On 12th May 1953 a meeting was arranged by the Lions Club of Footscray, and was held at the home of Bill Harvey in Sunshine, with the intention of forming a club in the Sunshine area. The first official luncheon was held on 3rd June 1953 at the Sunshine Town Hall and was attended by representatives from Melbourne, Footscray and Essendon Clubs. After the membership reached 25 the Lions Club of Sunshine was Chartered on 21st July 1953, and became the 5th Club in Victoria and the 17th in Australia. Over the years the club raised funds through various activities to provide charitable donations to organisations, people, and disaster areas, as well as to purchase house and land for a Senior Citizens Club. It became necessary to sell the house and land years later. The Lions Club also contributed to the Sunshine Swimming Pool which was opened in December 1960, and was welcomed by the children of Sunshine. Some of the activities to raise funds included Guy Fawkes bonfire nights, rodeos, paper and bottle drives, jumble sales,Tivoli Gala Nights, car raffles, and sausage sizzles. Over the past 10 years the Sunshine Lions have put in thousands of hours of work, and have disbursed in excess of $200,000 for charitable purposes. As well as supporting overseas projects and natural disasters, the Lions have continued their community work. Funds have been donated to care providers such as the Mercy Hospice and Scope, and also used to provide Christmas hampers and dinners, and for underprivileged children to have holidays. Some of the organisations that have recently received funds were Helping Hands Across the Pacific, Gellibrand Services, Royal District Nursing Service, and the Sunshine Mission. During 1960/61 the club membership reached a record 58, however at the time of the 60th Anniversary dinner the membership was 17, three of which were in their seventies and 3 in their eighties. The above brief historical information was sourced from the 60th Anniversary Dinner booklet.This booklet is significant because it contains an 11 page summarised historical record of the 60 years of activities of the Lions Club of Sunshine. It also contains an Honour Roll of past members and of members who received awards, as well as the names of the 61 people who served as Club Presidents from W.T. Harvey (1953-54) to P. Green (2012-13). The booklet can be used as a starting reference source for anybody seeking information about the Lions Club of Sunshine Inc.White paper booklet of 20 pages with blue printing and a blue and yellow Lions International emblem on the front cover. The booklet contains the dinner Menu and the Programme for the evening, as well as a summary of the 60 years of activities of the LIONS CLUB of SUNSHINE. It also features the names of the 61 Club Presidents, the members who received awards, and an Honour Roll.LIONS L INTERNATIONAL / Sunshine / 60th Anniversary Dinner / Italia Room, Club Italia Sporting Club 128-152 Furlong Road, North Sunshine / Friday 10th May 2013lions club of sunshine, 60th anniversary dinner, lions sunshine presidents 1953-2013, lions sunshine honour roll, historical activities of lions sunshine

These Bannerettes are exchanged with other Lions ClubsMitcham Lions Club Bannerette - lemon silky material with picture of tree, lion and lioness resting beneath. Emblem of Lions Club on the tree. A gold looking wooden stick for hanging. Green cord with tassels attached to gold stick. The base of bannerette has green fringing.Mitcham Lions Club - Australia - 201 - VItrophies & awards, public events

Leslie William Cole was born on 31 January 1920 in Albury, the first child of William James Cole and Gwendoline Fair. Les spent most of his childhood living with his grandparents in Bethanga, Victoria. In 1934 when he finished school, Les moved into Wodonga. His first job was at Mates Timber Yard. He later worked for Mylons of Wodonga driving taxis and buses. In 1939 after completing militia training, Les applied to enlist with the RAAF and eventually trained as an Aircraft Mechanic. He was posted to the 6th Squadron, serving in Port Moresby, Milne Bay and Goodenough Island before returning to the RAAF base in Sale, Victoria. On discharge. Les returned to Wodonga and resumed working with Mylons. After a range of jobs, Les and his wife Lorna operated a shop in Ariel Street, Wodonga. In the community, Les was a founding member of Wodonga Lions Club. He also joined the Civil Defence which was a predecessor off the SES. He became the Communications Officer and trained other members. Les became the first Controller of the Wodonga Branch of the State Emergency Service, a position he held for 17 years. The new SES headquarters was named in his honour. In retirement he also worked as a Volunteer Community Driver. Les was also named Wodonga Citizen of the Year in 1984 Les continued living in Wodonga until the age of 103 in 2023, when he moved to Melbourne to be closer to his children. He passed away on 12 December 2023. The Lions Club of Wodonga was chartered in 1965 with 18 Founding Members including Les Cole. Lions Australia was first formed in Lismore, NSW in September and has grown to be Australia’s largest service club organisation.A small purple and gold fringed banner with the emblem of Wodonga Lions ClubAt the top centre: The logo of Lions International Across the centre of banner: Lions Club of Wodonga / District 201C Australia In semi-circle below Water Tower: Melbourne/ Falls Creek/Lake Hume/ Snowy Mountains/ Sydneyles cole, wodonga lions club, lions international