News
11 October, 2023
Wamuran Lion wins Zone Chair award
Lions Club of Wamuran member Lisa Gourley took out the Zone Chair of the Year award for 2022-23, as the Lions Q3 District Convention took place at Millmerran recently.
With District 201Q3 comprising 12 zones and 65 clubs, the award winner was from Zone 11 which features Lions clubs from Wamuran, Woodford, Kilcoy, Morayfield, Sandstone Point, Beachmere and Bribie Island, whereas the previous three winners of the award were from Zones 10, 4 and 8.
Identities at the Lions Q3 District Convention were Lions international director Tim Irvine, Mini Farm Projects founder Nick Steiner, and former Toowoomba and Millmerran mayor Paul Antonio.
Lisa has held the roles of membership chair, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) co-ordinator, club administrator and zone chair (district) of the Lions Club of Wamuran, following a three-year stint as president.
Lisa said the award win was a surprise as she “definitely was not expecting the award”.
“I am very honoured to receive this award as it was my first year as zone chairperson, and it is always nice to know that what you have been doing is the right thing,” she said.
Criteria for the Zone Chair award included encouraging every club to actively recruit members, and to visit a regular meeting of each club in the zone and report findings and suggestions for future actions to the district governor.
Lions Club of Wamuran president Sue Clement said the club was very proud of Lisa’s dedication to Lions International, and in particular the Lions Club of Wamuran and the formation of the new Caboolture North Club branch.
“She personifies the Lions Club ethos of ‘We Serve’,” Sue said.
Activities which Lisa participated in during the past 12 months included movie nights, a family fun day, and barbecues at Bunnings. She was also involved in the Lions International Youth Exchange Camp, held at Currimundi Recreational Centre.
At this week-long camp, Lisa was among four supervisors for 22 international students.
“It was an amazing experience,” Lisa said.
Having been a member of the Lions Club of Wamuran since it chartered in 2017, Lisa said the thing she enjoyed most about being a Lion was giving back to the community.
More than 30 years ago, the Lions Club of Woodford helped Lisa’s sister Julianne by buying a $10,000 sleep apnea mat to enable Julianne to bring her premature baby home from hospital.
“I thought what a wonderful thing for a bunch of strangers to do for my sister, for my family,” Lisa said.
“I always thought that I could pay them back somehow.”
Looking ahead, Lisa is set to attend Advanced Lions Leadership Institute (ALLI) leadership training in Auckland to focus on developing her leadership skills including project management, conflict resolution and team building.
To qualify, she needed to have completed a term of presidency and have a desire to lead at a zone, region and district level.
