The Minnamurra Lions Club received an impressive turnout for their recent prospective new members evening at Kiama Golf Club on Tuesday 9 April, with the inclusion of women for the first time. 

The Lions are well known for their sausage sizzles. But the club contributes so much more to the lives of members and the community, which long-term members Denis Beynon and Ken Horspool expressed with obvious wholehearted gratitude during the evening.

Approaching its 25th anniversary, the Minnamurra Lions Club was established in November 1999 with 38 members. In fact, Beynon was one of those original chartered members. Over the years, the Minnamurra Lions have kept their member numbers fairly stable. As the original members are inevitably getting older, Beynon emphasised the need for younger members to keep the community thriving. 

“When we were chartered, I was 51. We were a relatively young Lions Club compared to some others. But, 25 years later, I am not that young, middle-aged person anymore. All of us are going to get older, less agile, which impacts our service work,” says Beynon.

“There is also now an emphasis on attracting women to join. Lions was historically an all-males service club, but the decision was recently made to reach out to female members.”

Whilst their biggest revenue comes from the traditional snags and bacon and egg rolls at Black Beach’s Seaside Markets, the Minnamurra Lions actively raise funds for various charities and support the community via several other means. 

“We ran the parking at Killalea markets for many years because people running the markets needed help parking the cars. We raised quite a lot of money through that. It wasn’t just about making money, though, but also helping to keep a community event going,” recalls former president Ken Horspool, who joined in 2002.

“Another initiative we try to help promote is ‘The Man Walk,’ aimed at men’s mental health. It is very early days, and we would like to get more people along to spend an hour with us having a walk and talk, perhaps a coffee.”

Other contributions over the past year have included construction and maintenance of the whale watching platform and helipad at Minnamurra, offering $10,000 to bushfire relief along the south coast and allocating funding to Triple Care Farm, Kiama SES, and Illawarra Suicide Prevention & Awareness Network, among other organisations in need. 

On a national level, the Minnamurra Lions have also supported Camp Quality, Cancer Care Trust, CareFlight, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Royal Flying Doctor Service and melanoma research. Whilst the Lions are primarily to serve their local community, Beynon says they have the capacity to reach out on an international level.

“We are a part of a Lions Association, and there is a national and an international. In the event of a major international weather event, for example, Lions Australia have the ability to donate major contributions – particularly to developing countries.”

Naturally, giving back to the community and beyond in a voluntary capacity inspires a sense of satisfaction and contentment. When Beynon and Horspool are queried as to why someone should volunteer as a member of the Minnamurra Lions, both have a genuine and infectious twinkle in their eye. 

“As a member of Lions, you get to mix with like-minded people and bring skills that you accumulated over a lifetime and apply them,” says Horspool. 

Similarly, Beynon expresses gratitude for the opportunity to make lifetime friends through his Lions association. “Lions introduces you to people of different careers, talents and life experiences, which I think helps personal growth. We have volunteers from all walks of life bonding together with a common goal of community service.”

Are you keen to help keep our community thriving and make some fabulous new friends along the way? If so, visit Join The Lions Club or perhaps grab a friend and head along to an upcoming meeting held every second and fourth Tuesday of every month at the Kiama Golf Club. All potential Lions – young and senior, men and women – are welcome.