Lions Centennial ParkPrint Page

The Lions Centennial Park commemorates the 100th anniversary of Lions International which was formed in 1917. 

The City of Mount Gambier and the Lions District 201C2 Zone 11 comprised of Port MacDonnell and District, Lions Club of Mount Gambier, Lions Club of Gambier City, Lioness Club of Mount Gambier, Lions Club of Kalangadoo and District and the Lions Club of Penola worked together to construct the community meeting place.

Lions club members provided more than 500 hours of labour and in kind support, with 10 people at a time working on site to complete the project. The park now boasts a shelter, paved area, a barbecue and seating area and also includes a feature wall and signage.

In 1917, Melvin Jones, was a 38 year-old Chicago business leader who told members of his local business club they should reach beyond business issues and address the betterment of their communities and the world. Jones' group, the Business Circle of Chicago, agreed. After contacting similar groups around the United States, an organizational meeting was held on June 7, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The Business Circle subsequently joined one of the invited groups, the "International Association of Lions Clubs" and at a national convention held in Dallas, Texas, later that year, those who were assembled: (1) adopted a Constitution, By-Laws, Code of Ethics and an Emblem; (2) established as a main tenet “unselfish service to others”, (3) unanimously elected Dr. William Perry Woods as its first President effectively securing his leadership for the first two years of the existence of the International Association of Lions, and (4) selected Melvin Jones to serve as the Organization's Secretary-Treasurer.

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