North Lakes Lions mark milestone

By Lion Chris Doyle

A 75th Birthday is a worthwhile event to celebrate and this month Lions Australia ticked over its 75th year of service here in Australia.

I can verify Lions in North Lakes is certainly going from strength to strength. State Member for Bancroft Chris Whiting, Moreton Bay Regional Councillor Yvonne Barlow, North lakes Lions President Sean Hughes and District Lions representative Stuart Mathews, were at a barbecue we held in the Lake Eden parkland last Saturday, to cut the cake and mingle with the public.

Several of our previous guest speakers came along to celebrate, including Sergeant Jacquie Riddell from the North Lakes Police, Moreton Bay District SES Controller Sean Harrop, fitness instructor Tom Law and others, enjoying a sausage sizzle and a piece of birthday cake.

Even though the year is diminishing quickly, we’re still moving forward with several projects to support our local community. I don’t think we’ve ever been as organised as we are right now, and the club is running like a well-oiled machine, with proactiveness at the forefront of our agenda.

We conducted a “Clean up Australia Day” working bee at Aurora Boulevard Park on Sunday, August 28 and were traffic marshals for Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival. We’re also allocating an amount each month to be donated to worthwhile projects. In August, a cheque for $500 went to the Lions Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Guest speakers

Regular readers will be aware that we endeavour to invite the best speakers in our area to come along to our meetings and share what they do. August was no exception, with Dolphins Chairman Bob Jones and his wife Sandra joining us.

Bob has had a lifetime involvement with rugby league in several roles - as a player, coach and in administration. As with every successful business, it doesn’t just happen by accident. You need talent and expertise. It takes many years of planning, a broad vision, and to have a sustainable residual income stream to keep the dream alive.

Dolphins has all these attributes in play and has earned the club a spot in the NRL with a new team in the 2023 season. They have acquired the services of Coach Wayne Bennett and have aligned all the pieces on the chess board to streamline the Dolphins to win. Thanks Bob for addressing us, and we are so proud of your club’s efforts in bringing so much, at such a high level, to our area.

Lions lending a helping hand

Most of the general public would be horrified to learn that children in our immediate area go to school every day without having a proper breakfast. This has been realised by the Chaplain at The North Lakes State College, Chappy Brandon, and he’s set up a Breakfast Club there for the Preps to Year 6 on a Wednesday and Year 7 to 9s on a Friday. Our club is supporting this great initiative with a regular roster of our members to help distribute food and make sure every child has a nutritional start to the day. Chappy Brandon gets our “Hooray For The Day” for instigating a solution to this problem.

The Wish Tank

Several years ago, we implemented a residents’ WISH TANK project which targeted people who were plagued with problems and circumstances, making it extremely difficult to realise some of their bucket list wishes. Right now, we’re setting in motion new guidelines, which will be open to a much wider group of opportunity, to help community members of all ages. Stay tuned for further development as they emerge.

Become a member

You can join the North Lakes Lions Club by phone Membership Officer Lion Greg on 0422 422 710. Greg will answer any initial questions and invite you to a dinner meeting. Joining our club, you’ll instantly experience our “Many hands make light Work-ethic”, and new residents can make friends, integrate into our community, and help others with your individual skillset.