About Our District
Lion Narelle is born and raised in Sydney on the banks of the Parramatta River. Trained as an Industrial Chemical Technician , working in the Paint and Industrial Coating Industry for over 40 years.
Mal and Narelle retired to Valla Beach in 2011.
In 1980 PCC Malcolm joined the Lions club of Hasting, at that time Lion Narelle was simply a Lions Lady.
1985 the Hasting Lioness club were formed, with Lioness Narelle being their charter president.
In 1987 everything changed with in the demographic of Lions in Australia when the Lions club of Hastings accepted ladies (by the way one of the first clubs to do so).
That same year she found she was pregnant with their son. So, whilst Malcolm was busy with Lions, she become busy with the schools parents group, basketball, school drop offs, RAN Ski club and working full time as a Senior Purchasing officer for Dulux.
Fast forward to 2011
On moving to Valla Beach Lion Narelle encouraging Malcolm to become involved with Valla Lions. And that’s that. She could see that the Valla Lions need some new blood. And therefore in 2013 joined the Lions club of Valla herself.
Lion Narelle is a progressive Melvin Jones.
Lions District 201N1 is one of the districts within the Lions Clubs International organisation, specifically covering parts of New South Wales, Australia. This district is part of a larger network of Lions clubs around the world, which are volunteer organisations dedicated to leadership development through community service.
Geographical Coverage
District 201N1 typically encompasses the northern and northeastern regions of New South Wales, including both coastal and inland areas. This includes major regional centres, smaller towns, and rural communities.
District Governor: The district leader responsible for overseeing the administration of clubs within the district. The District Governor provides guidance, sets goals, and works on membership growth and retention.
Vice District Governors: Two Vice District Governors assist the District Governor and may take over specific duties or projects. They also stand in for the Governor as needed.
Cabinet Secretary: This role involves handling the administrative duties of the district, such as taking meeting minutes, maintaining records, and assisting the District Governor in correspondence.
Cabinet Treasurer: Responsible for managing the financial aspects of the district, including preparing budgets, overseeing accounts, and reporting on financial status.
Zone Chairs: The district is also divided into zones. Zone Chairs manage a group of clubs and facilitate communication between the district cabinet and the clubs.
Committees: Various committees handle specific areas such as membership, service activities, leadership development, marketing and communications, and more. These committees support the clubs and the district in their respective functions.
Each district is part of a larger multiple District, and ultimately, Lions Clubs International.
Lion Joe Pope was born in Grafton and spent his younger years in Wardell and then his family moved to Hernani. Joe’s high school education was in Dorrigo. He joined the army after leaving school and served till being discharged after an injury.
Joe has a passion for Rugy Union, Rugby League and Cricket where he represented the Australian Combined Services Armed Forces in many sporting matches including A grade League in Queensland, A grade Cricket and was a member Queensland Army Cricket Team. This interest continued on the Central Coast where he raised a son and coached and managed sporting teams for Entrance Junior Rugby League.
Besides sport his other love is fishing. He has worked on commercial fishing boats out of Terrigal and loves nothing better than go and sit in a boat and fish.
Joe moved back to the area with his partner Louise and became involved in volunteer work firstly gathering wood for the elderly then discovering Lions and becoming a charter member of the Urunga Lions Club. Holding various positions within the club, he moved to Bellingen Lions to broaden his understanding and became the Zone Chair for the area. Continuing this journey has led Joe to be 1st Vice District Governor as well as Zone chairman of both Zone 2 and 3.
Joe has continued to take up the challenge alongside the District Governor to work as a team and enjoy what Lions can bring to the community.
I was born in Sydney on 20th March 1948, and one week later, we flew to Hillston in western NSW, where my father was a police officer. Over the years, we moved around the state to correspond with his various promotions and postings. So I did my Primary education in Eleebana (Newcastle), Secondary in Moree and my final year in Orange (Dad was at Blayney at the time).
After completing my education, I joined the RAAF to train as a Radio Technician and served at various bases, including a 12-month deployment in Vietnam with Number 2 Squadron. During this time I met and Married Janet and we had a daughter, Vanessa. In 1972, I left the RAAF and got a job with NASA at Orroral Valley Tracking Station (in the mountains outside Canberra) as an Engineer. I also attended the University of Canberra, where I studied Computer Science and had a son, Matthew.
With the closure of the Tracking Station I went back to the RAAF as a Computer Systems Officer to help with the integration of the NATO Catalogue and for the next 30 years I worked in various capacities within the computer industry both within Australia and Overseas. In 2000 I took over my son’s printing business as he wished to become a school teacher and ran it until my retirement in 2013.
I first joined Lions in 1974 in Kambah ACT and transferred to Holland Park Qld in 1976 but due to my work and travel I resigned in 1976. In 2007 I re-joined as Charter Secretary of North Lakes Club in Q3 and have served in three clubs and various Cabinet positions since.
My wife unfortunately died in 2023 at the Glen Innes Convention and whilst I have 2 children and 5 grandchildren, I find myself at somewhat of a loose end and for this reason I felt that my experience and time could be put to good use within the District as a District Governor. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible along the 3 year journey.
