3: 'THE LION' FROM LCI & CLUB MEETINGS

 

'THE LION' FROM LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL (LCI) 

From that time onwards, I had renewed enthusiasm for the club. My interest in the Lions movement was further cemented when I started indulging in ‘The Lion’ magazine which I received from LCI monthly. 

I also received the District Governor’s Monthly Newsletter at the district level. It was a rather informative mouthpiece even though it was in loose sheets. I came to know that there were 33 Lions Clubs in District 308, comprising three countries, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. There were two Lions Clubs on Penang Island, namely, the LC of Penang (which became the 'Host’ club) and the LC of George Town. I suppose in today’s digital world, the click of a mouse can disseminate far, far better news, slick presentations, and videos … and even in real-time!

CLUB MEMBERSHIP

Back then, the LC of George Town was very selective in its recruitment of members. They have set a strict criterion for acceptance to membership. Not necessarily a bad thing. I remember eminent Lions like Haji Aroff who was the Chief Registrar of Birth & Death Department, Haji Syed Kabeer, the Immigration Department Chief, Choy, the Department Head of the High Court, Abdullah Ali, the Road Transport Department Chief, and Lam Chok Hong, the Manager of Chartered Bank. People in top positions. Today, the mixed strata of positions should be more relevant. Every individual has a talent or a skill set that he or she can contribute.

In the old days, every member was encouraged to buy a table to invite their friends whenever we celebrated the Club’s Charter Anniversary. With forty members, we could easily have a full-capacity crowd at our anniversary dinner every year. We also had little difficulty in raising funds for our service projects. 

 

CLUB MEETINGS

 

Notice Meeting dd 22/1/1971

We had two club meetings monthly; a board meeting and a regular (business) meeting. A board meeting was conducted according to a specific agenda and was attended by board members. Whilst a regular meeting would be more of a social gathering that was attended by all members. The secretary would report matters and decisions that transpired at the board meetings. It was then followed by a dinner and club fellowship. Very often, we invited guest speakers from the Government Department to talk to us, namely the Royal Malaysian Police, Fire Brigade Department, Ministry of Health and the, Family Planning to name a few. Usually, the meetings were held at a hotel. At times, Dawood Restaurant was a favoured venue as the Tamil-Muslim cuisine was fantastic! There was a year when the club held its meetings on Saturdays in a saloon adjoining the majestic Metropole Hotel. As the name implied, the saloon had swinging doors but no air conditioning. One can imagine a John Wayne character barging his way into the room for a shot of whiskey with the doors flapping back and forth behind him. We also had functions at the Sky Room of Hotel Continental and often, at our members' homes.

Our attire for meetings was always formal. Formal attire encouraged the members to be serious in attendance and most certainly added an air of ‘prestige’.