LOOKING BACK ON EARLIER YEARS

1964 was a very special milestone in my life. It would be the start of a lifelong captivation with Lionism, 57 years so far, and still counting! At that time, there were two only 2 Lions Clubs on Penang Island, namely, the LC of Penang Host and the LC of George Town. In 1965, I accepted the invitation to be a rookie member of the Lions Club of George Town. Truth be told, I had very little knowledge of Lionism. No orientation talk, no seminars, no mentoring. All I knew, then, was the Lions Club helped the less fortunate. And all I had wanted was to “stand up and be counted”.

Over the years, I have been entrusted with a wide range of designations in the club's mission to serve the community. By 1975, I could claim to be a seasoned Lion having gone a full circle in duties. In 1976, I was appointed the Chairman for Drug Abuse in the district cabinet. This appointment was never the practice as I was not yet a past president of a club (a prerequisite for any post of chairmanship in the district cabinet) and I was so honoured.

President of the Lions Club of George Town (1978-1979)

In 1978, I was elected to serve as the 16th President of the LC of George Town. Indeed, I was humbled as well as honored to take the helm of this prestigious club. Though I took office on July 1st, the Installation Ceremony was held on September 8th. The event was graced by the Minister of Health, YB Dato’ Mak Hon Kam as the Guest of Honour.

District Governor Dato Robert Lau was the installing officer and he presented me with the Gavel, a symbol of authority. Immediate Past President, Koay Kew Kew ceremoniously placed the Chain of Office around my neck. This has been the tradition of the club and was to be worn throughout the installation ceremony.

Zone 1 Chairman Jeffrey Quah presented me with a memento

My term as the President of LC of George Town was definitely a learning curve. The immediate benefit was the opportunity to widen my circle of friends in our fraternity, in the private sector as well as in the public sector. There were many moments of courtesy calls from friends from all segments of society.

It was a practice for the Club President and the new board of directors to pay courtesy calls and introduce themselves to the Head of State and the Municipal Council of Penang. This gave us the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with VVIPs like YAB Tunku Abdul Rahman, YAB Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu, and the TYT the Governor of Penang. Not forgetting the State Mentris Besar, Mayors, and LCI bigwigs.

I still remember with great fondness YAB Tunku’s genuineness, easy-going nature, and magnetic personality.

16th Charter Anniversary & Sisterhood Alliance Signing Ceremony

The Club's 16th CA was graced by the Club's Honorary Lion Tunku Abdul Rahman. The event included the signing Ceremony of Sisterhood Alliances between our Club and LC Hong Kong Castle Peak and LC Adelaide Light.

(Photo: Courtesy of Lion Chuah Guan Leong)

(Photo) The fellowship we had together with our sister club Lions at the residence of PP Tan Hock Aun during their visit to Penang for the twinning signing ceremony.

LIONS PLAY CENTRE PROJECT

We had a grand opening ceremony of the Lions Play Centre at Penang Youth Park to commemorate the Club's 16th Charter Anniversary on 3/11/1978.

The first fundraising project carried out during my year as president was a charity premiere at Cathay Cinema. We invited Chief Minister YAB Tan Sri Wong Pow Nee to be the Patron and he graciously attended the premiere.

Lions Workers Week

There was no better way to express the true spirit of Lionism than its motto “WE SERVE”. During my presidency, the club continued to carry out numerous projects on Community and Welfare Services, one of which was a week-long ‘Lions Workers Week’ which started in 1977.

We had a press conference highlighting Lions Workers' Week.

The objective of the LWW was to foster closer ties, goodwill, and fellowship among workers in the various industrial and commercial sectors.
The activities carried out were Charity Big Walk, Festival of Films, Beauty Queen Contest, Telematch, Sports and Games, Workers’ Seminar, Industrial Poster Exhibition, and Grand Dinner and Dance.
The LWW would not have been successful without the assistance and cooperation of Penang Development Corporation, Members of FMM, Chambers of Commerce, and the Banks.
One of the activities organized for the LWW was Sports and Games. We achieved the following:
1) Promoted closer relationships and goodwill amongst employees of the various industries and organizations in the State of Penang.

2) Encouraged sports activities and enhanced sporting spiritedness amongst participating teams.

3) Improved the standard and skill in the various games and encouraged broader participation.

We conducted four games namely, bowling, football, Sepak Takraw, and Badminton.

Another activity was the Charity Big Walk. Hundreds of workers from various firms and factories in Butterworth and Penang participated.

The walk brought together men and women who formed the backbone of the industrial and commercial sectors of Penang. The event is fondly remembered to this day.

FESTIVAL OF FILMS

Screening of 16mm educational films on drug abuse, family planning, road safety, culture, and the environment and feature films were shown on screen at the main auditorium, Dewan Sri Pinang to entertain thousands of workers for one week. There were different movies to support the documentary nightly. The movies were MacKenna’s Gold (Western Action), Carry on Again Doctor (Comedy), Singing Nun (Musical), and Elvis, That's the Way It Is (Musical). Free tickets were distributed to all factories and participating firms.

LIONS WORKERS SEMINAR

The theme of the LWW Seminar was “Towards a Better Understanding and Appreciation of the Workers’ Role in Society”.
More than 100 participants from factories, private firms, banks, co-operative societies, and professional bodies attended held at the main auditorium, Dewan Sri Pinang.
YB Encik K. Pathmanaban, the Deputy Minister for Labour and Manpower declared the seminar open.

Lion Tan Loo Jit presented a souvenir to YB Hon for gracing the Lions Workers' Week.

Presentation of "Scout of the Year" Award

LIONS INDUSTRIAL BEAUTY QUEEN CONTEST

The Grand Dinner and Dance was the highlight of the LWW week-long program.
About 500 guests attended the dinner at Dragon Palace, Hotel Merlin, Penang on 5/5/1979. T.Y.T. Yang Di-Pertua Negeri and Consort also graced the event. The Chief Minister of Penang who attended gave the keynote address.
The highlight of the evening was the crowning of the Lions Industrial Queen 1978-1979.
Prizes for the winners.
1^st Prize: 1 Return Air Ticket to Taipeh, RM1,000 Cash, Cosmetics, a piece of Opal, a Trophy, and a Crown.
2^nd Prize: 1 Return Air Ticket to Hong Kong, RM500 Cash, Cosmetics, a piece of Opal, and a Trophy.
3^rd Prize: 1 Return Air Ticket to Bangkok, RM200 Cash, Cosmetics, a piece of Opal, and a Trophy.
All contestants were given free gifts from sponsors, namely: hair-do, cosmetics, etc.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS WITH SISTER CLUBS

I had the opportunity to further foster friendship with our sister clubs overseas; and the signing of a new sisterhood alliance with three new clubs, namely, Lions Club of Hong Kong Castle Peak, Lions Club of Adelaide Light, Australia, and Lions Club of Taipei North-West.