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Postering for peace

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Connections, influence, friendship, philanthropyOCT - NOV 2015 Volume 121 No. 6LION

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”

C O N T E N T S4 International President’s report5 Follow Your Dream Award6 Lions action8 Council Chairman’s report10 A fun way to raise $85,000 13 Meet the Chief

Page 22 - Peace Poster world winner

Page 10 – $85,000 & lots of fun

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ContributionsContributions for the DECEMBER - JANUARY 2015-16 issue should be submitted by

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

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

14 Lion fights deadly PNG virus19 A roof over their heads22 Around the nation30 Lions out & about28 Executive summary29 Your Say

Meet the Lion whobecame a PNG chief

– Page 13


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Our diversity is our strength

Lion

By Dr JitsuhiroYamada, LionsClubsInternationalPresident

In Japan, our society owes a lot tobushido, the code of conduct of thesamurai. Samurai have positive andnegative sides, but samurai upholdstability and ensure peace. Otherpositive traditional values of thebushido are respecting one’s elders,protecting the weak and valuingfairness and honor.

Every culture has its own wonderfulvirtues, and each of the 210 na tionsand geographic areas that are part ofLions Clubs International contributes tothe strength and vitality of theassociation. The multi-coloured fabric ofLions owes its durability and flexibilityto its disparate individual strands.

In other words, our diversity is ourstrength. We are not a cookie-cutterassociation. One size does not fit all.Clubs are free to choose their o wnprojects and recruit their ownmembers. The more we value diversityand model that in our clubs the morewe will prosper.

So this year I urge c lubs to continueto reach out to women, younger peopleand middle-aged people to diversify

our ranks. A club gains newperspectives and renewed energy witha diverse membership.

By the same token, don’t hesitate totry new projects. We can’t grow stale.We don’t eat stale bread or rice and wedon’t want a stale club. We must havethe courage to turn our clubs into fresh,young and vibrant ones.

We also must work together. Anancient story illustrates the power ofteamwork. A powerful samurai lord,Mori Motonari, took aside his threesons and easily snapped a singlearrow. But when he held three arro wstogether the well-muscled man couldnot break the bunch. The moral is clear.Americans even have their own sayingfor it: united we stand, divided we fall.When the 1.4 million Lions family isunited, we can deliver the light ofservice throughout the world.

So this year let’s embody thesamurai spirit. Lions, be samurai. Butwhen you go on your ser vice activities,please keep your sharp swords athome and carry with you only thesamurai spirit!

About a decade ago I was privileged to visit the home inCalcutta, India, where Mother Teresa once cared for thedesperately poor. Her love for others had a tremendousimpact – not only on those she helped but also in inspiringothers to follow her example. Mother Teresa was not rich orpowerful. She did not hold office. She wielded no army. Sheowned next to nothing. Yet she changed the world. What adifference one person on a mission can make!

Her life actually is ironic – and instructive – for Lions. We Lionsare not lone wolves. We serve together. We join a club because werealise we can accomplish so much more by working together . Werealise we are not Mother Teresa. That’s OK. We do what we canwith our own talents. Our limitations actually can work to ouradvantage because in joining with other Lions we can accomplishso much more than we can do on our o wn.

So, Lions, be involved with your c lub as much as you can. Takepart in the initiatives of Lions Clubs Interna tional as well. Help fulfillthe centennial goals related to hunger, youth, sight and theenvironment. Support LCIF. Recruit a new member. Join us inbeautiful Fukuoka, Japan, next year for the 99th Interna tionalConvention. There is much more than strength in numbers: there isthe opportunity to rebuild society. It’s great you are a Lion. Thankyou for your service and dedication. But always strive to be part ofthe worldwide Lions community and fully support our man yremarkable initiatives.

It’s easy to sit back and do the usual. But now is the time to bea Lion who goes outside his or her comfort zone and makesservice more a part of his or her life. I’ve heard it said: “Life iseither a daring adventure or nothing a t all.” So be adventurous anddaring. Be a Lion.

BE DARING: Exemplifying daring and teamwork, Richard Plante, azone chairperson and past president of the La Sarre Lions Club inQuebec, Canada, led an expedition that reached the summit of 5895mMount Kiliminjaro in Tanzania. The project raised $50,000 to benefit ahospital.

Embrace thespirit of daring

The diversity of Lions helps the associa tion prosper.


5October - November 2015

Australian Leo Joel Pattinson-Cashman has been named an International Leos of theYear award winner.

Joel joins 31 others from the 150,000 Leos around the world to receive the a wardfollowing the Lions Clubs Interna tional Convention in Hawaii.

“This is a wonderful reward for a fine young man and a credit to the Leos Organisa tionand to all of his mentors,” said Immediate Past Council Chairperson Warren Latham, the firstto receive news of the a ward.

The award will be presented to Joel a t the next District Q2 Convention.A Leos of the Year award is the highest honour given by Lions to youth.Said Lions International in announcing the award: “Leo Pattinson-Cashman exemplifies the

finest qualities that characterise a Leo member.”The Leos of the Year award recognises a Leo’s outstanding leadership skills; superior

record in implementing successful ser vice projects; identifiable contributions to thedevelopment and growth of the Leo Club Program; distinction in community/school activitiesoutside of Leos; and high ethical and personal standards.

For more on Joel’s win, turn to page 30 to read the Lions Roar report of Leo & YouthOutreach Committee Chairman Martin Peebles.

Joel awarded international Leos of the Year honour

The Follow Your Dream Foundation has started to supportyoung Australians and overseas families.

We are in discussion with a university to provide scholarships to young Australians in recognition of two

outstanding Lions who recently passed a way.The Foundation provided 15 laptop

computers to young students who losteverything in the recent floods in

Dungog, near Newcastle.Financial support has been

given to another younggroup of intellectuallychallenged young people with multiculturalperformances tohelp with their

development.Young people in

South Australia willnow be able to

attend camps thatthey previously were

not able to attendbecause of financial

reasons.The Anne and Barry

Palmer Fellowship Awardis now available fordonations of $500. These

are numbered and now isthe time to get an earlynumber. This very attractiveaward is now available and

can be engraved with the recipient’s name. You or your club also has the opportunity to support a family in

rural India. For only an annual payment of $500 you or your c lub willenable a woman to start her o wn business, the children to beeducated and given regular food and the family’ s medical cover paidfor a year. This allows the Lions of Australia to become part of theInternational family. You will receive six monthly upda tes on theprogress of the mother’s business as well as the children’seducation and health. The Foundation will be installing toilets andclean water to the village.

With Governors’ approval we will be visiting some of our DistrictConventions to sell the program to you, the Lions of Australia.

PIP Barry Palmer - AMChairman of the Foundation

Follow Your Dream Foundation gains momentumYoung students are among first beneficiaries of The Anne and Barry Palmer Fellowship Award

YOUNG RECIPIENT: Presentation of laptop.


Lion6

LIONS ACTION

For years Katoomba-basedentomologist/naturalist Rex Gilroy hadobserved with concern the repeatedly highincidence of people, particularlyyoung children, being treated athospitals throughout Australia forbites from Funnel Web, Red Back,Eastern Mouse, White-tail and otherdangerous spider species.

Rex became alarmed at the lack ofknowledge among both the public andmany medical staff at hospitals inidentifying various spider species. Heobserved every summer spider bitevictims being treated at hospitals whena basic knowledge of spiders, theirhabits and the sensible precautionswhen gardening could have avoidedhospitalisation.

Having joined the then Ka toombaLions Club in the Blue Mountains westof Sydney in 1980, he obtained theclub’s support in establishing anationwide “Dangerous Spiders PublicAwareness” free information service.

Rex then launched a campaign to ha ve thethen newly developed anti-venom for Funnel WebSpider bite made available to the Blue MountainsDistrict Anzac Memorial Hospital. This move soonsaved the lives of over a dozen local bite victimsof the Blue Mountains Funnel Web, Australia’s

deadliest Funnel Web species.Since then Rex, with his wife Lion

Heather and with the support of other

Lions clubs, has continued the project, which todate has saved about 100 lives. In 2013 theGilroys joined Bathurst Macquarie Lions Clubwhere the project now has a permanent home.

The Gilroys have produced a full colour‘Dangerous Spiders Public Awareness’ booklet fornationwide distribution, with photos of every

dangerous andnot-so-dangerousspider speciesfound aroundthe home,together withtheir individuallife histories,habits and bite

effects. Besides a fully illustra ted first-aidprocedure (the Pressure ImmobilisationTechnique, also used for snake-bite), there ishelpful advice on spider control and tips forparents teaching children about spider danger.

The booklet can be obtained by sendingcheque/money order for $10 to The Secretary,Lions Club of Bathurst Macquarie Inc., PO Box372, Bathurst NSW 2795 or [email protected]. Proceeds go to theclub’s “Kids in Need” project that assistsAustralian children with special needs.

The club also operates a Dangerous Spidersadvice hotline – 02 47823441.

The project is receiving wide communitysupport and is advertised Australia-wide withpress releases and radio inter views with ‘SpiderMan’ Rex. The Gilroys give talks with specimensfrom Rex’s own huge natural science collection toLions and other clubs and schools.

“Bathurst Macquarie Lions is concerned a t thepopulation growth of the Blue Mountains FunnelWeb (Hadronycha versuta) in the Bathurst-CentralWestern districts of NSW where the spiders maketheir burrows in rocky terrain,” says Rex. “Theirvenom is several times more toxic than otherFunnel Web species, capable of killing a childwithin two hours and an adult within 12 hours.Another species of concern is the White-tail, thebite from which can cause serious skin necrosis.”

Climate change has seen a considerableincrease in deadly Red Back and other speciesnumbers in many parts of eastern Australia,indicating summer will be a bad spider season.

“The club’s objective is to educa te thecommunity at large on the identifica tion ofdangerous and not-so-dangerous spiders theymay find around their homes and wha tprecautions to prevent these spiders moving in,as they prepare their homes and gardens a gainstbushfires this coming summer,” says Rex.

Bathurst Macquarie Lions is currently turningthe City of Bathurst into the “Spider Capital ofAustralia” and the nerve centre of this importantLions life-saving project.

Lion Rex revs up fight against deadly Funnel Websthat are invading rural areas of NSW. It’s a fight thatto date has saved an estimated 100 lives

Putting the bite on spiders

Male Funnel Web spider

FemaleFunnel Webspider

LEFT: BathurstMacquariePresident GrahamCarter with RexGilroy and FunnelWeb spiders.



Landlubber Sacha Clark, 18, took to life on the seaas a crew member on a tall ship like, well, a fish towater.

Without hesitation, she climbed the soaring mast ofthe majestic STS Leeuwin II and unfurled the huge sail.“It was so awesome,” she told a Western Australiannewspaper.

For 30 years the Leeuwin Lions Club has sponsoredyouths for the weeklong sea adventure where theylearn responsibility and boost their self-esteem. Somelove sailing. Some are disadvantaged economically.Some are right in line with youths often helped byLions: the STS Leeuwin II is the only tall ship inAustralia to host youths with a physical, sensory orintellectual limitation that prevents them from beingpart of other mentorship sailing programs.

Dr John Williams, the charter president of LeeuwinLions Club, is a longtime close friend of Dr MalcolmHay, an orthopedic surgeon and a vid sailor whogathered the funds needed to build the tall ship andlaunched the youth sailing program. More than 40,000young people have participated. Lions sponsor as manyas three youths a year. “Many of our youths haveshown an amazing change in a ttitude and personality,”says Dr Williams.

The club, incidentally, is not named after the ship butafter the landmark Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly mainland point of Australia. But the ship doeshappen to have a striking Lioness on its bo w.

When Melbourne’s Glenroy Boxing Gym and Youth Club needed toreplace ropes and corner pads for their boxing ring, the local GlenroyLions Auxiliary was right for the challenge.

The gym and youth club has been operating in Glenroy since 1997 withminimal community financial support, with its president and head coachoften paying for equipment from his o wn pocket.

Glenroy RSL has provided rental assistance for the past 17 years, whichhas allowed attendance charges to be kept to a minimum, sometimes free.

The Glenroy district is not wealthy but has a definite need for c lubs likethis for youths. Not all who use the c lub train to be boxers but ra ther use itto hang out, punch a few bags or exercise. Of course, there are some whobox seriously, with three members in ama teur ranks and four in professionalcompetition.

While parts of the club certainly look to be in disrepair after all these years, it isstill a club where they really care about the people who a ttend.

Through coin collecting over the years, the club planned to replace the ropes andpads but the funds were stolen in a break-in.

The club has never directly requested financial assistance before. Glenroy Lions heard of their plight and their grea t community service and

immediately chipped in towards the cost, with The Australian Lions Foundationproviding the balance.

Landlubbers set sail

AHOY THERE: Michael Dunn climbs the mast of the STS Leeuwin II.

Lionsmoney putsnewmeaninginto goingaloft

HELPINGHAND: LionsLady JanetStephens, whogot the projectmoving, joinsthe headcoach andbuddingboxers in thering.

Punching on


Lion8

Greetings everyone,Here we are into our new Lions year and threemonths have passed already! All District Governorsare busy implementing their programs and involvedin club visits with the assistance of District Teams.

Lions Lady Anne and I have just returned homefrom being involved in our first full Council meetingfor the current Lions year in Sydney andinvolvement in the ANZI Pacific Forum in Auckland,New Zealand. It was encouraging to see thededication and care shown by your DistrictGovernors as they met in Committee and as Councilto discuss and debate the issues raised so as toensure growth and membership care across ourMultiple District. The support they receive from MDExecutive, National Coordinators and National Officeis truly amazing and much appreciated. A great dealof time was focused on our Membership Strategy todrive growth and care of members for the comingtwo to three years, along with a promotion strategyas we move towards out Centennial celebrations.

While membership growth is essential, eitherthrough club growth or club chartering, it was alsostrongly agreed that care of current membersshould be high on the agenda. It is stronglysuggested that Club Presidents and MembershipWelfare Chairmen visit the Lions Club Internationalwebsite and download the following booklets: “JustAsk” (a new member recruiting guide); “Your Club,Your Way” (customising your club meetings) and“Blueprint for a Stronger Club” (on club operations,service, leadership development and membership).It is no secret. The most effective Lions clubsregularly identify ways to expand their humanitarianservice impact, develop leaders and meet clubmembers’ needs and expectations. In short, theytake care to ensure they continually bring value tothe community and to club members.

While speaking about the Lions ClubsInternational website, which I am sure all clubleaders are familiar with due to their constant useof MyLCI, it is important to note its value as awonderful source of information and trainingopportunities. It is worth the time to go into the

Member Center (please excuse the Americanspelling) and explore the Resources available, theLeadership Resource Center and in particular theLions Learning Center. Our own Australian Lions

website is also full of important resources andtraining opportunities. Yes, we are Lions of Australia,but we are also ver y much part of the global familyof Lions Clubs International and we should notignore the wealth of information available on the LCIwebsite, just because it is developed in America.

As mentioned earlier, Lions Lady Anne attendedthe 5th ANZI Pacific Forum in Auckland, NewZealand. It was a great opportunity to meet fellowLions from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia andthe Pacific Islands in fellowship and to learn moreabout our organisation. These forums are alsovalued by our international leaders and it was goodto interact on a personal level with our InternationalPresident, Dr Jitsuhiro Yamada, and 1st ViceInternational President, Bob Corlew, and his wifeDianne. Planning is already well underway for theANZI Pacific Forum VI to be held in Yogyakarta,Indonesia from September 2-4 2016 – and inSeptember 2017 it will be back in Australia at avenue to be determined. If travelling to Indonesia toattend is a challenge, then mark the calendar for2017, our Lions Centennial year, as it will be in ourown backyard.

One of the presentations at the ANZI PacificForum concerned the implementation and planningfor our Lions Centennial celebrations. From July2014 to June 2018 we have been challenged to beof service to 100,000,000 people throughout theworld under the banner of “Where there’s a need,there’s a Lion”. As of July 2015, over 42 millionpeople have benefited from Lions ser vice in the fourareas of Youth, Vision, Hunger and Environment.Here in Australia we have just over 1,200 clubsparticipating in the Service Challenge and we havereported 13,000 activities in the past 14 months.The interesting thing to note is that so far this Lionsyear 39% of clubs across Australia have notentered any service hours. Yet I am positive thatthose 473 clubs have all been active within theircommunities in some way or another. Either theclub does not collect the ser vice hours of itsmembers or the club secretar y is not entering theminto the MyLCI portal when doing the WMMR.Accurate data entry is essential for us to gain aclear picture as to whether we are on track to meetour goal of service to 100 million people in the fourCentennial Challenge areas. This data is also crucialwhen we come to seeking partnerships withorganisations that can help us make a difference inthe lives of our fellow humans. I am sure Dick Smithwould not have handed over $1 million at theCanberra MD Convention if he was not sure that

we, as an organisation through ALF, would use itwisely. It is data from our Ser vice Activitiesindicating Lions hours, people served, funds raisedand donations made that speaks to people in DickSmith’s position about the quality of ourorganisation and in particular its members. Soplease put in your hours and, secretaries, recordthem through MyLCI and where applicable tick thebox if you can identify it as one of the fourCentennial Projects.

Make a larger impact in your community and ASKONE. It’s that simple! When just over 26,900Australia-wide Lions ask one person – a familymember, friend or neighbour – to become a Lion,the effect is monumental. The lives of both Lionsand those we serve are impacted, all because youtook the first step and asked one person to join. Ialso draw your attention to the challenge I putforward in the last Lion magazine, that each clubstrives to be Net Plus 1 at the end of the currentLions year. I am aware that we have many smallclubs around our Multiple District who are finding ithard to get members, but if you can strive to keepthe members you have and do what you can withinyour community, then your example of communityservice gives the opportunity for another person inthe community to be part of the club. There aremany challenges for us as an organisation in thisarea and I was heartened by the robust debate andsharing of ideas that took place at the ANZI PacificForum in Auckland about not just getting newmembers but, very importantly, showing care forthose members we have.

By the time you receive this issue of the Lionmagazine, we will be into our World Week of Servicein Sight (October 4th to the 10th). President Yamadainvites all Lions around the world to join together fora special event to raise awareness about eyehealth, blindness and vision impairment. Visionscreenings, provision of eyeglasses and eye healtheducation are just a few ways you and your clubcan bring dignity to friends and neighbours wholack access to adequate eye care. In addition, yourproject will help us reach our Centennial Ser viceChallenge goal of serving 100 million people.

October and November will be busy due to the19 District Conventions. I trust that they will be arewarding experience for all involved and theoutcomes of the respective Conventions will greatlybenefit the sustainability and development ofDistricts.

Travel well and take care.Regards,

Phillip & Anne Johnson

From Council Chairman Phillip

FROM THE MULTIPLE DISTRICT

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From Executive Officer Rob

After three months ofplanning, the MultipleDistrict Counciladopted aCommunications planor Public Relations planfor the next two years.

The plan is aboutshining a light on theprojects of our clubs and

Districts, and spreading the word aboutmembership. It is the Multiple District’s CentennialProject.

The cornerstone of the project is to fund 100projects in 100 communities celebrating our 100thanniversary. With our media partner, we will beasking our communities to develop great projects,consistent with our Lions Clubs goals and presentthem to participating clubs for consideration. Theseprojects will generate practical and promotablestories about our great Association that we willpromote through the media.

PIP President Barry Palmer AM is the projectAmbassador and will be looking for 100+ clubs toparticipate in this initiative. Please have a look atthe short advertisement below and stay tuned for

more detailed information to come from yourDistrict and the Multiple District.

Council resolved at its recent meeting to acceptthe bid from Townsville to host the 2018 MultipleDistrict Convention. Congratulations to the Lions ofTownsville for your great work and I wouldencourage all Lions to consider attending a MultipleDistrict Convention. With Echuca in 2016, Hobart in2017 and Townsville in 2018 there are diverseopportunities to suit your interests and budget.

If you think you might like to host a MultipleDistrict Convention and bring an economic benefitof more than $3 million to your town or city ,consider bidding for the 2019 Convention.

We have recently produced a professionalsponsorship package for our Youth of the YearProgram. The package includes a brochure outliningthe benefits of corporate sponsorship and a shortvideo where our participants and their parentsspeak about their own experiences. It’s available onour website – just put “Sponsorship Opportunities”into the search box.

What we need now is to get the package into theboardrooms of companies that would like to reachout to us and 2000 talented young people eachyear. Every Lion can help! Connecting with these

companies is based on a personal relationship. Whodo you know? Family, friends, business partners?If you know someone who can help, please let meknow and let’s work together to find a sponsor forYouth of the Year!

Best wishes to you all for the coming DistrictConventions.

– Rob Oerlemans

Coming up1. Bid for the 2019 MD201 Convention: Bidsare sought from Lions Districts and Clubs tohost the 2019 Multiple District Convention. Forfull details and a bidding package pleasecontact Executive Officer, Rob Oerlemans [email protected]. Please note the deadlines on page 27 of thismagazine regarding Motions to the EchucaNational Convention in 2016.3. Environmental photo competition –Applications must be at the National Officebefore Friday 8 January 2015.4. Happiest Lions Club competition – Staytuned for more information but think about your30-60 second video entry.


12 Lion10

Sydney’s Hornsby Lions obviouslyknow how to turn fun into lots ofdollars.

In August the club raised a record ofmore than $85,000 with its annual GalaDinner in support of the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter.

The 500-seat dinner featuredperformances by the HummingsongCommunity Choir, Tania de Jong AM andlocal band Street Party and was comperedby Mark Rondeau.

And it wasn’t all light hearted. ABCpresenter Linda Mottram spoke with localmum Bianka Costigan about her intimateexperiences of domestic violence, includingthe death of her cousin Tara Costigan.

Guest speaker Annabelle Daniel, CEO ofWomen’s Community Shelters, shared thesad statistics on homelessness anddomestic violence, and the need for morefunding. Entrepreneur Peter Hunt AMhighlighted the need for more philanthropy.

The main prize was provided by Hornsbyreal estate agent Karen Hardy of Laing +Simmons who auctioned the $19,000commission on the sale of a home. Otherprizes included a $5000 Domayneshopping voucher.

The auction also included all entries inthe Apron Project, in which 45 artists fromAustralia and the USA transformed humbleaprons into works of art.

Graham Hosking, President of the

Hornsby club said he was delighted withthe support of local businesses thatdonated prizes. Said John Lockyer, chair ofthe Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter:“It is fantastic to see the support of thelocal community for the only women’sshelter in the area, which is a domesticviolence hotspot with over 80 reports ofincidences per month”. Testament to thiswere donations on the night, includingthose from the Lions Club of St Ives($5000), the Hornsby RSL Club ($14,000)and the Hornsby RSL Club CommunityChest prize winner Ms Gutter ($3000).

The dinner, opened by Mayor SteveRussell, was well attended by the Hornsbyand Ku-ring-gai communities and localbusinesses including Laing + Simmons,Bendigo Bank, Bush Tele, Cammeray BookClub, Asquith Public School, Domayne,Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hornsby, HornsbyCouncil, Ku-ring-gai Council, HummyMummies, Lions Club of St Ives, MindfulMovement, Mount St Benedicts, NorthConnex, Ray White, Hornsby RSL,Soroptimists, SOS Choir, The Dish,Sparkles, Zonta as well local MPs PaulFletcher and Matt Kean.

Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelterrelies entirely on community donations andreceives no government funding.More information: www.hkws.com.au

Photos: Claire Miles, Frangipani designs

A fun way to raise a whopping $85,000

Photos: Claire Miles,Frangipani designs



12 Lion12

Every child in every Head Start program inKentucky – that’s the new target populationfor the KidSight program in Kentucky, USA.

Children in Head Start often do not have accessto eye health resources. Yet Head Start requires thatevery child receives a vision screening within 45days of enrolling in the program. The Lions ofKentucky hope the expansion will fulfill this

requirement for 20,000 children. Lions will screenchildren living in Kentucky’s coal miningcommunities, from migrant farmworker families andthose in impoverished inner city areas.

Lions of Kentucky are being assisted by an LCIFStandard grant for $92,312. The screenings will bedone in partnership with the Kentucky Lions EyeFoundation, the Louisville Downtown Lions Club and

the Kentucky Head Start Association.The Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation initiated its

KidSight program in 2003. Since then, the programhas screened the vision of more than 80,000children throughout Kentucky.

Head Start is a federal program that promotesthe school readiness of children under the age offive by enhancing their social, emotional andcognitive development. Children enrolled in Head

Start programsreside in low-incomehouseholds; toqualify for HeadStart, a family offour’s annual incomemay not exceed$23,850.

Typically, visionscreenings for HeadStart children inKentucky areperformed by localhealth departmentswith vision charts.While these charts

may be adequate forolder children withoutlanguage or medical

barriers, local Lions are concerned about theiraccuracy in screening infants and children withdevelopmental delays. According to program data,12 percent of Head Start children have disabilitiesthat impede traditional vision screenings and up to32 percent have language barriers.

Much of the grant funding was used to purchasenon-invasive photoscreening devices. Many Lions

clubs use these cameras to conduct their screeningoutreach activities. The cameras boast a 95 percentaccuracy rate and provide immediate results. Thesedevices are useful in detecting nearsightedness,farsightedness, astigmatism, lazy eye and otherconditions that can be easily corrected if detectedearly.

Local Lions are visiting Head Start centresthroughout Kentucky to conduct screenings forchildren who might otherwise not be able to obtainthem. All children whose screenings indicate theneed for follow-up care are referred to eye healthprofessionals. Head Start staff work to find, secureand coordinate the follow-up care, ensuring thatassistance does not end with a vision screening.

During a pilot program in western Kentucky in2011, 618 Head Start preschool children receivedvision screenings. Fifteen percent were found toneed prescriptive eyeglasses and five percent werefound to have a serious eye disease.

Felicia Elliot, a nurse and a former Head Startprogram specialist, says: “This pilot proved to be ofgreat value. I, along with the parents of all 618 ofthose screened children whose vision was saved,are extremely grateful to the Kentucky Lions EyeFoundation, the KidSight program and all itswonderful volunteers.”

The Lions of Kentucky expect to screen all HeadStart children in the state by the end of 2015, afterwhich local clubs will use the cameras forcommunity-wide screenings at churches, healthfairs and day care centres.

Information on how clubs can apply for an LCIFStandard grant is at lcif.org.

One morning, as administrator Stella Agbogunmade her rounds in the RadiotherapyDepartment at Lagos University TeachingHospital (LUTH) in Nigeria, she happened upona young man comforting his weeping motherin the hallway.

They had travelled to Lagos from Cross River , aNigerian state more than 400 miles away, so thewoman could receive cancer treatment at LUTH. Butwithout any money or relatives in Lagos, the pairhad nowhere to stay. They were desperate andcompletely alone.

Agbogun, a Lion, knew something had to bedone to help the family and those like them, whotravel from far and wide for access to LUTH’ sRadiotherapy Department but lack the resources tosecure housing for themselves during treatment.

“They had nowhere to sleep,” says Agbogun.“They had no relations in Lagos, and they did nothave enough money for their accommodation. I wasmoved by pity. After that incident, I made thedecision to be a positive change, to create a betterliving environment for cancer patients.”

Agbogun, District 404 B governor then, saw anopportunity to serve her community and improve the

lives of vulnerable individuals. She collaborated withLUTH and Lions Clubs International Foundation(LCIF) to develop plans for Mercy Home, a housingfacility for cancer patients at the hospital.

Agbogun worked both with the LUTHmanagement team to finalise details and secure thespace for Mercy Home and with Lion leaders tocomplete the project. With plans for 20 beds, MercyHome would offer temporary accommodation forradiotherapy patients and their relatives who cannotafford accommodations in Lagos.

With the help of a US$75,000 Standard grantfrom LCIF, arrangements for the construction ofMercy Home were put in place. On a rainy day inJuly, behind the Radiotherapy Department at LUTH,Lions and local dignitaries gathered to break groundon the special facility that was years in the making.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Professor AkinOsibogun, the chief medical Director of LUTH,elatedly described how honoured the hospital wasto commission Mercy Home. The facility was adream realised.

“LUTH’s management team sealed the entiredeal by giving us this space, where Mercy Homestands,” Agbogun said at the ceremony. “They gaveus easy access to the institution and were ready torender assistance and encouragement.”

Mercy Home now stands as a symbol of hope topeople in some of the darkest times of their lives,as well as a reminder that wherever a need arisesin the community, Lions will find a way to meet thechallenge.

For information on Standard grants and how yourLions club can apply, visit lcif.org.

Kentucky children gain better visionLCIF

Lions clubs across the U.S., like this one in Pennsylvania, host vision screenings forchildren.

Lions in Nigeria aid cancer patients

SALVATION: Mercy Home offers a place to stay formedical patients.



The people of the remote village ofSanananda beyond Papua New Guinea’sOwen Stanley Ranges reckon Lion LanceCrook is a pretty special person.

So important that they recently installed him aschief of their village.

In appropriate feathered headdress, Lion Lancetook part in an official ceremony in which he wasannounced as the successor to Chief Albert, whohad passed away shortly before.

While it wasn’t an honour Lance sought, it isone he will treasure.

The honour followed Lance’s project undertakenin conjunction with South Australia’s Lions Club ofGilles Plains of supplying and installing solarlighting in the village.

As Lance tells it, the village people are not richand most make do with what they can catch in theocean and grow in their gardens. The village hasno running water or electricity and, while there area few generators, they can’t afford to run themunless they have paying tourists visiting the area.

The tourists who do come pay a ver y small feefor accommodation and food.

Now Sanananda has light, and best of all itdoesn’t cost them a single kina, the local currency.

The children can do homework at night and thesavings put to buying food.

Lance, on a disability pension since breaking hisback while helping the elderly, spent 13 days inthe village installing the solar lights.

The supply of the lights was arranged with thehelp of Gilles Plains Lions, they were provided byBunnings in Cairns and transported to PNG by TNTTransport.

“One thing these beautiful people have issunshine and that costs them nothing,” says Lanceof the 50 solar shed lights that have changed forthe better the lives of 50 families, including 150children.

As well as the lights, Lance supplied the villagewith personal items.

Before becoming a Lion, Lance had travelled toPNG twice and visited the village.

It’s not widely known that the beaches ofSanananda, a village on the coast of Oro Province,

MEETTHECHIEF

was the original World War 2 landing spot in PNGof Japanese troops on the 21st of July 1942.

“Without this place we would never of heard ofKokoda, and it is also the last place the Japanesefought to the death before leaving PNG,” saysLance.

He believes it was fitting that the village receivedits lights, and the chance for a brighter future, onthe 73rd anniversary of that landing.

HEAD HONCHO:Lance in his tribal gearas the new chief.

LEFT: Villagers offerthanks to Lance forbringing solar light totheir homes.

BELOW LEFT: Lancewith one of therecipients.

BELOW: Installing oneof the solar lights. Theproject was done inconjunction with SouthAustralia’s Lions Clubof Gilles Plains


Lion

Touching down on the grass airstriponce again, the medical team fromHepatitis B Free was warmlywelcomed with smiles, waves andhandshakes from the people of theBarai tribe.

The team, including doctors, nurses, apharmacist and an optometrist, werereturning for the third time to deliver thefinal round of vaccinations to over 2000people in surrounding villages.

Dense rainforest and rolling hills andvalleys stretch in every direction, anindication of the remote isolation of thisregion of the Oro Province.

There are just two community healthworkers in this tribal community ofthousands and the nearest hospital is aday’s walk away, if not longer.

With no running water nor electricity, itwould be back to basics for the next fewdays – trekking through bush from villageto village, operating out of crowdedclinics in windhouses, sleeping togetherin bamboo huts.

Each day at the clinics, the Hepatitis BFree team would see hundreds of peoplefor a myriad of health problems rangingfrom tropical sores to toothaches,pneumonia to cataracts, fractures to skininfections. Wounds were dressed,medications prescribed, children givenworming medication, and immunisations

administered to everyone.One of the vaccines offers protection

against hepatitis B, a virus that infectsthe liver and afflicts 350 million peopleglobally, especially in the Asia-Pacificregion. Hepatitis B can be fatal, resultingin severe scarring or cancer of the liver .However, it is entirely preventable byvaccination.

This is a central part of our program inthe Barai tribe, where many villagersdon’t have the same access to simplehealth services as people from better-serviced urban areas.

In the same spirit of each visit since2013, we have always worked side-by-side with our partners in the Baraicommunity – Ezekiel and Lester, the localhealth workers, as well as Petros andKerry, students from the village training tobecome skilled nurses.

In an interview with the team, Ezekieldescribed the challenges he faces as ahealth worker caring for 12 villages outof a small bamboo hut just a few metreswide, a roof that leaks in the rainyseason, and little supply of basic medicalequipment, and no light for women givingbirth at night.

A positive development in the pastyear has been in eye care ser vices.Where previously there had been nooptometry facilities, experiencedoptometrist John Granada was able toassess patients for eye problems, providereading glasses, and suggest referralthrough our partner organisation inPopondetta, the capital of Oro Province.

This is only one of the communities wework with. We have now delivered care toover 9000 people, some in areas thathave never had doctors. We feel lucky tohave the opportunity and have seensome real changes. There is a great dealmore to do and we are developingprograms to support Oro Provincecommunities, not just to reduce the gripof hepatitis B but to make immediate,life-altering changes. We are extremelygrateful for the support of Lions and thepartnership that allows our program toexpand. Paediatrician Dr Moe consulting with

patients at Gajot village.

Nurse Jodee distributes soap andeducates a mother and her child abouthygiene practices.

A young girl (left) from Itokama whosuffers visual difficulty wears sunglassesgiven her by optometrist John (right). Withher are her family.

How you can helpContact Tony Moore, Presidentof the Lions Club of Sydney

Special Olympics Inner West,[email protected]

Two years ago we reported onvolunteer work being done byLion Dr Alice Lee and her teamin fighting the deadly hepatitis Bvirus in remote areas of P apuaNew Guinea. That remarkablework continues, as thefollowing report from CarrieLee, Dr Alice’s daughter, shows.District N5 Lions c lubs aresupporting Dr Lee’ s Hepatitis BFree charity as a DistrictProject. The aim is to raise$40,000, with $10,000 raisedsince February.

HELPING OUT (pictured from top)

Lion fights deadly PNG virus


October - November 2015 15

Earlier this year Latiisha Picklesattained a Lions first.

She became the first Lions Cub ofSouth Australia’s Paralowie Lions.

These days, proud Latiisha can beregularly seen at home games of thelocal North Football Club helping hergrandmother and the other Lions atthe barbecue, or doing other Lionswork.

Latiisha was introduced to Lions inOctober last year when she attendeda meeting with her “Nanna”, JuliePickles.

She was there to show how muchher walker, provided through NovitaChildren’s Services, MobilitySA, andLions, meant to her.

You see, Latiisha might now behelping others through Lions but shehas her own problems.

At age four, she was diagnosedwith Pontine Tegmental Cap Dysplasia(PTCD).

She was believed to be the firstchild diagnosed in Australia with PTCD(currently there are only two others inAustralia and as few as 25 throughoutthe world).

PTCD is a genetic disorderinvolving a brain malformation. Itaffects hearing and sight (Latiisha islegally blind in her right eye) andcauses significant developmentaldelay and facial paralysis (Latiisha haslittle or no feeling in her face and wasunable to walk unaided until she wasgiven the walker by Novita when in

kindergarten). When 13 days old, Latiisha

underwent open heart surgery tocorrect a hyperplastic left arch and aVSP (hole in the heart). Afterwards,during a routine MRI, doctorsdiscovered a small “lump” at the baseof her brain. There were no clues asto what this might be. Her “Poppa”,George, suggested it was “aknowledge lump”.

Latiisha was fed via a tube throughher nose directly into her stomachuntil she was seven months old. Atage two she had a lesion on her righteye, which caused an ulcer on hercornea. After many months oftreatment and a forward thinkingophthalmologist, she now has bloodtaken on a regular basis. This isconverted to drops which she has inboth eyes three times daily.

Today Latiisha is able to walkunaided, albeit with an unsteady gait.

Seemingly always smiling, Latiishaloves to help anyone she can.

Much of her core strength thesedays comes through her connectionwith Riding for the Disabled SA North.She has been a part of this wonderfulprogram for four years and lovesevery minute of it.

Earlier she became the pin-up girlfor RDA North when she wasinterviewed and photographed by theMessenger Press to promote Ridingfor the Disabled SA North.

Happy young cubLatiisha spreads the

Lions message

RIGHT SPIRIT: Lions cub Latiisha doesn’t allow her problems to interferewith her work of helping others.

CALLING AUSTRALIAN LIONS FOR HELPLions of Australia, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) has once again responded to another disaster .

Typhoon Soudelor tore through the Pacific Ocean region of Taiwan, claiming dozens of lives and leaving millions offamilies without water, electricity or shelter. The storm also caused monsoon rains, high winds, flooding and landslides.

Our foundation, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), responded immediately with a US$10,000 Emergency grantwhich was awarded to Lions District 204 Micronesia for relief in Saipan. A US$200,000 Major Catastrophe grant wasawarded to MD300 Taiwan to assist with immediate needs and long-term reconstruction. The Lions of MD300 Taiwan,China and Micronesia are coming to the aid of their neighbours, but they need our help. LCIF is committed to supportingthe humanitarian needs within these communities for the short and long term.

The people of Vanuatu and Nepal are still being supported by LCIF after their recent disasters. LCIF asks Australian Lionsonce again to assist in helping our pacific ocean neighbours with a donation.

Please send your donations to your District Cabinet Treasurer. These donations can be used towards a MJF/PMJF ifmade out to LCIF Disaster Relief. – Tom Becker, LCIF MD201 Coordinator


16616 Lion

By Geoff Failes

Several years ago N2’s FigtreeLions “adopted” an orphanage inTanzania as one of its mainfundraising projects.

The club has since raised morethan $10,000 through variousactivities to assist the Forever AngelsOrphanage, which promotes andraises awareness of orphaned andabandoned children in Tanzania andsupports initiatives to alleviate theseproblems.

The Forever Angels Baby Home inMwanza, on the shores of LakeVictoria, is the realisation of a dreamthat Amy Hathaway of Britain had asa young child after watching imagesof the Ethiopian famine on the Newsback in 1985.

Figtree Lions Club’s connection tothe Baby Home is through clubmember Greg Dombkins’ son Markand his wife Anna, who moved toTanzania in 2010 where Mark was ateacher at the International School inMoshi and Anna was a boarding parent/counsellor.Moshi is on the southern slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro.

The couple, who have three children of their own,Jackson, 8, Jemima, 6 and Max, six months, firstbecame interested in adopting one or more childrenfrom disadvantaged countries after watching amoving documentary on an orphanage in China in2006.

Not long after they arrived in Moshi, Mark andAnna, through a contact, visited the Baby Home inMwanza knowing that it had a good reputation forensuring that adoption was the “last resort” fororphaned children.

They were told about three abandoned siblings,including twins Charlie and Shalom (Shay), whowere then one year old, and their two-year-oldbrother Jabari who had been cared for by elderlygrandparents who were no longer physically able tocare for two young babies. No other relatives wereavailable to help care for the three siblings.

Authorities considered the best option would beto allow Mark and Anna to take over their care,because this arrangement would allow the siblingsto stay together and have an ongoing relationshipwith their grandparents.

Mark and Anna began the process by fosteringthe three children (with view to adoption) in

November 2010.That process to make the

adoption formal took several years.Happily, eventually all went well

and there was great excitementwhen Mark, Anna and their sixchildren including the twins andJabari arrived in Sydney inDecember, 2013 to begin a newlife in Australia.

The family settled into a largehouse in the Wollongong suburb ofCordeaux Heights and it did nottake the children long to adapt totheir new surroundings andlifestyle in a country thousands ofkilometres from Tanzania.

“Having the children for acouple of years in Tanzania andlearning about the culture andlanguage of the country made for abetter return overall,” Mark said.

“Since arriving home, everyoneincluding our family, friends fromchurch and others have been sosupportive – overwhelming infact.”

Since their arrival, Figtree Lions and many ofMark and Anna’s friends and family members havecontinued to support benefit nights for the ForeverAngels orphanage.

The most recent was held in Wollongong byFigtree Lions Club in a former courthouse buildingnear Brighton Beach, where more than $1000 wasraised from a dinner where guests paid $35 each toenjoy a sumptuous meal cooked by members.

The club has raised thousands of dollars forForever Angels over the past five years throughbenefit nights organised by Mark’s father Greg.

Happy new life for Tanzanian orphans in Wollongong

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Anna and Mark Dombkins at home with their “expanded” family... (from left) Jabari, Jemima, Jackson, Max and twins Charlie and Shalom.

Lions can be facilitators as well as hands-on workers.South Australia’s Goolwa club showed how when it facilitated a $50,000

donation from the Fleurieu Philanthropy Foundation (FPF) to the local AlexandrinaCouncil for a tactile wall, musical instruments and a pa th for disabled children in anew innovative nature play space.

For the Foundation to donate funds, recipients require Deductible Gift Recipient(DGR) status. That’s where the local club came in.

With the cooperation of the Australian Lions Foundation and a special purposegrant organised by Chairman Glen Herbert, Lion Margaret Gardner got thingsmoving. Jacinta Hartill spent hours developing a brief for the items in the playspace and the FPF transferred $50,000 to the ALF, Goolwa Lions received thatmoney and it was then transferred to Alexandrina Council.

Children with autism are the focus, with a coloured sensory wall, a path forwheelchair-bound children to access the space and musical instruments to play .

Lions as clever facilitators

Goolwa Lions President Bruce Gardner and MargaretGardner present the cheque to Mayor Keith Parkes.



N5’s Lions Club of Beecroft-Cheltenham raised $10,000, and togetherwith $10,000 from the Australian Lions Foundation, refurbished andbought major appliances and utensils for the Interactive LearningCentre kitchen at Karonga Special Education School, in SydneyEpping.

The completed Interactive Learning Centre kitchen was officially opened byDamien Tudehope MP, and eight Beecroft-Cheltenham Lions together with PDG

Beryl Payne representing the Australian Lions Foundation.After a tour of the school, the official cutting of the ribbon by two excited

school students and official presentations and speeches, parents and visitorswere served morning tea with food lovingly prepared in the new kitchen bystudents.

The school, and especially the students and parents, were delighted withtheir beautiful new kitchen.

Master chefs cook up a treat in $20,000 kitchen

BUDDING YOUNG CHEFS: Students are joined in a cook-up in the new kitc hen by Damien Tudehope MP, PDG Beryl Payne, school principal Mark Gosbell, Beecroft-Cheltenham Lions President Doreen Moore and a teacher.

After about 16 years of visiting hospitals forperiodic treatment on her hand caught in an oldfashioned washing machine wringer, BeverleyThomas knew there was only one career for her– nursing.

The terrible incident happened when she wasonly 20 months old and living in Scotland.

Her inquisitive nature led to the crushing injur yto her right hand tha t required skin drafts andregular treatment.

Eventually Beverley, from Unanderra inWollongong, became a registered nurse working ina number of areas, including mental health.

After having two boys, she took a break fromnursing but returned to her career choice on acasual basis in 1995.

Her interest in mental health nursing continuedand earlier this year she was among 16 nursesawarded special scholarships worth a total of

$45,000 through the Lions Nurses ScholarshipFoundation. At a recent Figtree Lions Club meeting,President Wayne James presented her with acertificate acknowledging her scholarship selection.

President Wayne said Beverley was keen toundertake a course in medica tion administration.

Her scholarship was worth $3000, but when thecost of the course was reduced to $2500 she ga veback $500 to Lions to help other nurses.

Beverley told club members that completing thecourse would make a “big difference in my life”.

“I’m so happy I applied. It will make my rolemore valued and make me feel like a more integralpart of the health unit where I work, ” she said.

Most scholarships went to nurses in regionaland country areas including Broken Hill, Dareton,Dalmeny, Cooma, Ingleburn, Manyana, St Marys,Cessnock, Deniliquin, Cowra, Chatswood, WestCoogee, Wollongar and Tugun. – Geoff Failes

Hand crushing start to nursing career – and now a big win

SO HAPPY: Beverley receives her scholarshipcertificate provided through the Lions NursesScholarship Foundation (NSF).


Lion18

Many hands make light work. That’s certainlythe case around Maitland, NSW.

Here three wonderful clubs regularly combine tohelp their community.

It all began when Maitland Lions were asked tohelp the local Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) witha project. As a result, Lions learned just what abattle the PCYC faced with the-day-to day runningof their club as they continued to help and guidelocal youth.

On another front, members of the LochinvarBushfire Brigade were also helping Maitland Lionswith various projects, including the parking of carsat the Maitland Show each year.

More recently, when Maitland Lions were short ofhelpers for 4WD shows, PCYC members andparents pitched in.

And when PCYC manager JustineRussell was approached by Lions to helpwith parking for Lions, she happilyobliged.

And so this mutual helpingassociation has gone on.

Three years ago, Maitland Lionsdonated uniform jackets to theMaitland PCYC gymnastics teams.Today the jackets display the fact theteam is sponsored Maitland Lions.

Money donated by Lions to thePCYC has well and truly beenearned, with many hours ofvolunteering being given back tothe club.

HELPING HANDSA little co-operation goes a long way in Maitland

IN IT TOGETHER:Maitland PCYC gymnastic team membersproudly show off their Lions-supplied jackets (top),while (above) Lions Lady Nola and husband Lion ChrisMcCarthy, and Lions Paul and Chrissy Bur nham, share theLions spirit at a community event.

Clubs wanting to take part in Planet Ark’ s National Recycling Weekshould note that this year it runs from 15 No vember.

Planet Ark founded National Recycling Week as a community educationcampaign in 1996, to bring national focus to recycling and minimising waste.

Since then, recycling items like paper, printer cartridges, steel cans,beverage containers and other packaging types has become part of oureveryday lives.

Now 94% of Australians have access to kerbside recycling ser vices.For more information on how you can support this valuable promotion, visit

RecyclingWeek.PlanetArk.org.

Prepare for National Recycling Week


June - July 2014 19

It’s a long way from Emerald in Queensland to Chainda inZambia but, thanks to Lions, the distance is seeminglygetting shorter.

For some time, the Lions club in Emerald, together with twomembers, Eric and Stella Bowyer, have been sponsoring aschool student, Arthur, who lives with his struggling widowedmother in Chainda.

Recently the club got together and paid for a new roof to beput on their house.

“She had built an extension to the house, but could not affordto put the roof on,” said Alison Ray, an affiliated member of theEmerald club who visited the project site.

“The plan is that when she dies, Arthur will be able to rentout this little extra room to earn an income for himself.”

The project was undertaken with the help of the Lions Clubof Roma in Lusaka, Zambia.

Alison Ray, who is part of the Rainbow House charityorganisation, first visited her son’s sponsor child in Lusaka in2002.

“I decided when the time was right, to go back there to assistthese people who, in my opinion, are very badly neglected anddown-trodden,” she says.

“Our (Rainbow House) school is three years old now and weare educating 50 students in the ver y impoverished village.

“Rainbow House Charity is making quite a difference to thevillage and on this trip we were able to move the projectforward, more in helping the village people with the rubbishcollection which, sadly, has also been neglected throughcorruption. We also formed a choir at the school and a youthgroup.”

A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADSEmerald Lions reach around theworld to put smiles on faces

SMILES SAY IT ALL:Arthur and his Mum.

RAISING THE ROOF: Work gets underway (above left), thanks to the help of people lik e AlisonRay and Nomsa, from the Lusaka club.

Lions of East Maitland really let their hair down when they

helped cater for a fundraising barbecue for the local SES.

The barbecue, organised by Maitland Netball Association, was

billed as “crazy hair and crazy sock day”.

East Maitland Lions have staged a number of barbecues to help

the local netball club that had its headquarters inundated with

floodwaters during April’s super storm.

Hair raising for charity


20Lion

Irene is a caring and compassionate Lion. Sheis enthusiastic about what Lions do, and whatthey have done, especially withinQueensland’s Tully community.

Currently she is the District Lions Eye HealthProjects Chairperson and Camp Kanga Registrar.Irene has also been a Zone Chairman and CabinetSecretary.

I was fortunate to gain some insight into whyIrene is so passionate about what she does.

I asked her how long she had been a Lion, andwhy she joined Lions.

She had been a Lion for nine years. Her husbandMartin is a Lion. Her father was a Charter Memberof Franklin Paeke Lions Club. As a young person,Lions was a big part of her family life.

When her youngest daughter was at high school,Irene and Martin started hosting Youth Exchangestudents, even though they were not Lions. They didthis for several years. “Martin was asked to joinLions, but he wanted me to join with him, ” saysIrene. “We waited until the club would accept femalemembers. When that happened, we both joined.”Irene, what do you get out of Lions?

Community involvement, friendship, ability to helpother people. Travel, i.e. going to conventionsthereby meeting other likeminded people.You say community involvement. What do youmean by that?

The community of Tully was devastated byCyclone Yasi. At that time I was Secretar y of theTully club, and also Zone Chairman. Martin wasPresident of Tully club. The work and time that Lionsspent in all different ways was simply amazing. Wehelped clean up yards, we offered support. Wetalked to people to find out their needs, then afterassessing what was required, we would issuevouchers for goods. These vouchers not onlysupported the general community, but also thebusiness section of our community.Has Tully fully recovered?

People moved away from the area after the

cyclone. Four years later, people are still recovering,and Lions are still helping the community to recover .I see that you are District Chairman for EyeHealth and Recycle sight. How many years

have you been on Cabinet?I was Zone Chairman for two years. I was

Cabinet Secretary for one year, and now Chairmanof Eye Health projects and Camp Kanga Registrar .What role do you play as District Eye HealthChairman?

I try to make people aware of various eyediseases. I encourage people to have regular eyechecks every two years if possible. People are

generally unaware of eye problems. When I was ona stand at the Tully Expo, I found that when peoplelooked through “glasses”, they were a little shockedat what they found. I also speak to variousorganisations such as Probus about eye problems.The reaction that I get is one of people beingunaware that they may have a problem.

One of the reasons eye health is important to meis because one of my daughters was born withcongenital cataracts. At 12 years of age, she wasdiagnosed with glaucoma, which is common withcongenital cataracts. She has completed auniversity degree and works in Townsville. Hereyesight is now stable. The Lions Eye HealthProgram is trying to make people aware of eyeproblems.What did you get out of your year as CabinetSecretary?

It was a fulfilling, rewarding and time consuming.I met lots of people and made new friends. I got toknow my District. I could put names to faces at clublevel. I enjoyed it so much.Would you do it again?

Yes, if I had the time to put into it. As I am fromNew Zealand, we travel back there for three monthseach year. Three of our children and sevengrandchildren live over there. Martin’s mother alsolives in New Zealand.What do you see as the future for Lions?

I would like to see younger people join, but we asan organisation need to look outside the square. Forclubs to continue, we need to look atcommunicating differently. Young peoplecommunicate using electronics such as the internetand smart phones. We have to embrace this ageand move forward or we will be left behind.Irene, it has been a pleasure talking to you.Continue your good work.

If any member knows someone who would makea good Lion, please ask them to one of yourmeetings.

– PDG Brenda Henderson

WOMEN IN LIONS

Lion Irene Braddick (Tully Lions Q2) under the microscope

Queensland’s Runaway Bay Lions have

pitched in to help buy a wheelchair-

accessible vehicle for a 26-year-old Gold

Coast man, Anthony Addati, who has

endured a life-long battle with the effects of

Congenital Muscular Dystrophy.

Anthony has not been able to walk since birth.

The Lions donated $3000 to the fundraising

drive, with money being raised from a variety of

local club projects that were well supported by the

local community.

Anthony, a smart young man with two

university degrees, recently took delivery of his

modified Kia Carnival that has been specially

configured to provide him with safe access and a

comfortable ride.

Anthony takes delivery of his new wheels


October - November 201521

South Australia’s Glenside Lions have turned art into a fundraisingbonanza with their art shows.

The club recently donated $20,000 to Legacy SA after the 23rd year of

shows.

The show is hailed by many for its quality of works and professionalism.

Art show chairman Bruce Spangler said it was fitting that this year’ s show

coincided with the centenary of the Anzac Gallipoli campaign.

Present to receive the cheque were Mark Boucher (incoming President of

Legacy SA) and Geoff Barnes (Legacy manager of fundraising).

Legacy supports families of deceased armed forces personnel.

Their volunteers are known as Legatees and these are the people who are

assigned to look after family members of ser vice men and women.

There are 500 Legatees in South Australia and they have 19 staff members.

They are very much in need of new volunteers as the average age of SA

Legatees is 80. There are 50,000 people eligible for Legacy benefits so they are

actively raising funds.

Getting to the $20,000 art of the matter for Legacy

Lions spring to fight horrible disease For 14 years Sue Coppola volunteered as a member of the Lions Club ofCampbelltown in NSW.

However, when the former club secretar y was diagnosed with Motor-Neurone Disease herfellow members sprang into action on her behalf, as they have done for others since 1985.

In just two months through chocolate wheels and barbecues, members raised more than$5000 for Motor Neurone Disease Australia.The money will help others like Sue.

For many years Sue has helped with fundraising and assisting various organisationsassociated with debilitating diseases. Motor neurone disease attacks ner ve cells controllingmuscles that allow people to move, speak, breathe and swallow.

LION SUPPORT: Campbelltown President George Semrani and member Alan Smith with SueCoppola. Photo: Macarthur Advertiser Campbelltown.


22 Lion

AROUND THE NATION

Ruben Figueroa ofMelbourne’s Essendon LionsClub hands over a $10,000cheque to Mary Cahill andBob Chalmers of theEssendon Historical Society.The money will be used bythe historical group forworks currently underway atthe Moonee PondsCourthouse Museum as partof the Memory Lane Project.The project celebrates thememory of many people wholived and worked in theMoonee Valley District.

Sydney’s Liverpool Lioness President MariaRankin presents Ruth Grimson with a 50 YearCertificate of Appreciation. Ruth, a chartermember of N2’s Lioness Club of Fairfield andvolunteering since the late 1950s when sheserved at Liverpool Hospital as a member ofMoorebank/Chipping Norton Hospital Auxiliary,has dedicated her life to helping others. AJustice of the Peace and a for mer FairfieldLioness President, and on numerous communitycommittees over the years, she has receivedmany other awards from both within andoutside of Lions.

Brooke Walker has sacrificed much anddreamed big for her two youngest sons,Jordan and Logan Weir.

After two years of community fundraising,Brooke is thankful for a playroom builtespecially for her boys, who have a rare geneticcondition called X-linked chronic intestinalpseudo-obstruction.

Jordan is an energetic six-year-old inkindergarten, while Logan is a smiling, talkativeand tall three-year-old who goes to preschool.

They are the only two children in Australiawith the condition, which renders the intestinesunable to absorb nutrients from food. There isno cure. They have an older brother Dylan, 8,who is not affected.

Several weeks ago, the boys were able tomove into and play in a new room built especiallyfor them at their Raymond Terrace home.

Lions Club of Raymond Terrace and AustralianLions Foundation raised $30,000 for the brothersto enjoy a clean, safe, spacious and level playroom where they could move about whileattached to drips that administer nutrition intotheir veins.

They now also have a level driveway to ridetheir scooters.

A charity fun run raised another $13,000 andpublic speaking events with the bo ys’grandfather, Chris Walker, raised a further $5000.

Amid boisterous play time, the clashing of toysand plenty of chatter, Brooke wanted to say thank

you to everyone who had supported the family.“The play room has lifted the bo ys’ spirits,”

she said. “They can run, skip, jump and play likeany other little boys. They are more energetic andactive now in their own space.”

While caring for the boys is demanding,Brooke gets constant support from her motherTanya, dad Chris and sister Ka tie.

“It does get hard and it can get us do wn but Iwouldn’t be anywhere else,” Tanya Walker said.“These boys are worth every minute we have withthem. They will need support all their lives.”

Ongoing support is welcome for the bo ys,including donations of floor rugs, curtains andblinds to finish the play room, and fitting out of asterile wash room. – From the Maitland Mercury

BROTHERS GAIN THEIR OWN SPACE

AT PLAY: Jordan and Logan Weir enjoy their new space.

Help heading down Memory LaneRuth’s accoladeskeep on coming

“Share Peace” is the theme for the 2015-16Peace Poster Contest. Lions clubs can sponsorchildren in local schools or organised youthgroups.

Students who will be 11, 12 or 13 years of ageon November 15th 2015 are eligible. Through thecontest, students are encouraged to visually depicttheir interpretation of the contest’s theme.

Twenty-four international finalists are selected torepresent the work of more than 350,000 youngparticipants from around 75 countries. Since 1988,more than 3.6 million children have participated.More details can be found atlionsclubs.org.au/activities/youth/peace-poster/

The 2014 Australian winning entry by Blake,sponsored by N2’s Austinmer-Thirroul Lions, ispictured above, while the international winning entr yby China’s Wei Jin Qian is pictured on our cover .

Start sharing peace



The smiling three amigos of the Belrose men’ s shed

A heritage house & garden one hour from Melbourne

Group tours welcome, with catering by arrangement

Bookings essential

Call 03 5426 1490

www.duneira.com.au

D U N E I R Agardens • music • arts • culture

Mount Gambier Lions are more than a little proud of their member PDG Eric Roughana O AM.Eric was recently admitted to the Australian Lions Foundation Hall of Fame by the ALF Trustees for

exceptional dedicated service to Lions Clubs of Australia and to Lions Clubs International.A respected Lions for 52 years, Eric has been treasured for his ser vice and his wise counsel and

measured advice over the decades. “We salute Eric for his generosity of spirit, enduring goodwill and cooperation,” said the club’s

Secretary and Past President Ross Parkinson.Apart from his long ser vice, Eric chaired the club’s Campaign SightFirst 2 in its fundraising

endeavours and was influential in securing support from his business colleague and friend, Mr A.A.Scott OAM AM (dec.) who donated US$100,000.

These three Frenchs Forest Lions – Tim O’Sullivan, TonyPhilps and Keith Troy – have reason to look happy.

They are holding plaques for Melvin Jones Fellowships,

awarded to them for ser vice to The Forest Community Men’s

Shed in Sydney’s Belrose over the past decade.

Tim instigated the project in 2004 and was the driving force

in the establishment of the shed with the assistance of Uniting

Care Ageing, the Lions Club of Frenchs Forest and Belrose

Rotary. Tim, Tony and Keith have been involved in the

establishment, operation and management of The Shed to the

present day.

The shed provides access to a wide range of woodworking

equipment for about 70 retired men who enjoy working with

their hands and who benefit from the comradeship of like

minded individuals in the area.

Mount Gambier hails Hall of Famer

DEDICATED LION: PDG Eric Roughana OAM receives his ALF Hall of Fame certificate from Lion Ror yMcEwen (left) and Past President Ross Parkinson (right).


24 Lion

LIONSOUT AND

ABOUT

FEED LINE: All hands were on deck serving whenQueensland’s Mareeba Lions held Christmas in July celebr ationsattended by about 300 motorhomes. Assisted by Lionsonozmembers, the day raised between $3,000 and $4,000 for theAustralian Lions Childhood Cancer Research Foundation.

TALKIES: Canberra Woden President PDGRon Kingsbury OAM at the 19th Lions OratoryContest at the Australian National University.First prize is named after Manikkam Redd y(dec.), a force behind the event.

STILL SERVING: Mary Beale, Stewart Nurse andJeff Perry celebrate the 40th anniversary ofRushworth & District Lions Club. Stewart and Jeff aretwo of the original 21 members, while Mary is theclub’s caterering chairperson and a Past President.

IN THE PINK: More than $10,000 was raised for the Queensland Cancer Council b yMareeba Lionesses at their annual Pink Ribbon Gar den Party, held for the first time underthe shade of trees at the Mareeba Turf Club.

GIBBO AWARD: Ex-Ormeau Lion Peter Russell displays hisMelvin Jones plaque against a Gibson Desert bac kdrop. Peter,who left the Queensland club last y ear when he moved to W.A.,was on a 4WD trek with his wife. He gained the distinction forinvaluable service to the club.

SNAG TIME: Lionsonoz members Jeff Mott andLynne demonstrate their BBQ skills at a NationalAboriginal and Islanders Day event in Bo wraville. Itwas organised by the Nambucca Valley Communityand Bowraville Lions. They fed about 200.

RALLY GOOD: More than 25 cars took part in the Trek4kidz carrally through Victoria and NSW organised by the Eildon andAlexandra clubs. Eildon President Ron Maroney presents a $500cheque to Alec McNiven for the Starlight Foundation.



ALL ABOARD: Victoria’s Ultima Lions celebrate the completion of aheritage pathway project as part of their r e-designed Lions Park. Engravedbricks were sold at $25 each to individuals and families who live or had livedin the district. Bricks were laid out in the for m of railway sleepers to stay insync with the park’s “The End of the Line” theme.

REALISING WISHES: Bendigo President Bob Haigh hands over a $2000cheque to the local Make a Wish Foundation. Now in its 30th year, Make-A-Wish Australia has granted over 8,000 wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. Yet there are thousands more who would benefit fromthe healing power of having a wish come true.

Former and present Figtree Lions Club members swapped dozens of storieswhen they gathered to celebrate the c lub’s 50th birthday recently.

Since its inception in 1965, the club has raised hundreds of thousands of dollarsfor local charities through raffles, special benefit nights, manning beer tents, golfdays and other activities.

More than 100 people as well as Lord Mayor Gordon Bradber y and Lions ClubDistrict Governors attended a dinner at Wests Illawarra to celebrate.

Five speakers outlined highlights of the club’s activities during each of the fivedecades since it gained its charter from the former Wollongong Heights Lions Club.

A well researched visual display prepared by Lion Keith Horrocks included manyphotographs of past and present members as well as lists of all members inductedsince inception.

It included photographs of members working on a wide range of projects over thepast 50 years.

“Since 1965, the club has had more than 154 members and today is more activethan ever,” long-serving member John White said. “In the early days we received alot of assistance from Australian Iron and Steel when they owned the Port KemblaSteelworks.”

Several years ago the club raised more than $30,000 to fund the purchase andtraining of a special companion dog for a Figtree family with two boys on the autismspectrum.

50-YEAR BIRTHDAY BASHFOR FIGTREE LIONSFLYING HIGH: CareFlight is better off by $4000 following the second

AutumnFest at Black Beach, Kiama staged by Minnamurra Lions. At thehandover are (from left) Ken Magnus (AutumnFest Chair man), John Ebbott(CareFlight), Hugh Sail (President) and Brian Scott (AutumnFest committee).




ANZI FORUM BIDS 2017Please note that the closing dates for bids to host the 2017 ANZI Pacific Form has beenextended to 31 October 2015. Clubs or Districts are encouraged to consider bidding for theANZI Pacific Forum, to be held in Multiple District 201 in 2017. Information packs areavailable from the Multiple District Executive Officer at [email protected] or by calling 024940 8033

Presentations and Venue at Echuca ConventionLions wishing to secure venues for activities or make ‘on-stage’ presentations atConvention must make the request in writing to the Executive Officer , by 31 December2015.

Lions are advised that:Project Notices of Motion , having been duly passed at a District Convention or adopted

by Council, are to be provided to the Executive Officer prior to 1 Januar y 2016. (For full

requirements, refer to the MD201 Constitution Clauses 96.1 and its sub-clauses)

Fundraising Activity Notices of Motion , having been duly passed at a District

Convention, or adopted by Council, are to be provided to the Executive Officer prior to 1

January 2016. (For full requirements, refer to the MD201 Constitution Clauses 104.1 and

its sub-clauses.)

Other Notices of Motion

Other Notices of Motion, having been duly passed at the Council, a District Convention, a

District Cabinet or a Lions Club, are to be provided to the Executive Officer prior to 1 March

2016. (For full requirements, refer to the MD201 Constitution Clauses 96.2 and its sub-

clauses.)

Rob OerlemansExecutive Officer

Lions Australia


28Lion

AUDIT1. Reviewed the audit planning details for the June30, 2015, financial statement audit for LCI and LCIFpresented by representatives from Crowe Horwath,LLP.2. Reviewed the memorandum covering a review ofthe Service Organization Report for Paylocity, theDonor Services Audit and a memorandum coveringnew procedures for the termination of temporar yemployees.CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS COMMITTEE1. Denied second vice district governor electioncomplaints filed in District 108-LA (Italy), District308-A1 (Singapore) and District 322-E (India) anddeclared the following as second vice districtgovernors in their respective districts for the 2015-2016 fiscal year:a. Lion Fabrizio Ungaretti—District 108-LA (Italy)b. Lion Jerrick Tay—District 308-A1 (Singapore)c. Lion Veena Gupta—District 322-E (India)2. Upheld one second vice district governor electioncomplaint filed in District 324-A8 (India), declaredthe second vice district governor election in District324-A8 for the 2015-2016 fiscal year null and voidand of no force and effect, declared a vacancy inthe office of second vice district governor for the2015-2016 fiscal year and that the second vicedistrict governor vacancy shall be filled inaccordance with the International and DistrictConstitutions and By-Laws, and declared that thefiling fee less US$350 shall be refunded to each ofthe Complainants.3. Censured District Governor V.S.B Sunder for hisunlionistic behaviour and made him ineligible for aDistrict Governor Team Excellence Award. Rejectedthe dispute filed in District 324-A1 (India) under theConstitutional Complaints procedure related to the2015-2016 fiscal year district elections asimproper.4. Removed District Governor S. Arumugam fromthe office of district governor in District 324-B4(India) for failure to comply with the InternationalConstitution and By-Laws and policies of theInternational Board of Directors. Declared that S.Arumugam shall not be recognized in the future asa past district governor by Lions Clubs Internationalor any club or district, and that he shall not beentitled to any privileges of such title.5. Declared the conciliator’s report filed in District324-B4 (India) as inconsistent with the Internationaland District 324-B4 Constitutions and By-Laws andtherefore invalid. Affirmed the elections of thedistrict governor, first vice district governor andsecond vice district governor held on April 26, 2015for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.6. Declared the decision of the conciliators todeclare the second vice district election in District301-D2 (Philippines) null and void inconsistent withthe International Constitution and By-Laws andBoard Policy and therefore invalid. Recommendedthat the yes/no ballot contained in the StandardForm District Constitution be utilized by District301-D2 in the 2015-2016 year elections. Declaredthe conciliators decision related to the removal ofthe Respondent inconsistent with the internationalconstitution and by-laws and board policy andtherefore invalid. Upheld the decision of the

conciliators that the Respondent violated theMultiple District Constitution and By-Laws.7. Revised the definition of Good Moral Character inChapter XV of Board Policy Manual to prohibitmembership to individuals who have been convictedof a crime of moral turpitude.8. Revised the secret ballot process in Chapter III ofBoard Policy Manual to allow the process to beinitiated by the presiding officer.9. Revised the District Governor Suspension Policyin Chapter XV of the Board Policy Manual to removea redundancy in the policy and to amend thenumber of clubs required to request a review underthis policy.10. Revised the Standard Form District Constitutionin Chapter VII of the Board Policy Manual to correcta typographical error and update internalreferences.11. Established a new Neutral Obser ver Policy,effective July 1, 2016, in Chapter XV of the BoardPolicy Manual.DISTRICT AND CLUB SERVICE COMMITTEE1. Appointed Past District Governor MichaelBierwagen to serve as Coordinating Lion for District123 (Russian Federation) for the 2015-2016 fiscalyear, Past District Governor Mirela Grigorovici toserve as the Coordinating Lion for the Republic ofSerbia on October 11, 2015, for the remainingmonths of the fiscal year and Past InternationalDirector Kalle Elster to ser ve as Co-CoordinatingLion for the Republic of Latvia and assist PastDistrict Governor Fabian Ruesch during the 2015-2016 fiscal year. 2. Amended the DG Team Excellence Awardapplication to require that districts also adhere tothe association’s constitution and by-laws andpolicies in addition to meeting the requirements ofthe award. 3. Revised Chapter V of the Board Policy Manual toplace less emphasis on strict club meetingattendance and more emphasis on meaningfulinvolvement in club activities. 4. Revised Chapter VII, Exhibit B. of the Board PolicyManual to also place less emphasis on strict clubmeeting attendance and more emphasis onmeaningful involvement in club activities. 5. Amended Chapter IX of the Board Policy Manualto allow a Coordinating Lion to be appointed when apotential new Lions country is identified instead ofwaiting for two clubs to be chartered. 6. Made a housekeeping revision to correct areference error in Chapter IX, Paragraph O.2.d. sothe correct paragraphs were referenced.FINANCE AND HEADQUARTERS OPERATIONCOMMITTEE1. Approved the FY 2015 4th Quarter Forecast,reflecting a deficit.2. Approved the final budget for FY 2016 with adeficit of US$2,842,672.3. Approved amending The Retirement Income Planfor Employees of the International Association ofLions Clubs (Plan) to offer terminated employeeshaving vested benefits under the Plan theopportunity to withdraw their full Plan benefits in alump sum in calendar year 2015.4. Approved a change in board policy effective July1, 2015, which requires district governors obtain

approval from the Travel Department prior toticketing any fare in excess of US$1,000. Airfareless than US$1,000 should be booked at the lowestlogical standard or discounted fare by the mostdirect route for the authorized class of ser vice andperiod of travel.5. Approved a change in board policy effective July1, 2015, to provide eligible past internationaldirectors a minimum budget of US$1,200 annually .LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE1. Approved policy empowering the InternationalPresident to fill GMT and GLT Coordinator vacanciesat the multiple district, single district and sub-district levels, when said vacancies are the result ofthe appointment body’s inability to come toconsensus on a suitable appointment.2. Approved policy prohibiting endorsed andcertified candidates for international office fromserving as GMT International Coordinator, GLTInternational Coordinator, Family and WomenInternational Coordinator, GMT or GLT ConstitutionalArea Leader, GMT or GLT Area Leader and GMT orGLT Special Area Advisor.LCIF1. Approved the report of the LCIF FinanceCommittee.2. Amended the articles of Articles of Incorporationand the By-Laws of Lions Clubs InternationalFoundation, to reflect the revised LCIF Board ofTrustees structure.3. Deleted Chapter XVI of the Board Policy Manual,due to its redundancy to the LCIF Operations andPolicy Manual.4. Amended the Operations and Policy Manual ofLions Clubs International Foundation to reflect therevised LCIF Board of Trustees structure and othernecessary housekeeping changes.5. Approved the 2015-2016 voting members of theBoard of Trustees of Lions Clubs InternationalFoundation.6. Increased the humanitarian grants budget for thecurrent fiscal year by an additional US$3.5 million.7. Approved 54 Standard, International Assistanceand Core 4 grants totalling US$3,071,671.8. Tabled one grant.9. Extended the Core 4 funding priority status ofLions Quest until June 30, 2018, and Core 4funding priority funding status of LCIF’s diabetesprevention and control program until June 30,2017.10. Approved a Core 4 disability grant in theamount of US$750,000, representing a portion offunding for the Lions-Special Olympics MissionInclusion program in Brazil.11. Approved the renewal of the Lions Questcommunity partnership grants program in theamount of US$200,000.12. Approved US$125,000 in funding for anevaluation of Lions Quest in Finland.13. Approved a grant in the amount of US$5,000for a joint LCIF/MD 111 low vision project in Cuba.LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE1. Approved the formation of a 2015-2016 Familyand Women Action Committee, of up to 10members, as appointed by Vice President Dr.Jitsuhiro Yamada and recorded with the LCIExecutive Committee at their August 2015 meeting.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA June 21-25, 2015



MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE1. Approved the formation of Branch Lions Clubs inCuba and Myanmar, contingent upon receivingapproval from appropriate authorities in eachcountry.2. Approved a working group of Lions and/or Leosto work with the Membership DevelopmentCommittee and staff to explore concepts andstrategies to involve “episodic volunteerism” inLionism.3. Approved adding recent policy changes to policymanual, including the processing fee of US$100assessed to club charter applications not approvedby LCI, and requiring advance payment of US$30for adding any additional charter members.4. Approved policy where any district Lions ClubsInternational has identified with a priormisapplication of the student membershipprogram, and has more than 5 percent of totalmembership comprised of student membership,will have all campus clubs in that district, and alltraditional clubs in that district with 25 percent ormore student members will be placed in statusquo, immediately after 45 days of the date ofcommunication informing them of this review.5. Approved the designation of MD60 underConstitutional Area I, effective July 1, 2015.6. Approved board policy changes that place lessemphasis on strict meeting attendancerequirements, allowing for more flexibleparticipation in club activities.PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE1. Reduced the number of print editions to four peryear for all official editions of LION Magazinebeginning January 2018.2. Eliminated the Order of the Lion medal.3. Replaced the current awards section of ChapterXX of the Board Policy Manual with Exhibit A to thepublic relations report.SERVICE ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE1. Selected the 2014-2015 Leos of the Year.2. Approved a revision to the Board Policy Manualtransferring youth programs that are non-Leorelated from Chapter XXIII to Chapter I.3. Approved a revision to the Board Policy ManualChapter XXIII deleting outdated information on thepurposes of the Youth Programs Department.4. Approved a revision to the Board Policy ManualChapter XXIII renaming the chapter title from“Youth Programs” to “Leo Club Program” to reflectthe current structure.5. Approved a revision to the Board Policy ManualChapter I changing all variations of “YouthPrograms Department” with “Service ActivitiesDivision” to reflect current structure.6. Approved a revision to the Board Policy ManualChapter XXIII changing all variations of “YouthPrograms Department” with “Leo Club ProgramDepartment” to reflect current structure.

For more information on any of the aboveresolutions, please refer to the LCI website at

www.lionsclubs.org or contact theInternational Office at 630-571-5466.

yoursayLions’ letters

Spinal Cord thanksBoth of us, Dr Stephen Davies, as Head of theSpinal Cord Regeneration Program andProfessor Geoffrey Donnan, as a LionsAustralia Spinal Cord Fellowship holder, wouldlike to express our sincere appreciation ofLions Australia’s support of the new SpinalCord Regeneration Program at the FloreyInstitute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.

The funding provided by Lions Australia has asignificant impact on our ability to translate newdiscoveries in the lab into new therapies for peoplesuffering from spinal cord injuries.

Our understanding of the biology of the injuredspinal cord has reached a point where thedevelopment of much needed therapies is nowpossible. Therefore, at this time of cuts in funding formedical research, the support provided by LionsAustralia can have its maximum leverage, andliterally mean the difference between our havingtreatments available in the near future or not at all.

We look forward to continuing our relationshipwith Lions Australia as we accelerate our progresstowards providing effective new therapies for spinalcord injury. – Stephen Davies BSc PhD

Head Spinal Cord Regeneration Programand Geoffrey A Donnan AO

MBBS MD FRACP FRCP (Edin) FAHMSDirector

Is this a record?

This would have to be a record! or two?Kyogle Lions Club was chartered in August 1952,

the fourth club in Australia; and one of its chartermembers was local businessman John Shirley.

During his 63 years in the club, Lion John hasserved as Treasurer and Secretary, Welfare Officerand twice as President. He was there to help in theLions’ project of building the popular Lions Roadtourist drive, linking Queensland with NSW.

But John will be remembered for his work withLion Mints. For 18 years, he has looked after thedistribution of mints to business houses in Kyogle,delivering produce and collecting money ever y threeweeks and keeping meticulous ledger records.

Lion John is unquestionably the longest ser vingLion in Australia. This also makes him, possibly, theoldest working Lion? – Fay Fardon

Kyogle Lions Club Media Officer

Bereavement thanksTo all Lions and partners throughout Australia whosent condolence messages by whatever means,upon the recent death of my wife – MaxineGaylard – please accept this as my personal thanks.– PDG Graham Gaylard.

Swan Hill Lions Club V1-4

50-year celebrationsThe Hervey Bay Lions Club is celebrating 50 yearssince its charter in December 1965. If you are a pastmember, have anything you would like to shareabout the club or would like to come along and joinus for the celebration dinner on 12th of December2015 in Hervey Bay, please contact me.

– Lion Michelle [email protected]

Date for the diarySunday 29th November, Time 10am-5pm, MingaraRecreation Club, Tumbi Umbi, Central Coast NSW.Family Fun Day to support Sara, a Wyoming LionsClub member, in her 12-hour Swim to Save Sight –jumping castle, fairyfloss, BBQ, clowns, facepainting, stalls. Come along and cheer her on!

Margaret – 0412 622 400

This is a photo taken inHawaii at theAustralian Reception ofIPLCIF Chairman BarryPalmer AM of Barryand myself.

The roo (Matilda) has beento every InternationalConvention from Hong Kongin 2005. As Franz (the latePCC Franz Mairinger OAM)could not be there, the roowas called Franz Matilda inHawaii. We were named 1stin the parade for the float.

She is now back inAustralia and will be at theEchuca MD Convention, thanks to PCC BruceHudgson, CC Phillip Johnson and Qantas.

– IPDG Lorraine Mairinger

Franz Matilda back in Oz


YOUTH OF THE YEAR

30 Lion

Now is the time to approach schoolsregarding their students’involvement in Youth of the YearProgram.

By the time you receive this issuemost of the target group, year 11, mighthave just four weeks of school remaining.

Contestants should be:• Over the age of 15 as at 30th of Juneof the year of the National Final and• under the age of 19 years as at the30th June in the year of the NationalFinal.• Students who complete their secondar yschool this year (November/December)are eligible to participate, as long as theage requirements, above, are met.• Previous State winners are ineligible tore-enter.In approaching schools for potentialcontestants the following aresuggestions:• Don't only rely on word of mouth, thewebsite, or emails to promote YOTY.• Personalise your approach – seek anintroductory meeting ASAP.• Make any presentation to a smallgroup of interested contenders.• Be persistent – follow up diligently.Method....1. Identify the Head of Year 11, forexample – just ring the school and ask.Ask for the year 11 coordinator’s directdial number.2. Ring and briefly outline Lions/YOTY.Indicate interest in meeting followingreceipt of email package.3. Send friendly brief email package withprogram outline, key dates, and includereference to website and Facebook page.4. Follow up for meeting with interestedcontenders. Provide a balance betweenthe challenges ahead and the benefits ofentering – for the individual students,parents and the school. Reinforce youravailability for further discussions,meetings, etc.6. Maintain contact! Remind allstakeholders of the importance ofreceiving applications by the end of theschool year, or, by a pre-determined date. Your District Chairperson will be able toadvise you of the key dates for 2015-16.If you are unaware of who your DistrictChairperson is, please visit our website:www.lionsclubs.org.au/yoty, then click onthe Contacts and Dates link.

Brian Williams, Chairman, LionsYouth of the Year Program

WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW?Meet Ditza Teng today.

Ditza was the 2007-08 ‘W’ Districts State winner ,sponsored by the Lions Club of Ballajura, W1. Sincethen she has continued to be involved with Lions YOTY,sitting on the District Final judges’ panelin 2011 and on the National Final judges’panel in 2012.

Ditza attended Morley Senior HighSchool in Perth, Western Australia.Throughout her schooling she wasinvolved in numerous student activities,took on several leadership roles andorganised many fundraising and socialevents. At her high school graduation shewas awarded the Young Citizen of the YearCommunity Award, and she has continuedto be an active member of her localcommunity during her university years.

It has been seven years since Iwas the W.A. state winner of theLions YOTY Quest. I am so grateful forthe amazing experience, as it reallysharpened my interview and publicspeaking skills. Since then, I’ve put theseskills to very good use and I just wantedto take this opportunity to share with youwhat I’ve been up to.

I am currently in my 5th year ofmedicine of a six-year course at theUniversity of Western Australia. I amactively involved in my local church anduniversity, including taking up roles as auniversity mentor, global health tutor,year representative, and eventcoordinator for many dinners, camps andworkshops.

This year I was accepted by the Rural ClinicalSchool of Western Australia (RCSWA) to undertake myfifth year of medicine in Geraldton. Being in a ruraltown this year allows me to gain greater exposure torural and indigenous health, together with lots ofhands-on and practical teaching. I have become anactive member of the Geraldton community throughthe local badminton club, community church andvolunteering for St John Ambulance. Spending thisyear in Geraldton has been a great experience, bothpersonally and academically.

I have always enjoyed the clinical side of medicine,but recently I have been particularly drawn to thepublic health aspects. This involves policy, advocacyand initiatives that promote health, prolong life andprevent disease. My interest in public health began inlate 2013 when I travelled to India and saw firsthandthe poor conditions of many rural clinics where womengave birth. During this trip I realised that many doctorswere doing the best that they could with what they

had, but were limited by the availability of resources,training and lack of health initiatives and programs.

As a future doctor, I want to improve the way healthcare is delivered to vulnerable, disadvantaged andmarginalised people in my local community and

around the world. I hope not only to ser ve andadvocate for the patients that I treat directly , but alsofor these communities on a population level.

Owing to my passion and commitment to improvingthe health for the marginalised, married with myextensive background of volunteering and communityinvolvement, I was recently offered the opportunity tovolunteer with the Maternal and Perinatal Health andPreventing Unsafe Abortions (MPA) team at WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Inthe three-month unpaid internship from December toFebruary, I will be working with the MP A team on life-changing research investigating the factorssurrounding maternal and perinatal mortality andmorbidity. I also hope to gain valuable knowledge andskills that I can use as a doctor to improve the healthstatus of vulnerable communities both locally andinternationally.

’

DITZA TENG

‘



LEOS ROAR

Congratulations to our inspirational 2015/16MD201 Leo of the Year Katerina Blekic onbeing Named Victorian Agricultural Show’sJunior Ambassador for 2015, and for receivingthe PDG Corinne Stone Medal for her ser viceto the Leo Club Program in Lions District201C2.

Leo Katerina has been appointed by 201C2District Governor David Thomas as Associate District

Leo Chairperson for the 2015/16 Lions year.Leo Katerina is the Leo nominee to represent

Constitutional Area 7 on the Lions ClubsInternational Leo Club Program Advisory Panel from1 October, 2015 to 30 October, 2017.

We should all be ver y proud of this inspirationalLeo and her ongoing efforts to promote andadvance the Leo movement in Australia.

Congratulations also to 2014/15 MD201 Leo ofthe Year, Joel Pattinson-Cashman fromTropical North Leo Club in Lions District201Q2, on being awarded an InternationalLeos of the Year Award in 2015 by the LionsClubs International Board of Directors.

Leo Joel was one of 31 Leos out of 150,000worldwide to receive the award following the LionsClubs International Convention in Hawaii.

Leo Joel is an outstanding Leo and essentialmember of the Lions family having ser ved as a LeoClub Treasurer, Vice President and MembershipChairman of his Leo Club.

Joel has participated in many ser vice projectsincluding cementing and bolstering relationship withGood Shepherd Lodge – engaging with residents,

Thank You Water - Awareness and Promotion,assisting sponsoring Lions Club with major projects.

Joel has continued to increase club membershipthrough membership drives.

In 2014, Joel was invited by then Lions ClubsInternational President, Barry Palmer AM, to addressthe Leo-Lion Summit in Toronto, Canada on hisLeos journey and his ongoing ser vice to his

community as an essentialpart of Lions.

Whilst in Toronto, Joel wasalso Invited by 2013/14International President Barryto address a dinner attendedby senior Lions across theworld.

From all reports, both thesepresentations by Joel weretotally inspiring!

Joel’s contribution to Lionshas been rewarded by hisappointment to the MD201Management Group to give ayouth perspective, by2015/16 MD201 CouncilChairman Phillip Johnson.

Outside Leos, Joel hasgiven somuch tohiscommunitythrough: SES

(State Emergency Services) –active member Scouts Australia Australian Air Force Cadets Meals on Wheels 4 CRM Community Radio

Mackay as an announcer Mackay cricket playerLeo Joel is a fine ambassador

for LEOs through his ongoingservice to the community and hisdemonstrated belief of highethical standards through theObjects of the Leo movementand Ethics and Purposes ofLions Clubs International.

Through his ongoingdedication and commitment toour great Lions organisation, heis a present and future leader ofLions and a very worthy winnerof a 2015 International Leos ofthe Year Award.

The Leos of the Year is the

highest award a LEO can receive from the Board ofLions Clubs International and is an essential part ofthe LCI Leo Program that extends to over 6,500 LeoClubs worldwide.

Entries for the 2016 MD201 Leo of the YearQuest are now open and information is available onthe MD201 Leo Website atwww.lionsclubs.org.au/leos.

LEOs are the PRESENT and FUTURE LionsLeaders. By continuing to form Leo Clubsthroughout Australia, we are giving more youngpeople between 12 -30 the chance to ser ve theircommunity in a positive way as essential membersof the Lions Family and Gain Life Skills ofLEADERSHIP, EXPERIENCE and OPPORTUNITY.

So if your Lions Club is Considering Sponsoring aLeo Club – Stop Considering, Do It!

Full details on the MD201 Leo Website atwww.lionsclubs.org.au/leos

Say G’day to a Leo Today – You won't beDisappointed.

– Martin PeeblesMD201 Leo & Youth Outreach Committee

ChairmanProud Ambassador Australian Lions

Childhood Cancer Research Foundation

WELL DESERVED: Leo Katerina receives the PDG Corinne Stone Medalfrom Rocky Stone for her service to the Leo Club Prog ram in C2.

TOP HONOUR: Joel Pattinson-Cashman ... an International Leos ofthe Year award winner.


LEND A HAND, OR TWO!

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

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

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

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Documents

The Lion – October November 2015