RECOGNISED by her peers for her service to the community, Glen Hills resident Avril Hobbs was elected as the District Governor 410E South Africa at the recent 107th Lions International Convention in Florida, USA.

Hobbs, a current member and past president of the North Durban Lions Club, officially took the chain of office from outgoing District Governor Perry Chetty.

The Lions Club is an international service organisation focused on community and it was that mission that drew Hobbs in almost five decades ago.

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“I first joined as a Leo, which is for young adults, and when I aged out I never joined Lions because women weren’t allowed to be a part of Lions. But as my husband was a Lion, I’ve dedicated 50 years of service to the Lions and more than a decade to the North Durban Lions Club. It is a huge honour to be named the District Governor as it’s a position you have to apply for three years prior. You also need your club’s permission to stand,” she explained.

Earlier this year Hobbs travelled to Chicago, for District Governor elect training, then to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for a membership summit.

Then last month she travelled to the international convention where she received her blazer, and then to Johannesburg where she was given the chain of office.

“There were around 8000 fellow Lions Club members at the convention and it really makes you emotional because there are people everywhere in the world doing what they can for their communities. For me personally this has been a long journey and it culminated with this honour; it just feels right. I now hold office for a year before the next election,” she said.

Hobbs was joined by her son Grant, and husband Trevor in America.

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Already the club have been giving back and were one of the roleplayers co-ordinating relief efforts following the devastating fire at the Briardene Informal Settlement recently.

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