The Club received its charter in 1964, beginning its years of service, work, fun and fellowship in the Richmond community.
The Richmond & District Club began in 1964 as a result of the effort of the Ottawa West Lions Club and specifically the work of Lions Lee Rickey and Fred Chapman in planting the seeds of Lionism in outlying communities like Richmond and Stittsville. Indeed, both communities saw their local Lions Clubs chartered in the same year of 1964.
But these seeds of Lionism could only sprout and grow by finding fertile "soil" in which to flourish, and this was certainly the case in Richmond where 37 charter members signed up and started the Lions Legacy of Community work and service, a legacy which has continued over the past four decades with a vigour and effort that has seen Richmond’s Lions involved in many community Initiatives and projects.
Dr. Hartin proved to be a good choice as the Club’s charter president, not only because he epitomized the Lions philosophy of caring and sharing in the community, but also because he had earlier in his life experienced the work of Lionism and, in fact, owed his career as a veterinarian to the support and help of Lions.
Following the Second World War, Dr. Hartin wanted to go to veterinary college in Guelph but he had been turned down. It was through the efforts of Lions Club members from Ottawa that he was later admitted to the program. Lions involvement in his veterinarian education also took the form of a scholarship, assistance that Dr. Hartin readily admits was key in his being able to attend veterinary college.
So, it was not surprising that Lionism found a ready and willing advocate in the Richmond community in Dr. Hartin. It also helped that Lion Lee Rickey of the West Ottawa Lions Club was also known to Dr. Hartin, as Dr. Hartin’s mother on the Hartin’s Richmond area farm used to deal with Mr. Rickey who operated a butcher shop in the Westboro area.
Dr. Hartin remembers attending organizing meetings at the St. John’s Anglican Church hall with enthusiastic future Lions like Ken Marshall, Bill Evans and Vince McDonald. Looking back now on these beginnings of the Lions Club, Dr. Hartin sees that the fledging Lions Club helped the Richmond community come together, with members from all walks of life and all segments of the community working together for the good of the overall village and area. The fact that the charter group included clergy from three Richmond churches shows the non-denominational and widespread community focus of the Richmond Lions Club, as is expected of Lionism everywhere.
It was in April, 1964, that the Richmond & District Club held its gala charter night, formally creating the Club that would become the backbone of much of the community work in Richmond over the next five decades. The West Ottawa Lions Club was the new club’s formal sponsor.
Serving on the inaugural executive with Dr. Hartin, the president, were:
Walter Reid as secretary.
The 37 charter members of the Richmond & District Lions Club were Bob Adams, Jack Chanonhouse, Joe Dallaire, Justin Dervin, Jack Duffy, George Eadie, Bill Evans, Rev. T. Farrell, Edgar Gamgle, Ken Hartin, Wally Johnston, Arnold Kittle, Tony Koritsaris, Maurice Lavoie, Rev. W. H. LeGrow, Archie MacDougall, Lorne McClintock, Vince McDonald, Ken Marshall, R.H. Moore, Ken Moore, Rev. A. J. Poole, Walter Reid, Everett Rea, Bill Salter, Norm Seabrooke, Bill Smith, Bert Spratt, Aubrey Taylor, Ben Zegger, Al Dawson, Mancel Daly, Emmerson Hodgins, Jerry Hughes, Ernie Saumur, Duncan St. John and Harold Whaley.
And with the charter of the Club began many years of Lions projects, fundraising and work in the community, all done while also providing a forum where members would be respected for their views, where members would work hard together for the betterment of the community and where members would not forget that fun and fellowship have a role to play in Lionism, alongside serving the community and meeting its needs.
And what a run it has been, with the Lions Club involved in major projects such as the creation of a major recreation area now called the Richmond Lions Community Park, to giving funding donations to other community organizations, to raising funds through a variety of ways, from selling chocolate Easter bunnies to trip draws, to taking part in events such as the Richmond Fair Parade to just having some plain good old fun, like putting on skits at its meetings.
The Club has given numerous donations such as to the Kemptville Hospital for equipment; to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and to the Queensway-Carleton Hospital to furnish rooms; and a $1,000 donation in 1976 to help with the construction and furnishing of the new Richmond library.
Over the years, the Richmond & District Lions Club has held regular dinner meetings, with a great variety of guest speakers who have told the Lions about such diverse topics as heart pacemakers, population growth, rabies, Ontario’s Heritage, Africa, child discipline, real estate and Alcoholics Anonymous, among others.
The Lions Club did use the Richmond Memorial Community Centre for its regular dinner meetings, but in September 1973, the site for these dinner meetings was switched to the St. John’s Anglican Church hall in Richmond.
The Richmond & District Lions Club became involved with the annual Lions Christmas Cheer Broadcast on radio station CFRA right from the start, as it was a project of the Club’s sponsoring club, the West Ottawa Lions Club. This dedication to helping the less fortunate at Christmas time continues today, not through the broadcast which has been discontinued but through a communitybased initiative in which the Lions canvass business and residents for donations by letter, as well as doing its own fundraising with such initiatives as "Care For A Cause", in which the club collects beer empties in conjunction with the LCBO in Richmond, with the proceeds going to cover mailing and printing costs related to this fundraising initiative. For the last 15 years, the funds raised go to the Richmond Food Bank for its work in helping the less fortunate in the Richmond and area community.
For many years, the Richmond Lions members themselves delivered Christmas food hampers to the less fortunate around Richmond. Through such personal contact, Lions members were able to see for themselves just how appreciated and needed their Christmas Cheer efforts were.
The Richmond Lions Community Park in Richmond bears the Richmond Lions name because it was the club’s major financial commitment to this park that really provided the spark that made the park a reality. From about 1967 for about 12 years, the Richmond & District Lions Club had tried to do something about the lack of recreation facilities in Richmond; specifically a swimming pool, and had got nowhere, except for raising a considerable amount of money.
Initially, under the instigation of Lion Bill Evans and others, the Club had raised funds through walkathons and other means to help finance a swimming pool at South Carleton High School. When this idea was rejected by the school board, the Lions Club found itself with funds but still no recreation facilities in the community.
In January, 1979, the Richmond & District Lions Club made the offer to Goulbourn township that the Club would donate $25,000 to he used in the construction of recreation facilities in Richmond, mainly at a central recreation area that the township was considering purchasing.
One reason for doing this was that the municipality could leverage such funds for additional Wintario grants, something which was not open to do for the Club itself.
The township proceeded to purchase the 20 acres of what is now the Richmond Lions Community Park for $90,000, using funds from the Richmond lot fee account, with the Lions funds used to develop facilities on the lands.
It was subsequently decided that the most fitting name for the new recreation area in Richmond would be the Richmond Lions Community Park.
The Richmond & District Lions Club has brought the community numerous nights of entertainment by holding some of the village’s most remembered social events. Over the years, the Club has held New Year’s Eve dances, beach parties and of course the Big Bash dances which for years were "the" major social event of the year in Richmond.
Held on the ice slab at the Richmond arena in June, starting in the 1970’s and running into the 1980’s, the Big Bash not only was a major fundraising event for the Club, with an elimination cash draw as part of the evening, but also was a gala social event, with a dance, entertainment and a dinner. It was an event big enough that virtually anyone in the village who wanted to attend was able to do so.
This event was also good for the club in that it built camaraderie and fellowship. Chairs and tables had to be obtained and set up and taken down, decorations had to be put up, the bar had to be tended through the evening, tickets had to be sold for the elimination draw and so on. Lots of work had to be done and many willing Lions hands chipped in to do it.
The Lions are a regular entry in the annual Richmond Fair Parade, always making it an enjoyable event as they made their way along the parade route. There was the yellow worm costume and then a voyageur canoe, among other ways that the Lions draw attention in this parade. For over two decades, the Lions sold their renowned "bacon on a bun" at the annual Richmond Fair. In 1981, the club purchased an eight foot by 15 foot trailer to use for preparing and serving this crowd favourite.
"Bacon on a bun" made a comeback in 2013 at a new St. Patrick’s Day celebration held in partnership with the Richmond Agricultural Society. This event has been expanded this year to include a fireworks display.
It was the Richmond & District Lions Club which began the Richmond Santa Claus Parade 15 years ago, organizing it for three years before the Richmond Village Association took over the parade’s organization. The Richmond & District Lions Club has been visible and working in the community over the years. A sampling of some of the varied activities and projects which the Lions Club has done over the years is as follows:
- Hosting a firemen’s appreciation night dinner;
- Providing financial help to groups as diverse as the Girl Guides and Brownies, the Richmond Skating Club, the Richmond Refugee Committee, the Richmond Junior B Royals and the Richmond Curling Club;
- Helping support special events such as the Terry Kerr Night in 1981 when the community rallied being Terry Kerr who had been injured in an accident;
- Providing the newly formed Richmond Rebels drum corps with start-up costs;
- Providing volunteer help for the annual Richmond Road Races every January;
- Sponsoring a Christmas parade in December;
- Contributing to the efforts of the Richmond Village Association in beautifying the village;
- Erecting a wrought iron service club sign in 1981 at the corner of Perth Street and the Shea Road, using proceeds which the Club made from its involvement with the Richmond 160th anniversary celebrations in 1978;
- Erecting signs featuring the Richmond Fox logo at the entrances to the village of Richmond;
- Holding a trip draw as well as other fundraising initiatives such as a gala garage sale;
- Holding a steer raffle;
- Purchasing tables for the senior citizens group;
- Distributing candy to children at Halloween;
- Helping with the community’s winter carnival in the 1970s;
- Hosting a Farmers’ night and a Father and Son Night;
- Delivering the Bell Telephone phone books throughout the village;
- Publishing and distributing a village telephone directory;
- Sponsoring community blood donor clinics;
- Canvassing for the Heart Fund;
- Sponsoring a Mississippi Muds performance at South Carleton High School;
- Going door to door in the community early each spring, selling chocolate bunnies;
- Donating to area hospitals as well as to the Richmond firefighters;
- Providing an annual award to a South Carleton High School graduate;
- Taking part in the village’s 175th birthday celebration in 1993;
- Holding an annual fundraising "duck race" on the Jock River each spring;
- Sponsorship support for the Bell Warriors Football Club.
Through all of this community work over more than 40 years, the Lions Club members have not only enjoyed working hard but have also had the opportunity to use their talents to help their community.
The community, in turn, has been very supportive of the Richmond & District Lions Club over the years which has been a key ingredient in allowing the Lions Club fulfil its mandate of helping meet the community’s needs.
The Richmond & District Lions Club and the Richmond Agricultural Society host an annual St. Patrick’s celebration in March at the Richmond Fairground’s Dining Hall.
For the Lions Club itself, Lionism has become an integral part of the lives of many members. There is not only the long commitment of members such as Dr. Hartin but also the commitment of a family such as the Moore family. Harold Moore and Ken Moore were both charter members, a family tradition that is now being carried on by Ken’s son Gerry Moore.
So, one thing is obvious, the Richmond community is and has been a far better place in which to live, thanks to the work and efforts of the Richmond & District Lions Club over the past five decades.
The Lions have been serving their community and are continuing to do so as the Club continues with its community work in Richmond and area.
Membership, though, has been a challenge in recent years as with all service organizations, although the Club has attracted several new members recently. Rosemary Brummell, who is no longer a member, became the first woman to join the Richmond & District Lions Club.
The Richmond & District Lions Club is always open to new members who want to help their community while enjoying the fellowship and comradeship of the other members of the Club. For more information, visit our Membership page.
Richmond & District Lions Club
