Community
11 June, 2025
The end of an era
THE Timboon Lions Club has announced they will disband after more than five decades of proud service to the community.
The club will officially disband at the end of the month, citing an aging membership and inability to attract young new members as a catalyst for the decision.
Timboon Lions Club president said it was a difficult time as the club, which once consistently had around 25 members, was coming to an end.
“Our members are getting a bit old and not well enough, and we can’t attract new members,” he said.
“I believe it’s happening in everything – nobody wants to volunteer and they’re the ones who will miss out.
“The amount of fun we’ve had over the past 53 years, just being together without the money we’ve raised or the projects we’ve been part of – without the togetherness there’d be nothing.”
Timboon Lions Club member Bill Duncanson, who has also been a member for the past 50 years, said his membership had left an indelible mark on him.
“I’m very disappointed, having been a district governor,” he said.
“It’s given me the opportunity to visit other parts of the world and be involved in some very big projects, including being the instigator of what now has developed in to the Lions Eye Health program.
“Just yesterday we sent our first screening camera to New Zealand for them to start on the program supporting children.
“These are the sort of things the Timboon community will miss if the younger people don’t decide to join these kinds of clubs.”
Mr Duncanson said he hoped the club would one day emerge from its disbandment, as he believed the Lions Club provided a great service to the community when an enthusiastic membership could make a difference during the best and worst of times.
“It would be fine if it went in to recess for a while until some younger people with the energy can bring it back,” he said.
“There are over 30 organisations in Timboon but they all have their own narrow interests – supporting the hospital, the school, the church or raising funds for a particular cause.
“The Lions club once had representatives from all those areas, bringing the community together, to find out what was needed next – be it funding or just manpower.
“That’s what the service club aspect of the Lions club was about – and now Timboon doesn’t have a service club.”
Mr Wallace said he and his fellow members would be open to supporting a younger generation in forging their own path as Lions.
“If there is a group that comes along, wishing to fire it up, we’re here to help,” he said.
“We’re here to help and can still offer our support.”
Mr Duncanson said he was proud of what he and other Lions clubs had been able to achieve over their years, much of it going unnoticed as the club valued action over accolades.
“What goes around comes around,” he said.
“Many years ago, during the drought, Timboon people were carting hay to Queensland.
“During the St Patrick’s Day Bushfires, the hay was coming back into this community, into the shire, and we were feeding the Blaze-Aid volunteers.
“Lions Clubs from elsewhere were sending us money to feed the volunteers for nine months.”
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