Lions Clubs International - District 201V1-4

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1 Lions Clubs International - District 201V1-4 Lions Tales Issue 3 February A Note From the District Governor Looking ahead, there are aspects of Lionism we must address. In all walks of life challenges bring about new directions and inventions. Whilst no inventions are envisaged, a stronger sense of being a Lion is. The first challenge for us in V1-4 is to attend the Multiple District Convention in Melbourne on May 1/2/3. It is not necessary to attend each day. One day will suffice preferably Saturday. I ll tell you why we must attend. 1. Our District, V1-4, is the host district for the convention and therefore should be the strongest represented district. 2. Our International President, Al Brandel, will attend. 3. There is a group of V1-4 personnel organizing the convention who would appreciate your support. 4. We will be singing our V1-4 Cry. Showing the rest of Australia how we do it, must be impressive. (The words are printed later). I do not want to see any V1-4 Lions sitting in seats when we do our 30 second showstopper (Saturday). District Governor Alan Crilly Central NSW truck drivers from Colway Express and Toll fill two Bendigo warehouses with fire-relief goods, courtesy of V1-4 CRY Boom chicka, boom chicka, boom sha la We are Lions from Victor-i-a Boom chicka boom chicka, boom sha lew We cook and sizzle on the barb-e-cue Boom chicka boom chicka, Vee one four We are Lions and we ROARRRR. The next aspect is our membership. Whilst we are always inducting new members, at the same time we lose some. At present we are some 6 members down on what we were at the same time last year. Page 1 of 8 5. Rarely do we have a MD Convention in our backyard. 6. Everybody should attend at least one MD Convention and what better time than now. 7. If attending, please come Saturday preferably. 8. Please send in your registration ASAP. It does not cost much for the daily sessions. Here is the challenge I challenge each club to induct 2 new members by the end of May this year. It can only happen if we make the effort. I know some clubs will surpass that challenge terrific. But those that make no effort let the side down. I propose some ideas for you not new, but practical. Continued on Page 8... To Submit Articles for this Newsletter: Contact: Lion Malcolm Qualtrough or lionsmq@bigpond.com

2 2009 Lion Pat LaManna OAM Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Senior Australian of the Year Having come from a poor background himself, Pat LaManna readily relates to the misfortunes of others. He battled racism and economic adversity during the years after his arrival in Australia from Italy in 1948, but he persevered and became a successful entrepreneur. He has used these skills to give back to countless charities in Australia and the Third World. He has been a member of the Lions Club for 40 years and founded the Lions Club of the Melbourne Markets in 1972 which has become the highest fund raising Lions Club in Australia. Due to his commitment, he has been elected president of the club seven times. Pat also started the Hand-to-Hand Appeal for the Bionic Hands Department at Melbourne s Royal Children s Hospital, raising $198,000, and the Pat LaManna Cancer and Research Stroke Foundation which has raised $1.5 million to date. He established the annual Melbourne Passion Play in 1997, an outdoor re-enactment of the story of Christ that is funded by Pat and is free to the public. These are but a few of the generous contributions Pat has made to the community, serving it with energy and devotion. Page 2 of 8 Lions Children s Cancer Institute Australia Research Program Continued from Page 6 8. MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY (Developing opportunities for preventing childhood cancer and minimising the long-term health effects of cancer treatment). 9. PHARMACOPROTEOMICS (Understanding and overcoming resistance). This Program s goals are to understand the role and function of proteins in cancer cells so that improved treatments for cancer can be developed. 10. CANCER CELL DEVELOPMENT GROUP (Investigating cancer-causing genes). This Program aims to understand the mechanisms that regulate cell division, cell life span and the processes by which normal cells develop into cancer cells. Rebecca Stanton P: rstanton@ccia.org.au

3 Melbourne Chinese Lions Gala Fundraising Ball: In November at Northcote the Melbourne Chinese Lions Club held their 10th Anniversary Gala Ball and raised money for ON Luck Chinese Nursing Home in Melbourne. The event was attended by the Lord Mayor, John So, the Chinese Consul General and various Lions from Hong Kong. Pictured from Left is PCC Tony Benbow presenting a cheque on behalf of the Australian Lions Foundation for $13762 to President Derek Lo. MC Lion Lionel Leung is on the right. Main item of entertainment was Elvis and the Las Vegas Showgirls. Melvin Jones Fellowship well deserved: Warracknabeal s Maurie Parson s first assignment was on the Cemetery Committee, on which he served for 2 years. He served as Activities Chairman between the years of 1991 to 2008; a total of 15 years. Maurie has had many years of involvement with the Lions Park and served either as Park Chairman or as a committee member between the years of 1992 to 2008, 15 years. Youth Affairs has always been one of his passions and the yearly Children s outing to Adventure Park would not have happened without Maurie having a hand in organising it. He was President in 1994 and again in On District level Maurie s record is just as impressive. He served as Zone Chairman between the years of 1995 to 2006, a total of 12 years. Page 3 of 8 He was District V4 Region Chairman in 1997 and served as District Youth Exchange Chairman from 2000 to 2003.

4 New Members Galore Seven new members were inducted into Coburg Lions Club. The inductions were was performed by PDG Margaret Sheriff with Frank Stephens of the Glenroy Club assisting. Pictured above is DG Alan with Heathcote Treasurer Greg Spiers on the left inducting two new members. President Lorraine Spiers is pictured on the right. The hotel at Heathcote was full to capacity as most of the Club s 31 members attended the visit of the DG and Marg Crilly Page 4 of 8 Bendigo Lions and volunteers unloading some of the goods into the warehouse - See facing page.

5 Rogue s Gallery Lion Alan Andrews of the Strathfieldsaye Club gets ready for the Australia Day BBQ. The Club has been assisting the Scouts with the festivities since it was chartered. Alan who works with the Westpac Bank began his Lions career with the Leitchville Club. Alan is the chief Strathfieldsaye BBQ Chef and has been Club President on three different occasions. Bendigo Lions Region Disaster Appeal PDG Ron Thomas recently attended Cabinet Secretary Training in Sydney. Ron who works as a Carer is a member of the Sebastopol Club and was for a number of years Multiple District Youth of the Year Chairman. He was Governor of 201V4 in Two semis, two trucks and a V-double delivered donated goods to the Bendigo Lions Appeal. This idea was floated by the citizens of the Central Coast of NSW which includes Gosford and Toukley. Local businesses and people also made cash donations to provide transport fuel. It was a very emotional time for the NSW contingent of 17 who travelled down to help. Along with emergency grants from the Australian Lions Foundation and Lions Clubs International Foundation, the Clubs in Bendigo Zone 7 have set up a Disaster Appeal. Working with the Charities in Bendigo the appeal will supplement their work. Page 5 of 8 On Saturday 7th February a fire started in Maiden Gully and with a front of around 500m fanned by 46 deg 50 knot winds raced to within 1.5k of the Bendigo City CBD. With a change in wind the fire moved back towards Eaglehawk on a 5km front. More than 60 houses were destroyed completely, along with many out buildings. 2 people are reported as dead.

6 Lions Children s Cancer Institute Australia Research Program An official national Lions thank-you dinner for all Lions District leaders was held at NSW Parliament House on Friday 16 January Our District was represented by DG Alan Crilly and DG Elect Jill Qualtrough. Partners Margaret Crilly and Newsletter Editor Lion Malcolm Qualtrough were treated to a tour of the facilities at the Randwick Children s Hospital on the Saturday morning. The staff at the Institute are remarkable for their attitude and dedication to their job. The Editor has never seen young people so enthusiastic as these young doctors and research scientists seem to be. Children s Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research (CCIA) is the only independent medical research institute in Australia devoted to research into the causes, better treatments, prevention and cure of childhood cancer. The vision of Children s Cancer Institute Australia is to save the lives of all children with cancer and eliminate their suffering. The Institute s research takes a comprehensive approach, covering specific cancers such as leukaemia (the most common cancer in children) and neuroblastoma (the most common tumour in infants), while also looking at aspects such as how anti-cancer drugs work, early and accurate diagnosis, and the early prediction of relapse. In the 1960 s, childhood cancer was practically a death sentence. Today, as a result of enormous advances in medical research including Children s Cancer Institute Australia s own contribution the survival rate has risen to 70%. However, three out of every ten children with cancer do not survive. These are the children that the Institute is dedicated to saving. The Institute has 10 major research areas as follows: 1. AUSTRALIAN CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (ACRF) DRUG DISCOVERY (Developing new agents for diagnosis and treatment). One of these compounds, GSAO, inhibits the growth of new blood vessels in tumours, effectively starving tumours of their nutrient supply and causing them to shrink. 2. CANCER GENETICS (Investigating inherited and acquired genetic variations within human and cancer genomes). The newest Group at CCIA is focused on identifying and understanding the significance of both inherited and acquired genetic variations within the human and cancer genomes that influence cancer predisposition, initiation and tumour progression, and/or response or resistance to cancer treatments. 3. EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS (Finding better treatments). This program is directed towards exploring new ways of improving the therapy of children with cancer. 4. LEUKAEMIA BIOLOGY (Understanding leukaemia). This Program is focusing on the development of new treatment approaches to childhood leukaemia, the commonest malignancy of children, which accounts for half of all childhood cancer deaths. 5. LONG TERM FOLLOW UP (Following up childhood cancer survivors). The Institute conducts a Long Term Follow Up Project in collaboration with staff of the Centre for Children s Cancer and Blood Disorders at the Sydney Children s Hospital. 6. MOLECULAR CARCINOGENESIS (Investigating the formation and progression of cancer). This Program has a strong focus on neuroblastoma, the most common solid tumour in young children, and is using neuroblastoma tissue and tumour cells directly grown from tumours, to investigate the processes of normal and malignant cell growth and differentiation. Page 6 of 8 7. MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS (Improving diagnosis and investigating prevention). Diagnosis and risk classification of childhood cancer. Continued on Page 2...

7 A New Year, A Fresh Start Get involved in LEHP-Australia and make a difference in your community. Thank you to the 20 clubs within the 201 V1-4 District who made donations towards the Lions Eye Health Program Australia in We received a total of $2,132 from your District. Your valuable contributions have helped us spread our message in your community of preventable vision loss and the importance of regular eye examinations. Did you know that. one in six people with diabetes will be affected by vision loss or blindness; glaucoma will affect one in eleven Australians and that; age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in people over the age of 50? Three quarters of vision impairment in Australia is caused by conditions that are either preventable or treatable with early intervention. Become a participating LEHP-Australia club in 2009 and make a difference in the quality of life for people in your community. Your voluntary club donations will supply you with access to numerous resources. Our dvds and cds can be used to conduct informative presentations for local community groups and our posters, flyers and brochures can be distributed at any Lions organised activity or function, including Saturday morning sausage sizzles. Please do not hesitate to contact our National Program Manager ( ) for further information on how you can get involved, or visit our website We take sight for granted until we are directly affected by it. Leah Evans, LEHP-Australia National Program Manager Leo Reunion I am looking for any Victorian Leos who were active in the 1990 s. If you know of any Leos who were active during this time, please encourage them to contact me regarding a Victorian Leo Reunion later this year. This is going to be a great event and I would like to try and get the word out to as many ex-leos as possible. I can be contacted on either or bjpjwhelan@bigpond.com.au Thanks Belinda Whelan Page 7 of 8

8 Youth of the Year Finalist Tour Melbourne In Melbourne the group was hosted by our District s and the the Victorian State Winner Danielle Panaccio. A breakfast and tour at the MCG was hosted by District YOTY Chairman Maureen Cassidy. Once again the breakfast was sponsored by the National Australia Bank. The event was followed by a cruise on the Yarra. DG Alan Page 8 of 8 A Note From the District Governor (Cont. from Page 1) 1. Contact, (by that, I mean make an effort to) trades people eg: plumbers, business people (not all are Rotarians), nurses etc. 2. Ask your neighbors how many of us have not done that. 3. Visit new arrivals into town. 4. Have a club doorknock. Whatever you choose, please remember that all methods require a personal touch. If you bring someone to a meeting or working bee pick them up. Members are our lifeblood you and every new member. The DG from Tasmania is urging his fellow Tasmanians to also beef up numbers as You don t want to be annexed to a Victorian club. I ll be watching with interest on the monthly returns how we are going and will report in the next newsletter our progress. Let us Kick Goals here. Congratulations to Lion Pat La Manna (Lions Club of Melbourne Markets) on receiving the great honor on Australia Day for the Australian Senior Citizen of the Year. Pat received his award at Parliament House from Prime Mister Rudd. Pat is a proud Lion and his philanthropical work first gained him the honor of Victorian Senior Citizen of the Year and with other State winners then was considered for the Australian Award. Pat, I know you are a proud Lion, but now especially so, are your club members and all those who know you. Your work is always selfless. Whilst mentioning Australia Day, I would also like to congratulate and thank those Lions who helped their communities celebrate the day. As President Brandel would say Lions are Everyday Heroes Performing Miracles Through Service. By now clubs will be firing up for Youth Of The Year. I wish you well.