Figtree Lions Club | Non-profit organisation

Figtree Lions Club

Phone: +61 2 4272 2711

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25.01.2022 Urgent Note: The MS Megaswim scheduled for this coming weekend is now CANCELLED! I'll let you guess why .....

23.01.2022 Figtree Lions helping high school students From Bill Simpson Figtree Lions Club has made another annual donation of $2000 to Figtree High School to help students and families struggling with personal issues. It is the third year of the sponsorship program, boosting funding from Figtree Lions Club to the school to $6000. The school's Wellness committee has chosen seven students to receive assistance for next year's activities. The sponsorship will make it possible for the seve...n students to remain at school. Figtree Lions Club has also provided members to assist with 10 barbecues at the school in 2019. The barbecues included special days to recognise Indigenous students, induction and school familiarisation days for primary school students starting at Figtree High in 2020, sports training days and the school's 50th anniversary celebrations, when club members also acted as parking attendants. Active involvement of Figtree Lions Club members is part of a plan to forge closer ties with Figtree High School. See more

23.01.2022 Tree Planting O’Briens Road Reserve, Figtree. The usual level of confusion applied, the weather was atrocious yet despite everything except fire, flood, and pestilence, we actually planted 290 trees. Greg from Wollongong Council had everything prepared, the key to planting native species apparently, is to create a sense of randomness. When it comes to creating true randomness, Figtree Club excels! No orderliness for us. Is there anything not awesome about planting trees?! Chris C

22.01.2022 Council Cleanup day 2019 Once again Figtree Lions participated in the scheduled cleanup day, concentrating in our usual area around the Council pool in Unanderra. Something we can be sure of is that there will be plenty to do! Seven hardy souls rolled up to spend about two hours on the task at hand. We clean the area immediately around the pool and down as far as Unanderra railway station. The area around the pedestrian tunnel presented a challenge, Chris can be seen lost in the overgrowth trying to create order out of chaos but had to admit to only partial success. A mower alone wasn’t up to the task and you would be amazed at the things people throw away! Worn out shoes and a lonesome sock, anyone?

21.01.2022 Zooming into a 7pm Zoom meeting! Figtree Lions Club will be one of many to use Zoom to conduct meetings. There will be a similarity between these meetings which those of you with experience will recognise. What follows may or may not be an accurate description of such a meeting. 6.59 Zoom in 7.00 7.05 Waiting for host to start meeting... 7.06 The group discovers virtual backgrounds 7.07 Can’t hear Tom, Dick or Harry. Shout out to hit audio button They can’t hear us. 7.10 Shout again. ’Try headphones. Waste of time. 7.12 Everyone holds up their pets. Host turns himself into a pumpkin and can’t work out how he did it. Completes meeting as a vegetable. 7.15 7.30 Actual meeting takes place. 7.30 Chit chat . 7.40 Cut off. Realise we are on the free version. Great contribution to meeting productivity. 7.41 Zoom out See more

20.01.2022 A RECIPE FOR HELPING OUR FARMERS? Given what’s happening with our barley exports maybe Australians could be using more barley in the national diet, as in this traditional recipe which contains barley. You could also drink more whiskey, suggests my whiskey-loving wife. It is low in calories and carbs, could do us good, she says! Apart from whiskey, barley is great for soups and casseroles and as an alternative to rice in dishes such as risotto. Having said that, it is just t...he time of year for a: Traditional Slow Cooker Irish Stew Ingredients: 1 tbsp sunflower oil 200g smoked streaky bacon, preferably in one piece, skinned and cut into chunks 900g cheap stewing lamb like middle neck or scrag, cut into large chunks small bunch thyme 3 onions, thickly sliced 5 carrots, cut into big chunks 6 medium potatoes, cut into big chunks 700ml lamb stock (lamb stock is preferred but vegetable stock works) 3 bay leaves 85g pearl barley (Australian, of course) 1 large leek, washed and cut into chunks small knob of butter Method Heat the slow cooker if necessary, then heat the oil in a frying pan. Sizzle the bacon until crisp, tip into the slow-cooker pot, then brown the chunks of lamb in the pan. Transfer to the slow-cooker pot along with the thyme, onions, carrots, potatoes, stock, bay leaves and enough water to cover the lamb. Cover and cook on Low for 7 hrs. Stir in the pearl barley and leek and cook on High for 1 hr more until the pearl barley is tender. Stir in the butter, season, and serve scooped straight from the dish. Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2014 Chris C See more

19.01.2022 TAKE THE PLUNGE-REGISTER NOW After a year off because of wretched covid, get set to take the plunge again. The MS Australia 24 hour Mega Swim is back on.... This year’s event the 10th run by Figtree Lions Club is scheduled for the Uniactive pool at Wollongong University over the weekend of Marc h 13 and 14. Six teams have entered so far but there is room for many more for this fun event which raises thousands of dollars to help people suffering from multiple sclerosis. Figtree Lions Club (district 201) members help run the annual Mega Swim by registering swimmers and manning a 24 hour barbecue. Mega Swim committee chairman Bill Wright said this year’s event again will fund special Go for Gold scholarships for people with MS.

19.01.2022 The District Governors Visit in March We recently had the pleasure of a visit by DG Gordon Mathews, his wife Lyn and Zone Chairman Neil Cranny. It was a great evening of fellowship and valuable feedback from the DG, particularly on the topic of the disastrous fires’ aftermath. From President Bob’s report: I thought the visit from our DG Gordon Mathews at our dinner meeting on March 3 was extremely interesting and enlightening; some of Gordon’s stories about the recent fire ...season were particularly frightening. Having been so close to the fires and been actively involved in the recovery process assisting people who suffered great losses gave a different perspective to these disasters than we see in the media. It made me proud to be a member of Lions, hearing of the work that is being done to assist those who have lost everything. On that note, the Board has approved $5000 to be provided to District for Bush Fire relief, these funds will be transferred towards the end of June. Also approved were the following Illawarra Cancer Carers $1000 and $500 to each of the following, Forever Angels, All Kids, Life Education, Vision Australia. See photos below, the DG in full flight and, equally effectively but a little less demonstrative, an address by Lions Lady Lyn. Thanks for coming, folks, we enjoyed your company! See more

19.01.2022 The First Club Get-Together after Lockdown ....... Something of a Homecoming! With some excellent cooperation from the Figtree Sports Club we enjoyed a COVID safe meeting last week. It was quite a success so we can hope the Zoom meetings are now but a memory. The happy faces below are testament to the pleasure of the old get-togethers we all took for granted. President Chris summed up the feeling in the room when opening the meeting, commenting that it’s good to see all the faces again. Zoom will never replace the pleasure of sharing a meal, but at least it kept the Club functioning. Chris C

17.01.2022 We're supporting young Australians to be the very best they can, to find opportunities, and to become future leaders. Our Leo Clubs for people aged 12 - 30 and ...our Youth of the Year program are just some of the ways we focus on developing our youth. https://lionsclubs.org.au/activities/youth/ See more

17.01.2022 Time to get your entry kits for the Lions International Peace Poster contest! This is the 2018/19 Australian winning entry by Riley, age 11. Sponsored by Lions Club of Lugarno District 201N5. Kits available here: https://lionsclubs.org.au/activities/youth/peace-poster/

17.01.2022 My horse had only one behind him, and that was the clerk of the course ..’’ Figtree Lions Club held its Annual Calcutta night on Monday 4th November attended by all the desperate Melbourne Cup punters at Figtree RSL Bowling Club. We had several visitors which made the evening very interesting and enjoyable. Everyone had a great time and whilst they knew very little about the horses, we were entertained by their comments which kept the Auctioneer on his toes. The winning sy...ndicates were: 1st: $1052.80 Vow and Declare. 23 Winning Syndicate: Twocanchew 2nd: $300.80 Prince of Arran. 12 Winning Syndicate: Magots (by protest) 3rd: $150.40 Il Paridiso. 20 Syndicate: Sandflies Last: $40 Rostropovich Losing Syndicate: NoIdea See more

16.01.2022 Richard Kelly being inducted by DG Gordon. We don’t often have the DG visit, so we’ll give him a job to do. and he did it well!

15.01.2022 The 9th Annual MS Mega Swim Wollongong 2019 Our 9th Annual MS 24 Hour Mega Swim was held on 16th and 17th March 2019 at the University of Wollongong pool. More than 260 swimmers and 16 teams took part in the event which raised $43312.80. This was the largest number of swimmers and teams in the events history. The swimmers raise the money from donations, holding novelty events etc. The money raised goes to Go for Gold scholarships to assist MS sufferers to use for employment education, sport, to buy equipment or for any other worthwhile supporting need. The total amount raised over the 9 years is $343,529. Figtree Lions Club provide the administration and a 24-hour BBQ during the event. We will celebrate 10 years in 2020 and the event will again be held at the same venue on 14th and 15th March 2020.

15.01.2022 Gold for three Illawarra Mega Swim entrants By Lion Geoff Failes Three Illawarra Multiple Sclerosis sufferers have shared in this year’s Go for Gold scholarships awarded after the ninth successful Wollongong Mega Swim raised more than $43,300.... They are Peter Kelly from Albion Park, Pamela Booth of Balgownie and Jennifer Rees from Towradgi. Figtree Lions Club Mega Swim committee chairman Bill Wright said this year’s Mega Swim held in March had a record 16 teams and 263 swimmers. We raised $43,313 which was our second best year since the event began nine years ago, he said The total amount raised over nine years is $343,529 which is a fantastic achievement by the swimmers and Figtree Lions Club. Funds raised from this event are used for Go for Gold scholarships to assist MS sufferers with employment, arts, sport, travel and any other worthwhile purpose. Once an avid golfer, Jennifer Rees now relies on a walker and wheelchair to get around her home which she says has all but burst my bubble. Jennifer’s recent access to physiotherapist and pilates services means she is now able to venture out once a week with her support worker to see a movie, have some lunch and socialise with everyone she meets along the way. She is now looking forward to expanding her horizons even further and feeling confident enough to travel to Canberra to visit the incredible Jamala Zoo and see some of the world’s most dangerous and endangered species up close. Peter Kelly’s dream is to be a good dad and make good memories with his young children showing them that despite MS life isn’t full of doom and gloom. He believes that having a family holiday will be a good opportunity to take lots of happy photos together that they can all reflect back on and hopefully trigger his memory should the short term memory loss he’s currently experiencing continue to progress. From a young age, Pamela Booth dreamt of travelling with her husband when they retired and their family responsibilities were over. When MS made not only overseas but also local trips impossible Pamela and her husband decided to bring the world to them by hosting international students. This rewarding experience began to foster their travel dreams once again and motivated Pamela to work hard with an exercise physiologist to build the confidence, strength and balance she’ll need to travel to Japan. This scholarship will allow her to fulfil her retirement dream. Three Figtree Lions Club members, including Bill Wright, recently attended the Go for Gold scholarship presentation at a luncheon at Dooley’s Sport Club in Sydney.

14.01.2022 Figtree Lions Club YE 2019 Summary President’s Report Lindsay Colquhoun The year has gone by in a flash! My aims for the year were not all met, but I am happy with the results. This year we registered 1,532 hours of project work, involving 57 projects for the year. 423 individual attendances were recorded for members and partners. New activities included the Australia Day Donations stand for the Farmers and the BBQ for Brandon at Port Kembla Hospital. The distributio...n of our funds was again focused on local issues. Donations excluding the MS MegaSwim totaled $38, 426 and with the MegaSwim included, totaled $81,739 which is something we can all be proud of. The Mega Swim profit of $43,313 was a brilliant result for the MegaSwim committee. The detail is shown in the Treasurer’s Report. The largest donation was $11,000 to the Disability Trust Kid’s Fund whilst the club added $500 to other sources to total $5,900 to the Petch Appeal as well as donating $1,000 to the Brandon Torrecilla family. Donations to Lions Foundations and Projects totaled $9,538 of which $3,359 went to the ALF Drought Appeal. Hands-on service work saw Rob Sassall’s Flametree project being completed on time and under budget. We are all getting older and climbing ladders and fixing roofs will soon become a thing of the past. Some younger members would help, but that is the challenge that is in front of us. Membership is plus one for the year and stands at 33. If Harry was one year old, I would have achieved the aim of reducing the average age by one year. Our partnership with Figtree High School has progressed and our scholarships to needy students are showing real value. Chris Carey toiled manfully on our Facebook page with his efforts reaping rewards towards the end of the Lions year with entries for the Golf Day being generated. Let’s persevere. Social activities are a big priority. Thanks to Rob for his Sussex Inlet holiday that was a horsey success. The Nan Tien visit, for me, was a highlight. I encourage the Programs director of the future to try these interesting venues for our meeting nights. Thanks to all of you for filling all volunteer positions in all the activities of the year. Special thanks to Wayne and Kevin for keeping me on track. The rules of Lions are not simple, and the experienced duo made sure we did things by the book. More important, the support of Lions Ladies has been superb. Whether it was slices for Mega Swim or helping on the Carols, the ladies always come to the fore. Attending Ladies nights is just as important and is totally appreciated. Our Club will be rewarded on the 13th July, at the District Changeover when we receive one of 6 club appreciation awards from Peter Scifleet at Batemans Bay Catalina Club. This award is your award, for supporting Lions during the year. I wish Bob and Deb Watson every success for the new year. Lindsay Colquhoun See more

14.01.2022 Scam websites, emails and phone calls might look or sound very fur-miliar! If you get uninvited or unexpected contacts from government or trusted businesses s...top and ask out loud, is this for real? We’re not kitten you! Learn how to spot a scam now: https://www.staysmartonline.gov.au//recover-when-/phishing Don’t be fooled this #AprilFoolsDay. Some people are not who they say.

11.01.2022 FIGTREE LIONS CLUB INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS Along with most Lions Clubs, Figtree Club tries to identify worthwhile charitable organisations in other countries, usually involving children. The Club currently has two main overseas projects, one of which we discuss below. AllKids Cambodia: (from the AllKids website) AllKids is a not for profit, non-Government organization based in Cambodia.... The AllKids Learning Centre is in the coastal Commune of Ream in Sihanouk Province, Cambodia. It offers tuition for all children in the community by providing programs not available in the public schools. AllKids Objectives. * To enable disadvantaged children to access education * To improve the quality of education within local schools * To strengthen local communities and encourage self determination The AllKids program is focused on the Commune of Ream. There are approximately 600 families in the Ream Commune and in 2012, more than 25% of children were not attending school. For those children enrolled in school, attendance rates were poor. There are now more than 350 children on the Allkids-Kids to School program with the objective of having as many of these children as possible achieve high school grade 12. In our first year, 2012, over one hundred children aged between 6 and 16 started the new school year with the support of AllKids. Many of these children had never attended school before. Others had very poor attendance records and where at risk of dropping out of the school system. There are currently over three hundred children attending school with support from AllKids and every day, more families come forward seeking assistance. There are many reasons why children don’t attend school in Cambodia. The primary cause is usually related to poverty. However, most problems can be solved by bringing together the local community and encouraging them to develop their own sustainable solutions. Following is a video of the current situation, including Covid impact, in Cambodia, to view click www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMVrttNn-lQ&feature=youtu.be (Ctrl+Click to follow link) If you wish to make a tax deductible donation you can do so directly to Allkids. (www.allkids.org.au) See more

11.01.2022 Life Slowly Returns to Normal The Lions Charity Meat Raffle re starts at the Figtree Pub. With a history that goes back to the 1970’s, the Figtree Hotel charity meat raffle has been held continuously each Saturday throughout the year. We are indebted to the hotel patrons and the various hotel owners for their generous support, an important part of our fundraising efforts throughout the year. We will admit that it is also a good excuse for a quiet beer and a chat. Nothing like mixing work and pleasure. The pictures tell the story.

09.01.2022 The fun returns Figtree Lions Club Calcutta was its usual success. The Melbourne Cup Calcutta, held by Figtree Lions for many years now, was every bit as much amusement as we expected. Our Club knows how to mix business and entertainment! Under the guidance of auctioneer Bill Wright, the bidding was tightly contested, even from those who did not know much about the form. A bit of prompting on Bill’s part helped somewhat. The results First and second prizes: Lenovo syndicate.... Third prize went to our regular visitors from Minnamurra. Last prize to a Figtree syndicate DHJMB (or something similar) also known as Berry, de Busch, James, Hartley and Mackay. Congratulations to the winners and commiserations to the rest of us. Photos show two views of the Calcutta in progress with Bill hard at work. See more

08.01.2022 We love introducing you to people who are determined to make a difference. Professor Michael Ibbotson is the Director of the National Vision Research Institute. Lions have proudly supported the NVRI for more than 40 years! https://lionsclubs.org.au//michael-ibbotson-national-visi/

08.01.2022 Did you know that the LMRF: Lions Medical Research Foundation helped fund the development of the cervical cancer vaccine? Australia is now on track to become the first country to eradicate cervical cancer. Oh, it also protects men and boys from other terrible cancers, too.

08.01.2022 SAYING THANK YOU WHEN WORDS NEVER SEEM TO BE ENOUGH: As is well known now, our fellow Lion Henry had a traumatic COVID experience resulting in an extended stay in Wollongong Hospital. It was a close call, but he eventually returned home to the vast relief of family and friends. Not one to dismiss such a superb effort by the medical staff, Henry revisited the Hospital with a gesture of thanks, a box of mini cakes for the enjoyment of all who worked so hard for his recovery. Wollongong is certainly blessed to have such a superb facility and dedicated staff available. A big thank you as well from Henry’s Lions family. The photo shows Henry and members Darryle Lathlean and Bob Watson presenting the cakes to hospital general manager Nicole Shepparton. Chris C

03.01.2022 Figtree Lions Club YE 2019 Summary MS MegaSwim Bill Wright Our 9th annual MegaSwim, held on the 16th and 17th March 2019, was our most successful to date regarding the numbers of teams (16) and swimmers (263). Funds raised were $43,312.80 which was our 2nd best year with over $45,000 raised in our 3rd year. The total raised over the 9 years is $343,529 which is a fantastic achievement by the swimmers and Figtree Lions club. Funds raised from this event are used for Go f...or Gold scholarships to assist MS sufferers with employment, arts, sport, travel and any other worthwhile purpose. This year was one of our wettest MegaSwims, (we have only had one dry event), but it didn’t seem to worry the swimmers, who were fantastic. We had more marketing support from MS this year which was a major help in getting the increase in teams and swimmers from the previous year - in fact the numbers this year were almost double. The event would not be a success without the ongoing support of Uniactive (University of Wollongong Aquatic Centre) and my thanks goes to Stuart Gadd and his team for their 24-hour support and again to Stuart for his assistance prior to the event. See more

01.01.2022 Lions in the Virtual World Figtree Lions Club, along with many others, has moved into the virtual world with on-line meetings held using Zoom technology. Thanks to this video conferencing site we are now able to log in for Board meetings and Club meetings. Chaired by President Bob Watson, the usual meeting agenda can be followed, votes held, and jokes told by our resident fines sergeant Wayne. He has promised to start fining us soon, might have a small problem collecting, how...ever. The meetings also provide an opportunity to catch up on how we are coping with the restrictions and, more importantly, on the health and wellbeing of our members, some of whom have been having a rough time lately. Two of our members were Ruby Princess passengers, both contracted Covid19, one seriously, so seriously that he was in the Wollongong COVID ICU being ventilated for five weeks. The Illawarra Mercury covered his experience in full on the 6th May. The best news we have had recently is that he is now infection free. What a terrible time for him, his wife and family, all of whom want to thank the mighty effort by hospital staff. We look forward to welcoming him back to our meetings. See picture attached along with a screen print of the first full meeting using Zoom. See more

01.01.2022 Every year, Lions Australia clubs raise millions of dollars for lifesaving medical research into areas such as childhood cancers, Alzheimer's Disease and spinal cord injuries. And you can, too!

01.01.2022 Charity Golf Day 2019 in aid of the Disability Trust We were blessed once again with a beautiful day on 7th May for our sixth Charity Golf Day held again at Calderwood Valley. All players were treated to an expertly cooked breakfast and 117 players hit off. After an enjoyable round of golf, we returned to the Gazebo to be provided with another expertly prepared BBQ lunch. This year we had two Ambrose competitions Event 1 for those with a GA handicap and Event 2 for thos...e who were social players or had a partner who was a social player. We also had our putting competition, nearest the pin on all par 3’s, silent auction and raffle with great prizes. The overall reaction from the players was positive and we thanked them for their attendance and hope that they support us again next year. This year we raised in excess of $7,900 on the day, this amount was topped up from our other fund raising and a cheque in an amount of $10,000 was presented to the Disability Trust at our Sponsors dinner on Tuesday 5th June. This money is deposited into their Kids Fund account, it is then distributed to those children in need of new specialized equipment within the Illawarra. The amount of money raised could never have been achieved without the assistance of our sponsors and players who supported us on the day. I especially would like to thank the golf day working group within Figtree Lions, they brought this whole day together, the volunteers who aren’t Lions, the Lions ladies who are invaluable with their assistance at the BBQ and lastly, the Disability Trust ladies and gentlemen who volunteer their time each year to assist on the day. So, thank you everybody for helping put on a great day, we ask that you support us again next year by asking your friends and sponsors to support us via donations or just to come along and play golf. Bob Watson See more