Newly inducted Lions president roars with vigour

Cheers and roars of laughter filled the hall at Carisbrooke Lifestyle Estate, Brentwood Park, as Nick Mare was inducted as the Benoni Lakes Lions Club president on July 6.

Mare has racked up 27 years of service within the organisation and has been an active member within three clubs, the Benoni Lakes Lions Club being the longest.

Emotional and with overwhelming support from his wife and fellow Lion, Beaulieu, the past district governor accepted the club’s charter, gong and gravel from past president, Diane Townsend, saying in 2017 that he vowed it would be his last stint as club president.

“Look at me tonight, I am back for the seventh time and the Lion in me is ready to serve our community with pride and enthusiasm,” he said.

“I have three goals I want to attain during my term and our board and members will be instrumental in the manner in which these will be achieved.”

He said the club’s theme for the year is ‘Fun with Focus’.

“Being a Lion becomes part of your life and DNA, being of service to others is what we do. I want every project to not only fulfil a need, it must be fun too,” he said.

“I want to host a charity golf day to trump all other golf days, I want to reclaim our Christmas Cake mantle and strive to have our Strides Walk for Diabetes Awareness be recognised as the project of the year.

“We have the capacity as a club to achieve success, all we need is the ongoing support of our community.”

Reporting on her 2023/24 year at the helm of the club, Townsend, who held the post for two consecutive years, said that only once a term comes to a close does one realise how many fond memories were made and friendships forged.

“We restored hope in the lives of others and have set benchmarks on which greater opportunities can be built,” she said.

“During the Lionistic year, members dedicated 1 845 hours in the form of community service while 2 044 members of our community benefitted from 75 projects hosted by the club.

“Success isn’t measured in stats and figures. It is about the impact we made in the lives of others, the bodies fed and the smiles shared through positive involvement.”

Thanks
Townsend thanked the club’s members for being a call away and always showing a willingness to dive head-first into every project.

Darren Hendry and Patricia Ellis both received the Service Project of the Year award for eye screenings that were conducted at Benoni Junior School.

Hendry further received the Lion of the Year trophy for the second year running.

“Hendry went above and beyond the call to service, his unwavering dedication towards the club’s projects and the service to others is inspiring,” she said.

During the event, Townsend also became the proud recipient of the coveted Louis Volks humanitarian award, which is the highest recognition of Lion’s International Multiple District 410.

As news broke that the Springboks defeated the Irish at Loftus and before members and guests engaged in fellowship, the evening’s MC Nicole Hendry handed out numerous “red cards” to some of those in attendance.

She claimed that offences were regarded as foul play and sent the “offenders” to the sin bin.

“Although the red cards carry no authority and may be questionable, I have been entertaining while wearing high heels. You are, therefore, moved to seats away from the podium, thus opening up a nearer seat so that I can rest my aching feet,” she said with a witty smile.

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