It is not a well known fact but every Wednesday morning, a small dedicated group of Kiama Lions work at the little park at the end of the Terraces in Collins Street. They cut the grass, weed, feed, prune and occasionally plant new flowers and shrubs. It is a peaceful little haven and much appreciated by locals and visitors. They also mow the compound at Bombo owned by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) thoughout the year. This area is colloquially known among Lions as the BOMB site!

Last week's Sunday market proved a bit of a disaster as the organisers understandably closed it after a couple of hours due to the deteriorating weather. We will hope for better luck next time. Our last dinner meeting of this Lions year was held at the Bowling Club. It was a congenial affair with lots of Chinese food and amusing conversation. Our next meeting on 27th will be our Changeover Dinner in the newly refurbished auditorium at the Leagues Club.

KIAMA ROTARY CLUB

We were in the middle of planning our upcoming 2019-2020 Rotary year when we had cause to reflect upon the changes that have affected community service organisations over the last 10-20 years. There was once a time when an occasional barbecue, a chocolate wheel or a chicken raffle at the pub were all you needed in terms of fund-raising capability. My how things have changed. We reflected on how in the last three years the Rotary Clubs of Kiama and Gerringong have raised over $30,000 in support of a PhD student who is researching a ground-breaking Melanoma treatment. How Kiama Rotary was a recipient of recycled building materials from the old Kiama Hospital, which were then shipped to Mandang, PNG in a container, for the upgrading of the Modilon Hospital kitchen. A project that involved both the labour of Rotarians here in Kiama and again as a project team in Madang and funding from the Australian Rotary Health Foundation.

It never hurts to take a minute to look back and to truly appreciate the journey we've taken but that's enough "rear vision mirror" usage; let's now again look out the "windscreen" and firm up next year's plans. Which, by the way, are off to a very good start with our major sponsor Peoplecare committing again to sponsor our Kiama Auto Expo to be held on Sunday, November 24, 2019 at the Kiama Showground and Pavilion. We have a couple of Sponsorship spots still available so contact John Clarke (M: 0419 546 094) if you're interested in supporting your local community.