A group of women in Cromwell stood tall, back before it was mainstream to do so, and made a move to support the community on their own terms.

One of those women, Helen Hucklebridge, said they simply responded to the need at the time, and then kept progressing over the years.

“Back in August 1977, we had an informal get-together of the wives of the Cromwell Lions members.”

At that meeting, Helen said, they discussed how the men would appoint their wives to make sandwiches, or whatever was needed.

It was just an expectation, normal for the time. However, Helen said, the husbands often forgot to tell their wives what they had volunteered them to do.

“The wives decided it was time to take things into their own hands.”

Helen said the group of women formed an auxiliary of the Cromwell Lions Club. This gave them the ability to make their own decisions and operate independently of the men.

“The men actually agreed, and we moved to a position of making our own decisions, and working cooperatively with the men’s club.”

Helen said the women were able to respond to community needs as they saw it, and started a much-needed hospital visiting and patient shopping service.

“We organised dances for youth, we repaired toys for distribution to needy families at Christmas, we collected used spectacles, magazines and books,” she said.

“We also took over responsibility for preparing the Kidney Cottage at the hospital, making it ready and welcoming for each occupant.”

Helen said everything went wonderfully, until in 1982, one of the Lions members died, and his wife could no longer be a member of the group.

World-wide, women had been recognised as part of Lions from 1975, but it wasn’t until 1987 women were able to become Lions in their own right.

The auxiliary program was finally dissolved in 1991, when the Lions Club International made a move with the times, putting women on an equal footing with the men.

So, five years before it became the norm, the Cromwell group of women moved to open their auxiliary group up to anyone who wanted to join. They became Lionesses.

“On 30^th October 1982, the Memorial Hall was packed with 190 people, all celebrating our official charter.”

Alan Buxton was crowned Cromwell’s Top Man in 2010, one of the initiatives that raised thousands of dollars for the local community.

Helen said 31 women signed up as members that night, and soon they had so much interest, they had to start a waiting list.

“I was in my mid-thirties then; a fairly typical member,” she said.

“I didn’t have very young children so I was able to throw myself into all sorts of fun projects.”

Ten years of successful fundraising later, the next big change started brewing.

“Moving from Lionesses to being a fully-fledged Lions Club would give us full membership and voting rights.

“Although it wasn’t a popular change with all members at the time, it was another step forward and resulted in the Cromwell Lake Dunstan Lions Club as we know it today.”

Now in 2020, incoming president Ngaire Andrews said having three strong Lions Clubs in the Cromwell area meant they had the benefit of working together while remaining relevant to a wide range of people.

Current outgoing president Adrien Moen agreed.

“All the clubs work together in an interesting way, and we have a good relationship with Rotary also.”

This, she said, was the key to their relevance today.

“We see different needs in the community, and we can work to address them, often in the background, or we can work co-operatively for the success of larger projects.”

Adrien said it wasn’t just about fundraising. The group was social and a lot of fun was had.

“We ran a Country Fair and dog show, at which it was actually a pig that stole the show.

“We ran the hugely successful Cromwell’s Top Guy charity event – the Memorial Hall was packed out each year, and the whole town was involved.”

Ngaire outlined the many ways they met needs in the community today.

“There are many different ways to help; we respond to needs within our community as they arise, in different ways.”

The three women outlined one of the projects they were most proud of – one where all the service groups in the area worked together, raising enough money for a scanner for the hospital.

“But it’s not just about the big events and raising large sums of money, we also work in small ways that make a big difference in peoples’ lives”, said Helen.

Looking forward, Ngaire said, they would need to remain flexible and respond to changes people in the community were experiencing due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

They were also planning projects to bring a sense of fun at Christmas, which this year may be harder for some families and individuals, with a focus on children and on celebrating our community.

“There are so many memories of working together and doing something good – the social side of our club mixed with making a difference in our own community, that’s what we love”, said Helen.

To find out more about the Cromwell Lake Dunstan Lions Club, click here.