The Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club has notched up 50 years of service and support to community, national and international causes.

Since its formation in 1974, it is estimated the club has raised about $1.3 million for a wide range of initiatives, thanks to the dedicated volunteers.

The Lions will celebrate their golden anniversary with a special event on Monday at Hotel Armitage in Tauranga, bringing together members past and present.

From running barbecue fundraisers for schools and helping elderly with home maintenance, to constructing landmarks such as the Minden Lookout, Bethlehem Te Puna Lions has consistently supported a large range of causes.

The extensive list includes organising casino nights, running the Bethlehem Sunday markets, and fundraising for organisations such as the Cancer Society, Waipuna Hospice, Tauranga Food Bank, Tauranga Women’s Refuge, schools and organisations, and the NZ Blind Institute.

A range of photos from the Bethlehem Te Puna Lions scrapbooks. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

“The Lions badge, featuring two lions both facing outward, represents our focus on looking outwards towards the community, rather than inward,” club member Colin Gill said.

The Lions has a unique approach to fundraising, often involving the community in the process. For example, the club’s policy is to ask individuals and organisations seeking financial help to “come and help raise some funds yourselves” fostering teamwork and a shared sense of achievement. One memorable example of this approach is the club collaborating with sports teams, to chop wood together as a fundraiser.

Giving back

Originally chartered as the Lions Club of Ōmokoroa Te Puna in 1974 with just 21 members, the club’s impact quickly grew. Early projects included sending fruit to Tokanui Hospital, providing volunteer manpower for the IHC Swimming Pool Project, and building a climbing frame at Te Puna Playcentre. The Minden Lookout, one of the club’s standout projects, was completed in 1978 and became a beloved landmark.

The club’s role in supporting the community grew over the years, with key enterprising initiatives such as the Bethlehem Sunday Markets and Lions Mints, where profits contributed to the rescue helicopter, Cancer Society Lodge in Hamilton, and flood relief for Gisborne.

The club has been instrumental in installing drinking fountains, constructing steps and developing the Orchid Gazebo Lookout at Te Puna Quarry Park.

Supporting youth via scholarships, Outward Bound sponsorships, and the annual Outdoor Adventure Camp at Ngatuhoa Lodge, the club has also played a pivotal role in fundraising for large-scale projects, including raising $128,000 for Waipuna Hospice.

“We were the driving force to turn Waipuna from daycare to residential. The initial start was six beds,” Gill said.

A range of photos from the Bethlehem Te Puna Lions scrapbooks. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Critical assistance

“We were influential in getting either grants or sponsorships and had support bringing in good money,” club member Ron Stephens said. “To date we’d have raised between $1.2 to $1.3 million. And that’s all gone back into support organisations, and young people.”

The club has also provided critical assistance during national disasters, such as organising a fundraising campaign for Cyclone Bola victims in 1988 and supporting the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal in 2011.

In 2006, the club officially changed its name to the Lions Club of Bethlehem Te Puna, reflecting its specific focus and the community it served. Its footprint however extended, from fundraising and supporting community projects from Ōmokoroa to Pāpāmoa.

Projects include purchasing vans for Avalon and Tauranga Women’s Refuge; raising funds for Ōmokoroa Point School’s adventure playground and Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade; sending 18 milk separators to Fiji farmers; helping with a building project on Matakana Island; and building a toilet block for Te Puna Scouts.

In 1981, members of Bethlehem Te Puna Lions club sponsored the Charter of The Lions Club of Welcome Bay. They raised funds for Mount Maunganui Surf Club, Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall extension, and the Bethlehem School Deaf Unit. In 1982, they built and supplied kitchen units for Aongatete Lodge costing $2000, and in 1985 raised funds to help build the Recreation Hall at Ngatuhoa Outdoor and Education Lodge. They built the barbecues at Ōmokoroa Domain, installed playground equipment at Pahoia Domain, and organised a variety concert to raise $1100 to purchase equipment for Tauranga Hospital Children’s Ward. They’ve sponsored school awards, and erected bus shelters in Te Puna and on Matakana Island.

Challenges and triumphs

Despite the club’s many successes, there have been challenges — including the recent demolition of the Maramatanga Sport and Recreation Pavilion, a project the club helped fund and build in the 1990s. The club was also saddened by the closure of the Minden Lookout, with the attraction having issues with maintenance and occasional misuse. The club has a directional stainless steel drum sign there, mounted on a stone plinth, showing a local map.

“That’s going to remain. And council are going to build a new cover over the top of it.”

Stephens said in recent years the lookout had attracted “booze parties”, as the top platform of the Minden Lookout could take about 20 people.

“That’s one of the attractions the residents didn’t want. It was a fine community attraction, and everybody was proud of it. But now these other issues have come up.”

Gill and Stephens, who have both been Lions members since first joining in Paengaroa, said the 50-year story of their beloved Bethlehem Te Puna Lions Club shouldn’t mention any individuals.

“It’s all about what the club has achieved,” Gill said.

The common expression given by Lions members after years of service is said with feeling: “Joining Lions changed my life”.

The club’s motto ‘We Serve’ continues to inspire members to look outward and make a positive difference in the world around them.