News
LIONS PUT IN HUNDREDS OF HOURS SERVING THE COMMUNITY
6 January 2025Lions Club of Mount Gambier members clocked up more than 1100 service hours in the second half of 2024.
November was a particularly busy month for fundraising through catering including 168 hours at the Mount Gambier Show, 138 hours at the Legend of the Lakes Hillclimb, 42 hours at the Family Truck Show and 35 hours at the Reidy Park Primary School sports day.
Funds raised through catering, Bunnings and Total Tools barbecues, the annual raffle and Christmas cake and pudding sales are returned to the community.
“This has resulted in the club being able to support the Community Christmas Day Lunch with a donation, donations for the Kmart/Salvation Army Wishing Tree, and a donation to Foodbank Mount Gambier for Christmas hampers,” Club President Martin Vercoe said.
Christmas cake slices were also recently donated to Sunset Community Kitchen.
Members also put in many hours on projects that have a real impact including children’s vision screening, Lions Mad Minute, maintenance and construction at Riding for the Disabled, and collecting donated eye glasses for re-use in developing countries.
“The Lions’ motto is ‘We Serve’ – and we are proud of the contribution our club makes to the community,” Mr Vercoe said.
“The willingness of members to freely give their time to ongoing and one-off projects never ceases to amaze me.
“We look forward to the next six months and helping our community more with a great group of Lions,” he said.
LIONS SUPPORT COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS LUNCH
7 November 2024The Lions Club of Mount Gambier has donated $1000 to help run this year’s Mount Gambier Community Christmas Lunch.
“We are pleased to be able to support such a worthwhile initiative,” said Lions Club President Martin Vercoe.
“Our club serves the community in various ways, including helping other organisations that do good work.
“This event is more important than ever, given cost of living pressures,” he said.
The volunteers behind the Christmas lunch need to raise more than $3500 each year to cover costs.
Participants receive a three-course meal, entertainment and gift bags.
“This will be our sixth year providing a meal and festivities for the isolated, disadvantaged and financially distressed members of our community,” organiser Vicki Clark said.
“This is an inclusive event and we turn no-one away.
“Last year 180 people attended, and due to the current economic conditions, we are expecting more families to attend this year.
“The event is supported by the City Council who give us the Civic Centre free of charge which is greatly appreciated.
“However, we rely on donations from our community to ensure this event can go on,” she said.
The Lions Club of Mount Gambier’s donation was funded with money raised from service projects including Bunnings barbecues, catering and selling firewood and Lions mints.
The club has launched its annual Christmas raffle and is also again selling Lions Christmas cakes and puddings.
LIONS RECOGNISED FOR LONG SERVICE
14 October 2024Five members of the Lions Club of Mount Gambier have been recognised for long service – in one case spanning half a century.
Lions Second Vice District Governor Margie Thomas from Robe presented the 50-year chevron to Graham Carter OAM who started as a charter member of the Lions Club of Lucindale.
He is a former Mount Gambier Lions Club president and zone chairman, and for several years has overseen the club’s graduate of the year program and environmental projects.
Neil Geddes, a charter member of the former Lions Club of Port MacDonnell, received a 45-year chevron, and club secretary Ross Parkinson OAM received a chevron for 25 years’ service.
Albey Feil and Sandra Woodham both received 15-year chevrons.
Mrs Thomas also presented a Progressive Melvin Jones Fellowship to Greg Driscoll, recognising his dedication to humanitarian service.
Mr Driscoll, also a former president and zone chairman, oversees the club’s catering portfolio and involvement with the Legend of the Lakes event, as well as member welfare and Lions Youth of the Year.
“These members have helped make the Lions Club of Mount Gambier a strong and active club,” said President Martin Vercoe.
“They enable us to serve the community,” he said.
LIONS CLUB WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
19 September 2024The Lions Club of Mount Gambier has welcomed two new members with a track record in contributing to clubs and the community interstate.
Retired couple Peter and Dianne Glanz moved to Mount Gambier two months ago from Bass about 110 km south east of Melbourne and were keen to resume their involvement with the service organisation.
Dianne was a Lion before Peter also joined in 2004 and together they were active in several clubs for about 10 years.
“We joined Lions because of the things that Lions get involved with,” Dianne said of the organisation whose motto is ‘we serve.’
The couple also contributed to Lions at cabinet level, with Peter spending four years as 201V3 Treasurer, while Dianne helped with administration and newsletter production.
They decided to take a break from Lions from about 2014 and went on to serve on the committee of the San Remo Probus Club where Dianne was secretary.
Both draw on skills and experience gained in their former working lives.
Peter has a financial background including experience with a bank and auditor, nine years with Victoria University, and then running his own, franchised bookkeeping business.
Dianne has experience in finance and administration including seven years with a book publisher.
She is interested in helping with committee work but is yet to decide which Lions Club of Mount Gambier projects she will become involved with.
Peter is keen to join the team that carries out children’s vision screening as part of the Lions Eye Health Project.
“Peter will probably do other things as they come along, just as I will,” Dianne said.
“I’m eager to get involved,” she said.
“We are delighted to welcome Peter and Dianne as new members,” said President Martin Vercoe who inducted the couple.
“They bring many skills and talents to our club,” he said.
The Lions Club of Mount Gambier meets on the second and fourth Tuesday each month.
RECOGNITION FOR LIONS IMPROVING PEOPLE'S LIVES
6 July 2024The success of separate projects to help hearing-impaired people and identify vision problems in children were among highlights nominated by Beccy Field in her final address as President of the Lions Club of Mount Gambier.
The annual changeover dinner – where Martin Vercoe was installed as the new President – also included the announcement of a special Roley McAtee OAM Vision Award for Jill Austin who oversees the club’s children’s vision screening program.
“Jill has been tireless in ensuring that the project reached the level that it has,” Ms Field said.
“Her efforts to ensure the kit was put together, her constant visits to schools and keeping the communication lines open between the schools, the training team and the screening teams has been nothing short of exemplary,” she said.
Presentations were also made to members who’ve helped with follow up training of an Australian Lions Hearing Dog that was placed with a local couple who attended the dinner along with their dog Angus.
Hearing dogs are provided free to recipients, with the training costs of $40,000 funded by Lions Clubs and corporate sponsors throughout Australia.
A Melvin Jones Fellowship – the highest accolade a Lion can receive – was presented to Gary Ashby, a charter member of the former Port MacDonnell Lions Club who transferred to the Mount Gambier Lions Club in 2022.
A Progressive Melvin Jones Fellowship was announced for Greg Driscoll, a club member for 32 years who has contributed in many ways including catering, Youth of the Year, Lions Mad Minute and member welfare.
Ms Field also congratulated Allen and Sandra Woodham on their achievements over 25 years with the Blue Lake Brass Band Festival which concluded as a Lions Club project last year.
Other projects undertaken by the club in 2023/24 included the Lions Foodbank Meat Project, as well as ongoing assistance to Riding for the Disabled, and the Graduate of the Year and Youth of the Year Awards.
Funds were raised through catering, Bunnings sausage sizzles and selling firewood, mints and raffle tickets.
The club also reported record Christmas cake sales.
LIONS MAD MINUTE CHAMPIONS DECIDED
29 June 2024The Lower Limestone Coast Lions Mad Minute public speaking competition has concluded with Mulga Street Primary School winning the large schools division and Suttontown PS winning the trophy for small schools.
Trophies for the top individual speakers at the Grand Challenge were awarded to Lienke Fick from Mulga Street PS, Riley Dixon from Suttontown PS and Zara Martin from Moorak Primary School.
First place winner Lienke spoke on the topic ‘that birds are annoying.’
The competition requires senior primary students to speak for one minute on a topic drawn at random and is designed to be a fun way of developing the important life skill of public speaking.
School teams were chosen after judges from the Lions Club of Mount Gambier visited 18 schools in and around the district, including Glencoe, Kalangadoo and Kongorong.
Mount Gambier North R-7 School rejoined the competition this year after a break of several years.
The competition is hosted by the Lions Club of Mount Gambier and supported by Lions Clubs throughout the region.
The Lower Limestone Coast Grand Challenge was held in the Garry Costello Creative Arts Centre at Mount Gambier High School.
This year’s competition involved more than 1000 students from a total of 35 schools across the entire region.
Upper Limestone Coast winners
Division 1: Naracoorte PS
Division 2: Mary MacKillop Memorial School
Individual trophy winners:
1 Elija, MMMS
2 Tayla England, Lucindale Area School
3 Dya, Penola PS
LIONS SUPPORTING SERVICES FOR PEOPLE DOING IT TOUGH
24 June 2024Donations from the Lions Club of Mount Gambier will help three local community organisations that provide services for people “doing it tough.”
The Sunset Community Kitchen, Saint Vincent De Paul Society - Mount Gambier and ac.care are among beneficiaries sharing a total of $14,000 from the club’s annual disbursement of funds raised by members.
“It’s one of the wonderful privileges of being president that you get to make these presentations, but this all reflects on the efforts of the entire club,” said outgoing President Beccy Field.
“The common thread with the community donations is that all these organisations are helping people who are doing it tough.
Builds on meat project
“These donations also lean into the highly successful Lions Foodbank Meat Project that we ran over several months,” she said.
The project saw sheep producers donate unprofitable animals to the club which paid to have the stock processed, resulting in more than 1.6 tonnes of lamb and mutton being supplied to Foodbank Mount Gambier.
The meat packs provided an estimated 6600 meals for people struggling with the cost of living.
Running the project cost the club $5000 in processing and other costs.
The initiative recently won the Lions’ organisation’s 2024 Top Club Service Project Award at State level.
Project leader Lion Peter Pignotti was presented with the certificate at the club’s final regular meeting before the changeover of office holders.
The annual disbursement also included funds for the Lions Eye Health Program run by the Lions Club of Mount Gambier, as well as amounts for the Australian Lions Foundation and Lions Clubs International Foundation.
LIONS BUILD HORSE SHELTER
20 May 2024Lions Club of Mount Gambier volunteers have built a horse shelter as their latest contribution in a long-standing relationship with Riding for the Disabled.
Community Projects Team Leader Brendon Hirth (pictured) said it took just two working bees and nine volunteers to complete the construction work.
The new pitched-roof shelter straddles a fence, providing two timber-batten lined bays.
“The RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) asked if we could build horse shelters in-between paddocks to give the horses somewhere out of the weather,” Mr Hirth said.
“We enquired around as to where we could get some donated materials.
“Thanks to some generous companies we were soon able to go ahead with the project,” he said.
A plan was drawn up and a model produced to ensure the design met RDA’s requirements.
Last July volunteers from the Lions Club of Mount Gambier helped build new fences under the direction of professional contractors after a redesign of the paddock layout where the new shelter is located.
Club members carry out weekly maintenance of the grounds and indoor arena on an ongoing basis.
RDA is planning an event to acknowledge supporters of the centre located on Sunnybrae Road.
LIONS YOUTH FINALISTS CONGRATULATED
4 April 2024After several weeks of competition within Lions Clubs, four young people participated in the recent South Australian C2 district final of the Lions Public Speaking and Lions Youth of the Year Awards.
The competitors were Jorja Mules (sponsored by Kingston SE Lions), representing the Upper South East of SA; Callum Mcintyre (Lions Club of Mount Gambier), representing the Lower SE; Nikki Pfitzner (Berri), representing the Riverland; and Leo French (Brighton), representing the Adelaide Metropolitan region.
All four young people acquitted themselves admirably, handling the impromptu questions in their own style.
Questions included 'If society collapsed, which one person (real or fictional) would you want to team up with to survive?' and 'Why do you think that women’s sporting events, for example, AFL, cricket and the recent World Cup, are increasing in popularity?'
Each participant also presented a five-minute speech on a topic of their choice.
The Lions Public Speaking Award went to Callum Mcintyre. The Youth of the Year Award runner-up was Jorja Mules, and the winner was Leo French.
Jorja and Leo will now compete against two other young people from the C1 district, also in South Australia, at the State final in Nuriootpa on Saturday, April 13.
The winner will progress to the national final to be held at the Lions Multiple District Convention in Darwin in May.
LIONS ENCOURAGE OUTSTANDING YOUNG AUSTRALIANS
29 February 2024Students in the Lions Youth of the Year Mount Gambier club final spoke on subjects as varied as compulsory voting, sustainability and ‘age is no barrier.’
Anna Anbu, Callum Mcintyre and Alisha Cram were interviewed by judges earlier in the day and then gave impromptu and prepared speeches at a dinner attended by more than 40 people.
Anna was named overall winner while Callum won the public speaking section.
“This exceptional program has been supporting and promoting young Australians for more than 50 years,” said Lion Haydn McPherson who compered the evening.
“This is the first stage of that journey.
“There are Lions clubs all over Australia conducting club judging at the present time,” he said.
Interviews account for 70 percent of scores in Lions Youth of the Year which aims to encourage leadership skills in students approaching the end of high school.
The program focuses on qualities such as contribution to the community and school, public speaking, academic skills, sporting and cultural involvement.
The club final was hosted by the Lions Club of Mount Gambier which sponsored Callum.
Alisha was sponsored by the Lions Club of Blue Lake City Lioness and Anna by the Lions Club of Gambier City.
All three students are from Mount Gambier High School.
The judges were Erin Jones, Tracey Wanganeen and Barry Stafford.
Anna, Callum and Alisha will now compete in Wednesday night’s zone final in Mount Gambier, which will also involve Rochelle Crawford sponsored by the Lions Club of Penola.
SKIN CHECK COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
26 February 2024Residents in the Mount Gambier region can have a potentially life-saving free skin check thanks to Lions.
The Lions Skin Cancer Screening Unit will visit the city on March 19 and 20, hosted by the Lions Club of Mount Gambier and Lions Club of Blue Lake City Lioness.
Appointments will open on March 1.
The team will head to Mount Gambier after attending the SE Field Days at Lucindale, where one previous visit resulted in 75 out of almost 200 people being found to have suspicious lesions, with 51 lesions classed as potentially life-threatening.
“The earlier the cancer is detected, the higher the chance a patient is able to make a full recovery,” said Beccy Field, President of the Lions Club of Mount Gambier.
“Although Melanoma can be small on the surface it can spread quickly if left untreated.
“The screening only takes 15 minutes and could save your life,” she said.
Skin cancer risk factors include:
Personal or family history of skin cancer
Fair complexion, skin that tends to burn, presence of freckles, high numbers of moles
Blue or green eyes; light or red hair colour
People who suffered sunburn in childhood
Older age
Male
The purpose-built 19m long, 3.6m high Lions Skin Cancer Screening unit was funded by Lions Clubs across the organisation’s C2 district and has three cubicles which allows three screeners to work at the same time.
There is also a reception area where people can fill in the small amount of paperwork required.
The unit will be sited in the Mount Gambier Marketplace carpark.
People are advised to arrive 15 minutes prior to their appointment.
The Lions Skin Cancer Screening Unit. Photo supplied.
SPECIAL PROJECT
LIONS TEAM UP WITH FOODBANK TO PUT FOOD ON TABLE
13 November 2023The Lions Club of Mount Gambier has launched an initiative to help put food on the table of people struggling with the increasing cost of living.
The project is using sheep sourced from a generous farmer and has so far resulted in about 400kg of meat being donated to Foodbank Mount Gambier.
The sheep are delivered to the Edenhope abattoir for processing, with the carcases then butchered in Mount Gambier.
“By no means do we expect them to do this for free,” said Lion Peter Pignotti, who is leading the project for the club.
“The cost to process the sheep is paid by the Lions Club of Mount Gambier which will continue the project until the allocated funds are exhausted,” he said.
The club has earmarked $5000 for the project.
“With the cost of living increasing, many families are struggling to put food on the table and turning to organisations such as Foodbank for assistance,” Mr Pignotti said.
“The Lions Club of Mount Gambier would like to continue this humanitarian project but is limited by the supply of sheep and funds.
“The club encourages other producers to donate a few eating-quality sheep that will be about 25-30kg dressed and would not return a profit or be saleable,” he said.
The project has been welcomed by Foodbank.
“We thank the farmers in our region and the Lions Club of Mount Gambier for supporting us with this initiative and look forward to being able to supply meat to our clients that would otherwise go without,” Foodbank Regional Manager Lynne Neshoda said.
Teaming up to battle cost of living pressures: Peter Pignotti from the Lions Club of Mount Gambier and Foodbank Limestone Coast Branch Manager Lynne Neshoda.
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS
LIONS CLUB GRANTS AWARDED AT MAJOR CELEBRATION
11 February 2023Three community organisations have been awarded grants totalling more than $13,500 as part of the Lions Club of Mount Gambier’s 60th charter anniversary celebration.
The grants jointly funded by the club and Australian Lions Foundation were announced at Saturday night’s anniversary dinner attended by about 130 people including SA Governor Frances Adamson AC who proposed the toast to the club.
Riding for the Disabled will use its $4200 grant to purchase a machine to level the composite sand and fibre surface at its indoor arena on Sunnybrae Road, while Boandik Lodge will use $4700 to purchase two sleeper chairs for use as night beds for family members.
The Mount Gambier Hospital will use its $4700 allocation to purchase two mobile shower commodes.
“One of the many joys of my role as Governor is learning about the service that goes on every single day across South Australia,” Her Excellency told the gathering.
“On my visit to the South East in December 2021 I observed a very active volunteer community, particularly in Mount Gambier.
“The regularity with which I see recipients in the Order of Australia with Mount Gambier as their address is remarkable.
“Tonight I think we are joined by at least six members of the Lions Club of Mount Gambier who have been recognised in the Order of Australia.
“That fact speaks to the strength of your community, your volunteer culture and importantly your Lions Club.
“For 60 years you have enhanced the vitality of your community through projects such as the restoration of Pioneer Park and Engelbrecht Cave, and the construction of lookouts including the Blue Lake Lookout.
“Through programs such as the Youth of the Year and Lions Mad Minute you provide Mount Gambier’s young people with opportunities to build confidence and share ideas.
“In times of disaster – fire, flood or pandemic – your club continues to bring new ideas and enthusiasm to recovery efforts, whether it be through funds or materials.
“All of this is only a small snapshot of significant work that your club has undertaken over many decades to make Mount Gambier and our nation a better place.
“Through your pre-loved prescription glasses drive you’ve helped give the gift of vision to thousands of people in developing countries,” she said.
The Governor’s husband Rod Bunten and daughter Sophie also attended the event.
Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin thanked the Lions Club for the important role it has played in the community over 60 years and acknowledged the contribution of volunteers in enhancing the city’s social fabric.
“Our city is richer for your selfless service,” Mrs Martin said.
The evening also saw the presentation of a 60-year service chevron and distinguished service award to Eric Roughana AM, the club’s only surviving charter member.
Mr Roughana chaired the committee that organised the anniversary celebrations.
Australian Lions Foundation medals recognising 50 years’ service were presented to Allan Dowdell OAM and Robin Conboy OAM.
An updated 28-page booklet detailing the club’s history and activities was also released on the night.
2022-23 President Steve Bell and Charter Member Eric Roughana AM cut the anniversary cake.
SA Governor Frances Adamson AC pictured with Barb and Allan Dowdell OAM.