1968-1973 - Brisbane Western Districts

Local - S.R.S. Buccaneer

In the late 1960's the older Girl Guides (ages 16-21) could decide to form a Ranger unit based on "Land", "Air" or "Sea". In May 1968 a Sea Rangers unit was formed, meeting at the Sherwood Guide Hut, and took the name of a Naval craft - ie. "Buccaneer". Units owned rowing and sailing boats and based their programme on certain sea traditions including an Annual Rowing Regatta - therefore they needed a boat! Initially they used a very heavy boat from the Endeavour unit at Redcliffe that had closed, but this wasn't really suitable so Western Districts stepped in to build a new one. The girls helped with fund-raising, car washes, street stalls etc and the new boat was handed over in September 1969 in Nixon Park as the unit had moved to the Oxley Guide Hut. The boat was stored in the Carrington boatshed and the girls used to meet there regularly (weekly during the lead up to a Regatta) to practice their rowing skills. Unfortunately, the boat was lost during the 1974 floods when the boatshed was washed away. However the insurance money purchased a second-hand replacement, which was used until the last Regatta was held in the early 1980's.

National - Cyclones

In 1972 two members of Western Districts operated their amateur radio stations, V.K.4DE and V.K.VBT, passing on vital information during the emergencies caused by Cyclones 'ELSIE' and 'DAISY'.

International - Taipei Lions Sisterhood

From the March 1969 Australian Lion:

Brisbane-Western Districts club (201K) achieved a first in international relations recently when an 'agreement of alliance' was formally signed by President Peter Greer in Brisbane, and by the President of the Taipei Lions club (District 300) in China. By the agreement, the two clubs are united in a bond of friendship, or to use the Chinese term, a 'sisterhood'.

The agreement was signed at ceremonies held in Brisbane and Taipei.

The Brisbane function was attended by District Governor Jim Casey; International Relations Chairman PDG Roy Worfold; Mr W.T. Chen, Consul for the Republic of China; and members and ladies of the Western Districts club.

In Taipei, Western Districts Lions club was represented by Mr R. Cottrill, Secretary to the Australian Embassy, and 400 guests witnessed the ceremony.

A Certificate of 'alliance', compiled by Lion Stan Morrison, International Relations Chairman of the local club, was handed to Mr Chen to be forwarded to the Taipei club's president, Lion Yen Kuo-Sung.

In return, Taipei Lions club forwarded a specially designed bannerette together with their certificate of 'alliance'. The Taipei certificate is written on silk in English and Chinese characters and is now a prized possession of Western Districts Lions.

An indication of the high esteem in which Lions are held in that part of the world may be gauged by the fact that the agreement between the two clubs was featured in the China Post, the largest English language newspaper in the Orient. The story occupied the entire front page together with further space inside the newspaper.

The alliance was the result of a discussion between the Western Suburbs members and Mr Chen at the club's previous installation night when Mr Chen proposed the toast to Lions International. At his suggestion, the club entered into correspondence with Taipei Lions club and the alliance was the happy outcome.