The Waipawa & District Lions Club has made huge progress in its dream to revive the hanging flower basket display that used to brighten up the Waipawa High Street retail area. Following a successful appeal through CHB Mail a few weeks ago, all of the previously used flower baskets have been located and have now been planted up in readiness for hanging in time for next month’s Waipawa Spring Festival (Duck Day). The High Street retailers and the Lions Club have come up with the necessary financial contributions to cover the cost of basket liners, compost and flowers for this community project. The Lions Club wishes to acknowledge the extremely generous support given by Bruce Nelson of Mitre 10 of Waipukurau who has supplied basket liners, compost and flower seedlings at very favourable prices. Read more about REVIVAL OF HANGING FLOWER BASKET DISPLAY IN WAIPAWA HIGH STREET

Earlier in July 2014 new officers were inducted by Waipawa & District Lions Club for the Lions Year 2014/15. Lion Elsa Ironside has been elected as President for the second time (previously President in 2008/8). Elsa has a background in teaching but since 1997 Elsa and her husband Tony have farmed a smallholding on the outskirts of Waipawa. Elsa has been a member of Waipawa Lions since 2004 and has also held other positions in Lions as well as being actively involved in numerous other local community organisations in Central Hawkes Bay. Read more about NEW PRESIDENT FOR WAIPAWA LIONS CLUB

Members of the Waipawa & District Lions Club are selling Mushroom Compost to raise funds to enable them to make a number of charitable donations in the coming months. The Mushroom Compost has been kindly donated by Te Mata Mushrooms of Havelock North and generously transported for the Lions Club by Stephenson Transport Ltd of Waipawa. The compost is superb for improving vegetable and flower gardens. The compost has been packed into bags by a group of Central Hawkes Bay College students as a fund-raiser for their school Shooting Club. Lions Club members are delivering the bags to buyers in the Otane/Waipawa/ Waipukurau area over the next few weeks and still have a number bags available at $5.00 per bag. Please contact Club Secretary, Allen Vickress – 06 857 8544. Read more about MUSHROOM COMPOST FUNDRAISER - WAIPAWA LIONS

At the Lions District Convention held in Napier last month, Waipawa Lions Club was awarded the “Jan Braybrooke Memorial Trophy” for the highest percentage increase in membership in the whole of the District (which covers Wellington region and virtually the whole of the East Coast of the North Island).

The District Governor, David McDonald, presented the trophy to current President of Waipawa Lions Club, Russell Morrison at the Convention; however as the award was for the period in which Alan ”Chalkie” White was President, the trophy was presented to him at a recent Waipawa Lions Club meeting. Read more about WAIPAWA LIONS CLUB WINS MEMBERSHIP AWARD