“We are family – serving our communities together”
District Newsletter
Our training sessions ran over three days with those DGEs present divided into 26 groups of various language groups and countries. The three of the four Q District DGE’s, plus the N5 and T1 DGE’s were in the group with a great trainer. [Two of the Australian DG’s were unable to travel to the Convention]. We also had special presentations by Chancellor Bob Corlew and the whole program finished with a Celebration Banquet at the Hilton Seahawk Hotel. Wendy also had some sessions as well with Chancellor Bob Corlew’s wife Dianne.
The Convention started on the Saturday morning after we had all attended the Downunder Breakfast with the International Parade of Nations which went on under threat of rain but fortunately it held off. We were well down the list and it took us longer to get to the actual start of the march than it did to get to the end. However, we were behind a rather large Chinese contingent. There were plenty of people looking on and there were not too many children who did not score a small kangaroo or koala.
As is usual at an International convention there were some great performances at the Dome with the highlight being a dynamic performance from the Drum Tao group at the International Show after the march in the evening. If you ever see them performing here in Australia get along as they put on a couple of great shows for us.
The last time I wrote for the newsletter Wendy and I were in Japan about to head into my training and the Convention and I was still a DGE. I am sure those of you who are linked to the District Facebook page would have seen some great pictures of Q3 members in Fukuoka. Some are included in this issue. It was great to meet with a whole new group of people from all around the world and talk about how they operate. Unfortunately, it was not possible to spend any additional time in Fukuoka as we had already spent some time in Japan before that and wanted to be back for the start of the year.
The convention was well organised and the transport ran like clockwork as we moved from Fukuoka’s Yahuoku! Dome (where baseball events are staged) to the Fukuoka Kokusai Centre (one of the four places in Japan where national Sumo tournaments are held) and the nearby Fukuoka Marine Messe (where all the exhibits were set up and voting took place) and the Fukuoka International Congress Centre where we had our training sessions.
Soon after arriving we joined a long line of DGE’s and their partners to meet and have our photo taken with the incoming International President Chancellor Bob Corlew and his charming wife Dianne. It must have been a very long day for them. All the Australian DGE’s went to this session in a group.
D.G.
Norm’s
Notes
This convention made history as it saw the election of the first women to the position of 2nd International Vice President, Gudrun Yngvadottir from Iceland who will be the International President in 2nd Vice District Governor’s year. There will be a range of You Tube videos of the Convention on the LCI website soon if they are not already there.
With the Convention over it was back to Tokyo where we boarded a QANTAS flight for an overnight trip to Brisbane landing around 7 AM on the 30th June ready to get the year underway.
Since our return we have been pretty busy with three installations (Brisbane Bunya when I stepped in at the last minute, Toowoomba City who were celebrating their 50th year and Brisbane Inner North). Of course we have had a very successful District Changeover and our first Management and Cabinet meetings and the first partners outing for Cabinet officers. My thanks to the members of the Morayfield and District, Kallangur and Pine Rivers clubs for their support and help sourcing venues and helping to put on these events. The Parents and Citizens from the Bray Park State Primary School also did a sterling job of catering for the Cabinet meeting.
Talking of busy, the DG Team visits are well under way and by the time you receive this I will have completed my first three visits and awarded the first District Governors Award for the year and Vice Governors Engelbert and Carmel will also be on the road. We all look forward to these visits and an opportunity to meet many more new members.
I won’t say much about the Centennial Celebrations in this report, I will leave that up to others. However, I will refer to the Centennial Banner that was given to me and all new District Governors to get signed by as many members as possible during our visits and other key events.
Keynote speakers at the opening plenary sessions on Sunday included the Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthai, a human rights activist whose Save Childhood Movement is said to be the largest grass-roots movement against child labour, child trafficking and child servitude and Her Imperial Highness Princess Tomohita of Mikasa and of course outgoing International President Yamada. We were also introduced to the Peace Poster and Essay competition winners as well. This was all followed by a flag ceremony where every flag was paraded before the crowd. I didn’t make it to the Special Olympic Partnership Bocce event where Lions and Leos were invited to participate. The day’s program closed with a presentation on the Centennial celebrations and a Downunder reception in conjunction with our colleagues from New Zealand and Indonesia.
On the Monday the second plenary session featured Past International President Joe Preston who gave us an update on the Lions Clubs International Foundation which had a bit of a Star Wars theme. This was also the session when we heard from the candidates for International Director and Past Council Chairman Tony Benbow stood up for our Constitutional Area and was successful at the election on the Tuesday.
The voting, which seemed to go very smoothly compared to my experiences in Hamburg started off the program on Tuesday. This was probably due to the fact that the Australian DGEs we were all there ready to vote when the doors opened. A special Lions Humanitarian Award was presented to the local leader of Doctors without Borders for their work around the world under very difficult and dangerous circumstances. The final stages included the installation of incoming International President Bob Corlew who gave us his pitch, followed by a parade of his supporters and then the final stage of the proceedings was the formal installation of the 700 plus DG’s in the audience.
The blue Elect ribbon we had been wearing under our badge all week was ripped off by our partners and we were formally installed.
The very final activity was the International Officers Reception hosted by the new International President and his two Vice Presidents.
The idea is that these will be taken to Chicago next year and paraded as part of the International Parade of Nations. So look out for that as I come to your Club. It will also be at the District Convention for those who miss out during the visits.
Finally, the DG Team will also be bringing a promotion for the second volume of the Herbert Peabody books to you during our visits. I have provided a promotional flyer on the book and this Reading Action Program promotion for inclusion in the newsletter. The idea is that Clubs would present the books to their local schools and libraries or even your own children and grandchildren.
Of course this will result in your Club receiving a tick in the box for participating in the Centennial Challenge referred to in the newsletter. (Mark the “engaging our youth campaign” area). Last year the District purchased 160 copies of the book and the profits we have made as a result of an arrangement with the Australian author, Bianca Ross, were donated by the District to the Australian Lions Children’s Cancer Research Foundation and the Australian Lions Mobility Foundation. I was very pleased when Bianca agreed to a similar arrangement for this year.
More on my theme and the way ahead next time but I thought I would give you some background on what happens at an International Convention in the hope that more of us may just make that trip to Chicago for the centenary celebrations.
DG Norm
Thank you to the Club Secretaries who have submitted the July Membership Report and the Activity Report online via MyLCI. As I write this article, 24 Clubs out of 72 are yet to enter their Membership details and only 24 Clubs have entered any activities. If this trend continues over the next few months, further training opportunities may need to be provided and follow-up with individual Clubs to provide assistance to Club secretaries. To fulfil our obligations to Lions Club International, it is important these reports are submitted each month, even if there are nil changes to membership.
Club visits by the DG Team
All clubs have been notified of the date the member of the DG Team proposes to visit them. Thank you to Club officers who have replied to confirm the date or to request a change of date. By the time you are reading this article the visitation program will have already commenced.
Email Correspondence
A number of enquiries have been received asking if email communications should be considered as official mail and recorded in the same manner as letters forwarded and received through the postal system. The simple answer is yes they should. In an effort to reduce the number of incoming emails you need to record from District 201Q3 as incoming correspondence we will address individual emails as either “Club” or “Announce”. Emails you receive via the “Club” listing should be recorded as inwards correspondence, but emails you receive through the “Announce” listing do not need to be recorded unless you wish to do so.
Report from the Cabinet Secretary
LIONS CHRISTMAS CAKES AND PUDDINGS
REMINDER TO ALL CLUBS
There is only one Discount Period i.e. 1st JULY 2016 to 31st OCTOBER 2016.The discounted price is only available if Payment and Delivery is made within the discount period. All deliveries MUST be before the 31st October.
I remind all Club Secretaries and Club Cake Chairmen to print off a copy of the Guidelines, Order Forms and any other resources that are available from the Website (lionsclubs.org.au/cakes).
Webpage members’ area - order form
User name: cakes
Password: westons
Annual General Meeting
At this time of the year you can expect to receive in the post from the Office of Fair Trading, the Associations’ Incorporation Form 12-1 (i.e., the Annual Return of Association) and the Collections Act Form 20 (i.e., the Annual Return for Charity or Sanction) which will need to be completed once your Annual General Meeting has been held. Club secretaries please ensure that the procedures outlined on pages 23 and 24 of your Secretary Training Manual are adhered to. The AGM must be held within 180 days from the end of the financial year, but it is strongly recommended that it is held no later than 30th September 2016.
MD Directory
By now, copies of the Multiple District Directory should have been received by all Clubs. Please let me know of any incorrect or outdated information listed as part of your Club details in order that updates or corrections can be made and published.
District Newsletter
By now, every Club should have received their copy of the first District Newsletter for the year. Each month, a coloured copy of the newsletter will be mailed out to clubs. The newsletter is also posted on the District website for clubs and individuals to access. Should you wish to take advantage of our “NewsDirect” facility to receive a copy of the District Newsletter in your inbox each month, simply email your name and email address to Cabinet Secretary Arthur Witheyman awitheym@bigpond.net.au.
Changed your Email Address or moved house or have a new contact phone number?
If you have changed your address or other personal details such as email address or contact phone numbers, please notify your club secretary so that your information can be updated on the MyLCI site to ensure the Lions Magazine and other communications will be sent to your new address. Club Officers who have changes to their contact details are requested to let me know as well, in order that our Webmaster can make the necessary adjustments to District Email distribution lists.
Until next month……… Remember in all that we do, “We are Family – Serving our Communities Together” Arthur Witheyman
Our Newest Lions Family Members
A big welcome to the following new Lions who joined us in May and June; Welcome and we all hope you enjoy your Lions experience.
Boondall Lions Club Neelan Donohue
Bribie Island Lions Club Michael Bierton
Diana Gibson
Michael Gibson
Rozlynn Vicenzino
Barry Williams
Cheryl Williams
Richard Williams
Brisbane Bardon Lions Club Stephen Ross-Bryant
Brisbane Bunya Mary-Anne Creagh
Nicole Francis-Kelly
Marina McMinn
Scott Young
Brisbane Nundah Kayla Crethar
Lee Sims
Cecil Plains Mark Butler
Natalie Williams
Chinchilla Patrick Lane
Crows Nest Adele Geeves
Greg Geeves
Dalby Lions Club Natasha Millar
Dayboro Gordon Goebel
Lorraine Goebel-Brown
John Oman
Margaret Weston
Esk Desley Hill
Fernvale Lions Club Emma Phillips
Donna Ramsay
Highfields North Eastern Downs Lions Club Dorelle Shapcott
Nigel Stack
Ipswich Lions Club John Fasi
Jandowae Lions Club Diann Cumner
Kallangur Lions Club Belinda Norrie
Lake Currimundi-Kawana Lions Club Joy Unger
Lowood Lions Club Judith Lehmann
Maleny Blackall Range Lions Club Sandra Cooper-Steele
Ruth Hibberd
Nicole Hilton
Natalie Walsh
North Lakes Lions Club Maryann Hughes
Sean Hughes
Our Newest Lions Family Members contd.
Redcliffe Kippa-Ring Lions Club Louise Earthrowl
Rosemary Smith
Roma Lions Club Marlene Auld
Samford Lions Club Wendy Chignell
Surat Lions Club Nita Chandler
Margaret Gallagher
Elaine McInnes
Lorraine McPherson
Mervyn McPherson
Geoffrey Paterson
Una Paterson
Taroom Lions Club Kirstylee Blacka
Toowoomba Inc. Lions Club John Russell
Toowoomba West Lions Club Debra MacAlpine
Woodford Lions Club David Baker
Deanne Hughes
Marty Hughes
Loretta O’Connor
When we do the best we can,
we never know what miracle is wrought in our life
or the life of another.
Helen Keller, 1880-1968
As at 30 June 2016 - This is what YOU have been a part of – CONGRATULATIONS. Please keep recording what your club does on MyLCI, as it does make a difference.
DISTRICT GOVERNOR TEAM – VISITATION SCHEDULE 2016
CLUB NAME
|
|
TEAM MEMBER
|
|
DATE
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brisbane Jindalee
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
19
|
July 2016
|
Golden Valley Keperra
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
20
|
July 2016
|
Sandstone Point
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
21
|
July 2016
|
Enoggera
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
25
|
July 2016
|
Dalby
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
26
|
July 2016
|
Bribie Island
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
28
|
July 2016
|
Deception Bay
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
1
|
August 2016
|
Ipswich
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
1
|
August 2016
|
Beachmere
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
3
|
August 2016
|
Brisbane Central
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
8
|
August 2016 (Lunch)
|
Lowood
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
8
|
August 2016
|
Brisbane Bramble Bay
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
8
|
August 2016
|
Brisbane Oxley-Sherwood
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
9
|
August 2016
|
Beerwah
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
10
|
August 2016
|
Kilcoy
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
14
|
August 2016
|
Mooloolah Valley
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
16
|
August 2016
|
Moggill-Mount Crosby
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
16
|
August 2016
|
Kallangur
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
17
|
August 2016
|
Albany Creek
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
17
|
August 2016
|
Lake Currimundi-Kawana
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
22
|
August 2016
|
Withcott-Helidon
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
22
|
August 2016
|
Toowoomba Inc.
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
24
|
August 2016
|
Chinchilla
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
25
|
August 2016
|
Laidley
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
25
|
August 2016
|
Brisbane Valley Toogoolawah
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
7
|
September 2016
|
Gatton
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
7
|
September 2016
|
Inala
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
7
|
September 2016
|
Woodford
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
8
|
September 2016
|
Ipswich Redbank-Goodna
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
12
|
September 2016
|
Westbrook & Districts
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
12
|
September 2016
|
Miles
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
13
|
September 2016
|
Caloundra
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
14
|
September 2016
|
Wandoan
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
15
|
September 2016
|
Samford
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
15
|
September 2016
|
Cecil Plains
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
19
|
September 2016
|
Roma
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
20
|
September 2016
|
Charleville
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
20
|
September 2016
|
Taroom
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
21
|
September 2016
|
Surat
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
22
|
September 2016
|
Narangba
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
26
|
September 2016
|
Highfields-North Eastern Downs
|
VDG1
|
Engelbert Krampl
|
27
|
September 2016
|
Maleny-Blackall Range
|
VDG2
|
Carmel Goldsworthy
|
27
|
September 2016
|
North Lakes
|
DG
|
Norm Jensen
|
28
|
September 2016
|