Editor's Comments

Again it is District A-1 Convention time.

            The convention will be held again this year at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel on Wellington Street in London. The dates are the 5, 6 and 7 of April, 2002    

            The campaign visits are done and our candidate club President Lion Wayne Gaudon who is running for the position of Chair for Zone 2S is to be congratulated for volunteering to run. He and club supporters are anxiously waiting the outcome of elections if required.

            With pride in our club we look forward to the opening ceremonies again and the parade of banners where our club banner will be paraded and displayed.

            Region meeting, special sessions and various meetings of interest will be taking place.

            Keeping an open mind we can sit and discuss with old and new friends of various clubs just what is happening in their clubs that might be of interest to us. We can also pass on information that could be beneficial to them.   It is also time for relaxation with club members. We can take stock of the direction in which our club is headed and where we as individual fit in the scheme of things.   Now is the perfect time to inquire about various club committee positions that could become vacant or that you  might be interested in. During the next few months our President will certainly be looking for candidates to fill certain positions. If you are unsure about the duties of the position that you might be interested in there are plenty of Lions here to advise you.

            In closing have a good time and enjoy yourself.

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35th. Anniversary e-mail Message Received

The following is an e-mail message received by Lion Allister from Past President Waynne Charlton who served as Dutton’s President in 1973 to 1974. The e-mail reads as follows,

Allister:

Received your invitation to the 35th. Anniversary Party here in Florida on February 25th. which of course was four days after the fact. Attendance would have been difficult anyway obviously. Perhaps you didn’t know but Willi and I spend our winters here in Punta Gorda, Florida. We’ll be back in Centralia, up and running Re; e-mail, shortly after April 1, 2002. Hope the event was a booming success. It doesn’t seem possible. Seems to me you and I followed one another through the Presidents seat about 1973-1975 a little over a quarter century ago. I was standing outside a downtown store the other day and a lady came out and asked me to move. It seems the reflection off the top of my head was causing the automatic door to continually cycle.

            A little quote from my library of quotes seems to fit for a good Lion.

“The smallest good deed is better that the grandest intention”.

            Dutton should be thankful for the Lions club. It has put many dollars to work in that town.

            As  I said I hope the event was a happy one and all the best for 35 more.

Waynne Charlton

LCIF Cruise to Sail the Western Caribbean

Sail with Lions aboard the Grand Princes through the western Caribbean on the third annual LCIF Cruise. The ship departs Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA, on November 3, 2002, and returns on November 10, 2002. LCIF rates include one Melvin Jones Fellowship donation per two adult paid passengers. A special on-board ceremony and private luncheon will honor new and Progressive Fellows. On shore, Lions from each port will sponsor a city tour, gala welcome receptions and other fun events. The LCIF 2002-2003 Chairman Frank Moore and his wife, Rita, are the hosts for the cruise. For information, call the LCIF Cruise Desk at (800) 255-7447 or e-mail lcif@cruiseinternational.com

Being a Lion

There are a number of reasons why we like being a Lion: good friends and their fellowship, visitations, pin trading, good food, etc. but all these things are overshadowed by the main reasons,  because as a fellow Lion, I can help accomplish things that by myself would be impossible. In our club for example, I could never operate the Turkey Bingo or other club function  by myself. But as a part of my Lions Club, and with my fellow members I can make it happen. I could never by myself hope to raise the funds necessary to sponsor our club projects, but as a team player, as a club member, we can.

            The whole concept behind Lionism is teamwork. Even as an individual club, there are things we can not do alone. But working together as a team, Lions Clubs in our District, Province, Country and around the world, can accomplish goals which

others can only dream of achieving.

            In my wallet, I carry a little scrap of paper. It is not a cheque or a receipt for values that I have purchased. Yet it may be my most valued and priceless possession. It is my membership card, my proof that I am a member in good standing in our Lions club. It tells me and my fellow members that we have entered into a special kinship… to practice charity in work and deed, to forgive and forget any faults of my fellow Lions, to care for the blind, the deaf, the sick and the hungry and to be fair and just to whomever I meet.

            It tells me that I am welcomed among Lions wherever I travel and that I am amongst sisters, brothers and friends.

            Lionism is a lot like hockey. Our President is the coach, and we are all players. In order for our team to succeed  and to be successful, all players that is to say all members, must make an effort and pull together. There can be no squabbling, back biting or small petty differences between the players on the team. These things must be put aside, so that as members of the largest team in the world, we can and will make all projects/functions happen.

            Written with aid of an article in Lion Magazine dated February 2002.