Earlier this month the Narromine Lions Club celebrated 70 years of community service with a gala dinner attended by 100 guests, many of whom travelled from all over to reminisce, commemorate, and look to the future.

The event on July 1 at the United Services Memorial Club (USMC) was also an opportunity for the club to continue its fine history of giving, donating more than $7,500 to a range of community groups including the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Timbrebongie House, the Narromine Cancer Support Group, Meals on Wheels, and the Narromine Preschool.

When it formed on June 5, 1953, the Narromine Lions Club was the 18th branch of the popular community services club to be established in Australia, and the first west of the Great Dividing Range in NSW.

The club was born following a meeting organised by the late Keith McLachlan and had 22 charter members on start-up, all of whom have since passed away. From those beginnings, the Narromine Lions Club has become an essential part of the social fabric of the community through its stellar volunteering efforts. The walls of the USMC’s Ballhhausen Room displayed memories of the club’s many achievements and undertakings across the decades.

“In the early days the Lions club was the only service club in town. Service work was very simple: it included jobs such as cleaning pensioners yards and supplying them firewood, repairing or making fences etc. But over the years projects grew, ie beautification of our parks, which included building fences around all three ovals, and planting trees along the Peak Hill Road, Cale Oval and northern end of Dandaloo Street,” the club reminisced on social media.

“However, one of the major projects undertaken by the club, for which we are most proud, was establishing a preschool for the town, firstly in the borrowed Masonic Hall, then in the early 70’s building the new pre-school in its current location. Raffles, Christmas Cakes and Sausage sizzles are also part of our regular service work and fundraising efforts.”

For Sarah Ballhausen, who joined Narromine Lions Club in 2022, celebrating the 70th Anniversary in the room named in honour of her late father, Bill Ballhausen, had very special meaning.

“It is special having the celebration in this room,” she said.

Bill Ballhausen was both a founding charter member of the Narromine Lions Club in 1953 and a long-serving president of the USMC, and very involved in the community over the decades. The nonagenarian was the last surviving charter member and had served 69 years with the club when he passed away in 2022.

“Dad was very much community minded. Lions was a major thing for our family and every Sunday he was always doing some sort of community service,” she said.

“I remember Dad going to meetings and coming home in fine spirits. All his mates were in it. I knew Lions was very important to Dad and [my joining] was a way of giving back to the club and the community.

“Not too many people join community service clubs so young nowadays. Dad was in his twenties when he joined. There’s no way I’ll make 69 years [with the club]!”

One guest who made the trip from Sydney for the 70th Anniversary was past member Ernie Kidd, who was in the club between 1972 to 1976 while he worked in the town as a local bank manager. Another person with a long connection to Lions, Mr Kidd had first joined Lions in 1967 in West Wyalong and is still involved with the organisation today from his home in Ryde.

“I was here for the 60th Anniversary and the ’78 Convention,” he said, overjoyed to be back for the 70th Anniversary and to reconnect with people like guest speaker Peg Finlayson who he knew from his time in town.

Guest speaker Dick Short became emotional as he thanked the club for supporting his mother and her six young children following the untimely death of his father in an accident in 1960. The club helped the family with support and donations through the years, for which the family was very grateful, Mr Short said.

“The people of Narromine were so generous to us.”

Narromine Lions President Vicki Drew presents a donation to Sally Everett for her work with Mission Melanoma: Doing It for Lionel.

Guests heard about Lions’ annual pilgrimage to the Licola disability camp in rural Victoria, a much-anticipated event for more than 80 people living with a disability across rural NSW.

Coordinated by Narromine Lion Karen Shearwood and Gulargambone Lion Col Ryan, buses carrying 83 campers and 20 Lions’ camp leaders headed off on April 10 for the annual camp that is specially designed for people living with a disability.

Three camp leaders from Victoria also joined the group that spent a week enjoying a wide range of indoor and outdoor experiences at the rural camp.

The highlight of the evening was the special presentation of the prestigious Melvin Jones Fellowship to Bob Davis in recognition of his exemplary service to two Lions Clubs in Australia since 1980, including Narromine Lions Club.

The award was presented to Mr Davis by Lions District Governor Geoff Freudenstein and is the highest level of recognition that can be bestowed on Lions members.

Melvin Jones Fellowship recipient Bob Davis (left), with his wife Julie Davis and Lions District Governor Geoff Freudenstein. Photo: Sharon Bonthuys. 

Of further note, this year is the 50thAnniversary of the creation of the award by Lions International honouring its founder, Melvin Jones, a Chicago businessman who wanted the networking groups he was a member of to work for the betterment of communities and the world at large rather than focusing on their own interests.

Narromine Lions Club president Vicki Drew was thrilled with the turnout to the 70th anniversary celebration and thanked her organising committee for its efforts in planning and delivering the event.

“It has gone wonderfully well,” she said, looking forward to continuing her role as president, now in her third term. "Like the club, I'll carry on!"

Here’s to the next 70 years and beyond. Happy Birthday, Narromine Lions Club.