After 60 years of community work with Shepparton’s Lions Club, Don Phillips, Graeme Williams and Lloyd Mawson wouldn’t change a thing.
“It’s been a part of my life,” Don said.
The anniversaries were celebrated on Wednesday night at the GV Hotel, with a slideshow of old photos to take the club down memory lane.
First chartered in 1961, cousins Don and Graeme joined as some of the founding members of the Shepparton branch and have attended club meetings regularly since.
“You meet people that you wouldn’t otherwise come across, and in 60 years, which is a long time, I’ve never regretted joining,” Don said.
Lloyd first joined the Cohuna Lions Club before transferring to Shepparton in 1976 when the club had almost 40 members.
“We had a great cross-section of the community that were working and serving in community jobs,” he said.
Over the years the members were involved in many community projects, including their iconic showbags that they sold at the Shepparton Show for almost 20 years, and fundraising $40,000 to build the children’s wing at the GV Hospital.
Another project was a camp for kids with cystic fibrosis at Kialla Scouts Hall, a cause both Graeme and Lloyd were proud of.
“We had about six doctors in our membership and it gave the parents a bit of a break,” Graeme said.
“The idea was to create a week where we could take the children off the parents’ hands, let them have a week off and the children could have a week of a holiday,” Lloyd said.
“It was something I was very proud of.”
Don, who recently turned 90, said a gambling night the club hosted in the 1980s was one of the more “unusual” fundraisers. The club hired a train to take them to the Cosgrove Hall in Dookie for $200.
“We all went to the railway station and we had nibbles there and sherries and the band was playing,” he said.
“Then we hopped on the train and went out to Cosgrove and had a great night.”
In the early days of the club, members would help out with gardening, deliver firewood and other small things that they’re now not able to do today.
“There’s not as much need out there as there was on those early days,” Don said.
“There was lots of people in need of assistance.”
Lions Club president Patsy Lansdown said she was inspired by the men, who are still active in the club today.
“It was lovely to see them go down memory lane (last night),” she said.
“They’ve just been absolutely amazing.”
Far from its heyday, the club now has only around a dozen members which Lloyd said had changed the club “dramatically”.
“People aren’t so inclined now to offer their services on a voluntary basis, which is sad,” he said.
Graeme, Don and Lloyd said they would encourage everyone to join the Lions.
“I’ve really enjoyed doing it (Lions Club) and helping people,” Graeme said.
“The friendships I’ve made have been great.”