A Lion's Journey (1)

A LION'S JOURNEY: An Overview (1964-2005)

Reminiscing the 60s - A Rookie Lion

I remember clearly with a hint of nostalgia the day I started as a “cub” at the Lions Club of George Town way back in late 1964. Yes, it was S. K. Sharma, an insurance cum travel guy who sponsored my membership. Prior to that, I had attended several dinners and projects under the auspices of the LC of George Town. Somehow, I had been roped in as a member without any inkling of what Lionism was about; except that it entailed serving the community!

When I look back to those “good old days”, vivid and sweet memories begin to flood my mind. Oh, I remember the indelible meeting venues and the mouth-watering cuisines. Who could forget the definitive Metropole Hotel, the welcoming Mandarin Room on the top floor of See Hoy Chan Building, the charming Indian restaurant next to the Loke Thye Kee Restaurant, the quintessential Indian-Muslim restaurant Dawood and later the Merlin Hotel with its revolving restaurant? And most importantly, the different, different personalities that enlivened the meetings! Wonderful memories indeed!

Back then, I was just a rookie, one of the youngest Lions in the district. Then, many Lions were in their forties or older. People who have settled down in their career and family life. Not for me, I had an early start! It was way back in October 1965 when LCI registered my name as a fully pledged Lion. A greenhorn totally!

DG Eng Ah Koon
(later LCI International Director)

One fine day, I was greeted with the news that the “Numero Uno” in our district would be visiting our club. He was the District Governor Eng Ah Koon, (later Past International Director, the first in our district) from Singapore. Everyone was excited and duly accorded DG Eng the VIP treatment, only to be told later that he had placed the club on the “status quo” for the next six months! My guess is our club’s low membership of less than twenty active members.

After three years as a Lion, my enthusiasm began to wane. Career came first for a young man like me. I was missing many club activities as my work in the office piled up. In addition, there was a lack of information from the club and drive to get everyone involved. I was absent from club meetings for six months. Things started to change when the late Tan Pek Eam took office as President. Pek Eam had a personal touch and he knew the art of empowerment!

My Maiden Project

President Pek Eam assigned me my very first project, “Allan, go and help the orphans! We can make a difference.” Together with a few Lions, we coined the project ‘Fruits Galore’ and set about it with unbridled zeal. We were going to help the orphans.

Yes, we can make a difference! For the first very time in my life, I had to open my mouth to ask for contributions. We approached the fruit sellers at busy Sia Boey (Maxwell Road Market, now an urban park in Jalan Prangin) to appeal for contributions in kind. To our delight, many of the fruit sellers and well-wishers came forward willingly, and before we knew it, we had several basketfuls of fruits for the Home. Not to rest on our laurels, I decided to go the extra mile and sourced new bed sheets and pillow casings for the home. The orphans deserved better. My mantra soon became, “Knock, and the doors shall open!”

And till today, I still remember with pride my maiden service project. It was at Ramakrishnan Home, an orphanage on Scotland Road. Trust me, once you have done your bit to help others, it really gets addictive. Soon enough you will get hooked!! The great man, Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellowmen."

My first 'The Lion' Magazine from LCI

Club Membership

From that time onwards, I had renewed enthusiasm for the club. My interest in the Lions movement was further cemented when I started indulging in ‘The Lions’ Magazine which I received from Lions International monthly. At the district level, I also received the District Governor's Monthly Newsletter; though in loose sheets, was a rather informative mouthpiece. I came to know that there were 33 Lions Clubs in District 308, comprising three countries, namely Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. And there were two Lions clubs on Penang Island, the LC of Penang (later 'Host') and LC George Town.

Back then, the LC of George Town was very selective in its recruitment of members. They have set strict criterium for acceptance to membership. Not necessarily a bad thing. I remember eminent Lions like Haji Aroff who was the Chief Registrar of the Birth & Death Department, Haji Syed Kabeer, the Immigration Department Chief, Lion Choy, the Dept Head of the High Court, Abdullah Ali, the Road Transport Department Chief, and Lam Chok Hong, the Manager of Chartered Bank. People in top positions. Today, the mixed strata of positions should be more relevant.

Club Meetings

There was a year when the club held meetings on Saturdays in a saloon adjoining the Metropole Hotel. As the name implied, the saloon had swinging doors but no air conditioning. One can imagine a John Wayne character barging his way into the room for a shot of whiskey with the doors flapping back and forth behind him. We also had functions at the Sky Room of Hotel Continental and oftentimes, at our members' homes.

A Meeting Notice dated 22/1/1971

Lions Convention

The first ever Lions Convention I attended was in "Lion City" in 1974. It was in Singapore that I got acquainted with some senior Lions. I had great respect and admiration for their intellectual expertise and consummate knowledge of Lionism. They taught me a lot. That aside, there were also the fun, camaraderie, and pomp elements. Something we should espouse always!

Three years later, I attended the 15th District 308 Lions Convention and 1st Lioness Forum which was held at Kuala Lumpur Hilton on 13-15 May 1977. I was then the District Chairman for Drug Abuse. It was a sizeable turnout.

Lions Club President

In April 1978, I was elected the President of the LC of George Town after 14 years of service in the club. I commenced my role in the office on 1st July 1978. The following year I was appointed to serve in the district cabinet and I had the opportunity of serving more than 20 district governors.