EVENT PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION Lions Club District Convention 2012 Castlemaine 21st September – 23rd September 2012 Lions Club International Background: 1917: The Lions Club was established by Melvin Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago business leader who asked a simple question – what if people put their talents to work improving their communities? Almost 100 years later, Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization. It has 1.35 million members in more than 46,000 clubs that are divided up into Districts. Each of which have a simple goal: let's improve our communities. Today: Extending Our Reach - Lions Clubs International extends our mission of service every day – in local communities, in all corners of the globe. The needs are great and our services broad, including sight, health, youth, elderly, the environment and disaster relief. Our international network has grown to include more than 207 countries and geographic areas. Local Lions Club Background: The Lions Club of Castlemaine was formed in 1972 (40 yrs of service this year!) and is part of District 201V1-4. The Club has around 20 members and is involved in many local events supporting the community. Our biggest fundraiser each year is the Castlemaine Swap meet & our biggest project this year is supporting the Mount Alexander Shire Accommodation & Respite Group to establish a new respite house in Castlemaine. We have committed $240,000.00 to this project. The District we are a part of 201V1-4 is one of the largest in Victoria representing Clubs from Heidelberg in Melbourne to Ouyen near Mildura. It has over 1,350 members in Victoria and represents a cross section of Metropolitan and Rural Clubs with the diversity and multiculturalism of those respective communities. Last year the District Clubs donated over 200,000 volunteer hours to support community activities and more than $280,000 dollars to charitable projects. Of particular note was the significant efforts made to support the Creswick community after the devastating floods. Convention Theme: The theme of this year’s Convention is ‘Sharing our success’. Our intention is to share our success stories over the past year with all the Clubs in our District and the general public. During the Convention we will be using a collage of Power Point presentations to share how the Clubs in our District raise money and what community based projects we spend that money on each year. Keynote Speakers We will have several guest speakers over the 3 days. We invite the general public to come along and have morning or afternoon tea with us before listening to their stories. The events on Saturday morning & afternoon are free. The dinner dance on Saturday night is only $45 per person for a 3 course meal & entertainment. The keynote speaker for Saturday night will be Fiona Cootes. The details are as follows: Saturday the 22nd September at 10.45 AM - Senator Michael Ronaldson (see below for more details) Morning tea is provided from 10.15 AM before the event at no cost to the general public Saturday the 22nd September at 3.30 PM – Lynn Landy (see below for details) Afternoon tea is provided from 3.00 PM before the event at no cost to the general public Saturday 22nd September at 7.30 PM – Fiona Cootes (see below for more details) Fiona will be speaking at the on Saturday night. The Dinner dance is a 3 course meal & entertainment at a cost of only $45 per person. Drinks will be available at bar prices. For Bookings Call Shane Doyle (Registration Coordinator) on 0407 813 466, or by email at [email protected] Keynote Speakers – Senator Michael Ronaldson - Michael Ronaldson was born in Ballarat, where he worked as a barrister and solicitor. Michael began his career in public service as a councillor for the city of Ballarat. A Liberal Party member for more than 26 years, Michael was elected to the Australian Senate in 2004, having previously served as the Federal Member for Ballarat from 1990 until his retirement in 2001. During his parliamentary service, Michael has held the positions of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Development and Chief Government Whip. Since joining the Senate in 2005, Michael has been an active member of the Senate Standing Committee on the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, and has held the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Economics. Michael was re- elected to the Senate at the 2010 General Election. Michael currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader of the Opposition on the Centenary of ANZAC. He has previously served as Shadow Special Minister of State and Shadow Cabinet Secretary. Michael is married with three children and he and his wife Cate live in Ballarat. Michael is a passionate advocate for regional and rural areas in Victoria and throughout Australia. He has also been a vocal supporter for the reduction of regulatory burdens placed on business and the community. Fiona Cootes (AM) Beyond Blue - Fiona Cootes was born in rural NSW where she lived for the first 16 yrs of her life in Manilla, a small town near Tamworth [population 2,200]. In 1984 at the age 14 she contracted viral myocarditis and 4 weeks later amidst nationwide publicity, became the second heart transplant recipient in Australia under the care of world-renowned surgeon Dr Victor Chang. Fiona had a second transplant in 1986 after the first graft was rejected. Fiona was awarded the Order of Australia for her services to the community in 1999. Fiona joined the beyondblue Board in April 2012. Lynne Landy - Mrs. Landy, who was born and educated in the United Kingdom, made Melbourne her home some 30 years ago and subsequently became an Australian citizen. She and her husband, John Landy, met and married in Melbourne and have two children, Matthew and Alison. Mrs. Landy has a background in fashion/textile marketing and the media. Prior to coming to Australia, she lived and worked for six years in New York where she was Fabric/Fashion Coordinator for Eastman Chemical, the Fibres Division of Eastman Kodak. Her career in journalism spans many years, first as a weekly columnist for the HERALD-SUN newspaper, at AUSTRALIAN HOME BEAUTIFUL magazine as a writer and stylist and, for the last decade, as Melbourne Editor of AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY STYLE which, in 1999, was awarded the title of Magazine of the Year. In this role she has travelled extensively throughout Victoria, reporting enthusiastically on country life, country entrepreneurs in small towns and regional centres, and talented artisans and home owners in Melbourne and country Victoria. Mrs. Landy has a keen interest in the visual and performing arts and community projects. .