The Maleny Blackall Range Lions Club celebrated 40 years of service to the Maleny Blackall Range Community at our recent dinner meeting. The Maleny Blackall Range Club was chartered on the 15th April 1983 and Roger Jackson (deceased) was the first President. At charter night 29 members were installed as the first members of the club. Chris Symons a current member of our club attended the Installation dinner at the RSL Maleny and remembers it as being a formal affair with 120 guests. He recalls the celebrations going on all weekend.
Numbers dwindled over the years down to about 9 members and when Bill Crawford was inducted in 2005 as President, he set about rebuilding the club to be the strong club it is today. Clarke Alexander is the longest serving member of the club at this time and he and his wife Lyn introduced the “Iced and decorated Christmas cakes” back in Bill’s time to raise awareness of our Lions Club. This project is still popular today. Around 2006 Colin Sinclair, who has over 50 years’ service as a Lion, together with his wife Sue, came up with the idea of the Welcome Dinner (now known as the “Meet & Greet”) and this event has proven to be our Annual Signature Lions Project. This event is held every September or early October and with the support of local businesses enables new residents of Maleny to learn about the services our community offers and to meet like-minded people.
The first woman President was Una Robinson 2000- 2002 who now lives in Beerwah, followed by Chrissie Dittmann in 2002-2003 and then Helen Johnston in 2014 and currently 2020 -2023. The Club’s biggest growth in membership was 20 members in 2014 and another 20 members 2015 year during Peter Jensen’s year as President. Our club grew to 70 members and for practical reasons split into two clubs to service the Range currently The Maleny Blackall Range Lions Club and the Blackall Range Lions Club. Over the years our club has fostered the formation of the Mooloolah Valley Lions Club and the Beerwah Lions Club.
Our Club has won the Maleny District Sports Club Organisation of the Year Award several times and the Lions District 201Q3 Clubs’ Year Award (out of 75 clubs in the district) twice.
The club has a proud record of service to our local community and long may this service continue. For further information about our Club or membership email: membership.mbrlions@gmail.com