ROBIN Parker is the new Lions District Governor for 201N1, a district that includes Lions clubs in the Nambucca Valley.

It is a busy role that Ms Parker is enjoying.

The new District Governor originally hails from Victoria, growing up in West Gippsland, 100km south-east of Melbourne.

Since leaving West Gippsland Ms Parker has “moved around a bit”.

“I was in Alice Springs, moved to Sydney and then up to Valla.

“I then moved to Alstonville NSW, where I am now.”

Ms Parker now brings her experience to the District Governor role whilst still belonging to the Maclean Lions Club.

The District Governor visits 65 Lions clubs across the district over the year.

“I have to cover a large area.

“The longest drive is from Alstonville to Collarenebri.”

Bill Shepherd, the current Nambucca Heads Lions Club Secretary, previously held the role of District Governor.

Mr Shepherd told News Of The Area, “Depending on your start point it is between 38 and 42000 km.”

And what is the purpose in travelling all this way to visit clubs across the District?

“I visit all the clubs to see how they are operating and it is almost an accreditation to see that they are performing duties as a Lions club.

“Every club is different but we follow guidelines from America, Lions Club International (LCI).

“I aim to guide and assist them to carry out their functions,” Ms Parker said.

The journey to becoming District Governor (DG) is a lengthy one.

A candidate first begins as 2nd Vice DG for a year, then moves to 1st Vice DG for the second year, before finally taking on the role of DG.

Ms Parker said, “The role is voted in by the district members, by delegates from each club.”

The DG role is for one year, and Mr Sheperd shared that, “You couldn’t do it for more than one year, it is a big commitment.

“It ends up being a 4 year job in total.”

“For the first 2.5 years you do extensive training.

“A lot of work is on the computer, a lot of work travelling,and going overseas.”

Travelling overseas for such an important role sounds like a bonus, however Covid-19 has put travel plans on hold for now.

There are 972 DG’s across the world for the Lions Club, and 19 of these are in Australia.

The theme Ms Parker has decided on for her time as District Governor is ‘Vibrant splashes and vigorous growth, representing change’.

As an artist, Ms Parker depicted this in her painting ‘Vibrant Splashes, Vigorous Growth’.

The green in the work represents the growth, with the red splashes representing new ideas developed by the clubs.
“I want to help clubs to put new ideas into practise.

“To help them plant them and watch them grow.”

“Each club is different, and these ideas change according to what club I am speaking with.”

 

By Rachel MCGREGOR-ALLEN