Membership

Lions Clubs in the Districts located wholly within the borders of New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Norfolk Island are invited to become members of Lions NSW-ACT Sight & Health.

At the outset, the founders of the Current Trustee determined that all the Lions Clubs in the Districts located wholly within the borders of New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Norfolk Island would become members of the Current Trustee automatically without having to apply for membership. However, a subsequent change in the corporations legislation applying to the Current Trustee had the effect that automatic membership of the Current Trustee was no longer permitted, meaning that “N” District Lions Clubs must submit an application form to become a member of the Current Trustee. Membership is free and there is no joining fee or annual fee. As a public company limited by guarantee, the liability of each member is $10 which liability only applies in the unlikely event that the New Trustee is wound up and is unable to pay its debts.

As described in the Our History page on this website, Lions NSW-ACT Sight & Health Foundation Limited (“New Trustee”), was recently incorporated as a public company limited by guarantee under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and registered as a charity. Lions NSW-ACT Sight & Health Fund (“New Fund”), a public ancillary fund with the New Trustee as trustee was subsequently established with the New Trustee as trustee and registered as a charity.

All “N” District Lions Clubs are currently members of the New Trustee, and have the right to nominate and elect the Directors of the New Trustee at its Annual General Meeting.

Each member Club present at a members’ meeting has one vote.

The Board of the New Trustee consists of three persons elected by Members in each “N” District and up to four persons appointed by the Board.

All member Clubs are entitled to nominate one candidate to stand for election as an Elected Director on the Board. The candidate must be a Lion from the member Club’s “N” District.

The Elected Directors hold office for three years and is eligible for re-election an unlimited number of times. Board-appointed Directors hold office for one year and may be reappointed.

Please refer to About Us for details of the charitable purposes of the New Trustee and the New Fund, which can be achieved only with the ongoing support of all member Clubs.

One major objective of the restructure was to establish a procedure whereby member Clubs may seek grants from the New Trustee for “Community Projects” which were not able to be funded previously. Details of the procedures to apply for these grants are available under the “Grants” tab on this website.

For the past 50 years, the “N” District Clubs have enthusiastically supported the Save Sight Trust and Public Healthcare Trust, and the Directors of the New Trustee anticipate that this support will continue and strengthen for the New Trustee and the New Fund.