On Sunday 4th, Raglan Lions celebrated 40 years of service to the community with 35 members attending a dinner in the Fire Station Hall. To mark the occasion an anniversary seat was built and opened on the day. Rodger Gallagher, Chair of the Raglan Community Board declared the seat open and Sean Ellinson then dedicated the seat. Then three of the original charter members tried out the seat. Neville Meekings, Robert Currie and Vernon Pegler declared it well suited to the task of watching the tide going in and out on the Opotoru Estuary.
Raglan Lions was chartered on the 28th October 1972 and has served the local community each day over the last 40 years. One of the first projects was the reserve in Puriri Park. This cost over $8,000 and has been a valuable gift that has been well used and enjoyed continuously since Raglan Lions first created it.
The club has evolved from a mainly male membership of 25 charter members assisted by their wives, to a largely female membership today. Each year an amazing amount of money is raised from the Lions Opportunity Shop with 90% distributed to the Raglan community. Some goes to other worthwhile projects including the Lions Cancer Lodge in Hamilton. But most goes locally with a focus on children’s activities such as the Kapa Haka group.