General News
16 November, 2025
Lions convention a roaring success
AN influx of Lions Club volunteers from far and wide gathered in Stawell last weekend, filling up local motels and enjoying the hospitality of local cafes while they were in town for a major event at Stawell Entertainment Centre. The 49th annual Lions Clubs of District 201V2 convention, hosted by the Lions Club of Stawell, was hailed a resounding success and provided a massive confidence boost to the local Lions members who have been fighting to keep their club alive.
Lions District 201V2 governor Susan Eyton was thrilled to see so many Lions members travel to Stawell for the event.
“Stawell is such a pretty town with the magnificent Grampians backdrop, she said. “The venue was perfect.”
“The convention was attended by more than half of the clubs in the district which stretches across south western Victoria from Melbourne to the South Australia border,” said Ms Eyton.
“Just under 200 Lions Club members registered for the event.”
Ms Eyton said the convention kicked off with an informal meet and greet on Friday evening, which included a visit from Northern Grampians Shire Mayor, Karen Hyslop and Councillor Jack Blake.
“Saturday was a huge day,” she said.
“Proceedings started early with the flag ceremony, involving most of the Stawell Lions Club members.”
“Mayor Karen welcomed conventioneers to Stawell, we had a video welcome message from Lions Clubs International President A P Singh, which then led into nominations and elections for a number of positions coming into effect next year such as District Governor and Vice Governors 2026-2027 and a representative for the Victoria Lions Foundation.”
The district governor said that local volunteers from Stawell’s Lions Club were beaming with pride throughout the event.
“The majority of Stawell Lions members participated in the opening flag ceremony, they were so proud to be showcasing the town, the area and everything it has to offer,” Ms Eyton said.
“It was great to see them in their club shirts front-and-centre, particularly when everyone in the district knows that these are the people taking the club into the future.
“They stayed right throughout the convention, including the gala dinner, so it was great to see them mixing with other Lions and having such a great time.”
Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy MP, also dropped by the convention.
“We were pleased to welcome Emma Kealy on Sunday morning when she spoke to conventioneers,” said Ms Eyton.
“Emma is also very supportive of the work we do as Lions and it’s always a pleasure to catch up with her.”
Throughout the convention, guest speakers hit the stage to talk about a diverse range of topics.
Ms Eyton said Feona Wadsworth for children’s welfare organisation The Big Group Hug talked about their efforts to provide basic daily necessities to kids in need.
“The Big Group Hug help vulnerable children who are living in crisis by seeking and then distributing essential items in times of need,” Ms Eyton said.
“One of their goals is to end the cycle of childhood poverty that simply shouldn’t exist in our local neighbourhoods.”
Darci Stephenson and Shannan Welsh from Halls Gap Zoo were lauded for an excellent presentation, with insights into the challenges of managing danger from the devastating Grampians fire earlier this year, particularly keeping the animals safe, and also spoke about the zoo’s involvement in breeding and conservation programs.
Another speaker was Lions past district governor Savva Argyrou who travelled from Queensland to talk about the work he does with the national Lions team, working with clubs on building their service activities, which can ultimately lead to new members.
Mr Argrou’s 40-minute presentation provided many practical ideas, which Ms Eyton said inspired members to look into new opportunities for service activities and collaborating with other organisations in their areas.
Lions volunteers also got out-and-about with a few service activities on Saturday afternoon.
A group of 30 Lions attended Stawell Neighbourhood House, packaging up hundreds of dollars of toiletries for the Big Group Hug, a team of Lions provided a free service to 24 Stawell residents with anti-theft screws installed on their vehicle number plates, and 22 nesting boxes for the endangered sugar gliders in the Grampians were painted and camouflaged by Lions working with Project Platypus at the Men’s Shed.
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