The Canberra City Lions Club – a brief history
The Australian Capital Territory’s first Lions Club - The Lions Club of Canberra – was chartered in 1958 by the Lion’s Club of Queanbeyan. Thus in 2008 we celebrate 50 years of Lionism in Canberra.
The club grew quickly, and changed its name to The Lions Club of Canberra City after chartering new Canberra clubs to cater for rapidly increasing membership demand. We later also chartered the Cooma club. Thus we have been pivotal in spreading the Lions Clubs International Code of Ethics and Objectives within our region.
In the early days many hands-on projects were undertaken by the club. The merit of the club’s work was immediately recognised within our society, and stamped its presence indelibly in Canberra and the region. Fund-raising activities over the 50 years have ranged from chook raffles to organising sophisticated stage shows.
Thousands of citizens in need have benefitted from the work of our club, and that of the many other clubs now established in this region. The assistance we render in society varies from immediate response to need to long term projects. Although we have our own special interest areas, we continue to contribute to many district, multi-region and international Lions projects.