Lions Club of Toowoomba West celebrated 60 years of service to the Toowoomba community with a dinner last week.

The dinner was attended by over 90 people including Member for Toowoomba North Trevor Watts, Toowoomba Region Councillors and other Lions Clubs members and of course great roll up of current members of Toowoomba West.

It was rather fitting that the dinner was held at the Burke & Wills Hotel, because it was at a meeting held at Lennons Hotel (which is now the Burke & Wills) on January 21, 1963, that sixteen prospective members were prepared to join a second Lions Club in Toowoomba, with the then local Mayor Jack McCafferty chairing the meeting.

A vote was taken to form the Lions Club of Toowoomba West, with charter President Len Walker, Secretary Allan Robertson and Treasurer Bill Goulds duly elected.

The International Charter was presented to the initial twenty-two foundation members at Lennons Hotel on Saturday night, April 6 1963.

Lions Club Toowoomba West member Merv Symons said Lionism is not a religion but a way of life, offering a great sensation from within – the love of service to the community.

“Our Club looks forward to the future with the hope of making the ensuing years even richer through Lionism,” he said.

This article appeared in On Our Selection News, 13 April 2023.