2024 Changeover President's Speech

President Richard Sheahan addressed the group:

Thank you all so much for coming along tonight to our little changeover. Acknowledging the transfer of the Board is really important, but so is recognizing the amazing efforts of the team and highlighting the phenomenal work done in the Community by Lions members.

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it publicly again: It’s a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated group of community-minded people as our members, friends and sponsors. It always amazes me how much time and effort Lions members commit to help the less well off. They don’t benefit one cent from the hours they spend: 

Most of our members aren’t that well off. I know life is tough for some. They do it because they are selfless people who just enjoy helping others. It certainly helps when the environment in which we operate is a friendly one. And we do work hard at that, It’s very hard to keep members if they don’t feel comfortable, welcome and wanted and part of a healthy team. Their dedication is unbelievable, and the local Community is just so lucky to have these people in their midst

So what did Oatley Lions get up to this year? 

In putting this talk together, I thought I’d run through the bank accounts just to try and calculate exactly what we had donated to the Community. It’s amazing how quickly you forget just how much we’ve achieved during the year.

In no particular order, we made the following payments

Crateful $8,500 trivia nite + raffles - van

St George Hospital $40,000 Golf / hotel / WRSF

Little Legs Foundation $1,000 trivia nite winners

Bears of Hope $4,500 rock’n’roll nite

St George Fam Serv $4,500 rock‘n’roll’nite

Caring Kids $1.500 Elvio's buying gifts for carers

Oatley Bay Sea Scouts $840 Trash and Treasure

Riverwood Air League $10,000 Market day

Oatley Uniting Church $800 Market day

St G and Suth Medical $570 Kevin Greene's favoured charity

ALF Sari-Elle $5,000 Her phenomenal run in Everest

LCIF $2,000 Any donation is valuable

Hearing Dogs $2,578 raffles and donation

George River Life Care $1,000 raffles

Oatley FFF and HS $1,000 calendar seed funding

Lions Mobility Fndn $1.635 raffles

Sutherland Hospital $15,000 WRSF – zone project

Redfern Jarjum College $1,000 Triv nite first prize

Nurses Schol Fndn $500 Triv nite random draw

Club Rivers Biggest MT $300 Childrens cancer

CR Mystery Box Rally $300 Childrens cancer

Tanzania Teaching $235 funding shortfall

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$102,000


IGA Food Collections $16,000

Missed 1st Market Day $8,000

Missed golf day $10,000

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                                       $34,000



I’d particularly like to thank the following people for their efforts in ensuring the effective running of our Club throughout the year.

Where are we headed?

You guys and girls really make life easy for me, because I don’t want it to change what we do too much!

This is the part of the night that I really like,,,, rewarding people who make my life easier! As far as I’m concerned you all deserve awards, but that would make it like a kindergarten class where everybody gets an encouragement award. The awards are HERE.