The Amherst Lions Club - A Brief History

The Amherst Lions Club Inc. was chartered on June 11^th 1954 and was sponsored by the Truro Lions Club.  Twenty Four members were on the new club's charter.  The first charter night was held at the Fort Cumberland Hotel and was attended by a senior officer from Lions International.

From it's humble beginnings the Amherst Lions Club has blossomed into one of the premier service clubs in the Cumberland County area.  The contributions of its members in time and money to the Amherst area are second to none. 

Right from the beginning, the club has been involved in projects with --- the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and in activities involving persons with eyesight problems.  As early as 1954 the club was donating funds for the purchase of talking books seeing eye dogs and more.  Other major contributions to help the blind include equipment for the Amherst Public Library, coordinating the collection of used eyeglasses and the purchasing of new glasses for those in need.

The Lions have been assisted by a group of Lionettes which chartered in 1962.  They later became the Lioness chartering in 1981.  Together they have supported groups in their work to help the less fortunate.  Seniors and the mentally challenged have been on the Amherst Lions Club list of priorities since the inception of the Club and last but not least its involvement with the Canadian Diabetic Society.

Major financial donations were made in the construction of the new YMCA, donating $20,000.00 for the study and $100,000.00 on the construction. Since then we have donated $2,000.00 a year and gave another $20,000.00 for the reopening.  The Club has been involved with the hospital since the clubs founding.  Giving $50,000.00 plus another $20,000.00.  We have furnished rooms in both the old hospital and the new hospital.  Recently the Lions and Lioness have donated major funding towards the construction of a new Operating Room totaling $30,000.00.

Over the years the Amherst Lions Club has been involved with causes which in retrospect appear interesting.  The Club has also been involved with Little League Baseball since its early years, 1954,  financially as well as volunteering.  We are the only original sponsor remaining and we still sponsor a team as well.  Our team has won the league championship many times.  Recently we donated $10,000.00 towards the building of a new club house. 

In 1954 the Amherst Lions took over the Hickman Street Ball field and Playground which is now the Bantam Ball field and the children’s playground renaming the field “The Lion Cecil Small Ball Field” and the playground “The Lions Park Playground”.  Over the years the club has maintained these two area’s buying play equipment and repairing the old play equipment as well as ground maintenance.  In 2006 the club spent $65,000.00 in renovations to The Lions Park Playground by resurfacing the grounds, buying all new play equipment and making it wheelchair accessible. We don’t stop there.  We are also supporters of Minor Hockey, Soccer, Figure Skating, Basketball, Boys and Girls Boxing Club and many, many more.  The flag poles at the town hall were donated by the Lions Club and numerous cars were bought for the VON.

 Fund Raising

 Lionism and fund raising have become quasi-synonymous to the Club. Members have given thousand of hours of their time to raising funds in support of worthy causes.  The first large fund raising projects were centered on the sale of light bulbs, chocolates, canned nuts, chicken BBQ’s.  The club's involvement with groups depending heavily on funds for their worthy endeavors led the club to explore a more lucrative and consistent source of funds.  Consequently TV Bingo’s since 1972 and regular weekly bingos have been held since 1984.  They were first held in the Alfran Centre and then moved to McCullough’s building which is now Frenchies.  The present site of Bambino’s Take Out on Prince Arthur Street was the Lions Club.  The Lions later purchased the old Discount Grocery building on Electric Street which became and still is The Lions Community Center.

The Amherst Lions Club is honored to hold the first District Convention in 2008 after the newly formed District N2 when the redistricting of MD41 was placed in July 2007.

The Amherst Lions Club has sponsored a number of clubs;

Sackville N.B., Tatamagouche N.S., Springhill N.S., Pugwash N.S., Maccan-River Hebert-Joggins N.S..

The Amherst Lions Club N.S. 41N2 held joint Charter Nights with the Sackville Lions Club N.B. Club 41N1 for ten years.

Remaining history of the Amherst Lions club.

To be continued with much more to come………………..

Amherst Lions Club Facts

Date Chartered – There are two dates November 24, 1954 and December 24, 1954

Chartered Members – 24

M. Attis                 F. Craft                 J. Matheson

W. Brooks            C. Jones                I. Swetnam

J. Baker                 J. Goodin             W. Sheppard

R. Benjamin           D Gunn                Canon J. Sheely

R. Bernick             E. Hutchison         K. Spicer

S. Chabassol         R. Hastings           D Townsend

K. Carter               E. Harkness           K. Urquhart

W. Chapman         E. MacDonald       S. White

Charter King Lion Ivan Swetnam

King Lions Since Our Inception

Amherst Lions members who held or are holding District Offices:

Deputy District Governor (DDG) would be the equivalent of the present Region Chairman.

District Governor-E.R. (Bud) Hutchinson 1957-1958

District Governor-Arthur E.T. Chapman 1974-1975

Cabinet Secretary Treasurer-Stan Siddall 1957-1958

Cabinet Secretary Treasurer-Ron MacNeil 1974-1975

Deputy District Governor-Earl Harkness 1959-1960

Zone Chairman-Don MacNeil 1963-1964

Zone Chairman-George Canton 1964-1965

Deputy District Governor-George Canton 1965-1966

Zone Chairman-Albert Sorge 1967-1968

District Public Relations Chairman-Gerry Randall 1968-1969

Zone Chairman-Cecil Small 1969-1970

Zone Chairman-Art (Sonny) Foster 1971-1972

Officers School-Vaughan Bosma 1972-1973

Deputy District Governor-Art (Sonny) Foster 1973-1974

N.S. Lions Editor-Hugh Purvis 1976-1977

Deputy District Governor-Hugh Purvis 1978-1979

Zone Chairman-George Fairfax 1978-1979

Deputy District Governor-George Fairfax 1979-1980

Deputy District Governor-Orison Ward 1980-1981

Zone Chairman-Art Gourley 1986-1987

Region Chairman-Cecil Small 1990-1991

Zone Chairman-Tom Fisher 1990-1991

Zone Chairman-Rubin Millard 1998-1999

N.S. Dist. Foundation-Rubin Millard 1993-1994

N.S. Dist. Foundation-Rubin Millard 1994-1995

Zone Chairman-Rubin Millard 1999-2000

Zone Chairman-Bruce McIntyre 2002-2003 (41N1)

Region Chairman-Bruce McIntyre 2003-2004 (41N1)

Zone Chairman-Robert Estabrooks 2004-2005

Zone Chairman-Bruce McIntyre 2005-2006

N.S. Dist. Foundation-Bruce McIntyre 2005-2006

Zone Chairman-Robert Estabrooks 2006-2007

District Retention Chairman-Bruce McIntyre 2006-2007

N.S. Dist. Foundation-Bruce McIntyre 2006-2007

District Convention Chairman-Bruce McIntyre 2007-2008

N.B. Lion Stan Siddell for many years was the International Representative in charge of organizing new clubs.