Projects

One of the main roles of a Lions Club is to be active in its community and serve its community. We serve our community by involving the citizens and residents of Oatley in the projects that we undertake.

In essence, there is 3 kinds of project that we will undertake.

Fundraising

Some of our projects are specifically designed to generate cash. It is this pool of funds that we then "give away" to various charity groups such as children, the aged, the handicapped and generally those who can benefit from our financial help.

Community Awareness & Involvement

Some of our projects do not generate funds, but they do make the wider community aware of who we are and what we do. We involve local volunteers and helpers to generally enhance our local community.

"Just for the fun of it..."

Sometimes we just do things for the fun and enjoyment, such as our Village festival and our new music festival. Quite often these activities can be to thank some of our volunteers or the community at large.

The one thing that you can be assured of is that there is no definite "separation of duties" with these 3 kinds of activities as a Fundraiser is also quite often  a "just for the fun of it" and a "just for the fun of it" can very quickly make the community aware of what we do.

National Tree Day - Sunday 27 July 2008 (School Tree Day Friday 25 July)  

National Tree Day will be a day when tens of thousands of Australians get together to plant trees and shrubs that are native to their local area. The aim? To grow a better future for Australia.

National Tree Day is a community tree planting initiative organised by Planet Ark in association with Toyota and AMP Foundation. In and around the St George Area we work closely with Kogarah & Hurstville Councils to plant hundreds of trees and plants.

Last year's event saw over 225,000 volunteers on around 3,000 sites together plant over 2 million trees. Oatley Lions was present at 3 sites - Poulton Park, South Hurstville; Oatley Park, Oatley and the Olympic Games site, Homebush Bay.

Planting trees on National Tree Day is a fun, simple and positive way to help your local community and environment.

If you want to lend a hand on the day, then that's great. If you can, bring along your family and friends. You can find out your local site details nearer the time by calling the Oatley Lions or simply send an email.

Either way, you'll be doing something worthwhile for your local environment and you'll definitely have fun at the same time!

So 'get down and dirty' and join us on National Tree Day!

Clean Up Australia Day - Sunday 1 March 2009

Come and Join the Oatley Lions at Oatley Park

1. Meet at a place to be determined. This should be known by January 2009 and the site will be updated

2. Register with us, by supplying your name, address and phone number

3. Grab a bag and gloves

4. Go to one of several sites that require some attention

5. Collect all of those "nasty" items that pollute our environment and make it look untidy

6. At lunchtime meet back at the original meeting point and enjoy a barbecue lunch with bread rolls, salad and fruit with the compliments of the Clean Up Australia day council, Hurstville and Kogarah Municipal councils and the Oatley Lions Club

          For further details please send us an email

Jeans for Genes Day - Friday 1 August 2008

What is Jeans for Genes?
It’s fun, it’s simple, it’s a great cause! Jeans for Genes is a national appeal where everyone across Australia is invited to throw out the usual dress rules and jump into their jeans in exchange for any small donation.

Who does Jeans for Genes help?
Jeans for Genes, organised by national charities, raises funds for research into serious and often life-threatening genetic disorders affecting thousands of children.

How can I support Jeans for Genes Day?
On the day (to be advised) members of Oatley Lions will be at Oatley, Mortdale and Penshurst Railway Stations selling badges and (non permanent) tattoos. Prices in the past have been tattoos for $1 while badges range from $2 to $20. 

Sausage Sizzles

One of the mainstays for raising funds for Oatley Lions is the humble sausage sizzle. If there is an upcoming Council, State or Federal election... we will be there with our BBQ. 

If there is a school or community day... we will be there with our BBQ. - On "Clean up Australia" Day, Planet Ark's "National Tree Day", at our own Village Festival and Music Festival... there we are with our trusty BBQ, making sausage and steak sandwiches.

Its the way we cook the onions that makes people come from miles for a famous "Oatley Lions Sausage Sandwich" (If its an early morning event, an Egg & Bacon Roll also hits the spot).

Regularly we can also be found in the car park of Mitre 10 Hardware at Forest Rd, Peakhurst or outside IGA at Oatley Pde Oatley, cooking up a storm on the odd Saturday.   

Lions Australia Mints are a convenient form of fundraising. We have many of the rolled mints that you see in the picture at retail outlets in and around the suburb of Oatley. Typically, shop owners allow us to display our mints on their shop counters and have even been known to contact us when supplies run low. Mints is an Australia wide Lions project and much of the proceeds goes to the Australian Lions Children's Mobility Foundation

Lions Christmas Cakes too, are another regular fundraising activity, with Christmas Cakes available in 1Kg and 1.5Kg sizes. They are also available individually sliced and sealed packs as well. The cakes are commercially made and contain the finest ingredients. I'm told that a cakes flavour is enhanced over time, and that a cake purchase this Christmas will definitely taste better next Christmas... It must be the high quality Queensland Rum used in the manufacturing process.

In recent times we have also sold 1Kg Christmas puddings which also rival the cakes for quality. Both make excellent Christmas presents

CARING FOR THE GEORGES RIVER 

This is the theme that we have chosen to promote a plastic bag free environment in Oatley and elsewhere up and down the Georges River which feeds into Botany Bay, the original landing site of Europeans on the East Coast of Australia.

Many suburbs have seen the damage caused by non degradable shopping bags and are now moving to a plastic bag free status. The residents and shopkeepers of Oatley, in the main, support this approach. In a collaborative effort with Kogarah Council and Hurstville Council and with the support of Scouts and other local community groups, Oatley Lions will promote and foster a more educated concern for the environment around us.

Oatley Lions is having 4,000 re-usable PPE* Bags manufactured for the imminent distribution to the residents of Oatley and surrounds. Please watch this space for further details.

We have also been talking to local businesses to discuss alternative to the "singlet" style shopping bag currently used by most shops. Every business we have spoken to supports alternatives such as paper bags.

Whether your a local shopkeeper, a local resident or are simply concerned about the environment, please follow the menu options above for more information.

Oatley Lions would like to acknowledge the help and support that has been given by Kogarah Municipal Council, Hurstville Municipal Council and Planet Ark and the ongoing support of the local shopkeepers and community groups.

Plastic Bags – 15 things you need to know

• 20 million Australians use 6.4 billion plastic check-out bags per year. That’s nearly

1 plastic bag per person per day or 345 bags per person per year.

• An October 2003 Roy Morgan study showed that 87% of Australians were concerned about the impact plastic bags have on the environment.

• A person’s use of a plastic check-out bag can be counted in minutes – however long it takes to get from the shops to their homes. Plastic bags however, can take between 15 and 1000 years to break down in the environment.

• At least 80 million plastic bags end up as litter on our beaches, streets and parks. Australian local and State Governments spend over $200 million a year picking up litter.

• In the marine environment plastic bag litter is lethal, killing at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year. When the dead animal decays, the plastic bags are freed to be re-ingested by other animals for many years to come.

• On land, plastic bag litter can block drains and trap birds. They also kill livestock. One farmer near Mudgee NSW, carried out an autopsy on a dead calf and found 8 plastic bags in its stomach. The loss of this calf cost the farmer around $500.

• Not all litter is deliberate. 47% of wind borne litter escaping from landfills is plastic – much of this is plastic bags.

• Less than 5% of Australia’s plastic bags are currently being recycled, despite recycling facilities being available at major supermarkets.

• In many council areas, plastic bags are the single main contaminant of kerbside recycling.

• Plastic bags are not free to consumers – they are actually adding an estimated $173 million a year to Australia’s grocery bills.

• Only an estimated 19% of the 3.7 billion plastic supermarket shopping bags handed out in Australia every year, are being reused by households as kitchen bin liners.

• Plastic bags are a by-product of the oil industry. 4 billion HDPE plastic bags are imported into Australia every year.

• Since Planet Ark started this campaign, retail use of plastic check-out bags has dropped by half a billion bags.

• Since March 2002, Ireland has reduced its plastic check-out bag usage by 90% after introducing a plastic bag levy. In Australia Coles Bay, Huskisson, Kangaroo Valley, Mogo and the Sydney suburb of Oyster Bay have all successfully banned plastic check-out bags in all their retail stores.

• Under an agreement between the Federal Government and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), retailers have until December 2004 to reduce their consumption of lightweight single use plastic check-out bags by 25%. This rises to 50% by December 2005.

For more plastic bag information please go to www.planetark.com/plasticbags

* PPE Bags are made from non woven polypropylene which is itself a recyclable plastic. They come with a "floor" and can easily accept loads of approx 10Kg

Lions Peace Poster is a competition held each year amongst school children aged between 10 & 12 years of age. The competition is easy... design a poster that promotes world peace. Doesn't get any easier than that. The Oatley Lions typically approach the local Primary Schools and the students attack this with such zeal and enthusiasm. If your School would like to participate in the Peace Poster Program, no matter where in Australia you are, and we will put you in touch with your local Lions Club.

Youth of the Year is held each year in March (but we start talking to local high schools in November the year before). The contest is open to all students in their senior years (years 10,11 or 12). The contest has 2 components. The first is an interview where you are scored on such factors as personality, outgoingness, general knowledge and presentation. The second part of the contest involves 2 impromptu speeches and 1 prepared speech. The successful contestant will go on to zone, region, district and if successful, national and international levels. If your School would like to participate in the contest, and we will contact you will further details