Club History

The Palmerston Lions Club, sponsored by the Clinton Lions Club was chartered on September 27th, 1939. The club started with 40 charter members, neither of whom is still with the club. At present, there are 31 active men and women in the club, working together for the betterment of their community.

Since its inception, the Palmerton Lions Club has raised close to $1,000,000.00 for community projects. The Palmerston Lions Club has been a very innovative fund-raiser over its history, all the way from selling peanuts, light bulbs, Christmas trees, Easter bunnies, all the way to selling a live bull named Augustus Resolution.

The clubs innovation has extended to such activities as bingo, frolics, dances, rodeos, dunking tank games, the $52,000 Great Palmerston Lottery, the long time running Valentines Elimination Lottery, Canadian Hand Car Championships and the 1999/2000 House Building Project.

The revenue from these and many other fundraisers along with the contribution of immeasurable hours of dedicated work has contributed to the innumerable local community improvements such as, the tennis courts, Lawrence Park Pavilion and wading pool, the old outdoor pool, instruments for the Norwell Band, the Norgan Theatre restoration, Palmerston & District Hospital Equipment fund, Lions-Quest (Thrive) drug awareness education at the Palmerston and Minto Clifford Schools, Norwell Education Student exchange programs, Ball Park lighting and fencing, minor sports funding (hockey, soccer, figure skating, power skating, broomball, and baseball), Victoria Order of Nurses foot care clinics, operation of the old arena and food booth for over 25 years, including the artificial ice installation, new roof and building of the front of the old arena (1951). The operation of the door for the 81’s Senior Hockey Team games, one hundred thousand dollar donation to the new Arena Community/Curling Club (raised by weekly bingo’s 1990 – 1998). The leadership of this project building and fundraising committees, the delivery of human eyes, the provision of Christmas Food hampers, eye glasses, leader dogs, fire loss assistance, electric wheelchairs and hearing aid to individuals in need.

If there is ever a need… The Lions Club is there!

The Palmerston Lions Club has not confined its contributions to the local community but has been a significant part of Lions District A-9 and Lions International with the support of Canine Vision Canada, Walk-a-Dog-A-Thon, dog guide training, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Lions Foundation of Canada, C.N.I.B., March of Dimes, Diabetes, Cancer, Arthritis, Big Brothers, Community Association for Independent Living, Lake Joseph Camp for the Blind, Camp Dorsett Dialysis Camp, River blindness prevention, Leprosy treatment, Wells for Africa, and the Canadian Eye Bank (with over 12,000 eyes delivered since 1974 – the highest contribution per capita in Canada).

The Palmerston Lions Club has also contributed strong leadership to the community during our history. Many members of the Palmerston Lions Club have gone on to Lions Leadership at the District Level. Most notable of which are Deputy District Governors Ephrium Gray 1944/45, Art Edmunds 1950/51, Dougall Campbell, 1969/70, John Nichol 1980/81 and Governors George Lavelle (charter member) 1941/42, Ken Henderson (charter member) 1963/64, Frank “Paddy” Rundle 1979/80 and Andreas “Andy” Klonikowski 2003/04.