Norsewood and Dannevirke Lions hear from Lions vice-district governor

Lions presidents Sandra Cordell and Barbara Ferguson each hold a sports towel presented on behalf of district governor Carol McMillan by second vice-district governor Ron Wezenbeck.

Lions club members do a lot of good in smaller local communities such as Norsewood and Dannevirke, but the clout of the organisation can help causes in disasters on a national and international scale, members were told at a meeting this month.

Norsewood president Sandra Cordell thanks Ron Wezenbeck for connecting members with Lions International.

Second vice-district governor of District 202M, Ron Wezenbeck, spoke on the topic at the Dannevirke Lions Social Meeting in the Dannevirke Services and Citizen’s Club, which included close to 40 Lions from Norsewood and Dannevirke clubs.

Often in Lions, club members are so busy in the local community carrying out the Lions International motto “We Serve” they have little time to think about the International element, he said.

Lions has a membership of nearly 1.4 million, making it the largest membership-based service club organisation in the world and scattered all over the globe.

District 202m stretches the East Coast from East Cape to Wellington and into the Horowhenua and is a vast area to cover to visit clubs, a job district governor Carol McMillan shares with her vice-district governors.

Ron told members of the five global causes Lions International supports to make a difference – diabetes, vision, hunger, environment and child cancer through its action arm LCIF (Lions Clubs International Foundation). It provides almost instant funding in disasters and long-term funding for causes.

All Lions clubs donate to LCIF as well as to the Lloyd Morgan Trust, named after New Zealand’s only international president. Both help provide funding where needed.

The combined clubs hear about how Lions International has assisted recovery in Hawke's Bay after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Dave Murdoch

Ron outlined the help given by these organisations in response to Cyclone Gabrielle which took the form of practical equipment and facilities like whiteware and local commercial laundries for households that had lost everything and $55,000 for fenceposts where farmers had suffered from the cyclone’s destruction of fence lines.

He told of a bus capable of running skin cancer tests being funded to the cost of $150,000 to tour the country to detect the disease in people of all age groups.

He encouraged all Lions to be active to do even greater good, to train, to lead and share the good news with others who might like to join. He said his district governor’s slogan “Dare To Be Different” should be activated.

Lion Steve St Merat receives the Dannevirke Stirrers Spoon for persuading St John Ambulance to make available to Lions a health shuttle formerly donated locally by Gwen Fairbrother. Photo / Dave Murdoch

Dave Murdoch is a part-time photo-journalist working for the Bush Telegraph and based at Dannevirke. He has covered any community story telling good news about the district for the last ten years.