Kaitāia Lions celebrating 60 years of helping the community

Tara Henderson and Warwick Bray helping Kaitāia Lions Club members celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2014. The club will celebrate 60 years of helping the community on April 13.

After decades helping the community, Kaitāia Lions is putting some effort into itself and plans to celebrate its 60th birthday in style next month.

Kaitāia Lions Club is celebrating 60 years of raising funds for and supporting the community, with a gathering for its diamond anniversary on April 13, at Dalmation Hall.

Kaitāia Lions - which covers the area from Mangamuka Gorge, through Ahipara and Houhora right up to Cape Reinga - is the last such community volunteer group left in the area, with other clubs, including Rotary and Kiwianas, in recession. Lions raise money for a variety of community groups and events including organisations like St John and fire brigades.

It also funds a Young Ambassador programme.

Past club president and long-time member Grant Robinson said the club started out all those years ago as a social gathering and a way for the members - who were all men in those days - to put something back into the community as part of an international organisation.

“Lions is the largest service club in the world and it seems in those days there were several other service clubs that had big waiting lists, so it was decided to set up a Lions club here,’’ he said.

“There was no real catalyst (for setting the club up) as such. But back in those days it was largely one-income families with the wife staying at home. The men all worked and people were looking for things to do on the weekend and Lions was a great way of networking and putting something back into the community.’’

Kaitāia Lions Club members making wooden building blocks for one of its many community fundraisers over the past 60 years.

Since then the club has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and put in countless hours of voluntary time for community projects, whether that be helping out at local events and happenings, or helping with fundraising for major projects, such as the town hall (Te Ahu Centre) rebuild.

Maxine Wild was the first female to join Kaitāia Lions about 20 years ago, after the Kaitāia Lionesses, of which she was a member for about 20 years before then, folded.

Wild said having female members helped the club enormously as it was seeing membership drop and gave it renewed impetus.

She said being a Lions member gave her a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment and it was always great to know that you are helping your community.

“I’m a doer and like to help so this is ideal. It’s fantastic to be able to help your community and know that your efforts are so valued by the community and that you are helping make your community a better place.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from doing the work of Lions and we know that the community really appreciates it. Lions is a place for people who like to help others.’’

Robinson said one of the amazing things about being a Lion was that you could walk into any Lions club around the world - there are 48,000 clubs with 1.4 million members globally - and be welcomed.

Robinson said Lions also provided plenty of training opportunities, such as for those interested in doing administration, being a treasurer or secretary, along with other training opportunities.

The club had recently provided funding for talented young Kaitāia singer Noah McBirney-Warnes to help him get to the Pacific Islands to perform. It was also working with Kaitāia’s Switzer Home again, this time to relocate its raised gardens when the rest home expands.

It was also raising funds to provide medical equipment for the new Te Hiku Sports Hub and had previously raised funds for organisations such as the fire brigade and St John.

Its annual pre-Christmas raffle will this year provide extra funds for Kaitāia’s Fire Brigade, St John and Hospice.

But, like many organisations, Kaitāia Lions is always on the look out for more new, younger, members to keep the great efforts going for another 60 years.

“It’s a great opportunity to give back to your community and also a chance to learn as well. Come along and give it ago, I know you’ll enjoy it,’’ Robinson said.

Anybody interested in joining Kaitāia Lions or wanting to go to the anniversary bash - which will be attended by Lions club members from across the region, email wild1s@hotmail.com. Tickets to the do are also available from Hammond Motors.