Respite

The Immune Deficiencies Foundation of New Zealand is a charitable organisation which helps those, who for any reason at all, have a reduced ability to ward off bugs and illnesses. Many of these are children who have had transplants, or other major surgery. One of the objects the Foundation has is to provide Respite Care for those families affected. And, after many years trying, the Foundation opened the first South Island house for this purpose. Ideally positioned in the Cairnmuir Holiday Park, Bannockburn, it has everything a family on holiday could want, right down to the view from the balcony.
This project was finished off by three Lions Clubs in the area, each having a different project around the house.
In the above photo, Laura Hannah, the only Board Member of the Foundation in the South Island, officially opens the house. Also in the photo are two representatives of the Lions Clubs.
In a typical Kiwi fashion, the smart looking plaque was covered with a tea towel until the opening. The speeches were short and to the point, and the BBQ that followed was excellent.
And there was no mucking about, the first guests were there within days of the opening.

Lions 2

Some time ago I mentioned the Lions, and recommended that you buy a steak at a Lions BBQ. In the above photo, the members of the Ohai - Nightcaps Lions club have almost completed buttering the bread, shifting the furniture, connecting the gas, and are now ready to put the meat on the grill. All in about 20 minutes. They fed about 140 including me with no fuss at all. A good selection of salads, fresh bread, really good meat patties.
Teamwork and practice.

Lions

This photo was taken recently in Dunedin. It is a Lions Cabinet. Lions International is a service organisation started in America many years ago. It is administered in a layered fashion, with each District led by a District Governor and a Cabinet. This is the Cabinet for District 202J, which is one of 7 or so in New Zealand. 202J extends up the east coast of the South Island, from say Ashburton to Balclutha.
I am not a Lion myself, but I do sympathise with their cause, and they are well organised to provide all sorts of aid to the wider community. One of the best known is "Sight First" where lots of money is raised, helping those who for some reason are losing their sight. Some years ago they collected literally tons of unused or redundant reading glasses from around New Zealand, and sent them to somewhere in Africa to be distributed free of charge to any one who needed them.
We have friends who had a child who needed major surgery in Sydney. The local Lions Club in his area arrived at his door with a voucher for a free rental car in Sydney for as long as it was required. Though our friends told them the car would probably not be needed, the Lions insisted they take the voucher, saying it would be better to have it and not use it, than not having it if it was needed. Our friends say that within a few days in Sydney, they were so pleased to have the car they could not understand why they had tried to turn it down.
This sort of thing happens all over the country, usually not reported or noticed by any one.
Next time you see a Lions Club BBQ, go and buy a couple of steaks. You get something, and someone else will too.