The Amherst Lions Club was chartered on June 11th 1954 and was sponsored by the Truro Lions Club.  Twenty Four members were on the new club's charter. The first charter night was held at the Fort Cumberland Hotel and was attended by a senior officer from Lions International.

Right from the beginning, the club has been involved in projects with --- the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and in activities involving persons with eyesight problems.  As early as 1954 the club was donating funds for the purchase of talking books seeing eye dogs and more.  Other major contributions to help the blind include equipment for the Amherst Public Library, coordinating the collection of used eyeglasses and the purchasing of new glasses for those in need.

 

The Lions have been assisted by a group of Lionettes which chartered in 1962.  They later became the Lioness chartering in 1981.  Together they have supported groups in their work to help the less fortunate.  Seniors and the mentally challenged have been on the Amherst Lions Club list of priorities since the inception of the Club and last but not least its involvement with the Canadian Diabetic Society.

 

Major financial donations were made in the construction of the new YMCA, donating $20,000.00 for the study and $100,000.00 on the construction and gave another $20,000.00 for the reopening for a second time,along with further donations after that.

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The Club has been involved with the hospital since the clubs founding.  Giving $50,000.00 plus another $20,000.00.  We have furnished rooms in both the old hospital and the new hospital.  The Lions and Lioness have donated major funding towards the construction of an Operating Room totalling $30,000.00.

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Over the years the Amherst Lions Club has been involved with causes which in retrospect appear interesting.  The Club has also been involved with Little League Baseball since its early years, 1954,  financially as well as volunteering.  We are the only original sponsor remaining and we still sponsor a team as well.  Our team has won the league championship many times.  We donated $10,000.00 towards the building of a club house.

 

In 1954 the Amherst Lions took over the Hickman Street Ball field and Playground which was the Bantam Ball field and the children’s playground renaming the field “The Lion Cecil Small Ball Field” and the playground “The Lions Park Playground”. Over the years the club has maintained these two area’s buying play equipment and repairing the old play equipment as well as ground maintenance.These two pieces of land long with a another piece of land was given for building of the current West Highlands Elementary School in exchange for the old West Highlands Elementary school's property, which the Amherst Lions Club has transformed into the new Lions Park.

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We are also supporters of Minor Hockey, Soccer, Figure Skating, Basketball, Boys and Girls Boxing Club and many, many more.  The flag poles at the town hall were donated by the Lions Club and numerous cars were bought for the VON.

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Fund Raising

 

Lionism and fund raising have become quasi-synonymous to the Club. Members have given thousand of hours of their time to raising funds in support of worthy causes.  The first large fund raising projects were centered on the sale of light bulbs, chocolates, canned nuts, chicken BBQ’s.  The club's involvement with groups depending heavily on funds for their worthy endeavors led the club to explore a more lucrative and consistent source of funds.  Consequently TV Bingo’s since 1972 and regular weekly bingos have been held since 1984.  They were first held in the Alfran Centre and then moved to McCullough’s building which is now Frenchies.  The present site of Bambino’s Take Out on Prince Arthur Street was the Lions Club.  The Lions later purchased the old Atlantic Wholesaler's building on Electric Street which became and still is The Lions Community Center.

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Amherst Lions Club Facts

 

The Amherst Lions Club was honored to hold the first District Convention in 2008 after the newly formed District N2 when the redistricting of MD41 took placed in July 2007.

 

The Amherst Lions Club has sponsored a number of clubs:

 

Sackville N.B., Tatamagouche N.S., Springhill N.S., Pugwash N.S., Maccan-River Hebert-Joggins N.S..

The Amherst Lions Club N.S. 41N2 held joint Charter Nights with the Sackville Lions Club N.B. Club 41N1 for ten years.

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Date Chartered – There are two dates November 24, 1954 and December 24, 1954

Chartered Members – 24

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King Lion Ivan Sweetnam

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M. Attis

F. Craft

J. Matheson

W. Brooks

C. Jones

J. Baker

J. Goodin

W. Sheppard

R. Benjamin

D. Gunn

Rev. Canon J. E. Sheely

R. Bernick

E. Hutchison

K. Spicer

S. Chabassol

R. Hastings

D Townsend

K. Carter

E. Harkness

K. Urquhart

W. Chapman

E. MacDonald

S. White

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King Lions Since Our Inception

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1954-1955 Ivan Swetnam

1955-1956 Earle MacDonald

1956-1957 Earl Harkness

1957-1958 Kenneth Urquhart

1958-1959 Sydney Chabassol

1959-1960 George Canton

1960-1961 E.R. (Bud) Hutchinson

1961-1962 Frank Calder

1962-1963 Ron MacNeil

1963-1964 Howard Furlong

1964-1965 Hal Winters

1965-1966 Kenneth Spicer

1966-1967 Albert Sorge

1967-1968 Cecil Small

1968-1969 Art (Sonny) Foster

1969-1970 Jim Steele

1970-1971 Max Attis

1971-1972 Art Chapman

1972-1973 Nick Sorge

1973-1974 Ken Chapman

1974-1975 Orison Ward

1975-1976 Hugh Purvis

1976-1977 George Fairfax

1977-1978 Gordon Noiles

1978-1979 Ralph Bernick

1979-1980 Donald Chitty

1980-1981 Donald Chitty

1981-1982 Charles Murray

1982-1983 Fred Weatherbee

1983-1984 Eugene Williams

1984-1985 Cecil Small

1985-1986 Cecil Small

1986-1987 Art Gourley

1987-1988 Jim Chaisson

​1988-1989 Ralph Bernick

1989-1990 Paul Bourque

1990-1991 Robert Small

1991-1992 Harris Taylor

1992-1993 Alden Jimmo

1993-1994 Rubin Millard

1994-1995 Rubin Millard

1995-1996 Junior Black

1996-1997 Vernon Rodd

1997-1998 Rick Goodwin

1998-1999 Willie MacDonald

1999-2000 Tom Fisher

2000-2001 Tom Fisher

2001-2002 Robert Small

2002-2003 Robert Small

2003-2004 Walter Jones

2004-2005 Robert Estabrooks

2005-2006 Wally Lowther

2006-2007 Bruce McIntyre

2007-2008 Bruce McIntyre

2008-2009 Robert Stephens

2009-2010 Robert Stephens

2010-2011 Francis Smith

2011-2012 Francis Smith /

2011-2012 Michael Millard

2012-2013 Richard Stanley

2013-2014 Phil Baxter

2014-2015 Phil Baxter

2015-2016 Waylon Fisher

2016-2017 Waylon Fisher

2017-2018 Steve Butler

2018-2019 Ken Mattrix

2019-2020 Geoff Siddall

2020-2021 Marley Fisher

2021-2022 Phil Baxter

2022-2023 Robert Small

2023-2024 Julie Hicks

2024-2025 Steve Butler