About Us
Karratha & Dampier Lions was formed on October 18th 1969 as the Lions Club of Dampier and was chartered in March 1970 as the 605th club in Australia. We changed our name to Lions Club of Karratha & Dampier Inc. on July 3rd 1992 due to the increased number of members and activities in nearby Karratha. We currently have 29 members. We are part of Lions District 201W1 and are the largest district in the world by area.
FeNaClNG
The Club's main activity and fund raiser each year is the annual FeNaClNG festival. The name, FeNaClNG, comes from the chemical symbols of the three main production and export commodities in Karratha & Dampier : Iron Ore – FE, Salt – NaCL, and Natural Gas – NG (not strictly correct but it makes the name work!). The festival celebrated its 25th year in 1997 and is of such importance locally that a public holiday is declared. Thanks must go to local Government and local businesses who support the day by donating time, materials and money.
Planning for the festival commences in November each year for the end of the following July (which is during the cooler months of the year). FeNaClNG is similar to an Agricultural Show but without the agriculture. There are displays of handiwork and crafts from all sections of the community, food stalls, stalls selling novelties, clothing, souvenirs, costume jewellery, and produce. Also, there are side shows with rides and all sorts of activities to separate the younger set from their money.
Local community groups use the festival as an opportunity to raise funds by selling hamburgers, chips and hot dogs etc. The festival also provides local people with an opportunity to showcase their talents so the crowd is entertained with displays of Tae Kwon Doe, Bootscooting, Cultural Groups, local bands, Dance groups, Dog Training and so forth. Locals also participate in the entertainment as entrants in Tug of War competitions and the Iron Man competition. Many sporting events are held at facilities adjacent to the festival over the weekend, these include softball games, tennis, squash, rugby, equestrian and dog training exhibitions. Professional entertainment is also offered with big name bands at night, fireworks and specialty groups travelling from other parts of the state with displays of log chopping, rock drilling, and sheep shearing.
fenaclng@telstra.easymail.com.auOther Fund Raising Activities
- FeNaClNG Ball held one week before the festival;
- Giant Charity Auction held November each year;
- Save Sight Raffle held in May \ June each year;
- Christmas Cake sales during the silly season;
- Lions Mint sales all year round;
Community Activities
The Lions Sustained Effort Award is sponsored by the Club each year by donating funds to all of the eleven local schools to reward a student that has made a particular effort throughout the year. Donations of money are also made to a variety of worthwhile causes both within the local area and to appeals for help from outside the area. When called upon, the members volunteer time and energy to assist community groups such as special schools to relocate playgrounds, to build play grounds in local parks and to help other organisations by acting as gatekeepers etc. The Club has consistently assisted the Clean Up Australia program to collect waste in the local area. Each year members help the Red Cross and the Red Shield appeal by donating time and effort to collect money on their behalf. The club is here to help and assist the needy in our community.
Recently
Last Saturday, May 29th, members assisted The Salvation Army Red Shield appeal by collecting at the Karratha City Shopping Centre throughout the morning. We raised a total of $1000.
Terry Sullivan (right) and Bill Hildebrand (left)
presenting the cheque to The Salvation Army's Lt James Bortoli (middle).
Coming Soon
On Tuesday June 8th three of our most vocal members will be joining local Soroptimists and Rotary groups along with teams from the local high schools for The Great Debate. It will be held at the Walkington Theatre at 7pm. Come join us for a night of entertainment, tickets at the door.
Meeting Times
The Club meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 7.30pm at the Tambrey Centre, Tambrey Drive, Karratha, Western Australia. Visiting Lions are most welcome.
Office Bearers 1999-2000
President - Ric Wroth wroth@kisser.net.au
Secretary – Terry Sullivan Terry.Sullivan@dsl.riotinto.com.au
Treasurer – Bill Hildebrand hildebrand@kisser.net.auThe Pilbara Region
Dampier is a coastal town with a population of approximately 2000 people and is situated in the picturesque Dampier Archipelago. The 42 beautiful islands of the Archipelago and harbour provide excellent recreational activities such as sailing, boating and fishing. It was established as the port town site for Hamersley Iron in 1966 and was named after the English explorer William Dampier who landed in the area in 1699.
Karratha is the regional centre for the towns of the Pilbara region with a population of approximately 11,000 people. Karratha is an Aboriginal word meaning 'good country' or 'soft earth'. Karratha was initially instigated by the continued development of the Hamersley Iron project and the commencement of the nearby Dampier Salt project. The development of Woodside's North West Shelf Gas project has seen the town expand further.
Karratha is approximately 20km south-east along the coast from Dampier which is located approximately 1600km north of Perth in Western Australia. The Pilbara is a semi arid region characterised by high temperatures and low, variable rainfall. Rainfall and temperature extremes are not uncommon. During the summer months, the temperature can rise to around 47 degrees Centigrade in most centres. Minimum temperatures are consistently lower, falling to 11 degrees Centigrade in the coldest months. Between October and April, the temperature throughout the region reaches or exceeds 32 degrees Centigrade almost every day. Tropical cyclones bring heavy rainfall. However, there are often long periods without rain. On average, two tropical cyclones cross the Western Australian coastline during each cyclone season. Cyclone 'season' is from the beginning of November to the end of April. The section of coastline between Broome and Karratha has had the greatest frequency of coastal crossings and is the most cyclone-prone region of the entire Australian coastline. It is also one of the most threatened regions in the world.
Lions Club's Objectives
- TO CREATE and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world;
- TO PROMOTE the principles of good government and good citizenship;
- TO TAKE an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community;
- TO UNITE the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding;
- TO PROVIDE a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest; provided, however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members;
- TO ENCOURAGE service-minded people to serve their community without personal financial reward, and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavours;
About Lions International
Lions International is the world's largest and most effective community service organisation, with more than 1.4 million members. Lions International consists of more than 40,000 Lions clubs in approximately 180 countries and areas. Lions are dedicated to seeking out and helping those in need.
In 1917, a Chicago insurance agent named Melvin Jones convinced his luncheon club, the Business Circle of Chicago, that it should ally itself with other independent clubs to form a national organisation that would be dedicated not only to networking for business and social purposes, but to the improvement of the community as a whole.
The association fosters service activities internationally. At present, our major international service commitment is SightFirst : Lions Conquering Blindness. Its aim is nothing less than the elimination of preventable and reversible blindness around the world. A continuing major international activity of the association is Lions Youth Outreach : Changing Tomorrow Today. Its objective is to help young people develop essential life and citizenship skills such as sound judgement, self discipline, acceptance of responsibility, ability to communicate with various age groups, ability to get along with others, critical decision making ability with regard to drugs and alcohol, and a desire to serve others.
Links
Lions International Official Website
Thanks to members for their contributions.
Thanks to Geoff Hurst at Karratha Internet Support Services for his assistance.