LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:53): I rise this afternoon in this matter of interest to place on the public record my appreciation, and the gratitude I am sure we all share, for service clubs generally. As members would know, this time of the year is the changeover time for service clubs—something I always looking forward to—when the fruits of their labour are reported to the local community. Whilst we have many service clubs that do a great job in South Australia, I want to talk about Lions Clubs International and particularly the Willunga and Districts Lions Club, and the McLaren Flat and McLaren Districts Lions Club, District 201C they are incorporated with.

I know a great number of people who volunteer with Lions in these service clubs and it goes back a very long time. As a young person, I used to attend the Willunga saleyards. Today, those saleyards no longer sell livestock but, through the vision of former and existing members of the Willunga and Districts Lions Club, they purchased that facility and conduct regular auctions that give the local community a chance to dispose of surplus goods. It is also a chance for the Lions to be able to raise money, which they spend wisely in the district.

In fact, I was interested to see again that, even though numbers are growing, which is a good thing for both these service clubs, it is still a challenge to get as many people joining service clubs internationally, not just in our state and nation, yet this service delivery from those who are committed to these service clubs is to be absolutely commended. Including the Lions ladies, the money totals tens of thousands of dollars in donations annually to well-deserved and needy charities and not-for-profit organisations in the district.

They also do the same sort of dedicated work with the McLaren Districts Lions, and I note from its report that that club disbursed over $25,000 to the greater community within the northern end of the Fleurieu Peninsula. We have a challenge facing us when it comes to how we will manage our volunteering and how we will be able to continue to deliver the lifestyle to which a lot of people have become accustomed, particularly as people generally get busier. That, to me, is not an excuse for not joining one of these service clubs, as these people are just as busy, arguably busier, than most other people in their district, yet fortnightly in the case of Lions and often weekly in the case of Rotary they attend meetings, work on the weekends, and go to the football and netball finals to manage gates and earn money to put back into the community.

I am pleased to see some resurgence occurring with these Lions Clubs in growth of numbers. Given the general growth in community population on the Fleurieu Peninsula, I believe it augurs well for the future to see growth in these service clubs. We are privileged as members of parliament to be able to serve the community. It is a wonderful privilege, but we get paid for serving our community as members of parliament. Clearly that is not the case with these people, who are absolutely dedicated to serving their community and, conversely, they contribute money out of their own pockets to attend meetings, to get their vehicles out of the shed and go and pick up goods for auction, etc.

The support we have for the service clubs is multipartisan, but it is worthwhile spending a few minutes in this session of the parliament to put on the public record not only my appreciation but also the appreciation that I know all members of parliament have for the great work all service clubs do.