BUNDABERG
LIONS
CLUB inc

Bundaberg Lions Club inc

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MEALS  ON  WHEELS  PROJECT

On Saturday, July 2^nd 1966, at the first changeover of officers for the Lions Club of Bundaberg, the elected President, Mr. John Crossley, was presented with a cheque for $400 by the Lions Ladies Auxiliary and requested to investigate the formation of Meals on Wheels in Bundaberg. The $400 was significant, as two of the Ladies, namely Mrs. Ted Stopford and Mrs. Keith Johnson, had spent time in the newly established centres in Ipswich, Toowoomba and Maryborough and found that this amount covered the purchase costs for the necessary thermos type food containers required for the project.

The Club’s board meeting unanimously that the Club undertake this project and President John contacted the Mayor, Ald. Cliff Nielson for his support to call a public meeting in the Civic Centre.  This was granted rent free, and held on Friday nigh, 30^th August 1966, with almost all Church and Welfare organizations present.

President John chaired the meeting and outlined the needs and workings of the Meals on Wheels and advised that the project would become too big for the Lions Club and needed the support of the Bundaberg Community to be successful. However John promised the full support of the Bundaberg Lions Club until the project was fully operational and worry free.

Locating a suitable kitchen to prepare the meals was the first priority and initially solved when the Central Methodist Church made their facilities available. The first meals (11) were delivered on October 17^th 1966. The meal numbers increased at a very rapid rate, making it very obvious that the existing kitchen was never going to cope. In fact, by April 1967, the Ladies were preparing soups and sweets in their homes and bringing them in each day.

The answer came when it was announced that the very dilapidated Wharfie’s hut located on “Wharf Hill” (Targo Street / Quay Street) was to be demolished.  The location of the building was ideal and the City Council agreed that, with a lot of work, it could be outfitted as a kitchen if the committee were successful in obtaining the building from the Stevedoring Authority. It was not easy, as it was eventually established that it was gazetted Park Land and no authority had ever been given for the Wharfies to be there in the first place, which meant that John had to enlist the assistance of Federal and State members of the day. 

Finally President John was successful and the Lions Club purchased the building for $1000. A 99 year lease was granted on the land the building stood on and John Crossley and Lion Ron Glass were appointed as trustees.  Lion Ron Glass was also responsible for the organising the seriously-needed repair work to put the building in suitable condition. The Club members spent the next 3 months re-stumping, plumbing the kitchen, seeking donations for a cold-room, stoves etc., painting and generally making the new building workable.

The first meals were served from the new kitchen in January 1968.  Work continued on improving the building, the biggest job being the brick veneering and painting the exterior. By June 1968 the building, named “Sunshine House”, was completed and debt free.  At this point the chairman of the Meals on Wheels committee, John Crossley, handed over to David Habermann. “Sunshine House” remained M.O.W.’s home for the next 30 years, despite the difficulties faced in coping with the ever-expanding number of clients requiring its service for meals.

In May 1997 the committee made the decision that it could no longer operate from this kitchen, as it could not cope with the number of meals required but just as importantly, the volume of traffic on the Quay Street intersection had increased to such an extent that the volunteer drivers were at risk of accidents and the time lost in getting away on the run was quite significant. It was time to move, and once again with Council assistance a site in Eastgate Street, East Bundaberg made available.

In May 1998, arguably the best designed and equipped M.O.W. kitchen in Queensland was opened.  During its construction our Lions Club purchased and erected a 6m x 3m shed at the rear of the premises and worked in partnership with Bundaberg Rotary to establish the gardens and landscaping of the area. Today M.O.W. Bundaberg operates 5 days a week supplying on average 190 meals each day plus frozen meals for people who require meals over weekends, and meals to the Respite Centre & Andy’s Place for the homeless.

The present day operation is well managed by a dedicated committee headed by a Past District Governor of Lions, Ted Grohn, ably supported by a very experienced secretary, Mrs. Barbara Hickman. Barbara took on the job on a temporary basis (because the then Secretary was ill) in 1969 and it could well be the longest temporary position in history, 35 years in fact.

The club has continues to support this organization through committee participation and a small band of our Lions Ladies as volunteer drivers for delivery of meals.

 Researched and contributed by Charter Member Lion Noel Searle

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