Nhill Leo Club members, along with their mentors, attended their first Victorian Leo Summit on Sunday 26th March, which was held at the University of Melbourne Shepparton Campus and hosted by the Lions Club of Shepparton.
In attendance were Nhill Leo President Amelia Drendel, Secretary Tamara Killackey, Treasurer Olivia Watson and Leo Corey Hall. Chaperoning them were Leo Mentors Nhill Lions Mandy Myers, Julie McDonald and Linda Drendel. Sadly, Nhill Leo Vice President Liam Holland had contracted Covid a day or so prior to the Summit and was unable to attend. All the Leos had been fundraising since August last year to enable club members to attend.
The group began their four-hour drive to Kyabram on the Saturday morning. Booking accommodation that weekend in Shepparton proved futile due to a town festival, thus, Kyabram was chosen for the overnight stay.
The Summit opened at 9.30 Sunday morning with Leos from many places in attendance. The majority of Leos’ Clubs in attendance comprised youth older than Nhills’ Leos, however, it was soon evident that the Nhill crew could hold their own amongst them. Leos participated in all the workshops, learning communication skills along the way. One item of interest, in particular, was the “123 Read to Me” publication which is a free-to-give-away book coming to Nhill in the near future.
The Nhill Leos also received considerable information about Childhood Diabetes, which is both a Lions and Leos project. Nhill Leos are planning a Dance for Diabetes this year, with all money raised going to Childhood Diabetes Research.
The climax of the Summit was the announcement of Leo of the Year, Clarissa, who is a 17-year-old from the Leo Club of Melbourne Next Gen (Alpha). Nhill Leos are now aware of what’s involved to receive this honour and it is hoped some representatives will step forward from Nhill next year.
Throughout the Summit, all Leos were under observation at all times to see which one truly epitomised what it means to be a Leo.
At the conclusion of the Summit, a special announcement declared the winner for this 2023 Summit was Nhill Leo Corey. Both Nhill Leo Mentors and members were thrilled and proud that Leo Corey had been chosen for this honour.
Finally, all Nhill Leos and Mentors were asked to come to the front of the room, where everyone was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation. Organisers were particularly impressed due to the fact that Nhill had certainly travelled the furthest distance to attend the Summit.
“There is no doubt that attending the Leo Summit was a great experience for our young Leos,” said Leo Mentor Mandy Myers. “It was definitely well worth the travel and great for our Leos to meet and learn from other Leos. I think we all, Mentors included, took something away which will help us to serve our community better in the future.”
This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 12 April 2023.
