Lions celebrates 40 years of service

Contributed by Mary McIvor

THE Maleny Blackall Range Lions Club celebrated 40 years of service to the Maleny Blackall Range Community at our recent dinner meeting. The Maleny Blackall Range Club was chartered on the 15th April 1983 and Roger Jackson (deceased) was the first President. At charter night 29 members were installed as the first members of the club.

Chris Symons a current member of our club attended the Installation dinner at the RSL Maleny and remembers it as being a formal affair with 120 guests. He recalls the celebrations going on all weekend.

Numbers dwindled over the years down to about 9 members and when Bill Crawford was inducted in 2005 as President, he set about rebuilding the club to be the strong club it is today. Clarke Alexander is the longest serving member of the club at this time and he and his wife Lyn introduced the “Iced and decorated Christmas cakes” back in Bill’s time to raise awareness of our Lions Club. This project is still popular today. Around 2006 Colin Sinclair, who has over 50 years’ service as a Lion, together with his wife Sue, came up with the idea of the Welcome Dinner (now known as the “Meet & Greet”) and this event has proven to be our Annual Signature Lions Project. This event is held every September or early October and with the support of local businesses enables new residents of Maleny to learn about the services our community offers and to meet like-minded people.

The first woman President was Una Robinson 2000- 2002 who now lives in Beerwah, followed by Chrissie Dittmann in 2002-2003 and then Helen Johnston in 2014 and currently 2020 -2023. The Club’s biggest growth in membership was 20 members in 2014 and another 20 members 2015 year during Peter Jensen’s year as President. Our club grew to 70 members and for practical reasons split into two clubs to service the Range currently The Maleny Blackall Range Lions Club and the Blackall Range Lions Club. Over the years our club has fostered the formation of the Mooloolah Valley Lions Club and the Beerwah Lions Club.

Our Club has won the Maleny District Sports Club Organisation of the Year Award several times and the Lions District 201Q3 Clubs’ Year Award (out of 75 clubs in the district) twice.

The club has a proud record of service to our local community and long may this service continue. For further information about our Club or membership email: membership.mbrlions@gmail.com

Feeding the Hungry Masses with Spencer and Karen Shaw

It’s that time of year when the temperatures start to drop and our native wildlife need to start eating their fill to keep warm and hopefully put on a bit of fat to keep them going through the cooler months.

Banksias, Grevilleas and Bottle Brushes are great nectar sources for Rainbow Lorikeets and Honey Eaters (and Noisy Mynah’s!) but many of the native birds of the hinterland and coast are fruit eaters and it’s great to plan food supplies for them too. A few that we have in-stock that fruit at this time of year include: The Plum Myrtles, Pilidiostigma glabrum and Pilidiostigma rhytispermum, they are smaller local rainforest trees, that can grow 4-8m in the garden, with beautiful dense bushy foliage and fluffy white flowers for the birds and tasty black fruit for the birds. Palm Lilies, Cordyline rubra and Cordyline petiolaris are also heavy with fruit. The small shrubby Orange Thorn, Pittosporum multiflorum is also a winter fruiter with its tasty orange fruit and bonus, spiky stems to provide extra habitat for small birds to hide.

As always in SE QLD, with our amazing biodiversity this is only the tip of the iceberg, plant fruiting shrubs, trees and vines and keep the birds and other wildlife fed and warm.

The Voice: It’s Time to Listen

Speakers:

Nathan Appo, Reconciliation QLD

Lara Watson, ACTU

Stephen Mam, Yes23

Thurs 15th June

9:30-11:30 am

Maleny Community Centre

Fri 16th June

6:00-8:00 pm

Kawana Community Hall

Tickets: scrgi.org.au/events