The Association of Lions Clubs was established in 1917 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago business leader who told members of his local business club they should reach beyond business issues and address the betterment of their communities and the world. Later that year they formed the “International Association of Lions Clubs”
The Association went international in 1920 when Border Cities Lions Clubs in Windsor, Canada, was established. The name of Lions Clubs International has been used since then. It subsequently evolved as an international service organisation under the guidance and supervision of its secretary, Melvin Jones.
There are now over 50,000 clubs in 200 countries with 1.4 million members.
The first Lions Club in Australia was formed in Lismore, NSW in September 1947 and we have grown to be Australia’s largest service club organisation, with over 13,000 members.
In April 1967 a group of 25 men from the Noosa area got together and decided to create Tewantin Noosa Lions Club. As it grew it created spin-off clubs in Pomona/Cooroy and Noosa Heads. You can read a very comprehensive history on our club here.
From their origin all Lions Clubs were men-only. That changed in 1987 when the constitution was changed to admit women. Women now play vital roles in most clubs with our club being typical with a 50/50 ratio of men and women.
The Lions motto is “We Serve”. Local Lions Club programs include sight conservation, hearing and speech conservation, diabetes awareness, youth outreach, international relations, environmental issues, and many other programs. The discussion of partisan politics and sectarian religion is forbidden. The LIONS acronym also stands for Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nations’ Safety.
