Forty-five leading citizens and businessmen from Gunnedah and Tamworth districts gathered at the Court House Hotel on August 13, 1958, for the inaugural dinner meeting of Gunnedah Lions Club – 11 years after the first club was formed at Lismore in 1947.
Tamworth Lions president Jack Lyons, accompanied by his officers and members, were welcomed by the president-elect of Gunnedah Lions Club, Peter F. Dennis.
Lion Jack Lyons presided over the inaugural meeting, pledging the support of Tamworth Lions Club, and the Australian secretary of Lions International, Terry Fairburn, gave a talk on the work of Lions International throughout the world.
Other distinguished guests included deputy district governor, Lion John Raby, of Armidale, and zone chairman Lion Bill Robinson, of Tamworth.
Lion Terry Fairburn then inducted the office bearers and members of the new club:
President: Peter Dennis. Secretary: Eric Musgrave. Treasurer: Don Steele. First vice-president: Dan Kennedy. Second vice-president: John Ollivier. Third vice-president: Con Barbato. Tail twister: Martin Prentice.
Lion tamer: Max Brooks. Directors (two-year term): Colin Clegg and John Moncriefe. Directors (one-year term): Bill Hunt and Bill Irwin.
The International Association of Lions Clubs started as a dream in the mind of a young Chicago insurance agent in 1917.
The man was Melvin Jones and the dream was the consolidation of several existing independent clubs into one strong and influential unit for service to humanity. The association did not become international until 1920.
Lions Clubs are now local and international service organisations dedicated to community service, humanitarian aid, and volunteering. With over 1.4 million members globally, including a strong presence in Australia, where the first club was formed at Lismore in 1947.
Lions Clubs focus on areas like health (cancer, diabetes, sight), disaster relief, youth development, and environmental projects. Membership is open, and funds raised typically go directly to community projects.
Gunnedah Lions Club’s first big charity effort was held the weekend after it was formed, when a carnival and football match against the visiting Campsie-Waratahs premiership league team was held at Kitchener Oval. The carnival grossed more than 300 pounds with an estimated crowd of 1500 attending the event.
The charter dinner for 250 Lions Club members and guests was held at Gunnedah Town Hall, on Saturday, February 14, 1959, where president Peter Dennis pledged to Gunnedah citizens that the club had been founded on honesty and co-operation in business and the development and betterment of the community.
The first year of activity was reviewed at the change-over dinner later that year, with members having been involved in manning race day booths, Operation Doorknock for the cancer appeal, Spastic Toll Day, manning of booths at the international rugby league match and the concreting of the ambulance station drive-way. Donations were made to Gunnedah Hospital, the Queensland flood relief appeal, the national project of Australian Lions for 1958.
The following year Lions members took part in a project at Gunnedah Hospital where they laid new concrete in the ambulance driveway facing ANZAC Parade, saving the hospital 1000 pounds.
Lions’ support of the hospital continued in 1961 under the leadership of president Colin Clegg, with a further 2800 pounds raised through an art union. The funds were used to assist in the erection of an auxiliary operating theatre, surgical dressing room and sterilising equipment.
Community work continued over the years with members funding the planting of trees on the Henry Street highway approaches to town, construction of fire-places for the travelling public and the organisation of a Christmas carnival at the Ampol Service Station in Marquis Street.
In 1964 the Lions Club raised 3000 pounds for the joint Lions-Rotary Eventide Homes for the Aged appeal, shared with the Gunnedah Pensioners Association.
Each year has seen at least one project for the betterment of the town or welfare of individuals – some large, others small and unnoticed.
Long before recycling became a catch-word, the Lions Club was conducting periodic collections of waste paper, old bags and batteries which were then trans- ported to a ready market in Brisbane, with the funds raised benefiting several charities supported by the club.
In 1966 the Lions Club took on the task of helping to build a new school for children living with an intellectual disability in the local area children of Gunnedah and district.
The school, located in Stock Road on land acquired by the club, had an estimated cost of $16,000, with one-third of the funds provided by the club and supported by a government subsidy. Many volunteer man hours were also provided by Lions’ members.
It was the late Stan Kidd, a Lions Club member, who made the preliminary moves in 1964 which resulted in the service club taking up the project as a community service.
The opening of the GS Kidd Memorial School in November 1966 by Minister for Education, Charles Cutler, was the culmination of a scheme which was the worthiest ever performed by a service club in Gunnedah. Today known as the GS Kidd Memorial School for Specific Purposes, the student population outgrew its original building and in recent years, a modern school campus with indoor swimming pool was erected a little further down Lincoln Street. The original school is still used for adults living with disability.
A beautification project launched by Lions Club members in February 1967 has resulted in an attractive Lions Hospital Park, which today is extremely popular with locals and the travelling public Lions Club members worked hard over the years, laying turf, planting gardens and installing barbecues, sheltered picnic tables, a rotunda, a safe children’s playground and toilet facilities.
In 1965 the Lions Club launched the Lions Youth of the Year quest for high school students, which, over the years, has become one of the most important events on the school calendar.
Other projects included the Nazareth House appeal, concrete paths at the CWA Rooms, $3000 to the hospital for a heart machine (1971), sponsorship of exchange students, boat-a-thon, walk-a-thon, audio-training equipment for the technical college day secretarial course (1972), $2000 to the band towards a new band hall (1972), $1000 to the hospital towards the domiciliary nurse’s car (1974), $900 towards a new sheltered workshop (1975) – these are all projects supported by Lions.
In 1969 members started selling Christmas cakes for the Lions Save Sight campaign, and with the 2MO Women’s Radio Club, donated a Beale piano to the Day Centre at Gunnedah Community Centre.
At a conservative estimate, the Lions Club had by 2006 raised in excess of $700,000 for the community – and that figure does not include voluntary man hours.
At the club’s 40th anniversary celebrations in 1998, district governor Harry Hammond congratulated members on their commitment to the community, commenting that “Gunnedah would be the poorer without them.”
Gunnedah Lions Club foundation president, Peter Dennis, left, receiving the club charter from Lions district governor, Jack Manning, of Hurstville, at the charter dinner on February 14, 1959.
Gunnedah Lions celebrating their 40th birthday in 1998. Standing, from left, Col Jones, Paul Hope, Siggi Ruhmann, Stuart Muddle, Col Douglas, Bob Hughes, Allen Deitrich, Miller Davies, Geoff Gillies, Neville Adams, Denis Cosier. Seated: Wally Johnson, Don Reid, Peter Dennis, Eric Musgrave, Ray Swain.
Official opening of the new pergola entrance to the Lions Hospital Park in 2006. The entrance was named in honour of a popular and hard-working member, Stuart Stanley, who died in 1994. The three pillars were original supports on the town Post Office, demolished in 1980.
