Lions’ District Governor and Zone Chair — husband and wife Stephen and Alison Kazenwadel — joined local members for a social dinner at the Deniliquin RSL Club on Monday.
After a long hiatus from many of the club’s activities, Mr Kazenwadel is looking forward to reintroducing not just the social aspect of Lions, but the giving side of things too.
The District Governor has oversight of 56 clubs, and visits one per week to stay in touch.
‘‘The best part is getting to see people and getting a feeling for how the club’s going,’’ Mr Kazenwadel said.
This month’s focus is diabetes and eyesight, including efforts in spectacle recycling.
One activity which still isn’t possible, but which Mr Kazenwadel hopes to pursue in the coming months, is volunteers visiting schools and completing eye tests for students.
‘‘Once restrictions get eased we’re trying to get back into school vision screening.
‘‘It’s a program developed over the last few years with the Centre for Eye Research, and we help them find children who’ve got poor eyesight.’’
The reason they focus on children’s eyesight is simplicity: the issues with eyesight are often more basic for children, and the tests and treatment are also more simple.
The program is a preventative measure against those children’s eyes getting any worse, whilst training Lions members to conduct simple eye screening tests.
Mr Kazenwadel was District Governor in 2015, and while the role is usually a ‘‘once in a lifetime’’ opportunity, he was lucky enough to return to it this year.