Tatamagouche Lions are o cial once again
For the rst time in 36 years, the Tatamagouche community once again has an o cial Lions club.
“Really exciting. Major breakthrough,” said Gary Johnson, King Lion of the club, which recently received its o cial Charter designation.
“To me it means a major, I guess, success story for the Tatamagouche area,” Johnson said. “It allows us to do service work in the community that in some cases wouldn’t be done or would take longer to do.”
Tatamagouche previously had a Lions club that operated from 1969 until 1982 when it shut down because of lack of membership.
“And they just couldn’t keep it going.”
Johnson said the effort to renew the Charter began about 18 months ago when interested individuals initiated an agreement with the club in Antigonish.
“We were a branch club working under the umbrella of Antigonish. They sponsored us,” he said.
Twenty members are required to become a chartered club. Tatamagouche currently has 24 members, Johnson said.
“We started with two people and then three or four more came on and then it just snowballed.”
Johnson said 87 fellow Lions and supporters attended the Charter ceremony from other communities including Antigonish, Halifax, Stellarton and Pictou.
“An exceptionally strong turnout. We expected about 40.”
And having their own Charter will be a great bene t to the Tatamagouche area because it means the club can “stand on our own two feet and we become accountable unto ourselves,” he said.
“We think it’s very important. There’s families in every community that are in need … so we’re lling in that gap.”
One of the major projects the club is working toward is raising funds for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle that can be used in the community to assist seniors or others without transportation means with their shopping needs or to take them to medical appointments in Truro, New Glasgow or Halifax.
at e ort is to begin in earnest in January will plans to have the vehicle in service by next summer.
“ e biggest thing with us is we try to serve our community any way we can,” Johnson said. “Our motto is ‘we serve’ and we stand true to it. If there is a need we try to ll it.”