Lions CLub of Cohuna Inc. - Chartered on 6th December 1962
In 1962 Senior Constable Norm Hyde was transferred to Cohuna Police Station. Norm had been a Charter Member and Past President of Donald Lions Club. After seeing the need for a service club in Cohuna, Norm consulted numerous prominent citizens and with their approval, invited the Bendigo Lions Club to sponsor a Lions Club in Cohuna.
A formation meeting was held in the Shire Chambers on 6th December 1962. To receive the Charter of Establishment from the International Association of Lions Clubs, a special “Charter Night” dinner was held in the Cohuna memorial Hall on Saturday 27th April 1963.
The Charter was presented to Cohuna Lions Club by District Governor William R Tresise. DG Tresise is recognised as the founder of Lionism in Australia by the founding of the first club in Australia in Lismore (NSW) on the 1st July 1947.
Members of nine other Lions Clubs were in attendance with their ladies and the night finished very late at the Island residence of Lion Peter Graham.
When Cohuna Club was charted, they were the 256 club in Australia. Now there are over 12,000 clubs and 1.4 million members that make up the world's largest service club organization.
In July 1963, 300 pairs of spectacles were collected and sent to India, this program continues today. Waste paper was collected and sold with proceeds going to the Pre-School and swimming pool committees. School books were purchased for a needy family and the first Christmas hampers were distributed to elderly and needy families in the community.
Cohuna Lions Club members attended many District and Multi-District Conventions, also International Conventions in Mexico City, San Francisco, Honolulu (twice) and Montreal also Brisbane and Sydney.
Local children have been supported and sponsored to attend holiday camps such as Somers, Lord Mayors at Portsea and Lions own camp at Licola. These camps provided an opportunity to experience new environments and other children from different backgrounds.
Educational facilities have benefited over the years. The High School (now Cohuna Secondary College) has seen the installation of a “room cooler”, also the construction of the volleyball court and equipment as well as the Driver Education Training course.
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.
