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It was, by all accounts, a big night at Hides Hotel when the Lions Club of Cairns formed in October 1956.
About 100 people enjoyed a five-course dinner in the presence of then Cairns mayor, William Fulton.
Lions had begun in the USA in 1917, the start of a global movement dedicated to community service.
Australian Lions Club members have been celebrating the 75th anniversary of the first Australian club, that formed in the northern New South Wales town of Lismore in 1947.
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Since then, Lions has grown to be Australia’s largest service club organisation, fundraising for and delivering vital community support projects.
Cairns became the 73rd Australian Lions club in 1956, formed at the initiative of local business people. It was the second club north of Brisbane.
More clubs opened around the Far North. Atherton, Innisfail, and Townsville in 1957, Cairns Barrier Reef (1961), Cairns Trinity Bay in 1963, and Trinity Beach Lions Club opened in 2003.
Jo Lynes has been with the Cairns Barrier Reef Lions for 21 years, as always, delighted to be helping others.
“We all want to give back to the community, and I believe there's many, many people out there that want to have that feeling.
“It’s a wonderful feeling when you do something good and you walk away and you think to yourself ‘I helped that person’, how amazing is that?”
Jo’s club has recently been raising money for childhood cancer research, but the 25,000 Australian Lions in about 1200 clubs support a wide variety of projects and causes.
One of her favourite stories involves organising a hospital bed for the home of a woman keen to be released after a hip operation.
“She was crying because she wanted to come out and she couldn't come out till she had the bed.
“I said, ‘well, we can fix that, that's no worries’ and the boys got together and took the bed to her home.
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Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, paid tribute to the Lions on the 75th anniversary, saying the organisation had made an enormous contribution across Australia.
“Where there’s a need, there’s a Lion.
“Whether you’re teaching kids to fish in Carnarvon, delivering eye health programs in Cairns, or rehabilitating a wetland in Clare, Lions are making a real difference and helping build a stronger Australia.”
Lions Clubs in the Far North support many organisations and projects, including drug awareness, mobility, drug education, hearing dogs, and donating equipment for local hospitals.
Jo says she’d love to see more people get involved.
“It's an amazing organization. We make an incredible difference in our communities and we're happy to do it.
“We’d love for more people to come along and get that feeling and be part of it in whatever form they can.”
Main points
- Lions came to Australia in 1947
- The Cairns club opened in 1956
- There are 25,000 members in 1200 clubs across Australia
