Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

MITCHELL () (): Seventy-five years ago, on 1 July, the first Australian Lions club was formed in Lismore in New South Wales, under the guidance of William R Tresise, who was appointed by the founder of Lions Clubs International, Melvin Jones, as a provisional district governor with the power to form Lions clubs here in Australia. Right now 22,500 women and men who serve as Australian Lions members across 1,153 clubs are celebrating this most important anniversary.

Over the last 75 years, Australian Lions members have come together as ordinary men and women within their clubs and aligned with their motto of 'We serve' and they've done extraordinary things for their local communities across the states and territories of Australia, and, with their fellow Lions from across the world, they support those in need whenever disaster strikes.

In the last 12 months, as we have come out of lockdowns, Australian Lions members have served 3.8 million people across 35,000 completed service activities, volunteering 1.1 million hours, and they have donated $9.3 million back to their communities. For most of us, all we know about Lions is that they are great at cooking up and serving a sausage in bread, but there is so much more to know about these men and women who serve throughout our communities. Lions across Australia come together as members who are passionate about volunteering and making a difference in their communities.

Every Lions member in Australia and across the world pays a membership fee to cover the costs of running the association. This ensures that every single dollar raised through fundraising efforts donated by the community goes to the causes, which is a tribute to every member of Lions.

Lions members are always there to support their communities when disaster strikes. Australia's first Lions club, in Lismore, was there on the ground in its 75th year supporting its community during the floods, along with other local clubs, whilst Lions clubs across Australia ran fundraising events and tin-rattled, raising funds that went directly to those clubs serving those in need during the floods and beyond today. Since Cyclone Tracy, the Australian Lions Foundation has donated many millions of dollars towards disaster recovery.

My own Lions V5 district club supported the community of Kalorama in the Dandenong in June 2021 after the disastrous windstorms destroyed one in three homes. In my own electorate of McEwen, immediately after the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, the Whittlesea Lions set up a camp area for displaced families to stay and Lions members cooked many, many meals for them with the assistance of local and distant Lions clubs across the state and country. Those families were provided with desperately needed clothing and other vital essentials. As the weeks went on, Lions members set up tool trailers with fencing equipment and mobile tool libraries, which my good friend Alan Haywood was central to. This provided valuable resources that allowed affected community members to start the process of clearing and rebuilding homes for families and communities. There are countless more stories where Lions members and clubs have continued to step in and serve those in need.

Lions members support a number of important youth programs. Lions clubs sponsor Leo clubs, which comprise of either schoolchildren as alpha Leo members or young adults as omega Leo members who serve and develop community service and leadership skills. The Lions Youth of the Year Program is another fantastic program that is designed to foster, encourage and develop the leadership qualities of our youth in conjunction with other citizenship qualities at the age when they are about to enter the fields of higher education or employment.

Lions from across Australia and internationally have five global causes. These global causes present significant challenges to humanity, and Lions members believe it's their turn to meet them. They are children's cancer, diabetes, vision, hunger and, of course, the environment. As well as these global causes, Lions from across Australia have contributed to our country in so many ways, like their involvement in the cochlear implant and the Gardasil vaccine. The contribution Lions members from across Australia have made and continue to make within our communities continues to be significant. The 75th anniversary campaign is based on the theme 'Always'. Lions have been there for our communities. They stand ready to help and will always be there in the future when needed.

It's important to Lions members that the diversity of their club mirrors their community, and they're so proud to have a number of growing specialty clubs, ranging from young volunteers in the Leo clubs to virtual clubs, ethnic clubs, autism clubs and a range of other special interest clubs that are being established. I would like to thank and acknowledge this wonderful group of Lions volunteers, past and present, in this 75th year of service, for their work over this time and for always being there, now and into the future, to support those in need. As I wear my Lions tie, I truly remember they truly serve.