THE BEGINNING : THE LIONS CLUB OF CHURCHILL & DISTRICT :
LIONS CLUB OF CHURCHILL & DISTRICT·SUNDAY, 28 APRIL 2019·
FROM THESE BEGINNINGS : THE LIONS CLUB OF CHURCHILL & DISTRICT :
Construction of Churchill, formerly known as Hazelwood began in 1965, it was to be a town to service the newly completed Hazelwood Power Station, the people working there and a future replacement for the Yallourn and pos
sibly the Morwell township. The site was chosen for its pleasant location at the foot of the Strzelecki Ranges, overlooking Hazelwood Pondage. It was relatively free from air pollution, not above the coalfields and is in close proximity to the larger towns and power stations in the Latrobe Valley
The first two houses in Churchill were completed and occupied by the Arch and Ayers families who received morning paper deliveries from the Yinnar General Store and milk delivery from John Koedijk. Within a week five more families arrived and so the town began to grow street by street.[3] The town was sufficiently advanced for the Post Office to open on 11th., April 1966.[4]The shopping Centre in Churchill was officially opened on July 1967, the first two shops, a butcher and pharmacy were opened on 19th., May 1967. In that year many new traders opened for business. All the shop keepers were offered a commission house in Churchill for their use. The Churchill News agency opened in 1967 and was run by Ian and Winifred Jones who had previously run the Yinnar General Store. A Tattersalls agency was established in 1975 and the Churchill News agency business was later purchased by Jack and Olive Robson
In 1976 Churchill was crowing fast, it was a was a young town, lots of young families, the town had three schools, employment for many was at the Hazelwood Power Station or at other power stations in the Valley or they worked in the service industries servicing the power industry. Then there were the Teachers, Builders, Plumbers, engineers etc., all trying to make a good life for their families but there were also those who wanted to do more, those who wanted to make their community a better place to live, be involved and help the town grow and help those that were having difficulties through no fault of their own It was also the time that the first thoughts came about possibility of forming a Lions Club in Churchill. At the same time a young local Teacher, a member of the Morwell Lions Club by the name of John Tipping, who at the time was Deputy District Governor, had a vision to extend Lions in the Latrobe Valley District and he saw the need and the opportunity to establish a Lions Club in Churchill, with the knowledge that Churchill was a young town expanding rapidly, with many young families and with knowledge that there were many young men in the Churchill community wishing to have a Lions Club established in Churchill. John put his proposal to the District Cabinet and soon gained permission to investigate his proposal and it was not long, with the assistance of then Traralgon Lions Club member & Past District Governor Arch Graham, that a meeting was held in the old Churchill Police Station with a proposal to form a new Lions Club in Churchill, it was John’s vision, his strong belief in Lions, mixed with a lot of hard work and belief in the Churchill community that finally led to the Lions Club of Churchill being Chartered on the 19th March 1977 in Kernot Hall Yallourn with 40 forty keen and enthusiastic members, John transferred to the Churchill Lions Club in 1978 and was always totally committed to all Club projects. Lions Club of Churchill & District Charter Members 19th., March. 1977. The Original framed Lions Club of Churchill & District Charter Certificate. The first year was difficult with the new Club struggling to getting established as there were many conflicting interests among a number of the new members and lack of general community support, they may well have folded had it not been for the strong leadership at that time under the Presidency of long time Churchill Lion Member Norm Hall. By the 1978/79-year, membership had dropped to thirty but the Club was firmly established in the Churchill District having overcome the many early setbacks, the Club was now a united group of young men bonded through friendship, mates determined to succeed in all facets of Lionism, to serve and contribute to the welfare of their community and their fellow man, something which had been lacking in the community at that time. With the help of the Ladies Auxiliary the future for the Club was looking good and the Club moved on, motivated and confident in the future despite all those early setbacks. The Club went from strength to strength with continued strong membership and solidarity among its members, the Club soon built up reputation for its hard work, support and commitment to the Churchill & District community. In those early years the Club took on some very ambitious projects, one such very memorial project was the Tahiti night stage show and Hungi night held at the old Traralgon Technical College Hall - very, very ambitious to say the least, the Hungi which was being cooked outside went off the rails when the chef, due to the excitement of the occasion became somewhat inebriated, due to the evils of the demon drink and there was no food when it was supposed to be served - and when it was served latter in the night it was cold, but the entertainment thankfully saved the day. That was the attitude within the Club willing to have a go at anything to raise money, Churchill Lions Members were soon seen manning the gates at local events, selling sporting books, organising stage nights, even a Hungi and of course Barbeques to raise money, the money raised went back to community via local sporting groups for better amenities or equipment, to Scouts & Guides, for sporting equipment to the special needs school and Cooinda Hill Adult centre and sending Children to camps at Licola, but members were also helping in the community whether it was to repair the Health Centre veranda, doing house repairs, or chopping wood for the elderly and sick, or assisting with local events such as Carols by Candle Light and fishing competitions, or assisting the Senior Citizen with the purchasing of new carpet or bowling equipment. Members in those early days, as today had busy lives with work and business but their work and dedication to serving the community laid the foundation for what the club is today. Members worked hard in those early years finding new ways to raise funds through many innovative ventures, such as White Elephant Sales, being Ushers at Battle of the Bands, Marshalls at boat race and at Latrobe Festival parades, selling raffle tickets at the pub, catering at Motor Shows and Sporting Carnivals or conducting and supporting Amateur Boxing tournaments and of course - Wine Bottling, a special kind of Lion Bonding. Churchill Lions supported this Amateur Boxing Tournament. Angelo Mifsud, Jim Alwy, Simon Duckworth (Trainer) and Ross Norman. The Club soon built a good reputation in catering, and catered at some of the state’s largest event, including VFL Football Finals, The Great Victorian Bike Ride, The Great Outdoor Expos. Many memorable times were had in those early years and many long standing friendships formed, the stories still get told about the likes of Lango, Dunny Taffy & Tippo, all fondly remembered, it is these members and others like them that has made the club that it is today. Over the years the Club has helped the local community in many different ways, especially the youth of the town through helping out the local sporting groups and schools. Churchill Lions have assisted all local sporting groups, Scouts, Guides, they were instrumental in establishing Hazelwood house for the elderly citizens, the club assists the underprivileged of the area as well assisting local charities such as Saint Vincent’s De Paul, Berry Street and Lifeline etc., as well as fulfilling our commitment to the District, Zone and Lions International. The Club has always been active in local disaster relief projects in the surrounding districts, from as far away as Woodside, the towns of Bolero, Thorndale, Yinnar and Morwell have all received our assistance at varying stages, such was the case during the recent Bushfire disaster and the Hazelwood mine fires. Some of the most rewarding projects have been:
· The development of Hazelwood House Hostel, a John Tipping Vision and a huge undertaking.
· Concerts for senior citizens in Melbourne.
· The Charter the Churchill Lioness club and the Lions Club of Yinnar. Both these clubs are still successful to this day.
· Purchase of Hart Walker child’s mobility devices through the Children’s Mobility Foundation.
· Camp Quality EsCarpade has been a major project for which the Club has raised in excess of $700,000 for Kids with Cancer.
· Establishing the Churchill Community Market.
· Providing Jumpers and helmets for the Churchill Football Club Aus Kick kids as well as the Rams Churchill junior Soccer Club. Today the Lions Club of Churchill & District boasts a strong Membership of 26 and is still extremely dedicated to the Community.
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