A POTTED HISTORY OF THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF THE LIONS CLUB OF CALOUNDRA.

Our club began with its formation on 2^nd February 1957. The club was chartered on the 20^th April that year with the City of Brisbane Lions Club as our sponsor. The Charter Presentation night was held on Saturday, 14^th September 1957 where a crowd of 238 people applauded twenty-three(23) citizens as they became the official charter members of the club.

Early projects include the following –

• The Hut which was built for the Girl Guides. This hut was constructed at the Eastern end of the Tennis Court Complex in Arthur Street.

• A Youth Fitness Group was formed. A number of Lions became instructors. The group was set up in the Glideaway Hall, Kings Beach. An amount of five guineas was allocated to cover immediate expenses.

• Shelter sheds were built at Kings Beach. This project took many years to complete. After the Kings Beach sheds were built , club members were involved in constructing Shelter Sheds at Golden Beach and Currimundi.

• During the 1960’s “bottle drives” were undertaken. On one occasion, a semi-trailer was required in order to transport the bottles to a dealer in Brisbane.

Our History Book contains numerous newspaper clippings which show that our organization received great coverage in the local press. In order to explain relative values of the era, the Caloundra Weekly (19.09.1957) could be purchased for two pence. In a prominent advertisement, Tytherleigh’s Family Store had a number of Super Food Specials. One of the specials was ten ounce(10oz) Holbrooks Worstershire Sauce at the competitive price of two shillings and threepence.

With their menfolk busy with Lions meetings, working bees and other projects, the ladies soon decided to meet as a separate group. They called themselves the LFDs (the Left for Deads). Their name badge had a miniature rolling pin suspended below the name bar.

Our ladies have a proud record of assistance to the local community as Lions Ladies and as members of the Lioness Club. This assistance includes the following projects:-

• Visits to Aminya.

• Visits to Caloundra Hospital.

• Cooking and staffing for the Sunshiners (29 years).

• Providing staff at the Red Cross Blood Bank ( begun in 1961 ).

• Assisting with the running of the Opportunity Shop for Meals on Wheels.

• In 1966, funds were allocated for the purchase of a piano for the brand new high school - Caloundra State High School.

• Over the years many thousands of dollars have been donated to many worthy causes.

• No list would be complete without highlighting the Music Hall. It was a great project which generated a lot of fun. It began in the late 70’s with one performance and grew to a yearly event of four nights. It involved all members of the Lions family and several thousand dollars were raised for community projects.

• In 1964, they provided funds so that a telephone service could be installed at the town kindergarten. They also paid for the first six month’s rent.

On a number of occasions other service clubs have combined with us on joint projects. On one such occasion, Sunday, 15^th August 1958, members from Rotary and Lions formed a team which played the local JC’s. Rugby League was the chosen game.

It was the match of all matches. An excellent article appeared in the local paper. It generated a great deal of interest and here I quote, “The spectators were so dazzled by the exquisite range of coloured jerseys worn that they could not appreciate fully the intricate moves undertaken on the field.” That will give you some idea of the intensity of the day. The ambulance was in attendance, the town doctor presented himself for duty and the referee was the local dentist. The JC’s attempted to start the game with twenty players. The referee gave that notion short shift and imposed his authority.

As you read the newspaper reports you will notice that ,from both teams, several prominent citizens of Caloundra today were named and sent off at various times for a variety of misdemeanours. However, we won’t go down that path. The referee exhibited great skill. Suitable penalties were given so that at the break the score was “five all” and when the full time whistle sounded they had a “ten all” result.

Over these last fifty years many projects have been undertaken.

• Student exchange - our club has sent students to New Zealand, Japan, Scandinavia and South Africa. Students from these countries have spent time with families from our club.

• Bribie Island Park was established in 1964. At this time, the Landsborough Shire Council gave the club permission to clear the undergrowth and set up the park facilities. Regular working bees keep it in pristine condition.

• Melbourne Cup Sweep - Our club has run a Melbourne Cup Sweep since the early ‘60’s. At that time, the ladies assisted by selling tickets in the main street during the week. In order to create interest in the raffle, a club member rode a horse up the main street. “Raddish” gained a great deal of publicity for the raffle. In the late ‘60’s tickets were 20c each and the first prize was $100.00. It has grown as a fund raiser and in the last few years all 3500 tickets ,@ $2.00 each, have been sold. The value of the first prize has been increased to $1000.00 and the project returns a profit of $4,100.00.

Carols by Candlelight - This project was begun in the mid ‘70’s. The park in front of the Shearwater Resort would be filled to capacity and the Caloundra Chorale would lead the singing of carols and then provide other entertainment. In later years, the Caloundra City Band joined the Chorale to make the evening most memorable. In 2001, we ran the Carols in the revamped Kings Beach Park. We engaged professional event organizers and they provided an excellent show. Our featured artists were “The Ten Tenors”. Their performance was outstanding and the park was filled to capacity. The holiday makers appreciated every item on the program. The schedule for the Ten Tenors allowed them to return in 2002. Once again, they enthralled the crowd. Since that time the Caloundra City Council has run the Carols.

• Youth of the Year - The club has supported this competition for many years. Competitors have moved from club judging to Zone and District finals. Over the years there have been students who reached the State Finals. Members of our club have been proud to support all levels of this commitment.

• Fund Raising has always been an enjoyable activity for members of our club. We have had great entrants in the Miss Personality Quest. These young ladies, together with their support committees, have held a variety of functions which have raised considerable funds for the Medical Research Foundation.

• In October 1958, a town fete was held. It was run on private property and was an outstanding success. Most of the community attended and all the stalls reported strong sales. The Lucky Dip ran out of products at 4.50pm. The profit from this stall was twenty-nine pound four shillings and the total profit from the day was a magnificent two hundred and fourteen pound seven shillings and sixpence.

Other projects include Fun Runs, Rodeos, a Barbecue at Bulcock Beach on Guy Fawkes Night (1958) and Sausage Sizzles at school fetes and public functions. Charity Golf Days began soon after the club was formed. Over $5,000.00 is raised each year from this Golf Day venture.

In May 1983, a number of Caloundra residents made garden beds available and members of our club provided the labour to prepare the beds for planting. The vegetables were grown, harvested and then donated to Meals on Wheels. Twenty-five gardens were involved in the project.

The recipients of many donations are shown in both volumes of Our History. It usually takes the form of a newspaper article or photograph with a suitable caption. A sample of donations would include a Cardiac Monitor for Nambour Hospital ($4,500.00), a piece of medical equipment for the Caloundra Ambulance ($7,500.00), $5,000.00 has been given to Caloundra Coast Guard, The Royal Flying Doctor Service, The Caloundra Community Bus and the Tsunami Appeal. $7,500.00 was presented to Meals on Wheels, Lions Emergency Accommodation and the Sunshine Coast Rescue Helicopter Service. The schools of Caloundra have received great support. Over many years, in excess of $40,000.00 has been provided to purchase a wide variety of additional school equipment. The Lions Club of Caloundra must be congratulated for such magnificent support.

The original Lighthouse was decommissioned and stood for many years in the grounds of the Power Boat Club. Through the outstanding efforts of one of our club members it was moved back to its original site. He arranged the crane hire, the trucks, the low loader for transport, SEQEB, Caloundra City Council and the police. All these groups gave their time and effort at no charge. A number of club members supported the project with voluntary labour and an extensive list of materials.

It is well known that on the first attempt to move the lighthouse it collapsed and required extensive reconstruction before it could be moved. One of the main beams splintered and the outer shell collapsed. What is not well known is that lift insurance was taken out by the crane driver two minutes before the initial lift. It was possibly the shortest time between policy setting and the subsequent policy claim.

The Flea Market is now run at the Rugby Union Grounds and our meat tray raffles are a quality fund raiser. Three members are rostered on each Sunday for about three hours. The project earns about $4,300.00 each year.

It has been run at the Hospital Grounds, the Race Course and the old Drive-in Picture Theatre site. At the Drive-in site the markets boomed and with the butcher at the adjacent shopping complex we did very well. The record there was twenty-four spins on a Sunday in late September,1986.

This fund raiser had its beginning as a “Chook Wheel”. It was run every Saturday morning. One site it occupied was the footpath adjacent to the current TAB complex. It was said that it was the greatest bird watching position in Caloundra. The record for the greatest number of “chooks” sold took place on Easter Saturday, 1970. On that occasion, forty-eight spins were recorded.

For many years, the club Meeting Night was a Friday night. It suited members, especially those who worked out of town during the week. Changed work circumstances for club members meant that a meeting night change became inevitable. After much discussion, the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month were chosen.

Unless the meeting night is written in the diary or on the family calendar there is always the possibility of mixing up dinner meeting responsibilities. This is even more concerning when there are five Wednesdays in the month. Many club members report privately and very quietly that at some time they have erred.

Nothing is more calculated to send a cold shiver to the back of your neck than the following sight. You arrive at the Civic Centre or Golf Course for a Dinner Meeting and find the building and car park in darkness. Perhaps worse than that, you find everything in darkness and the security gate locked.

Consequently, the journey home is one of quiet contemplation

Over the years this club has played host to guests from all corners of the globe. Club visitors have been most welcome. Countless numbers from Queensland towns have visited and Lions from all states have presented banners. District Governors are well represented.

We have enjoyed meeting with our guests. They have brought stories from clubs in Glasgow, Utah, Mississippi, California, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore. We welcomed Lions from several provinces in Canada, many counties in England, most districts in New Zealand and virtually every club in Victoria.

We look forward to the next twenty-five years of History as it is recorded in this second volume. Our hope is that club members will continue to serve the Caloundra Community and that the Lions Club of Caloundra Inc. will continue to make a contribution.