The first Lions Club to be established in Australia was at Lismore NSW, in 1947, under the guidance of Founding Father William (Bill) Tresise.  Significantly, Lismore Lions sponsored a young man to attend the very first Outward Bound Course held in Australia in 1956, as did The Sydney Lions Club, establishing the first connection between the Australian arms of our two great international organisations, which, despite the disparity in size and scope, share a basic mission to serve, and to make the world a better place.

PDG Bill Tresise Founder of Lions in Australia, 1956.              Outward Bound's first course in Australia, 1956.
Photo courtesy of Max Tresise.

Excerpt from the Sydney Morning Herald (26 September 1956):

Outward Bound Australia has always valued the informal arrangements with Service Clubs and other Community organisations, but our more formalised Community Partnerships Initiative of recent years has Australian Lions Clubs as an integral part, emerging as the major player.

Always on the lookout for suitable partners with similar philosophical aims and where genuine energy is evident, Outward Bound has found the most natural of partners in Lions Clubs. We are kindred organisations in every sense in that we are both independent, altruistic in purpose, totally values driven and part of a committed international family. With a focus on youth and the leaders of tomorrow, we are continually proving that together we can make a genuine difference!

To read more about Bill Tresise and how Lions Clubs began in Australia click here.

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