I feel enormously privileged and lucky to be Chairman of Council in the year when we celebrate this wonderful birthday - the Diamond Jubilee of Lions reaching our shores.
In this special commemorative issue there cannot possibly be room to do justice to even a small part of what has happened over this long period, but it is true to say that from the very first days of those very first Clubs being Chartered, our Lions, Lionesses and Leos, in fact the whole of our Lions family of Multiple District 105, have brought nothing but good to the lives of those they have served.
It is a wonderful feeling to know that the existence of our Association - and your part as a Lion - has made a huge difference to the quality of life of so many people, most of whom we will never meet, and many of whom have not even heard of us.
But the record is there; year after year of coming to the aid of people in need, of bringing pleasure into the lives of the old, of helping to care for and heal sick children, at home and worldwide, of donating to hospitals and to a multitude of good causes, of working and helping people with special needs.
Together we have been through tragedies; the great Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake severe, flooding in the UK and in Ireland, and other major disasters are fresh in our memories, but from the earliest days the Lions who came before us also reacted swiftly to need in their localities and beyond.
The future is now in the hands of the Lions family of 2010. Let us all treat the world we live in and its people with the same generosity and kindness which have been the hallmarks of Lions for the past 60 years.
Andy Pemberton, Chairman of Council.
