme/Motto for Year: Lions Providing Incentives,Assistance and Infrastructure To Create ExcellentCommunities Main Objectives for Year: To grow membershipand community awareness of Lions Lions Interests: Youth and associated projectssuch as One Shot One Life

District V3

District T1

MD 201 District Governors 2015 - 2016

District Q3

District Q4

District V2


June - July 201521

What if you woke one day withmysterious symptoms similar to flu;headache, fever, fatigue and joint pains,which despite multiple visits to thedoctor’s surgery, didn’t go away?

And what if, through ensuing months andyears, your four beautiful children started todisplay similar symptoms, adding temporaryloss of eyesight accompanied by regularseizures? Eventually, you are consigned to awheelchair and forced to abandon the careeryou loved.

Worst of all, doctors eventually describe youas being neurotic when they fail to diagnosethe problem, leaving you to send bloodsamples to the U.S.A, with results confirmingyou have Lyme Disease. You’ve found thecause but quickly learn that the medicalprofession here in Australia deny there is anyevidence of Lyme Disease anywhere in thecountry. So you are going to have to meetmedical expenses out of your own pocket andwill likely need to sell the home to cover costs.

This happened to Tennille Pooley, previouslya successful house renovator. Her husband isbelieved to have been the carrier, probablybitten by a tick somewhere on the East Coastwhere they had travelled extensively. Thisspread through Tennille to her four lovelydaughters, the eldest suffering from regularseizures. Tennille is now mostly wheelchairbound and has recently appeared on TVappealing for help in urging the AustralianMedical Profession and South AustralianGovernment to recognise Lymes Disease.

Their appeal for suitable transportation forthe family reached the ears of the Lions Clubof Hallett Cove and through our kinship withBrighton Lions, we have been able to donate$18,000 towards the purchase of a vehicle tocarry the whole family, offering easy accessfor their wheelchairs and other necessar ymedical equipment.

Find out more about Lyme Disease atwww.lymedisease.org.au or Facebook.

Suffering a diseasedoctors don’t recognise

Tennille Pooley and her four lovely daughters ...all Lime Disease sufferers.

Outstanding Lions Achievements: Not in Lionsfor outstanding achievements, happy to do what Ican Awards: Melvin Jones Fellow, Ian M StockdaleHumanitarian Award, 5 District Governor’s Awards Business Interests: Wooden furniture manufacture Civic Interests: Blue Light Disco, community hallcommittee Sporting Interests: Geelong Football Club and theBC Football Club (anybody but Collingwood)

Name: AnnEldridgePartner: PDGRobert KannYears a Lion: 14Years on clubboard: 11Years on Districtcabinet: 5 Theme:Custodians ofTomorrow

Main objectives for the Year: Leadership,membership and the 100-year centenaryLions interests: Australian Lions VisualIndependence Foundation (ALVIF); 50/50 PathwayLions Achievements: Driving establishment of the50/50 Pathway and helping to establish ALVIF as amultiple district category B project/foundationAwards: James D Richardson, Ian Stockdale, Zonechairman excellence reward, InternationalPresident's Leadership medalBusiness Interests: Co-director of Clubwear DirectCivic Interests: Organising committee of theVolunteer Week dinner and Kingston CouncilVoluntary Group meetingsSporting: Bushwalking and camping

Name: StephenKazenwadelName of Partner:AlisonName(s) ofChildren: Georgina(23), Heather (21),Elizabeth (18) andLachlan (12)No. of Years aLion: 13

Years on Club Board: 10Years on District Cabinet: 5 Years on MD Committees: nil Theme/Motto for Year: Care for Communities,Care for ClubsMain Objectives for Year: Harmony among Lionsmembers. Co-operation between clubs Lions Interests: Youth ExchangeOutstanding Lions Achievements: We have 4Lions and 2 Leos in the familyAwards: Chris August Memorial Award (201V6) Business Interests: Home grown garlic. I alsowork fulltime as a survey technician

District V6

Civic Interests: Supporting Lachlan with his scoutinginterests

Name: Colin StraffordHeapName of Partner: Diannepassed awayin 2000Name(s) of Children:Mark (32),Katrina (30) and 1grandson, CooperNo. of Years a Lion: 20Years on Club Board: 15

Years on District Cabinet: 9Theme/Motto for the Year: Building Lives ThroughServiceMain Objectives for Year: Leadershipdevelopment in clubs and districtLions Interests: All Lions’ activities, especially thosehelping children and youthOutstanding Achievements: Being asked by my districtto take up the position of District Governor once more andconfirming their trust in me to represent themAwards: Melvin Jones Fellow, James D RichardsonHonour Award, Key member, DG Star AwardBusiness Interests: Presently semi-retired and enjoyingworking with my fellow LionsSporting interests: Golf, cycling, motor racing, WestCoast Eagles (AFL), St George (NRL)

Name: Allan CooperName of Partner: LionWendyName(s) of Children:Nicole (38),grandchildren Albert (5) &Harry (2)No. of Years a Lion: 28Years on Club Board: 25Years on DistrictCabinet: 16

Years on MD Committees: NilTheme/Motto for Year: Opportunity for Service, PersonalDevelopment and FellowshipMain Objectives for Year: Increase membership bychartering at least 1 new club and raise retention rate byassisting clubs with membership of under 20s. UseCentennial celebration projects to raise communityawareness of Lions Lions Interests: Membership, leadership development,youth & health projects, pin tradingOutstanding Lions Achievements: Cabinet Treasurer (5years), Lions Hearing Foundation of WA Treasurer (10years), MD Convention Treasurer in 1993 & 2000Awards: International President’s Certificate, William RTresise Fellowship Award, James D Richardson HonourAwardBusiness Interests: Retired accountant (CPA) in banking& finance industryCivic Interests: Only LionsSporting Interests: Playing golf & tennis, watching AussieRules & soccer

District W2

District V5

District W1


22 Lion

Bringing the message home to Lions

AROUND THE NATION

Pat was a true Cup Day mar vel

Fraser’s right onlinefire callA simple donation by Lions makes a world ofdifference to a young student

Melbourne Cup Day this year will be a sad one for Sydney’ sKu-ring-gai Inc Lions.

Each Cup Day for 50 years, Lions Lady Pat Hutcherson openedher house and magnificent garden for a club fundraiser . Sadly, Pat,92, the wife of Lion Bruce a charter member , recently passed away.

Pat also provided camellias for the tables of hundreds of Lionsdinners over the years and was a stalwart worker after BlueMountains bushfires in the 1950s and 1960s.

On a happier note, the club celebrates its 60th anniversar y with adinner with keynote speaker Dr Brendan Nelson of the Australian WarMemorial on June 24. Details/bookings: [email protected],02 9402 5469.

Learning has suddenly got easierfor a young man named Fraser.

Fraser, who suffers from a diseasethat requires him to have a number ofback operations, was having learningdifficulties because of his condition.

While as literate and intelligent ashis fellow classmates, he was unable towrite and some classroom procedureswere awkward for him.

Now, thanks to a computer givenhim by Victoria’s Mount Martha Lions,things have changed.

Lions supplied the computer after a

request from the Assistant Principalof Osborne Primary School, HelenPeters.

With the computer, at the push ofa button Fraser is able to instantlysee classroom teaching informationthat other students copy from anelectronic white board.

Work is also able to be sent to himvia Wifi at home or in hospital.

Fraser will be able to use thelaptop through primary school andinto his secondary education.

South Australia’s Goolwa Lions were treated to a f ascinating insight into

the medical world in Nepal and V anuatu when three Flinders University

medical school students who had toured hospitals there, Tom, Sarah and

Josh, spoke to them.

The students painted a picture of a medical system in need of aid.

In fact, so moved were the Lions after the first of the student presentations, they

donated $2,000 for medical equipment for the Nepal Hospital and are working to

provide more.

SOBER WORDS: Medical students Sarah, Josh and Tom with Goolwa PresidentBruce and Lion Margaret.

LOGGING ON: Fraser is presented with his new computer by the school’s VicePresident David Thomas and Assistant Principal Helen Peters.

HUGECONTRIBUTION:Pat Hutcherson with herhusband Lion Brucebefore her death.


23June - July 2015

A spread to end all Lions spreads

Running for health and the happiness of others

The founder of Lions, Melvin Jones, has beenremembered in an intriguing fashion in theNSW town of Young.

He has a resuscitation mannequin at the localYoung District Hospital named after him.

Melvin came courtesy of Young Lions who raised$5826.70 when a new mannequin was needed toreplace a very old, nearly antique model that wasno longer satisfactory for training purposes.

The mannequin, complete with Lions insigniaon the jacket, can be hooked up to variousmachines to provide results as training progresses.

The decision to name it Melvin was made byhospital managers to honour the Lions connection.

HIGH TIME: High teas rarely get betterthan this super lavish affair created byAdelaide’s Lions Club of Edwardstown andLions 50/50 Partnership. The tea, whichfeatured Irish folk band The Borderers, wasattended by 167 Lions and friends with fundsgoing to Families 4 Families that assists peoplewith acquired brain injuries.

Meet Young’s own Melvin

South Australia’s Lions Club of Mount Barker has again struck a blow for fitness with its11.5km Conquer the Summit run.

The run, for serious and fun competitors and even walkers, attracts all ages and takes place fromKeith Stephenson Park in Mt. Barker to the Mount Barker summit.

This year’s run attracted 173 and, interestingly, was won by Rhys Jones and Lisa Da vis who werealso the male and female winners in the Bay-City Run the follo wing weekend.

The run provides financial support for Opera tion Flinders, an organisation that for many year hashelped young people at risk to find a future.

For more details, contact Mt. Barker Lions at Box 202, Mt. Barker 5251. Photo courtesy Mount Barker Courier

V3’s Paynesville President Ken Ford andmembers Bruce Mackay and Bob Rowe triedout a World War 2 stretcher during a visit toCockatoo Rise, a retreat for war veterans.

The stretcher was part of the facility’s museum.The free facility is run by Vietnam veteran GregCarter and his wife Annie and provides a peacefulenvironment for vets and partners.

On stretcher patrol


24 Lion

LIONSOUT AND

ABOUT

SNAGGED: Sydney’s Epping Eastwood Lion Ron Young, 92, haswon a Melvin Jones Award for his 40 years of service,particularly on the sausage sizzle. Ron joined Lions 40 years agoand is still volunteering. “I’ve enjoyed it ever since the day Ijoined – it is all about the company and what we do for people ,’’Ron told the local Northern District Times. Every Saturday inwinter Ron and his team go through 40kg of sausages, “dozensof eggs and heaps of bacon’’. Picture Elenor Tedenborg

SPEAK OUT: Students aged 11-12 showed their oratoryabilities when South Australia’s Goolwa club staged its inauguralVoice of the Year public speaking competition. Pictured (left toright) are Tamzin Spooner, Chontelle George, Tahlia Haythorpe,Macey Brown, Alicia Crowhurst, Eliana LeQuesne, C2 DG RonSargent and Alexandrina mayor Keith Parkes.

BIG HITTERS: Sydney’s Lions Club of Kings Langley and itslocal cricket club donated more than $9000 to the Make-a-WishFoundation. The money came from a carols night last Christmas.

ROUND ABOUT: Trying out their merry-go-round ata Relay for Life fundraiser are Yamba Lions (from left)Dave Robertson, Joy Lauder, Peter Bennett, BarryDeBomford, Stella Jackson, President Peter Ross andAmanda Bennett in front.

ROBBERY: When Queensland’s BundabergLions had a break-in, Bundaberg State Highstudents raised funds for replacement items.Project initiator Madison Young receives aFollow Your Dream badge from President JeffMcColl. For almost 50 years the club hassponsored students in the Youth of the Year.

COOK-UP: W.A.’s Waroona club cooked up acommunity breakfast in their custom-built “Jim’sKitchen”, named after long-serving President the lateJim Delio. Pictured (from left) are Dave Miller, Lisa Fry,James Miller, Phil Turner, Frank Pisconeri, Bob Curry,Barb Curry, Frank Shore and Lena Delio.

SKINHEADS: Victoria’s Torquay Lion PeterMurton (right) and sons Andrew (left) and Davidrecently had their locks shorn by hairdresser Damian as part of the World’s Greatest Shave fundraiser for the Leukaemia Foundation. Their hair-shedding raised $1200. At right, Lion Bill Ryan gets the treatment. Each day, 31 Australians are diagnosed with leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma.


June - July 2015 25

TEDDY TIME: For eight years Lions Ladies of Australian Lionsonozhave been busily knitting garments and “trauma” dolls and teddiesfor underprivileged babies and children. Much of the knitting is donewhile husbands are driving their caravans and mobile homes aroundAustralia. Here N1 DG Peter Willis-Jones and Lions Lady Pam joinLionsonoz members and Pacific City Lions with knitted “TraumaTeddies” ready for distribution. Australian Lionsonoz: 0439258644 [email protected]

As of press time, there were sevencandidates for second vice president.The election is scheduled for June 30at the 98th International Conventionin Honolulu.

Naresh Aggarwal:Naresh Aggarwal ofDelhi, India, aninternational directorfrom 1998 to 2000,is a leader inbusiness andphilanthropy. A LifeMember of the

Batala Smile Lions Club for 41 years, hehas been a board appointee and groupleader three times. He has served in manyleadership positions including as a GLTConstitutional Area Leader and is arecipient of the Ambassador of GoodwillAward and 21 Presidential medals. He is amajor lead gift donor and a HumanitarianPartner of LCIF.

Philippe Gerondal:Philippe Gerondal ofBrussels, Belgium, aLife Member of theGembloux LionsClub, a formeruniversity professorand an honourarylawyer and judge. A

Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow, Gerondalserved on the international board ofdirectors from 2000 to 2002, has been aboard appointee, and a CampaignSightFirst II sector coordinator and a MajorDonor. He received the Ambassador ofGoodwill Award and 15 presidentialawards. Fluent in four languages,Gerondal has been an LCIF multinationalcoordinator since 2008.

Patricia ‘Patti’ Hill:Patti Hill ofEdmonton, Canada,is a psychologist anda member of theEdmonton Host LionsClub. Aninternational directorfrom 2007 to 2009,

she has been a committee member of theUSA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum, amulti-national coordinator for CampaignSightFirst II, a past director of the LionsEye Research Institute of Northern Albertaand a presenter at multiple forums andconventions. A Progressive Melvin JonesFellow and GLT Constitutional Area 2Leader, Hill received the Inspiring WomanAward and is active in many professionaland community organizations.

Rosane TeresinhaJahnke: RosaneTeresinha Jahnkeserved on theinternational board ofdirectors from 2008to 2010. A memberof the Jaraguá do SolLions Club in Brazil,

she was a teacher and is a lawyer . AProgressive Melvin Jones Fellow and aHelen Keller Knight of Sight recipient, shehas participated in 18 internationalconventions and 13 FOLAC forums.Active in many community andprofessional groups, Jahnke promotes therights of children with special needs andcancer prevention awareness.

Salim Moussan:Salim Moussan ofBeirut, Lebanon,served as aninternational directorfrom 1997 to 1999.A member of theBeirut St. GabrielLions Club, he has

twice been a board appointee and groupleader, and has chaired several leadershipforums. He is fluent in three languages,has visited 91 countries and has attended27 consecutive international conventions,62 area forums and more than 40

regional conferences.Phil Nathan: PhilNathan of EarlsColne, England, hasbeen a Lion since1982 and is acharter member ofthe South WoodhamFerrers Lions Club.He served as an

international director from 1999 to 2001.A stockbroker and director of a company,Nathan was president of both the 2006and 2014 Europa Forums. He has beenrecognised by Her Majesty QueenElizabeth II with an MBE, Member of theBritish Empire, for his serviceachievements.

Steven D. Sherer:Steven D. Sherer ofNew Philadelphia,Ohio, has been amember of the DoverLions Club since1980. A licensedpublic accountantand the finance

officer/CFO of New Philadelphia PublicSchools, he is a Progressive Melvin JonesFellow and has received numerous Lionsand professional accolades. Sherer servedas an international director from 2006 to2008 and was a GMT area coordinator forfour years.

Candidates for Second Vice PresidentConvention CallIn compliance with Article VI, Section 2 of the International By-Laws, I hereby issue the Official Call for the 2015 InternationalConvention. Our 98th International Convention will be held inHonolulu, Hawaii, United States. It begins at 9:30 a.m. June 26and ends June 30. The purpose of the convention is to elect apresident, first vice president, second vice president and 17members of the International Board of Directors and to transactsuch other business as may properly come before the meeting.

Hawaii is a fantastic setting for our convention. From thesoaring cliffs of the Napali Coast on Kauai to the fier y glow ofKilauea Crater on the slopes of Mauna Loa on the island ofHawaii, Hawaii boasts incredible natural beauty. The HawaiiConvention Center is a worthy counterpart to the outdoorcharms. The remarkable facility includes tinkling waterfalls,serene fish ponds and attractive courtyards.

The five days will feature renowned speakers, first-classentertainers, native music, dance and food, and, of course,Lions’ convention traditions such as the grand parade, theswearing-in of the new international president and threeplenary sessions that demonstrate the amazing range andscope of Lions’ service. Tim Shriver, the chairman of SpecialOlympics, will give the keynote address, and Save the Childrenwill receive the 2015 Lions Humanitarian Award. Anotherhighlight is the announcement of the Peace Poster and EssayContest winners.

The international show features soft-rock star KennyLoggins, Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship and SteveAugeri of Journey. The entertainment at the plenar y sessionsincludes a lavish “Lion King” production, a Hawaiian show andan exuberant disco dance party.

Convention Week is a splendid, memorable experiencepacked with fellowship, fun and learning. The Lions of Hawaiiwill warmly welcome their visitors with the spirit of aloha. Istrongly encourage you to Strengthen the Pride by joiningthousands of your fellow Lions in Hawaii.

Warmest regards,Joe Preston

Lions Clubs International President


Lion26


June - July 2015 27

Nominations for the positionof International Director

2016-2018By agreement between Multiple District 201,202 and 307, our Multiple District Conventionnext year has the right to elect theInternational Director to serve for the 2016-2018 term.

Any Lion in good standing of a Club ingood standing and holding the necessar yqualifications may seek the endorsement ofhis or her District as a candidate.

The District must not be a District intransition. The Lion is endorsed at therelevant District Convention. Only onecandidate can be endorsed by any District.

The Cabinet Secretary of each Districtwhich has endorsed a candidate must notifythe Executive Officer in writing of the name ofthat candidate no later than 60 days prior tothe commencement of the 2016 MultipleDistrict Convention - that is by the 11thMarch, 2016.

Each candidate and his or her nominatorwill have the right to address the Conventionin support of their cause. The nominatingspeech is not to exceed 4 minutes and thatof the candidate is not to exceed 5 minutes.

The matter is to be determined by secretballot on the preferential system of voting. AReturning Officer shall be appointed and eachcandidate is entitled to appoint a Scrutineer.

Electioneering material is prescribed in theBy-Laws of the Multiple District and is limitedto one A4 sheet of paper, of any colour, whichmay be printed on both sides and maycontain a current photograph, thequalifications, history, business backgroundand policies of the candidate. A report by thecandidate's Club or District may be included.

No publication of any material can takeplace until the material has been certified ascorrect by the relevant Governor or CabinetSecretary and such certification delivered tothe Council Chairman.

The material can be distributed only onceand in no event later than 14 days prior tothe commencement of the Convention. Inaddition, a copy of the material may beinserted in each Convention satchel.

The Australian Lion magazine publishedimmediately before the Convention is tocontain a photograph and statement of eachcandidate.

The full details are described in theMultiple District Constitution Cl. 84 - 92

Legal OfficerDavid Skinner

Mumbai, the glittering capital of Maharashtra,is the wealthiest city in India.

With a population of 18.4 million people, Mumbaiis home to more millionaires and billionaires thanany other city in India. Yet the metropolis suffersfrom widespread abject poverty and entrenchedunemployment, and public health ser vices arelacking for those who need them most. Lions ClubsInternational Foundation (LCIF) and Lions in Indiaare taking giant steps to aid those in need.

For nearly 30 years, the Lions Nirman HealthCenter has offered consultation and treatment in thespecialties of ophthalmology, gynaecology, dentistry,pathology and physiotherapy to hundreds of lower -and middle-income families. The Lions of District323-A3 were recently awarded a US$30,000 LCIFStandard grant to provide equipment to the LionsNirman Health Center in Mumbai. The centre isowned and operated by the Versova Lions Club.Thanks to LCIF and local Lions, the centre will beable help even more people with faster, moremodern technology.

Aside from the lack of access to health care inMumbai, homelessness is also a major socialproblem. The Lions of District 323-A2 are workingwith the Samatol Foundation, a non-governmentalorganisation that aids street children, to care forhomeless and runaway children who are loitering attrain depots or on the streets.

Until recently, Lions had nowhere to take them forrehabilitation. Now, Lions have received an LCIFStandard grant of US$26,822 to establish a home

for street children. This grant allows local Lions toexpand the partnership with Samatol Foundation tocontinue to provide vital ser vices to the children whoneed them most.

Six times annually, street children are picked upat train stations and taken to a rehabilitation campat the home, where they receive food, shelter,counselling and medical care in a structured setting.The goal of the camp is to reunite the children withtheir families. If that is not possible, the children areplaced with organisations that can provide long-termassistance such as vocational training. Either way,the camp aims to keep children from returning tothe streets. The camp serves more than 240children each year.

LCIF and local Lions are actively working toimprove access to quality health ser vices and socialsupports for disadvantaged youth in and aroundMumbai. For information on how your Lions clubcan apply for an LCIF Standard Grant, visit lcif.org.

– Cassandra Bannon

The street children of Mumbaigiven a second chance

AID: A young boy receives medical treatment at aLions Nirman Health Centre clinic near Mumbai.

LCIF

Manjimup LIONS feed Blaze AidersWhen one of the biggest bushfires in W estern Australia’s history hit the lower south-west of thestate earlier this year, Manjimup Lions knew it was time to act.

The Lions took it upon themselves to aid the numerous Blaze Aid volunteers (including many grey nomads)who came in from far and wide to assist in the recover y.

Organised by President Dot Jacobs, the Manjimup Lions fed about 25 Blaze Aid volunteers once afortnight for about three months at their temporar y headquarters at the cricket clubhouse in the small townof Northcliffe, an hour’s drive south of Manjimup.

Although all towns in the area were spared and stock losses were minimal, a huge acreage of farmlandand pristine karri country was destroyed andwildlife was devastated.

An estimated 170km of fencing wasdestroyed as the fire was declared a NationalDisaster area.

The club accepted many donations, includinga full bag of potatoes and apples, frommembers, other clubs and the public.

“The Blaze Aiders seem to be mostly non-farming people, so they would not be used tothis kind of work – we take our hats off tothem,” said the club’s Geoff Mabey.CAKE TIME: Dot Jacobs (right) cuts into a Lions

Christmas cake to feed Blaze Aid volunteers. Watchingare Peter Dorman and Christine Muir.


28Lion


29June - July 2015

Frisky the robot

Unifying sport

The puzzled looks on the faces of GoulburnCity Lions in NSW were not une xpected whenthey were confronted by this intriguing pieceof machinery.

In fact it’s Frisky, a robot developed by the VexRobotics Team from Goulburn High School.

Frisky won the recent Australian Championshipsentitling the team to participate in the WorldChampionships in Kentucky, USA.

The club decided to support the students in thisendeavour.

Said Deputy Principal Vero Joseph: “We are sograteful for the support of the Lions club, as theywere the first organisation to support us after wewon the Australian Championships. Their very kinddonation of $5,000 started the ball rolling in termsof donations.”FOOTNOTE: Frisky came 43rd out of more than400 teams participating in Kentucky.

Unified sports, in which disabled and non-disabled athletes compete together, got aboost when the University of NSW andSydney’s Inner West Lions Club supportedthe attendance of an Australian at a summitin Los Angeles next month.

Tanvir Islam, a UNSW Campus Lions Clubmember, will attend a Social Impact Summit foryoung people as part of the Special OlympicsWorld Games in Los Angeles.

The summit will focus on ideas on growingparticipation in Special Olympics by theintellectually disabled and others.

Initially Tanvir's proposed project was to providecompetition and support for the region's basketballteam.

Mentor Lion John Moore of Inner West Lions Clubcongratulates Tanvir before he left.


30 Lion

The following proposedamendments to the InternationalConstitution and By-Lawswill be reported to the delegates forvote at the 2015 InternationalConvention. ITEM 1: A RESOLUTION TO REVISETHE COMPOSITION OF THEINTERNATIONAL BOARD OFDIRECTORS TO REALLOCATEREPRESENTATION OFINTERNATIONAL DIRECTORS BYDECREASING USA DIRECTORS BY 3AND INCREASING ISAAMEDIRECTORS BY 2 AND OSEALDIRECTORS BY 1 OVER A THREEYEAR PERIOD. (THIS AMENDMENTTO THE CONSTITUTION REQUIRES A2/3 VOTE TO ADOPT)SHALL THE FOLLOWINGRESOLUTION BE ADOPTED?BE IT RESOLVED, That, effectivebeginning with the 2016-2017 year,Article V, Section 3, second paragraph,of the International Constitution shall beamended by deleting the existinglanguage in its entirety and substitutingthe following:In each even-numbered year, seventeen(17) directors shall be elected,consisting of three (3) from clubs inIndia, South Asia, Africa and the MiddleEast; one (1) from clubs in Australia,New Zealand, Papua New Guinea,Indonesia and Islands of the SouthPacific; three (3) from clubs in Europe;three (3) from clubs in the Orient andSoutheast Asia; one (1) from clubs inSouth America, Central America, Mexicoand Islands of the Caribbean Sea; andsix (6) from clubs in the United States ofAmerica, its affiliates, Bermuda and theBahamas.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Thateffective beginning the 2017-2018 year,Article V, Section 3, third paragraph, ofthe International Constitution shall beamended by deleting the existinglanguage in its entirety and substitutingthe following:In each odd-numbered year, seventeen(17) directors shall be elected,consisting of two (2) from clubs in India,South Asia, Africa and the Middle East;one (1) from clubs in Canada; three (3)from clubs in Europe; four (4) fromclubs in the Orient and Southeast Asia;one (1) from clubs in South America,Central America, Mexico and Islands ofthe Caribbean Sea; and six (6) fromclubs in the United States of America,its affiliates, Bermuda and theBahamas.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Thateffective beginning the 2018-2019 year,Article V, Section 3, second paragraph,of the International Constitution shall beamended by deleting the existing

language in its entirety and substitutingthe following:In each even-numbered year, seventeen(17) directors shall be elected,consisting of four (4) from clubs in India,South Asia, Africa and the Middle East;one (1) from clubs in Australia, NewZealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesiaand Islands of the South Pacific; three(3) from clubs in Europe; three (3) fromclubs in the Orient and Southeast Asia;one (1) from clubs in South America,Central America, Mexico and Islands ofthe Caribbean Sea; and five (5) fromclubs in the United States of America,its affiliates, Bermuda and theBahamas.ITEM 2: A RESOLUTION TOREINSTATE THE POSITION OF THIRDVICE PRESIDENT (THIS AMENDMENTTO THE CONSTIUTION AND BY-LAWSREQUIRES A 2/3 VOTE TO ADOPT) SHALL THE FOLLOWINGRESOLUTION BE ADOPTED?BE IT RESOLVED, That the InternationalConstitution and By-Laws be revised toreinstate the office of International ThirdVice President beginning with the 2016-2017 term as follows: Article V, Section 1 of the InternationalConstitution shall be amended byinserting the phrase "third vicepresident" following the phrase "secondvice president."Article V, Section 3, of the InternationalConstitution shall be amended byreplacing the phrase "first and second"with the phrase "first, second andthird."Article II, Section 1 of the InternationalBy-Laws shall be amended by insertingthe phrase "third vice president"following the phrase "second vicepresident," and replacing the phrase"and first vice president" with "first vicepresident and second vice president".Article II, Section 2 of the InternationalBy-Laws shall be amended by replacingthe word "SECOND" with "THIRD."Article II, Section 2.(a) of theInternational By-Laws shall be amendedby replacing the word "second" with"third."Article II, Section 2. (a) (4) of theInternational By-Laws shall be amendedby replacing the word "second" with"third."Article II, Section 2. (b) of theInternational By-Laws shall be amendedby adding the phrase "only a clubmember who has served in the office ofthird vice president may be elected tothe office of second vice president,"following the phrase "Except in the caseof a vacancy in an office which shall befilled under the provisions of these by-laws or constitution."Article II, Section 4.(a) of the

International By-Laws shall be amendedby replacing the word "second" with"third."Article VI, Section 3 of the InternationalBy-Laws shall be amended by replacingthe phrase "first and second" with thephrase "first, second and third."ITEM 3: A RESOLUTION TO RENAMETHE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE TOLEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENTCOMMITTEE. (THIS AMENDMENT TOTHE BY-LAWS REQUIRES AMAJORITY VOTE TO ADOPT)SHALL THE FOLLOWINGRESOLUTION BE ADOPTED? BE IT RESOLVED, That Article IV,Section 1(f) of the International By-Lawsshall be amended by inserting“Development” after “Leadership.”ITEM 4: A RESOLUTION TO REQUIREPAYMENT OF DELINQUENT DUES ATLEAST 15 DAYS PRIOR TO THECLOSE OF CREDENTIALS ATDISTRICT CONVENTIONS. (THISAMENDMENT TO THE BY-LAWSREQUIRES A MAJORITY VOTE TOADOPT) SHALL THE FOLLOWINGRESOLUTION BE ADOPTED?BE IT RESOLVED, That effective July 1,2016 Article IX, Section 3 of theInternational By-Laws shall be amendedby replacing the phrase “at any time”with the phrase “up to fifteen (15) days”after the word “acquired.”ITEM 5: A RESOLUTION TO AMENDREDISTRICTING PROCEDURES. (THISAMENDMENT TO THE BY-LAWSREQUIRES A MAJORITY VOTE TOADOPT) SHALL THE FOLLOWINGRESOLUTION BE ADOPTED?BE IT RESOLVED, That Article VIII,Section 3 of the International By-Lawsbe amended by deleting the firstparagraph in its entirety and replacing itwith the following:“Any single district which desires to bea multiple district or any multiple districtwhich desires to add one or more sub-districts thereto or otherwise changeone or more existing sub-districtsthereto or otherwise change one ormore existing sub-districts shall submitto the International Board of Directors aredistricting proposal approved by amajority vote of the convention of therespective single or sub-districts thathave 35 clubs and 1,250 members andthe multiple district. Any multipledistrict which desires to consolidate oneor more sub-districts of which one ormore sub-districts have fewer than 35clubs and 1,250 members shall submitto the International Board of Directors aredistricting proposal approved by amajority vote of the convention of themultiple district.”

Official Notice2015 International Convention, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

We have a new NationalYouth of the Year winnerfollowing the National Finalin Newcastle.

Patrick Cross, sponsored bythe Lions Club of BrisbaneBardon, Q3, won afterpresenting his speech, “Dreamsand Ambitions”.

The National Public Speakingwinner was Hannah Worsleysponsored by the Lions Club ofInverell MacIntyre (N1). Herspeech was titled “The ‘F’Word”.

All six National Finalcontestants were outstanding.Representing the other fourstates were Emma Wiggins(V3), Grace Williams (T1), LilyThornley (C2) and Russell Watt(W2).

Starting on the 26thDecember, these six statewinners will travel to Rotorua toattend a Lions InternationalYouth Camp for 10 days,followed by six days beinghosted by the Lions Club ofBrisbane Bardon in Brisbane.

Patrick, being the Nationalwinner, has also won a trip toan International destination ofhis choosing to the value of$4000 and $1000 spendingmoney. Hannah, as the PublicSpeaking winner, has also wona trip to an Internationaldestination of her choosing tothe value of $2000 and $500spending money.

On behalf of the Youth of theYear sub-committee, I extendour appreciation to Lionspersonnel at all levels for theircontributions towards thesuccess of this year’s YOTYProgram. Without your supportand many hours of work, theNational Final wouldn’t havetaken place.

Brian WilliamsChairman, Lions Youth of

the Year Program

YOUTH OF THE YEAR


June - July 2015 31

LEOS ROAR

Congratulations to LeoKaterina Blekic, President ofSunraysia Leo Club in C2, onbeing named 2015 Leo of theYear at the recent MD201 LionsConvention in Newcastle.

As well as being named overallwinner, Katerina won the PublicSpeaking prize.

Katerina is an inspirational Leowho was instrumental in formingthe Sunraysia Leo Club in Mildura,Victoria and is currently studying aBatchelor of Arts in CommunityDevelopment and SustainableDevelopment (2015) Minor inIndigenous CommunityEngagement (2015), MurdochUniversity WA. Katerina is a greatleader, motivator and ambassadorfor Leos worldwide and is lookingforward to further advancing theLeo movement in Australia.

Congratulations also to 2014Leo of the Year Joel Pattinson-Cashman from Tropical North LeoClub Q2 on a fantastic year.

Joel’s dedication to promotingthe Leo movement in Australia andworldwide is truly amazing.

Joel was inspirational in hispresentations at the 2014 LionsClubs International Leo-Lionsummit in Toronto, Canada, DistrictConventions and the recentMD201 Youth Forum at theNewcastle Convention.

Joel has been nominated for a2015 International Leo of the YearAward to be considered by the LCIBoard of Directors at this year'sInternational Convention.

I thank all members of the Lionsfamily for their ongoing supportand encouragement of ourinspirational Leos and particularlyat the Convention in Newcastle.

I would particularly like to thankLion Toni Lanphier, State LeoCoordinator Queensland, forhosting the Leo of the YearNational Final when I was unableto attend due to ill health.

Special thanks also to LionLouise Eiszele (State LeoCoordinator Tasmania), PDG LesHarrison (State Leo CoordinatorVictoria) and Lion Gail Hart (StateLeo Coordinator NSW) who workedtogether to promote the Leos andLeo activities at the MDConvention.

I am very fortunate and proud towork with such a wonderful teamof dedicated Lions.

It is pleasing to hear there havebeen several enquiries from Lionsclubs wanting information onforming Leo clubs and providingfurther opportunities for youngpeople 12-30 to serve theircommunities in a positive way.

With the support of all membersof the Lions Family in MD201, wehave formed 10 new Leo clubs sofar in this Lions year!

So if your Lions club isconsidering sponsoring a Leoclub – stop considering, do it!

Full details on the MD201 LeoProgram are on the MD201 LeoWebsite atwww.lionsclubs.org.au/leos

In conclusion, I thank allmembers of the Lions Family inMD201 for your kind thoughts andwell wishes during my currentIllness and following the passing ofmy dear mother in April.

Say G’Day to a LEO Today – YouWon't be Disappointed.

Martin PeeblesMD201 Leo & Youth Outreach

Committee Chairman

WORTHYWINNER:KaterinaBlekic iscongratulatedby Leo &YouthOutreachCommitteeChairmanMartinPeebles.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW?This is a new segment to Youth ofthe Year news. It is planned to havea catch-up with past state andnational winners. This monthJOANNA JOSEPHS is featured.Joanna attended Ocean Reef HighSenior High School where she wasthe Head Girl. She received theCitizenship Award, English Awardand Public Speaking HonoursAward at graduation. In that sameyear, 2005, Joanna was named theLions Youth of the Year NationalPublic Speaking Winner andNational Overall Winner. Joannaloves travel and has been to 35countries. She also enjoys workingwith people, public speaking,listening to music and walking.

‘It’s hard to believe that it hasbeen 10 years since I participated inthe Lions Youth of the Year Quest!

The year after I was named NationalOverall and Pubic Speaking winner wastruly life changing. At the beginning ofthe year I travelled around Australia withthe five other state finalists and later inthe year I went travelling for six monthsand attended Lions International YouthCamps in Hereford, England andRotorua, New Zealand. During that yearI made lifelong friends through Lionsclubs in Australia and Lions clubsinternationally. Some of these friends Ihave visited overseas and continue tocorrespond with.

In 2007 I moved to Melbourne frommy hometown of Perth to undertake aBachelor of Social Work at the RoyalMelbourne Institute of Technology. In2008 I was selected to participate in atwo-week study tour to the Philippineswhich inspired my fourth year SocialWork placement with an anti-humantrafficking organisation in Manila. Aftergraduating I began working with the

Salvation Army with people experiencinghomelessness and commenced aMasters of International Development.My passion for travel led me to SouthAmerica in 2011 where I embarked ona solo backpacking journey that took meacross seven countries in five months.From there I moved to Canada for ninemonths where I lived with relatives andrediscovered the country I was born in.

In 2013, I was accepted as anAustralian Youth Ambassador forDevelopment and returned to thePhilippines, this time for one year. I livedin a city called Baguio, in the north ofthe country. While there I worked asLivelihood and Community DevelopmentOfficer for a local non-governmentorganisation and developed andimplemented women’s livelihood andmicrofinance projects. I now live back inPerth, Australia. I finally completed myMaster’s degree last year. I currentlywork for a small non-governmentorganisation that provides advocacy andassistance to asylum seekers. I live withmy Colombian partner and amdesperately trying to improve mySpanish before we travel to Colombialater this year!

Despite it being a long time since Iwas involved with the Lions Youth of theYear Quest, I have no doubt that it wasone of the most important formativeexperiences of my life. The Quest gaveme a platform to express ideas thatwere important to me and anopportunity to be heard, which as ayoung person, was invaluable. I believethat it laid the foundations for mycontinued commitment to social justiceissues. It also gave me the opportunityto travel and be touched by thewelcoming, generous nature of LionsClub members all over the world. It gaveme friends, experiences and memoriesthat I will cherish forever.’

CHERISHEDMEMORIES: JoannaJosephs will never forget theday in 2005 she won boththe public speaking andoverall Youth of the Yearawards.


LEND A HAND, OR TWO!

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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:

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What a blast! - Lions Clubs Internationallionsclubs.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/June-July-2015-Lion.pdf · What a blast! Australia Papua New Guinea edition $1 Our 63rd National

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