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About Us

The devastating winds and fires of January 1969 blew some good for Lara. They led to the establishment of the first service club in the town - LIONS (Liberty; Intelligence; Our Nations Safety).

The need for a community service organisation was recognised by a group of young men who held an informal meeting in March 1969 and decided to form a Lions club. Officially sponsored by the Lions Club of Geelong, Lara received its Charter in July 1970 and joined the largest service organisation in the world with over 1.45 million members in countries on every continent.

Since its inception, the Lions Club of Lara has truly served the local community and has supported Lions national and international projects as well as bushfire, flood and tsunami emergencies. Besides providing immediate assistance in times of crisis, the Club has given financial support to many organisations and individuals. 

Lions are focused on improving the Lara environment by the removal of graffiti and other clean up operations.

A Lions community survey in 1975 resulted in the building of the Lara Community Centre, which was launched in 1982 with the first Lara Heritage Festival. The Lara Heritage Festival has continued as a bi-annual fun filled event until 2008.

Over the years, Lions have instigated many projects within the community and joined in partnerships with other organisations to enhance community services. The Club established a Citizen of the Year Award to recognise people in particular fields of activity that have made a significant contribution above and beyond reasonable expectation to the Lara and District community. The winners of the Citizens of the Year awards, now administered by the Australia Day Breakfast Committee, are announced and presented at the Australia Day Breakfast held at the Lara Sporting Club.

The Lions Club of Lara has encouraged the talents of youth through its involvement in the annual Youth of the Year project, Annual International Peace Poster competition, Annual Youth Achievement Awards. The Club also makes considerable contributions to local Schools. 

Currently some 28 dedicated people who carry out continuous community projects in Lara and further afield. 

Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.