VALUED members Rod Upton and Ian Seymour OAM were honoured at the Lions Club of Muswellbrook’s annual changeover dinner last Saturday night.
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The function is essentially the formalising of the board of directors for the ensuing 12 months.
It’s also a time when the individual members are recognised for their years of service to the community as Lions.
At the changeover, Mr Upton was acknowledged for his 50 years of service as a member of Lions with Life Membership of the Lions Club of Muswellbrook.
He started his service when he joined the Murrurundi club and, when he moved due to work, he transferred to the Muswellbrook organisation.
Since joining, he has had three terms as president and, over the years, held many director positions.
Prior to the changeover, the club’s only Life Member was Past District Governor, Mr Seymour.
He has been a member of the organisation for 55 years.
Another significant award presented on the night was to Mr Upton and Mr Seymour, where they both received medallions from the Australian Lions Foundation to mark their 50 years of membership.
President Mathew Benge along with those present congratulated each man on their achievements.
He also welcomed two new members in Brent and Lorraine Manuel who have transferred in from Blackwater Club in Queensland.
Mr Benge was installed as club president for another 12 months.
In his report he identified the achievements of the club over the past year and identified his goals for the next Lions’ period.
Board members are: president Mathew Benge; secretary and treasurer Robert Chapman; assistant secretary/treasurer Mark Elsley OAM; 1st vice-president Les O’Brien; 2nd vice-president Rod Upton; 3rd vice-president Kevin Smith; lion tamer Ken Paton; tail twister Geoff Delforce; membership chair Michael Dunn; membership director Janelle Eades; bulletin editor Mark Elsley OAM; and Lions Club International coordinator Mark Elsley OAM.
Lions clubs across Australia and the world celebrated 100 years of worldwide community service on June 7, 2017, which marked a centenary since the first Lions Club meeting.
Lions Clubs International, the largest service club organisation in the world, was founded by a Chicago businessman named Melvin Jones on June 7, 1917, in response to his vision that ordinary people could use their talents to better service their communities.
Lions Clubs International now has 46,000 clubs and 1,445,591 members globally, working together to provide humanitarian support to communities in need.
This makes Lions the world's largest service club organisation.
They are also one of the most effective organisations in the world.