Food loomed large in the life of a Lion back then. Annual events included a barbecue/spit roast for 200 guests on the A&P showgrounds. Reinforcing mesh covered with nikau fronds was used to form the venue with boards on bales of hay for seating (which Dave recalled making short work of pantyhose).
"I recall Ivan Yuretich and Ross Wallace spending a large part of the day cooking, so to avoid getting dehydrated they consumed a large quantity of Herekino port, under Ivan's instructions, as he was the expert in these matters," he added.
"Alas, when carving time arrived both had contracted a navigation blackout, and they were taken home."
TV personality Craig Little was the special guest at the first of those functions, and was farewelled in style next day.
"We took the bar, mini-tanker, glasses etc. up to the airport and served complimentary refreshments to everyone. [Airport superintendent] Andy Bennie nearly had a heart attack," he said.
On an even larger scale the club spit-roasted a whole beef for a Mangonui Festival, under the direction of the 'master,' Wilf Simpson. A special rotisserie was designed and cooking began at 1am, with the first Lions beef sandwich served 10 hours later.
The club also catered for others, including two Kiwanis convention, a New Zealand Tourist Board conference and a Lions convention, all at the Far North Community Centre (now Te Ahu).
The world convention in Hawaii was particularly memorable for Brian and Melva Hall, Gordon (Wheels) and Dot Wild, Noel (Polo) and Mollie Watts, dave and Ina Shalders, while the 202G convention hosted in Kaitaia came about when Dave and Ivan Morton attended a convention in Dargaville.
When came to time to choose a host for the next event Ivan told Dave to put his hand up, prompting a huge round of applause, "and it was ours." Warwick Bray was appointed to chair the organising committee, and it was a huge success.
"Back then when you wanted sheep for the spit roast that wonderful Lion Wilf Simpson would arrive at our farm to kill and dress up to 10 animals. When seafood was needed members gathered almost everything - paua, scallops, oysters, tuatua, mussels, crayfish. Of course none of this would have happened if it were not for members' ladies working tirelessly at these functions."
The club also supported the queen carnival organised to raise funds to build the community centre. The Lions' queen was Melva Williams (Saxton), Lofty Stokes organising an Elizabethan feast at the Awanui Community Centre that not only raised "heaps" of money for Melva but continued as an annual event for many years.
Meanwhile Dave was conscripted (by Ivan Morton) as the club's representative to St John, and was duly informed that he would convene a radiothon to raise money for a new ambulance station at Doubtless Bay.
Norm (of the North) Bryan, Gavin Watt (Far North Promotions) and various bands and groups entertained in Kaitaia and at Mangonui, while helicopter pilot Prickles de Ridder provided a highlight of the day by lifting a Hillman Imp car 30 metres off the ground and dropping it.
"The car had smoke pouring out of it and two dummies inside it, the idea being to simulate a car going over a cliff, with the fire brigade on hand to douse the flames and a St John team to tend to the injured," Dave said.
"All went spot on until the fire brigade arrived and their water pump wouldn't start, but apart from that all was well and we raised many thousands of dollars that went a long way to turning a dream into a reality."
The club also joined Kiwanis and Rotary in taking over the 90 Mile Beach Surfcasting Club's annual one-day contest (forerunner to the Snapper Classic/Bonanza), which wasn't its best move.
There weren't many competitors, and it would have been a financial disaster but for the facts that no snapper were caught and the clubs weren't committed to paying out a lucky draw prize.
Many years later the Kaitaia, Kaingaroa and Mangonui Lions joined forces to run a Doubtless Bay fishing competition, which raised many thousands of dollars for worthy causes over more than a decade.
Dave and Doug Archibald also excelled themselves on a sponsored run/walk from Kaitaia to Mangonui.
"At that time I was the inn keeper at Awanui, and Dave Archibald decided to sponsor me, as my lifestyle was far from athletic. After much research he decided that I would be lucky to make it to Awanui, so he made it one quid ($2) a mile. That was huge money."
He and Doug found the magic formula of running to one telegraph pole and walking to the next, however, and crossed the finish line together, an effort rewarded with one chook apiece rather than one between them. "I could hardly walk for three days, and I doubt Dave ever got over it," he added.
