Lions Club of Clarence – Environmental celebrated its second birthday with members marking the occasion by way of a ceremonial cutting of the “apron strings” with their guiding Lions, Mike Mellefont and Brian Grieve.
This event establishes the club as a fully autonomous member of Lions Clubs International. They were formed during the bushfire storm that rampaged the Clarence Valley toward the end of 2019.
The Club’s Charter was granted on 29th June 2020 and presented in Grafton. The demise of the koala population and the fracturing of koala corridors in the Clarence Valley became the club’s focus. Alliances were quickly formed with likeminded groups. Koala food tree planting, habitat regeneration, exotic weed removal and planning ways of re-establishing healthy and connected local koala populations were begun.
The costal emu, a sub-species of the larger emu on our Australian coat of arms, originally roamed the area north of Woolgoolga to the Qld border is seriously endangered with a total population estimated below thirty. Clarence Club members began a campaign to save these emus from being run down by cars on local roads. As a result of their efforts speed limits at crossing points were introduced by traffic authorities. No emu strikes have been reported since. Clarence Lions continue to monitor ways to save our coastal emu from extinction.
Other projects the club is undertaking includes removal of exotic weeds in our bushland, re-establishing food habitat for our gravely endangered ‘glossy black cockatoo’ and all the time building public awareness of the threatening happening in our environment.
Fun and social engagement with picnics as part of field work build the cohesiveness of our new Lions Club. Recently “The Codfather”, Stuart Rowland appeared as a guest speaker at a club function. His amazing story has added another aspect for the Club members to consider.
Lions Club of Clarence – Environmental, President, Barbara Linley thanked guiding Lions Mike and Brian for their assistance and guidance over the past two years at morning tea following field work to remove exotic weeds in an area being established for the public in Maclean.