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Connections, influence, friendship, philanthropyFEB - MARCH 2016 Volume 123 No. 2LION

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 Rob Royal,C2 Dave Thomas, N1 Peter W Mercer, N2 Sally ElizabethWilton, N3 David Heggart, N4 Anthony J (Tony) Smith,N5 Elvio Munzone, Q1 Peter Oliver, Q2 Kath Scully,Q3 Rodd Chignell, Q4 Les Crossman, T1 Annette Ogilvie, V1-4 Maureen Thorpe, V2 Wayne Oakes, V3 Ian Gration, V5 Ann Eldridge, V6 Stephen Kazenwadel, W1 Colin Stafford Heap, W2 Allan Cooper. Council Chairman: Phillip JohnsonDistribution 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 Dr. Jitsuhiro Yamada,Minokamo-shi, Gifu-ken, Japan; Immediate Past PresidentJoseph Preston, Dewey, Arizona, United States; First VicePresident Robert E. Corlew, Milton, Tennessee, UnitedStates; Second Vice President Naresh Aggarwal, Delhi,India. Contact the officers a t Lions Clubs International, 300W 22nd St., Oak Brook, Illinois, 60523-8842, USA.

Second Year: Svein Ǿystein Berntsen, Hetlevik, Norway;Jorge Andrés Bortolozzi, Coronda, Argentina; Eric R. 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.

Directors First year: Melvin K. Bray, New Jersey, UnitedStates; Pierre H. Chatel, Montpellier, France; Eun-SeoukChung, Gyeonggi-do, Korea; Gurcharan Singh Hora, Siliguri,India; Howard Hudson, California, United States; SanjayKhetan, Birganj, Nepal; Robert M. Libin, New York, UnitedStates; Richard Liebno, Maryland, United States; HelmutMarhauer, Hildesheim, Germany; Bill Phillipi, Kansas, UnitedStates; Lewis Quinn, Alaska, United States; Yoshiyuki Sato,Oita, Japan; Gabriele Sabatosanti Scarpelli, Genova, Italy;Jerome Thompson, Alabama, United States; Ramiro VelaVillarreal, Nuevo León, Mexico; Roderick “Rod” Wright, NewBrunswick, Canada; Katsuyuki Yasui, Hokkaido, Japan.

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

ContributionsContributions for the APRIL – MAY 2016 issue should be submitted by

March 1 to The Editor, Lion magazine, Tony Fawcett, Fawcett Media, 20 Millett Rd,

Gisborne South, Victoria 3437 or emailed to [email protected].

C O N T E N T S4 International President’s report5 NSW Eye Bank snares $73,0006 Lions action9 Bushfire heartbreak11 Sara swims to save sight12 Council Chairman’s report

Page 9 - Operation Myanmar

Page 11 - Marathon swimPage 8 – Lions on fire service

Our c

over

COVER: The invaluablework of the Lions NSWEye Bank in the south-east Asian country ofMyanmar has received agiant boost via a $73,000grant. It’s a game-changing coup that willdramatically improve eyehealth in the country. Seethe full story on page 9.

15 Spinal cord injury victims16 Attracting younger members19 Lions recycle for sight20 Candidates for International President24 Lions out and about29 Delegates, International Convention


4 Lion

By DrJitsuhiroYamada,Lions ClubsInternationalPresident

Lions go full bore in helping refugees

Convention: your bestweek ever as a Lion

Lions clubs work like this: they see a need in their community and they fillthat need. Lions Clubs International works much the same way: we becomeaware of a pressing large-scale problem or crisis and then address it.

Other Lions leaders and I are horrified a t the appalling refugee crisis in Europe,the largest since the end of World War II. The refugees have abandoned theirhomes, risked their lives and fled Syria and Iraq typically with little more than theclothes on their backs. Mothers and fathers cannot feed their children, shelterthem from the elements or adequa tely protect them from disease.

At headquarters we immediately saw the opportunity for a cross-bordercollaboration and quickly assembled a LCI/LCIF Refugee Steering Committee tofunnel aid to refugees without delay. LCIF already has approved a US$200,000grant to assist refugees, and our foundation has received from Lions more thananother $312,000 for refugees. That amount will surely grow. The committee willprovide guidance to Lions on developing impactful projects and seek outpartnerships with other groups to maximise the efficienc y and effectiveness of ouraid. Chaired by the ver y capable International Director Helmut Marhauer ofGermany and Lion Claudia Balduzzi of Italy , the committee also includes Lionsfrom Greece, Turkey and other European na tions involved in the crisis.

Lions in Europe have been on the scene heroically helping refugees in Turkeyand Greece, even to the point of grea t personal risk.

However much we are moved and want to help, few of us can take time fromwork or family to be like these Lions and personally deliver aid. But all of us cansupport the work of Lions in the crisis zones or financially contribute tofundraisers and projects conceived by c lubs and districts. Please be generous.Working together, Lions worldwide can help countless families obtain food, safetyand the precious opportunity to restart their troubled lives.

Dr. Jitsuhiro YamadaLions Clubs International President

Japanese have a word for our culture ofhospitality – omotenashi.

You’ll experience omotenashi while shopping, diningor really at any public place. At a department store anattendant in a well-tailored uniform may welcome youat an elevator bank with a bow and polite greeting.After pushing the call button, he or she will direct youto the arriving elevator with arms held a t a perfect 90-degree angle. It’s highly choreographed and highly welcoming.When dining out at a nice restaurant, the staff may stand in a lineand bow at the end of the meal and escort you to the sidewalk. Thegraciousness stems from omoiyari, an acute sensitivity to otherpeople.

You can experience this wonderful culture of hospitality if youattend the 99th International Convention in Fukuoka June 24-28.But as a Lion you will feel a sense of welcome even warmer andmore embracing than the average tourist. Do you know the feelingof camaraderie and the sense of pride tha t arises when you a ttendyour Lions meeting or do a ser vice project alongside fellow Lions?That feeling is multiplied exponentially a t a Lions Internationalconvention. Being alongside Lions from around the world isincredibly uplifting and affirming.

You can be a grea t Lion and enjoy the fellowship of Lions withoutattending an international convention. But you’ll appreciate being aLion in a new, profound way and understand the vast, importantscope of Lionism by taking part in the annual convention.

Convention is the opportunity to be with like-minded people fromaround the world. You can march in our grand parade, listen toinspiring speakers, hear the latest news about Lionism, delight inworld-class entertainment, help decide the future of our associa tionand learn proven strategies about successful projects, publicrelations and membership drives. It’s five days of unparalleled fun,fellowship and fruitful learning.

Japanese Lions are feverishly preparing for a most memorableconvention. Japan is a place where Lionism is particularly strong.Lions here are among the first to respond to an y disaster worldwide;their service projects in Japan are strikingly effective and crea tive.You can bet your bottom yen tha t the omotenashi and omoiyari ofJapanese Lions will provide you with one of ver y best experiencesof your entire life.

LIONS ACT: Refugees from Syria and Iraq in Turkey near the border with Greece receive Lions aid.


5February - March 2016

Lions NSW Eye Bank has received aneXcellence in Ophthalmology Vision Award(XOVA) grant worth about $73,000 to supportthe development of eye bank ser vices inMyanmar.

The project, Upgrade of Eye Bank and CornealSurgical Services in Mandalay, Myanmar ismanaged by Dr Gerard Sutton, Medical Director ofthe Lions NSW Eye Bank and Professor of Cornealand Surgery at Sydney University, in partnershipwith Professor Yee Yee Aung, the Head ofOphthalmology at Mandalay Eye Hospital.

The Lions NSW Eye Bank has been working atthe Mandalay Eye Hospital since 2014, and theXOVA grant will enable the project to continue tosupport the hospital in establishing a self-sufficientcost recovery transplantation and donation structureby the end of 2017. Initially, the funding will beused to upgrade the existing eye bank. Funding willalso support the purchase of new equipment andthe introduction of a tissue preser vation techniquecalled organ culture – which will allow for extendedpreservation time and help to improve facilityefficiency and effectiveness.

As corneal blindness is a leading cause ofblindness in Myanmar, the project will focus on

supporting surgical treatment of thosewaiting for sight-saving corneal transplantation.Despite a population of 60 million, Myanmarprovides less than 100 corneal transplants perannum, below the surgical rate required tosufficiently support surgical corneal blindnessneeds. In an effort to address this un-met need, theproject aims to increase the transplant rate to5,000 per annum.

To achieve this, the Lions NSW Eye Bank teamwill make regular visits to the Mandalay EyeHospital over the next two years and provide thecapacity and infrastructure support required toimprove donor identification and assessment, tissueretrieval, and tissue preparation, preservation andprocessing. They will also help upskill local surgicalstaff by coordinating surgical training visits tocoincide with their eye bank training visits.About XOVA: Established in 2010, the eXcellencein Ophthalmology Vision Award (XOVA) program,sponsored by Novartis Pharma and Alcon, supportsophthalmic not-for-profit projects that aim to reducethe burden of blindness around the world byproviding funding to projects that strive to makeimprovements within the field of eye care, includingin developing countries. Details: xovaprogram.org.

AboutLions NSW Eye

Bank: Lions NSW Eye Bank is anot-for-profit eye bank which recovers, prepares,stores and distributes corneas and sclera in NSWand the ACT. It also assists research into eyedisease and is responsible for the education ofmedical staff and the community, and liaising withrelatives to provide information and advice to thoseconsidering donation. Lions NSW Eye Bank isincorporated by the NSW Organ and TissueDonation Service and is a member of the Eye BankAssociation of Australia and New Zealand. Details:lionsnsweyebank.org.au ornsworgandonation.org.au.About Eye Bank Association of Australia &New Zealand: EBAANZ is a not-for-profit peakbody supporting the eye donation andtransplantation sector in Australia and New Zealand.EBAANZ is dedicated to helping restore sight,providing national and international leadership andstandards for eye banking, and advocating for thesector through promoting the unique requirementsof eye banks, and facilitating the sharing ofinformation and expertise amongst EBAANZmembers. Details: ebaanz.org.

Lions NSW Eye Banksnares key $73,000 grantfor Myanmar project

Dr Gerard Sutton and his team in Myanmar celebr ate the grant.


Lion6

LIONS ACTION

A helping Lions hand

The dance culture of Norfolk Island, the mostwestern part of Polynesia in the Pacific, hasbeen given a boost by the local Lions c lub.

Lions of Norfolk Island have financially assistedin the production of a DVD tha t celebrates theisland’s Polynesian dance tradition.

The DVD is by the island’s Baunti Byuutis, orBounty Beauties, a group of cultural dancers whohave been performing since 2004 and whosename stems from the famous Mutin y of HMASBounty.

The Baunti Byuutis (the Norfolk spelling of thegroup’s name) are regarded as ambassadors forNorfolk and have performed at festivals in Tahitiand the Solomon Islands and in Sydney, as wellas at numerous official functions on the Island.

At the DVD’s launch, Norfolk Lions werethanked by the group’s manager/director, MareeChristian-Reynolds, for their “most generousfinancial assistance”.

The DVD will be sold to raise funds for theBaunti Byuutis.

In 1779, 12 Tahitian Polynesian women joinedwith the mutineers of HMAV Bounty and settled inPitcairn Island where their Polynesian dancingcontinued.

While Tahitian dancing declined for religiousreasons, its exotic beauty was partially revived inthe war years by descendants of the 196 PitcairnIslanders relocated to Norfolk Island in 1856.

Fortunately a number of descendant dancerscontinued to perform through the la tter part of the20th century and the tradition is alive today.

The group’s Tahitian/Polynesian-influencedsongs and dances are both contemporar y andtraditional.

At the DVD launch the President of the NorfolkCouncil of Elders, Albert Buffett, congratulated thegroup.

There are now three generations of BauntiByuutis. Currently they are practising to representNorfolk Island at the Festival of Pacific Arts inGuam in May.

It took a mighty effort but NSW boy Keeden W aller is now far betterable to tackle his health problems.

Thanks to the help of No wra Lions, Keeden is now the owner of aLiteGait and Treadmill Exercise Frame.

The apparatus allows Keeden to cope with his man y difficulties whichinclude Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Anti Thrombin Deficiency, Cortical VisionImpairment and Sensory Processing Disorder.

In turn, it’s a help for Keeden’s parents, his full-time carers.A large part of the money for the a pparatus came from an art auction

held by the Nowra club.In all, $35,000 was raised with $15,000 coming from the Australian

Lions Foundation (ALF) and $10,000 from the Variety Club of Australia.The Waller family and friends also contributed much.The handover was attended by Nowra members and DG Sally Wilson,

PDG Ian Hughes and District ALF Coordinator Peter Howe.Nowra Lions have a proud history of community involvement. Recent

major projects have included the Shoalhaven Dialysis Unit and theShoalhaven Cancer Care Accommodation Centre.

Norfolk Island Lions actto keep traditional hulaalive and swaying

Polynesiandance on DVD

TRADITION LIVES: Norfolk Island’s Baunti Byuutis now share their Polynesian heritage on DVD.


At a time when shark attacks are an all toocommon occurrence, Queensland’s LennoxHead Lions have won plaudits for theirsupport of local Ballina surfer Mat Lee afterhe was attacked by a shark last year .

Mat, a keen sportsman, was attacked mid-morning while surfing in good conditions.

He sustained horrific leg and lo wer bodyinjuries and might not have survived but for hisrescue by mates and help from local lifesa vers.

Lennox Head Lions Club got involved infundraising for Mat’s medical treatment after itwas approached by the owner/manager of theBank of Queensland in Byron Bay, DavidThompson, a member of the OzTag football teamin which Mat plays.

An appeal account was opened with theLennox Head club as the controlling entity.

Lennox Lions and David met with the Leefamily who gratefully embraced the idea, seeingit as a chance for individuals and groups whohad expressed a desire to give help to do so in awell managed, transparent way.

The appeal received a wonderful kick startfrom world champion surfer Mick Fanning.

Fanning was paid $75,000 by Channel 9 for aTV interview following his extraordinaryencounter with a shark in South Africa and

Plaudits for shark attack appeal

"White shark" by Terry Goss. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Commons -https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White_shark.jpg#/media/File:White_shark.jpg

said Lennox Head President Don Hurley.To donate: Forward to Lennox Head Lions Club,PO Box 319, Lennox Head, NSW 2478, or lodgewith any Bank of Queensland or deposit online(Lennox Head Lions Club Incorpor ated MathewLee Fundr aiser Account, Bank of Queensland,BSB 122701, Acct No 22348486.

promptly gave the money to Mat’s appeal.Channel 9, recognising the gesture, addedanother $25,000.

Lennox Head Lions continue to administer theaccount and have also made a further $4,500donation following their annual John MitchellCharity Golf Day. Mat reciprocated thegenerosity by donating half of thatmoney to the Ballina Surf Lifesa vingClub in appreciation of their role inhis rescue.

With Mat now recovering well,news of the Lennox Head c lub’sfundraising involvement has spreadfar, with a report due to a ppear inthe International Lions magazine

“This international interest is veryinspiring for a small club like ours,”

Lennox Head Lions attractattention with their support ofWhite Pointer victim

COMEBACK: Shark victimMat in rehab and (above) with LennoxHead Lions at the John Mitchell Charity Golf Day.

THREAT:A WhitePointershark likethe 4m onethatattackedsurfer MatLee.


Lion8

Women in Lions

Every now and then you come across aperson whose life revolves around their f amilyand community. They give more than theaverage person. One such person is EdnaUniacke.

Lion Edna is not only a member of the P ortlandLions Club but she is a conductor and officer incharge of the Portland Tourist Cable Tram. Ednaalso finds time to ser ve the elderly, as a volunteerof a planned activity group for the a ged, whereshe helps clients. She also helps ser ve lunch andis involved in other activities with the elderly twodays a week.

I asked Edna about her Lions involvement.Edna said she had been involved as a partner

for 31 years, supporting both her husband andhis Lions club prior to her becoming a Lion – andthen as a Lion for eight years.What made you become a Lion?

When my husband Terry was District Governor,I travelled with him on his c lub visitations. I sawthe work that Lions do in their communities. Ivalued the fellowship between members and alsobetween clubs. When Terry’s year was finished, Ifelt I needed to become involved as a Lion.

Our daughter Emma also joined the same daythat I did. My husband PDG Terry inducted both ofus on the same night. He said that inducting hiswife and daughter into the Lions organisa tionwas probably one of his proudest moments inLions.What roles have you taken on since becominga Lion?

I have been extremely busy. Both Emma and Iattended the emerging Lions Institute. This wasan incredible experience. We learnt so much. Itgave us the confidence to take on roles withinour club and also district. After attending theInstitute I become President of Portland LionsClub, which is the biggest Lions Club in District201V2. The year I was President, Portland LionsClub hosted the District Convention. It was a ver y

busy but very enjoyable year.Did you then advance to District Cabinet?

Yes I did. I have been on District Cabinet forthree years. I am the current Membership Careand Welfare Officer.What does that role entail?

Clubs let you know if a member is ill or haswelfare issues. I will send out a get-well cardfrom the District. I also send out welcome lettersto new members. We need to let the Lions familyknow they are not alone with an y welfare issuesthey may have, and that the Lions family is thereto support them through difficult times.Do you find this rewarding?

I certainly do. It is great when a Lion comes upto you and thanks you for your care.Let’s go back a bit, when you were a partner,especially when Terry was District Governor.How did you support him?

I always travelled with Terry. I made sure otherpartners were thanked for their support andcontribution to Lions. We must remember the

work that partnersdo. Sometimes athank-you goes along way.

We must alsoremember andrecognise thework that Leos do.Lion Edna, youthseems veryimportant to you.Have you beeninvolved in youthactivities both asLions projectsand in thecommunity?

I was involved

in scouting and guides for over 30 years. I amalways involved in Youth of the Year. The youngpeople are our future.

Our daughter Emma is the District P eacePoster Chairman. This was the first year tha tPortland was involved with the Peace Poster.Emma gets so much out of this project.Lion Edna, your family is so involved in Lions.PDG Terry is now the District GLTCo-ordinator, Emma is Peace Poster Chairman,you are Membership Care and Welfare Officer.How did this involvement come about?

Over many years. Terry has been a Lion forover 31 years. He has been on Cabinet for 22years. Lions always played a big part in our lives.It is great to see Emma following in our footsteps.Emma has been involved since she was eightyears old. She felt that she might as well becomea Lion. Emma was the first person in Australia toreceive the Young Leaders in Service Award, in2002. It was a ver y proud moment for both Terryand myself.Being involved in Lions for so long, have youseen many changes?

Women being admitted to the organisa tion.This has been the biggest change, and also thebest. This gave Lions a new outlook. Lions nowrepresent the communities in which they ser ve.They are now reflecting the needs of theircommunities.Your daughter is young and is taking onleadership roles. How can we encourageyounger people to join Lions?

Technology. We must embrace Facebook, theInternet. This is a must, if we want to a ttractyounger people. We must encourage our youngermembers to seek leadership roles. We also needto encourage our older members to embrace newtechnology. Older members can learn so muchfrom younger members.What have you got out of Lions?

Lots of good friends. Satisfaction in seeing thesmiles on the faces of people we ha ve helped inthe community. The fellowship of the Lionsfamily.Your District is made up of both metropolitanand rural communities. Is there a clash ofcultures?

No, everyone works well together. There is abroad exchange of ideas, which is great for theDistrict.Where do you think Lions will take you?

I am happy with what I am doing. I aminvolved with Lions and the community. It is mostrewarding.Lion Edna, thank you for talking to me. Yourcontribution to both Lions and yourcommunity is exemplary. It is such a pleasuretalking to such a dedicated Lion.

– PDG Brenda Henderson

Lion Edna Uniacke

MULTI-SKILLED:Lion Edna on thePortland Cable Tramwith driver BenReitman.


February - March 20169

RENMARK LIONS DO THEIR BITSouth Australia’s Renmark Lions came to the aid of victims of last year’ s devastatingfires near Pinary in the mid-north of the state to the tune of $3000.

The money was donated to the Australian Lions Foundation (ALF) “Pinary Bushfire Appeal” and

came from one of the club’s monthly garage sales. Club President Sandy Maddocks said the sale

raised more than normal because the club promoted it as aiding bushfire victims. “By donating

direct to the ALF ensures that all the money will be distributed to the victims, ” she said.

After the fires, local clubs including specifically Gawler, Mallala and Balaklava, worked tirelessly

preparing hundreds of breakfasts, lunches and dinners and handing over emergency supplies from

within their own communities and from around Australia. Typical of donations were seven quilts

sent delivery-free from Western Australia.

Gawler, Mallala and Balaklava clubs with the support of their Zone Chairmen Pat and Phil

worked with ALF Coordinator Yvonne and Disaster Relief Coordinator Sandy to process many

registrations for emergency assistance It’s expected that more than $200,000 in ALF emergency

grants, plus $50,000 in Community Disaster Recover y grants, will have been made in helping the

community recovery. “By the time this tragedy is over, Lions could well have reinvested into this

community approximately $300,000,” said C1 District Governor Rob Royal.

‘ Some people paid $100 for onesausage because they wanted to help’

Clubs respond to

BUSHFIRE HEARTBREAK

INFERNO: Fire on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. Picture: Country Fire Authority/Keith Pakenham/Facebook

It’s fire season again and again Lions areresponding as they always do.

Australia-wide they have stepped up to ser ve, whethershaking a bucket to raise recover y funds or serving mealsto victims and firefighters.

In Western Australia’s massive fires that claimed twolives, Lions were in action within hours. It started withhurriedly prepared sausage meals for evacuees andquickly 300-400 meals were being prepared nightly forvictims.

“We’re doing what we can to help, ” said W1 Lion LouEakins, 73

Typical too were Victoria’s Lorne Lions who werequickly out cooking sausages to raise funds at aforeshore concert soon after the devastating BlackChristmas fires that destroyed 116 homes along thespectacular Great Ocean Road.

To the strain of songs like the Beatles’ 1969 hit ComeTogether, Lorne Lions came together and did a roaringbusiness – and purchasers responded appropriately.

“Some people paid $100 for one sausage in breadbecause they wanted to help in the most immediate waythey could,” Club president Belinda Lance told theGeelong Advertiser newspaper.

“We’ve raised about $1500 on the barbecue and ever ycent goes back to the families that lost their homes inWye River and Separation Creek. The outpouring ofgenerosity has been incredible. We’ve had Lionsmembers from across Australia and even the UnitedStates wanting to help out in some way .”

BRINGING IN THE DOLLARS:DG Peter Oliver had his heart in it

when he went collecting withSydney’s Kingscliffe Lions and the

local fire rescue team for SouthAustralian fire victims. The home he

had grown up in had beencompletely destroyed in the fires.

HOW CLUBS CAN HELP –SEE PAGE 27

Lions at work


12 Lion10

LIONS CRITICAL TO NEPAL RELIEF AFTER EARTHQUAKE

By International Director Sanjay Khetan andCassandra Rotolo

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal inApril last year. Two weeks later, another 7.4magnitude earthquake struck the country, andthousands of aftershocks continued to rattlethe region in the following months. Thisdevastating series of earthquakes shook thecountry’s infrastructure and the spirit of theNepalese people.

Known locally as the “Gorkha” earthquake, it killedmore than 9,000 and injured 23,000. Entire villageswere levelled, historic sites were damaged ordemolished, and nearly eight million people were lefthomeless. Compounding the disaster, landslides andavalanches soon followed, including an avalanche onMt Everest. This was the worst natural disaster to hitNepal in nearly a century. Though experts had warnedfor decades that Nepal was vulnerable to a deadlyearthquake, the country was woefully unprepared.

After the first earthquake, Lions ClubsInternational Foundation (LCIF) awarded aUS$100,000 Major Catastrophe grant to the Lions ofNepal. Major Catastrophe Grants provide significantfunds for disasters with major international impactand can be used to address both immediate andlong-term needs.

More than 1,500 Nepalese Lions were at adistrict conference when the initial tremors started.These local Lion leaders formed a committee toorganise relief efforts, collecting whatever materialsthey could find. Lions were able to quickly assemblerelief kits, which included rice, salt and mattresses.European Lions sent water purification tools, andIndian Lions sent tarps and solar lights. The Lions ofBangladesh sent 7,000 blankets, and the Lions ofGujrat in Pakistan provided 5,000 relief kits. Packingcentres were established in Gorkha, Dhading andNuwakot so the kits could be distributed.

Though many of them were victims themselves,the Lions of Nepal immediately went to work. TheLions quickly realised that the community bloodsupply was insufficient to keep up with theincreasing demand. They organised blood drives,collecting more than 4,000 pints of blood in a singleday. The collection quickly surpassed storagecapacity at many blood banks.

Within three days, clubs throughout Nepal wereengaged in relief operations. Just as materials wererunning low, more began to arrive. Working together,Lions established additional packing centres atKathmandu, Nepalguj, Butwal, Narayanghat,Pokhara, Birganj, Janakpur and Biratnagar. Inaddition to the rice, salt and mattresses, thesecentres packed tarps, noodles, blankets and othermaterials. Teams of Lions distributed more than17,000 relief kits in the affected areas, servingindividuals, families, schools and health centres.

Heavy rains poured down in the days following theearthquake, so the tarps included in the relief kitsprovided much-needed shelter. Lions built shelters in

several communities and even ser ved mealsthere. Many people were reluctant to re-entertheir homes, afraid another earthquake oraftershock could destroy any building thatmight still be standing; they slept outside intents and makeshift camps.

With the funds from LCIF and theconcentration of Lions in Nepal, gatheringsupplies was not the most difficult part of therelief operations. The difficulty came in gettingthe supplies from the packing centres to the victims.Nepal is a mountainous countr y with many isolatedcommunities, so moving supplies through therugged terrain presented a serious challenge. Manyresidents had to come down from the mountains tocollect their kits. Lions also used helicopters todeliver supplies to the most remote areas. On theway back to the packing centres, those helicopterstransported people who needed medical attention.

“When we reached the places others had not yetreached, the people welcomed us with open arms. Itlooked like they were smiling for the first time sincethe quake,” says Lion Pankaj Pradhan, a past councilchairperson of Multiple District 325. “All of themshared their hardship stories with us. Through theirheartbreaking stories, we could see their resilience.They were extremely grateful for our support.”

Getting people to load, unload and carry reliefsupplies proved problematic, so local Lions did mostof the work themselves. Lions carried materials onfoot to areas that were not accessible toautomobiles, working amidst the tremors andaftershocks to ensure critical supplies made it to thepeople who needed them. Lions were even workingin the area of the second earthquake’s epicentre, butthe Nepalese Lions continued on, undeterred by therisks to their own safety.

Ten days after the initial tremors, local Lionsreached Danuar Basti in the Sidhupalchowk district.Until then, no other relief agencies had reached thisremote area. The Lions saw utter destruction whenthey arrived, with many people wearing the white

garments traditionally worn by thosemourning the loss of family members. People werehuddled under improvised shelters and in dire needof assistance. Lions provided relief kits with tentsand blankets, and victims received medical attentionat a nearby health camp.

Amidst the ruins, life went on. For some, life wasjust beginning. Phool Maya Tamang gave birth to ahealthy baby girl in the Lions camp. Understandingthis precious gift of life, the Lions helped Phool andher baby move to a sturdy shelter where they couldsafely await a more permanent home.

Shambhu Bahadur Bhandari, 76, had watchedhelicopters fly over his village, but none came tohelp. The local Lions club was the first to offer anyassistance to his village. He approached the Lionswith tears in his eyes, a bag of food in one hand andblanket and tent in the other. He hugged the Lionsand expressed his gratitude that his two younggrandchildren could eat while he continuedsearching for food and shelter.

Lions established health camps, donatedmedicine to hospitals and helped with sanitationefforts. They are working closely with thegovernment on plans for reconstruction, whichcurrently include building 1,000 houses and 50schools, all now required to be earthquake resistant.

In total, LCIF mobilised more than US$5 million forimmediate relief needs and long-term reconstructionefforts. The Lions of Nepal, alongside LCIF, arecommitted to rebuilding the countr y and willcontinue working until the job is done.

Shambhu BahadurBhandari, 76,gratefully receivesfood from Lions.

Villagerscarryreliefmaterialsfrom Lionsto theirhomes.


February - March 2016 11

For 12 hours this dedicatedLion churned through thewater, lap after torturouslap, to help othersLion Sara Evans, 32, from Hamlyn Terrace onthe NSW Central Coast made an enormouscommitment earlier last year to swim for 12hours in support of eye research at the SaveSight Institute in Sydney.

Plans for Sara’s marathon swim fell into placeafter she approached then N3 District GovernorMargaret Pearce to find out if Lions were able tosupport her quest.

After meeting Margaret and learning of Lions’long commitment to saving sight in answer to HelenKeller’s 1925 call for Lions to become “Knights ofthe Blind in the crusade against darkness”, Sara,then a non-Lion, was even more convinced of theimportance of her swim.

As one of the newest members of the N3 LionsClub of Wyoming, Sara certainly made a grandentrance.

In addition to being the wife of Dave, mother oftwo handsome sons, and a part time worker, Saracommitted herself to training up to four hours a day ,seven days a week, all with the goal of swimmingfor 12 hours at the Mingara Leisure Centre on theCentral Coast.

“I really wanted to do something that would makea difference” said Sara. “and when I found the youngson of a work colleague had been diagnosed with adegenerative disease of the retina, I was inspired tobecome part of finding a cure.”

First Sara set out on a fact-finding mission. Shecontacted the Save Sight Institute in Sydney to gaina better understanding of current research that

might offer hope to thisyoung boy and many otherslike him across Australiaand the world.

Retinal DystrophiesDegenerative Diseases ofthe Retina commonlypresent as night or colourblindness, tunnel vision and subsequent progressionto complete blindness. It is estimated that one in4,000 individuals are affected, and, while more than120 genes have been proven responsible, thereremains considerable complexity in the way inwhich mutations present.

According to Associate Professor RobynJamieson from the Save Sight Institute, “There iscurrently no cure or treatment options for patientswith Retinal Dystrophies, only ongoing vision lossand progression in the degenerative cases”.Advances in gene therapy, cell replacement andretinal implant strategies offer hope to peopleaffected by Retinal Dystrophies.

Sara visited the Save Sight Institute in Sydneyseveral times to meet researchers and wasimpressed by the progress being made.

During 2015 Sara swam for 10 hours at Sydney’ sRoyal Easter Show to raise awareness and donationsfor her cause, and held a sold-out Super Hero’sTrivia Night, raising awareness and much neededfunds. A glamorous masquerade ball in August inMingara was attended by over 300 and includedmany celebrities and members of the Institute.

Sara’s mammoth 12-hour swim took place on29th November last year, beginning at 6am andending at 6pm

The support from her Lions club, family, friendsand the community was amazing, ending with herbeing joined on her final last lap by her 15-year -oldson who had motivated her to attempt the swim.

At this time, Lion Sara has donated more than$50,000 to the Save Sight Institute in Sydney .Further money raised will go to the Lions NSW -ACTSave Sight and Health Foundation.

Sara was presented with the Harr y HessionHonour Award at the 2015 N3 District Convention inOctober last year.

She also will be the Wyoming club’s entrant inthe Community Challenge in July, and has beennominated for the 2016 NSW Women of the YearAwards and the Central Coast Business andProfessional Woman of the Year Award.

SARA SWIMS TO SAVE SIGHT

TRUE HERO: Sara (below, from left) with IPDGMargaret Pearce at her Super Hero Trivia Night, withtwo special young twins from the Centr al Coast whosuffer Retinitis Pigmentosa, and celebrating her swim.


12 Lion12

From Council Chairman PhillipFROM THE MULTIPLE DISTRICT

Greetings everyone,Lions Lady Anne and I hope all Lions and their

families have celebrated Christmas well and thatthe New Year has brought a new lease of life intoyour lives. This year should see an increasinginterest in our preparation for our Centennial year in2017. We look forward to the development of the100 Years, 100 Stories of Ser vice Project now thatwe have just over 100 Lions Clubs across Australiaon board for this National Centennial project. Thankyou very much to those clubs that have taken upthe challenge. The increased publicity of whatLions do across our great nation will benefit allLions clubs.

International President Dr Jitsuhiro Yamadafocused his January message on club leaders andour Centennial preparation. He pointed out that fornearly a century Lions have dedicated themselvesto improving the communities where we live andwork. Our legacy of ser vice extends beyondborders, uniting Lions in ser vice and impactingcommunities around the world. The Centennial isan opportunity to build on our legacy by leadingthrough service, inviting new members forincreased impact and connecting with ourcommunity.

All Lions clubs are challenged to connect withtheir community by planning a CentennialCommunity Legacy Project during our CentennialCelebrations. A Legacy Project will remain a visiblegift to your community that creates a lasting legacyof your club’s service contributions. A LegacyProject will serve as a reminder of just howimportant our clubs are to our communities duringthe centennial and beyond.

It is essential that planning begins now. Forassistance, do not hesitate to contact your District’ sCentennial Chairman who has been kept informedof developments in this area and is a great resourcefor ideas, or go onto the Lions Club International

website and click on the “Lions 100” tab on themenu bar at the top. A simple Legacy that all clubscan leave in their community is to replace or erect aLions sign at the main entrances to your town,suburb or community. How simple is that, yetvisible and lasting?

Over the passing months we have again beenreminded that “Where there is a need, there is aLion”. In the second verse of Dorothea Mackellar’ spoem, “My Country”, she writes:

I love a sunburnt countr y,A land of sweeping plains,Of rugged mountain ranges,Of droughts and flooding rains.I love her far horizons,I love her jewel-sea,Her beauty and her terrorThe wide brown land for me!This verse came to mind as news of how fire,

drought and floods have devastated many of ourcommunities across Australia, and how quicklyLions clubs have swung into action to be there andsupport their fellow community members. Thesupport of foundations such as our own AustralianLions Foundation which responded within 24 hoursto requests by clubs and districts for financialsupport to address the urgent basic needs of thoseaffected. By January 2016, the ALF had provided$600,000 to areas impacted upon by fire and, withthe more recent fires in Western Australia, more willbe made available. To date, donations receivedfrom clubs to support this ongoing appeal haveraised $333,000. Thank you, Lions, for yourgenerosity!

During the first week of Januar y I took theopportunity to attend a camp for 139 children atLicola, in the Victorian high country area. Amongthe 35 helpers who volunteered their time wereseven Lions from various clubs around Geelong andsurrounding district. It highlighted for me the self-giving of Lions, in this case these Lions being awayfrom family for a week. This is but one example asI was aware that over the following two weeks twomore camps were to be held at Licola, all organisedand supported by Lions. This was also taking placein many other areas across Australia where Lionssee a need and respond. It certainly makes me

very proud to say “I’m a Lion”.As I have indicated above, we are a ver y active

bunch of community minded people. In my lastreport in the December/January LION I spoke aboutthe importance of member care and referred to the“10 commandments”. We still have much to do inthis area as November and December were notgood months with regards to retaining members.Both months showed loses of membership. This isnow the time to begin planning for our “March toMay Membership Drive”. The GMT Coordinator foryour District is readily available to assist you to findways to attract new members into Lions. Have weall taken on the challenge of “Just Ask One”? Irecently heard of the “Ladder Affect” with respect tomembership growth. If we look around our circle offriends and acquaintances and ask someone around10 years younger than ourselves to come and seewhat we as Lions are on about, and if they dolikewise, then within a short period we may have inour clubs a circle of younger and vibrant membersready and willing to invigorate, to seek new projectsand to explore new ideas. Are we up for thechallenge?

I always find February and March a wonderfultime of activity within the Districts. This is when wefinalise our Club Youth of the Year competition andmove into Zone/Region Finals in preparation forDistrict and State Finals. Then there is theexcitement of waiting to see the cream of our youthdisplay their skills and talents at the Youth of theYear and Leo of the Year Finals to take place in Mayat the MD Convention. Once again these are greatopportunities to sell Lions to visitors. The downtime when judges are out adjudicating is a greatopportunity to show a brief video of Lions at work,or for someone to give a short presentation on whatLions do in the community – or do we just tell thosein attendance to talk among themselves? Do weuse the opportunity to advertise and invite membersof the wider community to come along and listen tothe young people speak?

Travel well and take care.Regards,

Phillip & Anne Johnson



From Executive Officer Rob

It’s a new year and onethat will be busy andproductive for ourLions Club.

Thanks to all of theLions Clubs who havejoined our “Team 100”.That’s the name for the

clubs who will be participating in our CentennialProject in conjunction with Countr y Style magazineand homelife.com.au. Our theme “100 years – 100stories” will shine a light on the great work that ourclubs do around Australia. It’s very exciting to bepartnering with a national media partner and Iwould love to hear from any Lion about exciting andinteresting projects that we can shout about.

We often talk about “recruiting” and “retaining”members. Although we know that Lions provides arewarding experience for helping others and an

entry ticket intoa wonderful andsupportiveinternationalfamily, it can behard to competewith moderndemands. Iwonder if welose sight of theunderlyingobjective. It’seasy to think it’ssimply anumbers gamefor our clubs.

What we arereally doing is building capacity. The commitment,skills, experience and networks that each newmember brings, provides the tools and energy todeliver your club’s work program. This is thereason we need to do more than recruit membersfrom our own peer group and friendship group.Members with different skills and differentperspectives are the ‘golden ticket’ to creating thecapacity to do more in our organisation.

The Echuca Convention is shaping up to be agreat opportunity for Lions to have a countr yconvention experience. Echuca has lots to offer interms of hospitality, history and relaxing and friendlyfellowship. As always, please consider that theOrganising Committee are busy Lions volunteers –

just like you. If you can register early it really helpsthese fine Lions to plan the convention.

CommunicationThere is nothing more important in a busy ,

diverse organisation like ours than communicatingwith each other. There may be a temptation, whenyour e-mail inbox is full, to quickly ‘filter’correspondence but I would encourage you to lookout for e-mail from your National Office and District.We try very hard to keep our communicationconcise and focussed on items of importance toyour club.

I would like to encourage, as a new year’sresolution, Lions who use electronic communicationto do two things.

1. Join our Facebook community– www.facebook.com/lionsaustralia

2. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter that is available to any Lion, Leo or Lioness. Followthis link – http://eepurl.com/bra6k5

Best wishes,Rob Oerlemans

COMING UP1. Day of Celebration - Our LionsPicnic Day is Sunday 13 March 2016. Nowork on this day! I encourage your club tohave a day out with friends and familiesenjoying the friendship and fellowship thatcomes with being a Lion.

2. Happiest Lions Club – Look at theadvertisement (top right on this page) and inour newsletter about competing for theHappiest Lions Club award. The winning club isallocated 3 Melvin Jones Fellowship Awards torecognise club or community members.

3. Echuca National Convention2016 – Registrations close Monday 12 April2016.http://echuca.vic.lions.org.au/md201convention

“Members withdifferent skillsand differentperspectivesare the ‘goldenticket’ tocreating acapacity to domore in ourorganisation”



The challenge of SCIThere are currently millions of adults and children

around the world suffering from severe disabilitiesresulting from traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI). Itis estimated there are more than 180,000 new SCIcases worldwide each year with up to 400 SCIs peryear in Australia alone. A common publicmisconception is that sports activities account forthe majority of SCIs, however studies show that thetwo leading causes are motor vehicle accidents(47%) and falls in persons 65 years of age andolder (27%). We are therefore all at risk. Despiteadvances in rehabilitative medicine, the quality oflife for patients who sur vive a severe spinal cordinjury is poor. At present there are no clinicallyapproved interventions that can promote significantrecovery of spinal function after SCI – particularlyfor patients with long-term chronic injuries.

Decorin Infusion: A promisingtechnology for SCI

Traumatic spinal cord injury results in the loss ofmany neurons, support cells, and the failure ofsevered nerve fibres to regenerate across sites ofinjury and re-establish neural circuits. Secondaryinflammation promotes scarring at sites of injur yand within surrounding tissues that actively inhibitsnerve fibres regeneration and the formation of newneural circuits (“neuro-plasticity”). Award winningstudies from the Davies research team have shown

that infusion of a naturally occurring protein calledDecorin into the spinal cord immediately after injur yis highly effective at preventing the formation ofinhibitory scar tissue, allowing nerve fibres to growacross Decorin treated injuries. In addition tosuppressing inflammation that promotes scarformation, the Davies lab has shown that Decorincan induce the injured spinal cord to make enzymesthat can actively break down established scartissue – results that have recently beenindependently replicated by a research team in theUK. Furthermore, the Davies team has alsodemonstrated that Decorin can have a direct effecton neurons to effectively “de-sensitise” their nervefibres to multiple growth inhibitor y molecules foundwithin scar tissue and throughout the environmentof the chronically injured adult brain and spinalcord. As Decorin protein is naturally found within thehuman nervous system but suppressed after injur y,we are now considering infusion of the molecule tobrain and spinal cord as being a "proteinreplacement” technology, much like in some waysproviding insulin to diabetes patients.

A new infusion protocol In seeking a clinically viable means of delivering

Decorin to patients, the Davies team has recentlydiscovered that infusion of human Decorin tocerebro-spinal fluid surrounding the brain andspinal cord in experimental studies can promotetruly remarkable levels of ner ve fibre sprouting,

formation of new neural connections (calledsynapses) and recovery of locomotor function afterSCI – even when administered to the chronicallyinjured spinal cord. That Decorin can suppressinflammation, scar formation, and promoteextensive sprouting of neural circuits, stronglysupports the development of Decorin infusion fortreatment of a wide variety of other severeneurological disorders such as traumatic brain injur yand stroke where these multiple effects could behighly beneficial.

Working towards delivering atherapy

An essential aspect of developing an effectivetherapy is understanding and then optimising themolecular mechanisms that are promoting recover yof function. With support provided through the LionsAustralia Spinal Cord Fellowship, the Daviesresearch team at The Florey Institute in Melbourneis investigating the underlying biology of howDecorin promotes repair of the injured ner voussystem. Importantly, working closely with biotechpartners to establish a commercially viable sourceof pharmaceutical-grade human Decorin andintellectual property rights covering the spinalinfusion protocol, the stage is set for delivering anovel treatment for the injured ner vous system inthe near future that could have a profound effect onthe quality of life of millions of people suffering withneurological disorders around the world.

Making a brighter future for

SPINAL CORDINJURY VICTIMS

It’s a holy grail of medicalresearch – to find a cure forspinal cord injury.Associate Professor StephenDavies reveals howLions-supported work and aprotein called Decorin areimproving the odds

PROGRESS: There’s excitement as the challenge to find a spinal cord injury cure hots up.


16616 Lion

I think the greatest thing I have received frommy membership with Lions is the opportunityto make a difference in the community.

Lions has taught me that it is never too late ortoo early to make a difference. Through mymembership I have met many other people with thesame mindset and it has helped me foster the samehelping attitude at my university. Many of our clubmembers and I have aided in volunteering projectsand helped raise funds for charities through ourown and others’ initiatives. Moving forward in myown life, this attitude of ser ving others is nowalways at the back of my mind.

On a more personal level, Lions has beenexceptional in providing opportunities to developleadership skills that are readily applicable in day today life, as well as the workplace. I have developedthe confidence to deliver presentations in front of alarge audience of members and overcome my fearof public speaking. A highlight of my time at Lionshas been delivering a speech at a Lions Conventionwhich held over 200 guests including distinguishedmembers of Lions. In addition, Lions offers anunparalleled opportunity to receive mentorship fromtwo guiding Lions as well as the District Governor .This has accelerated the growth of my leadershipskills and facilitated a safe learning environment.

What did I expect to get out of my Lionsmembership (if different), and my generalevaluation?

When I first joined Lions I was not sure aboutwhat to expect from my membership. I knew thatmy father’s Lions club, which he chartered in Nepal,had grown from a handful of members to severalthousand members. I also knew of their efforts toraise funds to help their local community andremote villages in Nepal. But being in Australia, awell-developed country with plentiful resources, thecircumstances and culture for Lions to exist werevery different.

One thing I certainly did not expect but grew toappreciate was the structure of Lions. Despite theintimidating and awe-inspiring titles that some Lions

hold, it’s a flat organisational culture. Combinedwith the serving mindset that Lions have, I believethat Lions can help guide a good idea to become asolution. It is rare to find an organisation asaccessible and supportive as Lions and it issomething that I appreciate.

More tangibly and broadly, Lions has also offeredinternational opportunities for our club. In apartnership with Special Olympics, the MembershipChairperson of our club will be flying to Los Angelesto attend a world summit. I think this example bestdemonstrates the unparalleled opportunities thatLions has offered our club members.

My perception of the Lions organisation .PDG Nigel Jenny touched on this matter during a

talk for our Lions club and, in essence, I haverealised that it is difficult to form an accurateperception of the Lions organisation primarilybecause of the organisation’s sheer size and globaloutreach. Within a local context, my perception ofLions has come from the people I have met.Therefore I would describe Lions as an organisationwith kindness, generosity, and compassion. I believethat Lions and the strength of the Lions organisationcomes from the members who share thesecommon values.

What will the Lions organisation need to do tokeep me as a younger member, if that is anissue?The age gap that exists between younger membersand other Lions is a potential barrier for entr y.However, I think this issue applies on a broaderscale. The insulated nature of Campus Clubsgenerally makes the age difference a non-issue.However, there is a need for greater awarenessabout the Lions organisation amongst youth andmore initiatives, especially events, are needed toattract youth to Lions.

What would they need to change?From a personal perspective, the marketing

directed at youth for Lions needs to be revamped to

reflect popular culture. Some of the outdated or outof touch marketing material presented by Lionsaverts potential members from joining.

There also needs to be events that Lions cancreate specifically targeted towards youth, such asthe Colour Run events hosted across Australia.These events could serve as a form of advertisingfor Lions whilst gaining more active members.

What additional programs or undertakingswould attract me?

Socially orientated and educationally orientatedprograms held more frequently throughout the yearwould strengthen interest in Lions. Personally, aprogram that involves social entrepreneurship wouldbe an exciting venture. Lions has many successfuland intelligent individuals with many years ofexperience within business. With the help ofexperienced Lions members, a program to create apilot social enterprise could be developed over thecourse of three months (over the summer), sixmonths, or a year. Surrounding the development ofthe social enterprise, the program could holdvarious workshops regarding leadership, business,marketing, product design, and perhaps engineering(depending on the nature of the product) andultimately result in the creation of a profitableenterprise for Lions. With certification from theprogram, younger members could develop arecognisable and employable set of skills. Duringthe running of the program, a mix of social eventsorganised by both program participants andsupervising Lions could generate more interest injoining and continuing to be a part of Lions.

Would I be prepared to recommend this Lionsclub to my friends?

Absolutely. I believe that part of the reason whyLions has been successful as a global organisationis the lack of prejudice and a helping attitude that issynonymous with camaraderie. Many of the currentmembers of my current club have joined the clubthrough referrals from current club members ormyself.

Does your Lions club have troubleattracting younger members?

It’s a worldwide challenge. There are many theories butsometimes the best answers lie with young Lions themselves.Here Nishesh Kayastha, Charter President of NSW Campus Lions,shares some thoughts on Lions and the young



Convention highlights

THURSDAY – 4-6pm Convention Opening andMeet and Greet at the famous Port of EchucaWharf, setting for the much-loved TV series “Allthe Rivers Run”.

FRIDAY - Plenary sessions during day and evening club hospitality.

SATURDAY - Plenary sessions during day,partners paddle steamer cruise and afternoontea. PDG dinner in the evening at MoamaBowling Club.

SUNDAY - Plenary sessions during day andDistrict dinners in evening.

MONDAY - Final Plenary Session, closingceremony and River Boats Jazz Gala Ball inevening (come dressed in the era of the paddlesteamers,1850s to 1920s)

For more details, visit echuca.vic.lions.org.au

EchucaEchuca

Time is short but you still have a chance toregister for the MD201 Lions 2016 NationalConvention – 12-16 May

All the riversrun to

PADDLE POWER: Paddlesteamer Pevensey at Echuca Wharf. – Photo: Robert Blackburn, Tourism Victoria

For registration form, go toechuca.vic.lions.org.au/registration

ECHUCA / CONVENTION LOWDOWNBecause of its location, Echuca became the largest inland port in Australia, second only tothe Port of Melbourne.

Dozens of paddle steamers carried wool, wheat, timber and other produce from the remote stations

of the inland to Echuca. It was the only colony on the Murray River at the time with a direct rail route to

its capital city, Melbourne. It took years and years before the colonies of NSW and South Australia got

their railways.

Echuca is a location with a wonderful mix, with its heritage-listed port and old street, plus the

modern sophistication of a bustling 21st centur y city with modern shopping precinct.

Convention location: Stubberfield Centre, 244 High Street, Echuca South. A multipurpose stadium

capable of holding up to 1800 in theatre seating. Football and netball clubrooms next door will handle

Registrations and Forums and there will be lunchtime variety food stalls and tables, chairs and market

umbrellas.

Parking: Free at Stubberfield Centre, plus at adjacent football ground and trotting track.

About the port: The historic Port of Echuca and Old Street adjoining the wharf are a living

museum. Historic buildings, horse-drawn carriages, gravel roads and wood turner all create a

wonderful 1800s atmosphere.

The port now houses the largest fleet of traditional operating paddle steamers in the world and

recently underwent a $3 million dollar facelift with a new discover y centre.


Lion18

Lions in Illinois reduce risk of diabetesBy Cassandra Rotolo

When District 1 J in U.S.A. was consideringnew ways to give back to their suburbanChicago, Illinois community, Lion JeriDiPasquale had an idea.

At age 13, her son had been diagnosed withjuvenile diabetes, so her family knew all too well theneeds of the diabetic community.

“As a parent, you always try to keep your childsafe,” says DiPasquale. “You tell him not to run intothe street and not to touch the hot stove. But adiagnosis of diabetes changes ever ything. Yousuddenly hold your child’s life in your hands. If youdon’t give him his shot, he’s going to die.”

DiPasquale suggested to her club that theysupport diabetes prevention. The Lions of District 1

J teamed up with Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare(EMH) to develop a diabetes prevention and lifestyleintervention program by securing a $95,275 Core 4Diabetes grant from Lions Clubs InternationalFoundation (LCIF). The project prevents diabetes byproviding education and resources to low-incomeadults at risk of developing the disease.

“We never would have gotten through thiswithout the education and support we got fromElmhurst Memorial Healthcare,” says DiPasquale.“Thank you, LCIF, for making sure other familieshave access to this vital resource.”

Diabetes is a growing epidemic in both theUnited States and worldwide. Some 29 millionAmerican adults have diabetes. That includes anestimated 7 million who do not know that they havethe disease, according to the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC). Another 86 millionAmericans (more than 33 percent of adults) haveprediabetes, which puts them at the highest risk of

developing diabetes within the next five years. It ispredicted that one in three Americans will have thedisease by 2050 if current trends continue.

Now, with the help of local Lions, the newDiabetes Prevention and Lifestyle Inter ventionProgram at EMH identifies under-served, financiallystrained and high-risk individuals who may havepre-diabetes. Those who screen positive forprediabetes are offered a free consultation with adiabetes educator at the hospital-based LearningCenter. They can choose to enrol in a lifestyle-change program, based on the CDC curriculumdesigned to prevent or delay progression of Type 2diabetes.

The program aims to educate participants withthe ultimate goal of reducing the prevalence ofdiabetes. This is an expansive community outreach

program that helpsindividuals identify their risks and develop a plan tominimise them.

Local Lions are integral to the success of theprogram. There are 64 Lions clubs in District 1 Jand more than 2,300 members. The Lions functionas community ambassadors by advocating fordiabetes prevention. They facilitate informationalmeetings, help collect health data such as weightand BMI (Body Mass Index) measurements fromparticipants, and host fundraising events.

With the help of Lions and LCIF, the target is forat least 65 percent of participants to lose weight,maintain that weight loss and experience astabilisation of the blood glucose level aftercompleting the program. The Lions of District 1 Jare working diligently to improve the health of theircommunity and prove that an ounce of preventionis, indeed, worth a pound of cure.

For information on how your district can apply fora Core 4 Diabetes grant, visit lcif.org.

LCIF

Lion Jim Wordendiscusses patienteducation withJulie Sanfilippo(centre), a healthcoach with theDiabetesPreventionProgram, andnurse Linda Voght,a certifieddiabetes educatorat ElmhurstMemorialHealthcare.

AN EYE-OPENING FACT

Did you know that LionsRecycle for SightAustralia possesses 13lensometer machinesand two ultrasoundmachines that can clean50 pairs of spectaclesat a time?

The organisation, centred inQueensland and part of Lions ClubsInternational Worldwide EyeglassRecycling, gained its firstlensometer in 2000 and hasregularly been adding new ones tomeet the demand.

Since it started in 2000, the program

has delivered 2.5 million pairs to

countries in Africa, Europe, Middle East,

the Indian sub continent, East Asia, the

Far East (including China), countries of

the Pacific rim and southern Asia and

Oceania.

Each year, Lions, Lioness and Leo

clubs forward about 250,000 pairs of

glasses, sunglasses and other

equipment.

The program’s centres generally

operate on most days of the week and

each centre is contributing 50,000 pairs

of graded spectacles a year.

It’s planned that the operation will

soon expand into spectacle making.

Lions clubs in Australia are able to

obtain collection boxes, labels and

pamphlets at no cost by emailing

[email protected] or

[email protected] (Lions

Recycle for Sight, PO Box 3021 Clontarf

MDC 4019).

ALL EYES: DGKen LeonardOAM, CEO ofRecycle ForSight,demonstratesthe grading ofglasses.


June - July 2014 19

The inability to see clearly can prevent childrenfrom learning in school, adults from finding work orstaying employed and older adults from livingindependently. Often, a simple pair of eyeglassescan bring the world into focus, but a lack of accessto basic care prevents many people in developingnations from getting the treatment they need. Costis also an issue; a pair of glasses may cost asmuch as a month’s wages.

However, with the help of Lions around the worldand the Recycle for Sight program, LCI is bringingclear vision to millions, one pair of glasses at a time.

Through Recycle for Sight, Lions collect new andgently used eyeglasses and sunglasses in collectionbins at a variety of locations in their communities:libraries, doctors’ offices, schools, sidewalks, banksand retail stores. The glasses are then shipped tothe nearest Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre, whereemployees or volunteers sort the glasses, cleanthem and determine their prescription strength.After carefully packaging the refurbishedspectacles, Lions store them until they can bedistributed through humanitarian missions todeveloping nations.

Lions and professional eye care specialistssometimes screen thousands of children and adultsduring sight missions, providing them – free ofcharge – with prescription lenses, frames and

ultimately a better qualityof life. Lions alsodistribute recycledglasses to nonprofitorganisations focused oneye care, as well as tooptometry collegegroups, religiousorganisations and militaryassistance groups.

Eyeglass recycling,one of the most popular activities for Lions aroundthe world, dates back to the 1930s. Similar totoday, Lions gathered glasses in their communitiesand gave them to those most in need. For example,in the early 1960s, the Hayes & Harlington LionsClub in England collected more than 20,000 pairsof glasses for those with vision impairment in India.

In 1994, Lions clubs turned their longtime effortsinto an official program under the name Recycle forSight. With a common identity and common format,the program has continued to expand.

Each year, Lions collect about 30 million pairs ofglasses. Clubs in Australia and Japan annually send500,000 pairs of glasses to six recycling centres inAustralia. Over the past decade, more than 3.5million pairs of eyeglasses from these centres havebeen shipped to locations including India, the

Middle East and tiny islands in Indonesia. Byemploying people from local correctional facilities,several of the centres are fostering rehabilitation byteaching skills that people can use after they leaveprison.

The Tokyo Sangenjaya Lions Club partnered witha national retailer to collect glasses for Australia’srecycling centres in 2013. “Seeing Lions work inpackaging these eyeglass, I realise how much weconsume and throw away that is still in usable oreven perfect condition,” says one localbusinessman. “These eyeglasses will changesomeone’s life.”

“Thank you,” a 94-year-old man in Hondurascried after receiving a pair of Lions recycledglasses. “I can now read my Bible – the first time in15 years.”

‘Touchstone’ stories releasedOne hundred stories tell the centur y-old story of Lions ClubsInternational (LCI). In advance of the centennial of Lions Clubs in2017, LCI has written 100 “Touchstone” stories that, in sum, describewhat Lions are all about. The stories run the gamut: from Leos andLions Quest to Melvin Jones, Helen Keller and Jimmy Carter. Thestories detail the founding and expansion of Lions, the variousservice projects of Lions worldwide and the culture of camaraderieand fun that permeates clubs. The following Touchstone story andthe other 99 are available at lions100.org. Touchstone stories alongwith the latest centennial news will be regularly featured in the LIONmagazine.

This Lions service dates back to the 1930s

LIONS RECYCLEFOR SIGHTThe World Health Organization estimates that more than 150 millionpeople suffer from blurred vision due to uncorrected refractive errorssuch as nearsightedness or farsightedness.

PROUD TRADITION: For more than 80 years, Lions have been collecting,sorting and cleaning eyeglasses, and distributing them to those in need.


20Lion

Victoria’s Lions Club of Leopold has turnedto music to help the young.

The club has become the sponsor of a

Geelong music festival to support mental

awareness programs in the area.

What started as an idea between two young

Geelong mates, Tristan Gall and Jon Gilchrist, the

Mane Event is fast becoming one of the rural

centre’s biggest mental health awareness and fundraising highlights.

The latest festival featured 25 local and national bands and headlined Aria

award winners Bad Loves.

Last year profits went to beyondblue. This year it was decided to support

the local branch of Headspace Geelong, which gives tremendous support to

young people with mental problems in the region.

Tuning in to mentalhealth spawns amusic festival

LIFELONG PASSIONTRANSLATES INTOLIONS SERVICEBendigo Lion John Kelly has been travelling tothe Philippines for as long as he canremember.

He loves the country and its people and is evereager to help out there when he can.

He first travelled there as an Apex Australiavolunteer to help build an orphanage in BacolodCity.

When the Bendigo club learned of John’scommitment to the orphans and destitute childrenof two areas he constantly visited in the Philippines,they were more than happy to assist.

His latest visit, around Christmas, came just after

a typhoon. So with

money from theclub, Johnpurchasedsmall gifts andmuch neededfood to help afew lessfortunate.

The gifts and food went to two groups, in theSabang and Mangyan areas.

After a brief clean-up following the typhoon,

which left them with no power or fresh water , thegroups enjoyed a small Christmas party where theyshowed their appreciation of John’s efforts and theLions support.

President Judy Hansen presents a cheque for $5000 to Headspace CEO Malcolm Scott while Mik e Ryan,Tristan Gall, Jon Gilchrist and Bob Gilchrist look on.

CHRISTMAS THANKS: After going through a typhoon, these two groups of children stillhad time to convey their thanks. Among the children are those at the Mangyan feeding andlearning centre (above), and (below right) youngsters at the Sabang feeding centr e withBendigo Lion John Kelly.

LIONS IN ACTION


February - March 201621

DYLAN PAINTS AWINNING POSTEROF DAILY PEACE

RIGHT: Buchan Primary School Principal Warick Fraser with one of the proud winners, LukeBuchanan, and Lions Club of Bair nsdale President Karl Henderson.

His entry, pictured right, includedthe quote “May each day bring peaceto all the nations to share”.

Dylan’s win came after anexhausting examination of entries bythe three judges (pictured top right) –Youth of the Year National Chair BrianWilliams; Chief Executive Officer of theCaroline Chisholm Society, HelenCooney; and Council Chairman IPDGPhillip Johnson.

The judges reported the standardwas extremely high, which madechoosing a final winner difficult,especially as both the artwork and thestudents’ quotes on peace formed thecriteria for judging.

Dylan’s poster was sent with ourbest wishes to LCI for the internationaljudging.

The full display of District-winningPeace Posters can be seen atwww.lionsclubs.org.au/pposters 2015Gallery.

The Peace Poster theme for 2016 is“A Celebration of Peace”.

Kits are available fromwww.lionsclubshop.com.au.

– PDG Helen Campbell, NationalPeace Poster Contest Chairperson

A Sydney schoolboy has taken off the national Lions P eace Poster Contestwith a work calling for the people of the world to unite in harmon y andhappiness. Dylan Tai of Sydney’s Oatley West Public School was named thewinner in December.

Helping students along the learning pathIn 2013 Victoria’s Lions Club of Bairnsdale instigated the Year Five AcademicEncouragement Award, with 11 smaller primary schools across East Gippsland invitedto nominate a deserving student.

The aim of the award is to encourage primar y students to further develop their buddingacademic skills.

In 2015, the judging panel selected four nominations to be the recipients – Ashley Brunswick(Clifton Creek Primary School), Callum Ingram (Lindenow Primar y School), Kacee Shieffelbein(Eagle Point Primary School) and Luke Buchanan (Buchan Primar y School).


22 Lion

AROUND THE NATION

Drought aid comesin by the tonne

Tasmania’s Forth Valley Lions raised more than $4000 from theirannual car show to assist the upkeep of the local girl guides hall.

The latest event was named the Errol Nothrop Memorial Show to honourthe club member who initiated the project but who sadly passed away justover a year ago.

More than 150 cars of varied types, from modern Mercedes to largeAmerican models and veteran and race cars, were on show.

Previous shows have aided organisations such as Alzheimer’s Research,Royal Flying Doctors and Ronald McDonald House.

Two-year-old Carter, a Multiple Scoliosis sufferer, takes off for thefirst time in his Rifton Walker.

The walker was presented to him by the Lions Club of Medowie, NSW.The money came from an afternoon tea that incorporated a fashion parade,stalls, games and a raffle.

On the day of the afternoon tea, Carter and his twin sister Milla turnedtwo and fittingly celebrated with birthday cakes.

Christmas was a little more bearable for 45 Queensland drought-affectedfamilies in Q1 thanks largely to the efforts of the Pinelands c lub.

Before Christmas the club’s Lions Farmers Appeal handed over about threetonne of goods worth approximately $20,000.

Vouchers to local stores along with donated goods and Christmas gifts forchildren were given to farmers .

The club was helped in the distribution by the Lions Club of St George.Pinelands has donated drought money over the past two years with the aid of

Calamvale’s Senior Association.The latest round of fundraising was boosted by the club being provided with a

collection table at the 201Q1 Stanthorpe Convention.There were even more donations arriving from clubs in the weeks that followed

convention.The aim of the club’s fundraising was to seek non-perishable food donations and

toys for children at Christmas.“We were not seeking food for livestock, ” said Pinelands Lion Bill Buhse. “Our

club was concerned about the health and wellbeing, both mental and physical, ofour farmers.

Car tragics come out in force

Carter takes off to new horizons

HELP: Farmers received goods (top right) when the latest convo y hit town (right).



Bowral welcomes first female Lion

50 years youngQueensland’s Emerald Lions Club will celebrateits 50th anniversary with functions August 5 to 7this year. Highlight will be a dinner dance onAugust 6. Former members can [email protected] to register interest inattending.

In its 55th year, the Lions Club ofBowral, NSW has inducted itsfirst female member.

She is Wendy Lane.

Wendy was inducted by IPDG

Lorraine Mairinger of the Lions Club

of Kangaroo Valley, with her sponsor

being Bill Bransom of the Bowral

club.

Bowral President Steve Kelly

presented Wendy with her apron, cap

and club shirt, a fitting event as one

of his stated objectives for the Lions

Centennial Year was to introduce

women into membership of the club.

It’s one objective that has come a

little early.

The elderly of the Victorian gold city ofBallarat were treated to Christmas cheer witha party organised by local Lions.

The party, part of the club's fundraising andcommunity service program, is now in its 18thyear and is run for residents of age-care facilities.

The day included live music, presents and a visitby Santa Claus (aka Lion Bruce Thomson). Eightyfive residents and carers took part with local groupthe Golden Voices entertaining.

Santa workshis Yuletidemagic

HO HO: Santa (aka Lion Bruce Thomson) spreads the joy.

HEARTSTEALER:Young Ava Bellwon manyhearts, includingthat of DG ElvioMunzone, at theN5 Convention inBankstown. Avais just one ofmany youngAustralians whohave benefitedfrom the work ofthe AustralianLions ChildhoodCancer ResearchFoundation.


24 Lion

LIONSOUT AND

ABOUT

SIGN OF TIMES: Queensland’s Proserpine now has a new signpromoting local service clubs, thanks to the organisational skills ofProserpine Lions. With RSL help, nine clubs pooled together for the sign.

RELIEF AID: There was goodwill aplenty when Q4 Miriam Vale Lions gathered to raise funds for the CQLions Western Qld Drought Appeal Project, run by the Caves and District club, at the annual CommunityChristmas Fair.

BIG WIN: Lions Club of Goulburn City members join in the e xcitement as Christmas raffle winner Marley Penning receivesher first prize of a Mazda CX-3 SUV. The raffle is the club’s major fundraiser.

HONOUR: Q1 Leo Mitchell Rand receives a Lions YoungLeaders in Service Award from Lion Josephine Wilcox for hisinspiring work as President of a school Leos club.

HAPPY LIONS: Enjoying good food, friends and fellowship at the recent C1 DistrictConvention are Port Pirie Inc. Lions Past President Dean Frankel and Secretary LaureenHardiman.



TAKE FIVE: Victoria’s Toolamba Lions take a well earned break fromsizzling sausages at their annual Christmas carols event.

A WRAP: Runaway Bay Lion Peter Kidston hands a wr apped gift to acustomer of its Christmas wrap stall to aid children at the local Gold CoastUniversity Hospital.

HIGH TIMES: There was much celebrating after South Australia’s Port PirieLions recently held their 5th convention at the same time as their 50thanniversary. The club published a special post-convention book.

For the majority of his 100 years, Wilf Bergen has been doing the goodLions work.

Wilf recently celebrated his 100thbirthday with friends, family andmembers of the Toukley club in NSWwhere has been a member for 35years.

And Toukley is not the only club tohave benefited from Wilf’s service.

Wilf first joined Sandgate LionsClub in Queensland in 1957, beforetransferring to the Lions Club ofEssendon in Victoria and then theLions Club of Coburg as chartersecretary.

In 1963 he transferred to the Lions Club of Burwood in NSW , then theStrathfield club in 1967.

In 1997 he transferred to Wyong, and then Toukley in 1980.He has gained just about ever y Lions honour and was granted life membership

in 1982.“I know I can say without hesitation that all of our members feel it has been a

pleasure and an honour to work alongside someone who is so committed to givingservice to those who are dealt the wrong cards in life, ” said Toukley SecretaryKarin McGann.

100 UP FOR HARDWORKING LION WILF

Centenarian Wilf Bergen (right) celebrateswith his Lions mates.

TEAM EFFORT: When the Lions Club of Goulbur n City in NSW joined with localradio station 2GN on a Christmas appeal to collect donations of food, toys and otherassorted goods, the result was instant. The donations were distributed to Goulburncharitable organisations Anglicare, St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army. HereLions Dave King, Alex Harmer and Alan Milne and 2GN manager Gail Bo wdern surveysome of the donations.



AUSTRALIAN LIONS DRUGAWARENESS FOUNDATION INC

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2016Notice is hereby given of the Annual GeneralMeeting of the Foundation to be held inEchuca on Friday 13 May 2016 commencingat 12.30 p.m.

Each Constituent Member is entitled to onevote and that representative should haveaccreditation from the Club Secretar y. Howeverin the case of a State Director election, onlydelegates from that State may vote. Membersnot attending may complete a postal ballot forDirector.

Nominations are called for Directors forNew South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania andWestern Australia. Nominations are to bereceived by the Secretary by Friday 18 March2016 on the correct form.

Nominee must be a member in goodstanding of a Constituent Club within therelevant State. Nomination forms are availablefrom the Secretary at PO Box 530, SpringwoodQLD 4127, Phone: (07) 3341 3900 or byemail – [email protected]

Should a potential nominee wish to obtain acopy of the position description for a Directorplease contact the Secretary of the Foundationas above. David McKenzie

Secretary

POSITION OF CHAIRPERSON OFTHE FOUNDATION

The term of Chairperson of the Foundationconcludes in May 2016 and accordingly the following notice is brought to the attention ofall members of Constituent Member Clubs.Call for applications for the position ofChairperson

Applications are called for the position ofChairperson of the Foundation for a four yearterm from May 2016. Applications must bemade in writing setting out the qualificationsthat you feel you have that would be of benefitto the Foundation. Applications must be fromLions in good standing from ConstituentMember Clubs.

Details of the position are available from theSecretary of the Foundation at PO Box 530,Springwood QLD 4127 or e-mail [email protected].

Applications are to be received by theSecretary no later than Friday 25 March 2016.

All applications will be considered by theBoard of the Foundation at its May meeting inEchuca and an appointment made.

David McKenzieSecretary

CAN WE REACH 1.5 MILLION?Dear Editor Tony,

The Lions International office in Oak Brook inthe U.S. has confirmed that we are now 1.4 millionmembers worldwide.

You may have mentioned this in our LIONmagazine and I missed it, but it might be worthhighlighting.

I have a round Lions badge with 1.5 million onit. I wonder when we turn 100 in 2017 whether wewill have reached 1.5 million.

We were previously 1.36 million.Lion Don Erck, 42 years Swan Hill

Western Australia, South Australia andVictoria have all had significant firesimpacting many communities.

In Western Australia the whole township of

Yarloop was devastated with the loss of town

buildings, 120 homes and properties and two lives.

Lions on the ground have been assisting in all

areas but more help is needed now to support

those impacted to resettle and to get their lives

going again.

To date, with the assistance of clubs, the

Australian Lions Foundation has provided grants

totalling $600,000 to all areas impacted ... but

with the recent Yarloop fires more support is

required.

So far donations from clubs in support of this

ongoing appeal have raised $333,000.

As clubs start back after the Christmas and New

Year break, we ask that you consider some support

for those impacted by these disasters.

Clubs wishing to support this appeal can

forward cheques through the Cabinet Treasurer in

the normal way.

(Donations to this appeal do not qualify for ALF

Awards)

TIME TODONATE FORFIRE VICTIMS

yoursayLions’ letters


Lion

Delegate Form Instructions for International ConventionAre you serving as the Delegate for your c lub?

If yes, complete the Delegate/ Alternate Delegate form and return the top portion to Lions ClubsInternational Headquarters, to the attention of the Member Ser vice Centre before May 1, 2016. Bring thebottom portion of the form to the convention and present it when you arrive to certify at the Certificationarea in the convention centre.

Before sending the form, be sure a club officer (Club President, Secretary or Treasurer) has signed theform and printed their name on both halves as indicated on form.

Mail form to: Lions Clubs InternationalATTN: Member Service Center300 W. 22nd Street Oak Brook, IL USA 60523-8842

Signed, scanned forms can be sent to: [email protected]: 630-571-1687To certify for the election, you will also need to bring a government-issued photo ID with your signature.Are you serving as the Alternate for your club?If yes, do not mail your form. Bring the entire form to convention. You will only need to come to the

Certification area in the event you are replacing a delegate. If you are replacing a certified delegate, you willneed your signed International Convention Delegate/Alterna te Delegate Form (alternate and officersignatures are required on the form) along with the delegate’ s gray copy of their Credential Card. If you donot have both of these items or are replacing a delegate who was not certified, you need to bring anauthorised signer with you to the Certification area. A government-issued photo ID and convention namebadge will be required for the alternate and officer .

If you have questions regarding this process, contact the Member Ser vice Center. Email: [email protected] Phone: 1+630-203-3830 • Fax: 1+630-571-1687

Lioness Sue Parkinson (left) and Lion RossParkinson (right) are congratulated by KatrineHildyard MP on the Lions Club of Mount Gambierbeing announced as runner-up in the CivicImprovement Category of the Association ofCommunity Service Organisations Premier’sAwards. The club nominated its sponsorship ofthe Blue Lake Brass Band Festival. The Premier’saward and $2000 for best project went to theLions Club of Clare for its Gleeson WetlandsProject, while Lion Allen Woodham OAM wasrecognised for staging the annual Brass BandFestival.

It was a case of the longest ser ving andthe shortest serving when Lions BobBeasley and Kirsty Den Hertog preparedto cut the cake to celebrate thePambula-Merimbula club’s 50th birthday.

Back when the club chartered in 1965, thecharter dinner was catered for by the LionsLadies at a cost of two pounds 10 shillings ahead.

Annual membership fees were then eightpounds 10 shillings, and the club’s firstfundraising activity was an elephant racealong the streets of Pambula that was stagedin conjunction with Ashton’s Circus!

Now the club has 32 members andcelebrated its 50th with a fun day in the parkwith face painting, fairy floss and a jumpingcastle for the kids, while parents browsed adisplay of club memorabilia.

A dinner for 130 people followed.

Long and theshort of it

ENCOURAGEMENT: Q4

Miriam Vale Lions, Vice

President Geoff Roth (left)

and President Larry

Halbert, congratulate local

student Benjamin Wardell

on winning a $100 Lions

bursary for achieving high

schools standards.

28


YOUTH OF THE YEAR

30 Lion

At the time of writing, our six National Finalistsare enjoying themselves at the LionsInternational Youth Camp at Rotorua (seepictures right).

On the 6th January, they travelled to Brisbane tocontinue their tour as guests of the Brisbane BardonClub, before returning to their homes on 12thJanuary.

Again we look forward to seeing you in Echuca.For those who are planning their travel andaccommodation needs in Echuca for our MDConvention it is pertinent to remind you that the YOTYpublic speaking event will be held on Monday , 16thMay, commencing at 9am.

Whilst some clubs have already conducted theirclub events, the majority of club finals will be duringFebruary. One of the most important responsibilitiesis the selection of appropriate judges.

Judges, like umpires or referees, are a necessity inany competitive situation, and Youth of the Year is noexception. It is important to choose your judgescarefully, as they have the most contact with yourcontestants and will influence the experience thatthese young people will take away with them.

At Club level, 3 judges are permitted. Pleaseensure that you:

• Have a gender balance – do not have 3 femaleor 3 male judges.

• Select judges with a range of ages. • Invite a previous year’s contestant to be a part of

the panel.• Invite people who work with, or have regular

contact with young people.• Have a wide range of professional or work

experience. Do not invite people from the sameprofessional or work background.

• Refer to the Club Chairman manual, as manysuggestions for judges are there.

Once you have your judges in place, make surethey are well briefed. Spend at least an hour or twowith them going through the Entr y Form and theGuide to Judges Form. These documents have mostof the detail you will need. You must also explain thetime commitment required.

During your briefing, the judges must determinethe following:

• The four general knowledge questions for theinterview and

• The two impromptu questions for the PublicSpeaking sections.

As a starting point in your discussion with thejudges – and to help them to choose good questions– ask them to consider the following areas:

• One question of local interest • One at state level (careful with state/territor y

borders)• One of national importance, and• One of international significance.Questions should be open-ended, which require

the contestants to elaborate, at length, on an issue.(For example; rather than asking who the mayor of aparticular council is; ask a question which requireselaboration and an understanding of an issue. It couldbe: “What is your understanding of the issues

WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW?

‘

,

Jorja Sumner was the 2010-2011 W Districts State and Public Speaking Winner ,sponsored by the Lions Club of Booragoon (W2). She participated in the National Finaland National Tour in January 2011, and returned to sit on the Lions Club of BooragoonClub Final judge’s panel in 2012-2013.

Jorja attended Rossmoyne Senior High School, in Perth, WesternAustralia. Following high school she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours)at the University of Western Australia (2011), and is currently in her finalyear of Postgraduate Law School. During her studies Jorja, has beeninvolved in several leadership, fundraising and volunteer projects, includingwork at The Humanitarian Group and for Legal Aid in regional areas ofWestern Australia. Upon completion of her studies, Jorja intends to practiceas a solicitor in the state of Western Australia, and provide legal ser vice,education and support to regional and rural areas.

For me, the Lions Youth of the Year Quest was so much more than a competition. The skills,experiences, e xposure and opportunities that the Quest pro vided wer e instrumental to me ,particularly as they came at a time when I w as a young person making the tr ansition from highschool to further studies and into the wider community .

With hindsight, the ways in which the YOTY Quest benefitted me wer e tenfold. The chance tomeet like-minded, generous people from all across the nation, and to see the opportunities andvastness of our g reat nation made a significant impr ession on me . My peers, with whom Icompleted the national tour, have become lifelong friends who I still keep in regular contact withand have seen at various times following the tour, all around Australia

Ultimately, the Quest made an impact on me b y way of revelation to the selfless ser vice anddedication that Lions clubs all around Australia provide for their communities, and provided asan exemplar on how I might work to help others and be an active member in my own community.While travelling overseas recently, I noticed the familiar Lions emblem, and it was comforting toknow that even in a for eign country, the sense of community and ser vice is still appar ent, nomatter where it is in the world, and reminded me just how thankful I am to have had the chanceto participate in the Youth of the Year Quest.

affecting the constructionof a road traffic bridgethrough the XXXXXwetlands?)

The interview provideseach candidate with theopportunity of elaboratingon the claims that theyhave made on the Entr yForm. An examplequestion could be relatedto a claim that thecontestant has madeabout being the captain ofa sporting team. Askhim/her about his/her roleas captain; some of thedifficult decisions thats/he has had to make andperhaps how s/he resolved a conflict betweenteam members.

A well briefed judging panel will ensure aconstructive and rewarding experience for theyouth involved. It is well worth the investment intime as well as for the benefit of the contestants.

Brian WilliamsYouth of the Year Program



LEOS ROAR

Thank you to all Lions, Lionesses and LEOsacross MD201 for your ongoing encouragementand support of the International Leo ClubProgram in Australia.

With your continued support we were able toCharter 14 new Leo Clubs in the 2014/15 Lions Yearand were recognised with an International Leo ClubProgram Extension Certificate from Lions ClubsInternational.

This is the sixth consecutive year MD201 hasreceived this prestigious award.

When I first joined the MD201 Leo Committee in2003, there were 67 Leo Clubs registered with LCI.Now with the great work of a committed and hardworking MD201 Leo Committee and your support wehave over 140 Leo clubs with more being formed.

Congratulations and thank you to our inspirational2015/16 MD201 Leo of the Year Katerina Blekic foran amazing year as a fine ambassador for LEOsworldwide.

Since being named a Leo of the Year in May2015, Katerina has been recognised for many greatachievements, such as:l Victorian Premier’s Volunteer Champions Award forYouth Volunteering Recognizing her Service to theCommunity as a LEO and essential Member of Lions.l Appointed as Constitutional Area 7 Representativeon the Lions Clubs International Leo Club ProgramAdvisory Panel for a two-year term.

*Addressed 201C2 & 201N2 Lions Conventions.*Named Victorian Agricultural Shows Senior

Ambassador at the Mildura Show.*Appointed 201C2 Associate District Leo

Chairperson.*Awarded PDG Corinne Stone Medal for Advancing

the Leo Movement in 201C2.*Named 2015 Victorian Agricultural Shows Junior

Ambassador.*Initiated and participated in Sunraysia Leo Club’s

Journey4Life Tractor Trek to raise awareness andfunds for the Australian Lions Childhood CancerResearch Foundation.

*Membership Chairman and Immediate PastPresident Sunraysia Leo Club.l Received high distinctions in her double degree atMurdoch University.

l Continues to support her family by working hardon the family’s grape blocks in Mildura.

Leo Katerina says: “My experience through Lionsover the past couple of years has taught meanything is possible.”

With your continued support, our inspirational2015/16 MD201 Leo of the Year Katerina Blekic willcontinue to achieve greatness over the remainingmonths of her term and will be a worthy nominee foran International Leo of the Year Award in 2016!

Congratulations also to Sunraysia Leo Club and inparticular Leos Katerina, Nikolas and Ivana Blekic andtheir family on the amazing Journey4Life Tractor Trekproject to raise awareness and funds for theAustralian Lions Childhood Cancer ResearchFoundation.

The trek, from 14-22 August from Irymple toBendigo over nine days, covered about 1,000km ofregional Victoria with Leo Katerina and her brother,Leo Nikolas driving the tractors with sister, LEO Ivana,in the support vehicle.

This was unique and one of the most ambitiousLeo Club projects in the world.

So far they have raised in excess of $9,400 forALCCRF and are still accepting donations.

So if your Lions, Lioness or LEO Club has notdonated, please consider and recognise theseinspirational LEOs for an amazing initiative.

As we commence another year, we look for further

ways to support and encourage our inspirational Leosthrough awards and recognition.

The highest individual award a LEO can receive isthe Leo of the Year and entries for the quest are nowopen and information and entr y forms are availableon the MD201 Leo Website atwww.lionsclubs.org.au/leos.

Let’s all encourage our inspirational LEOs to enterand have a go!

They say that Lions and LEOs is a journey!Since I was privileged to be appointed to the

MD201 Leo Committee as State Leo CoordinatorNSW in 2003, I have been honoured to work withsome amazing members of the Lions Familythroughout the world.

I have been privileged to ser ve on the InauguralLions Clubs International Leo Club Program Advisory

Panel as Constitutional Area 7 Representative from2009-11 and work with some amazing Leos andLions in an effort to further advance the Leomovement across the world.

I was honoured to address International LionsConventions in Bangkok and Sydney on the benefitsof LEOs and encouraging younger members tobecome Lions.

I was privileged to speak at ANZI PACIFIC Forumson the Gold Coast and in Adelaide and work withinspirational Leos such as Katerina Blekic and TomPorter.

It has also been a privilege to be invited to speakat Lions District Conventions and Lions Clubs acrossAustralia.

But the greatest joy is to work with ourInspirational Leos and see the motivation andcommitment of our amazing Leo of the Year winnerslike Katerina Blekic.

It is always an honour to attend these inspiringclub changeovers, projects and special events.

Over 13 wonderful years I have been privileged towork with inspiring Councils of Governors andamazing and dedicated Leo Committees.

It is always difficult to single people out but I feel Ihave to name a few that have contributed toencouraging me through this wonderful journey – mymentors, PDG Peter Lamb, PDG Carlene King andPDG Toby Crawford.

My Great MD201 Leo Committee, Lion ToniLanphier, PDG Les Harrison, Lion Louise Eiszele, LionTony Jimmieson and past members Lion BronteCameron and Lion Gail Hart and all the AssistantState Coordinators and District Leo Chairpersons Ihave worked with during the 13 years.

PDG Sandra Treble who invited me to ser ve on her201N2 Cabinet in 2003/04 as her Leo Chairmanwhere my remarkable journey started.

I would like to thank CC Phillip Johnson, PDG RonSkeen OAM, the MD201 Council of Governors andLions Australia National Office for your ongoingencouragement and support and the opportunity youhave given me to encourage our inspirational youthto serve their community in a positive way as LEOs.

I wish Lion Toni Lanphier and the MD201 and theInspirational MD201 Leo Committee continuedsuccess as you further advance the Leo Movement inAustralia.

LEOs are the PRESENT and FUTURE LionsLeaders.

By continuing to Form Leo Clubs throughoutAustralia, we are giving more young people between12-30 the opportunity to serve their community in apositive way as essential members of the LionsFamily and gain life skills of LEADERSHIP,EXPERIENCE and OPPORTUNITY.

So if your Lions Club is considering sponsoring aLeo Club - Stop Considering, Do It!

Full details in the Leo Website atwww.lionsclubs.org.au/leos

Say G’Day to a Leo Today – you won’t bedisappointed!

Together Everyone Achieves More.Lion Martin Peebles

MD201 Leo ChairmanProud Ambassador ALCCRF


LEND A HAND, OR TWO!

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

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

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

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

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