This year marks the centennial celebrations of the Lions Club and although the Serpentine Jarrahdale club was established in 1975 its members were preparing to mark the milestone and celebrate its legacy.
Members planned to commemorate 100 years of service worldwide with a screening of Charlie Chaplain’s The Gold Rush at an outdoor cinema event at Jarrahdale Oval in coming weeks.
Club secretary Richard Lane said the celebrations were twofold.
“Firstly we want to celebrate our centenary through showing an old but classic film showing that certain things have stood the test of time,” he said.
“Secondly to emphasise the potential of the recently renovated Jarrahdale Oval as an entertainment venue.”
Chicago businessman Melvin Jones founded the first Lions Club in June 1917 and from there development spread internationally with Australia being the 18th nation to join in 1947.
Mr Lane said the club in the shire had changed little over the years.
He said it currently had 11 members and had donated about $16,000 to the region each year.
“Our motto is we serve,” he said.
“Our 46,000 clubs and 1.4 million members make us the world’s largest service club organisation.”
Mr Lane said together with members from surrounding areas including Armadale, Kelmscott, Baldivis and Pinjarra the Lions Club has served the region in many ways.
He also said the club’s code of conduct included fostering a spirit of understanding between people, promoting principles of good government and citizenship, taking an active interest in civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community, uniting the clubs in bonds of friendship and mutual understanding, providing a forum for open discussion and encouraging service to the community.
