Raglan Lions celebrated the international club’s 100 years of service on Monday night by honouring 10 prominent citizens who have done good for the community.
President Bob MacLeod said Ralph Blanchard (Lions, fire brigade, retired pharmacist), Robert Currie (stock agent, artist), Clint Baddeley (ex Raglan Ward councillor), Steve Soanes (ex council Raglan area office manager), Rodger Gallagher and Virginia Gallagher (Lions, Raglan museum, arts council), Wayne Morris (Raglan Naturally, Raglan Community Board), Jacqueline Anderson (arts council), Barbara Rothwell (Lions opportunity shop volunteer) and Fred Gilbert (Lions, Community Vehicle Trust, Raglan Community House) were awarded the title of Friends of the Lloyd Morgan Charitable Trust, which was set up in 1979-80 in commemoration of Lloyd Morgan, the only New Zealander to have ever become international president.
“Our motto is we serve,” said Bob.
He said the 10 Raglan residents who were selected for the award, and received a pin, had done a lot of voluntary work in the community that had often gone unrecognised.
None of the recipients were aware that they were being honoured on Monday night.
They all thought they were there to celebrate 100 years of service by Lions internationally, said Bob, who has been in Raglan Lions for 37 years.
“It’s a big deal, 100 years. It’s the longest service organisation in the world, and growing.”
He laughed off any suggestion that perhaps he should have awarded himself a pin for all his years of service to Raglan in the Lions Club, the Raglan Community Board, the Raglan Volunteer Fire Brigade, the Raglan Residents and Ratepayers Association, the Community Vehicle Trust and the town’s Civil Defence Committee.
“It’s not a self-serving thing,” he said.
“They can give me a pin when I am dead.”
Inger Vos
