JARVIS—Following their yearly variety show, ‘Late Night’, the Jarvis Lions Club had a special surprise in store for three of its longest-serving members. Nick and Fred Montague and George Miller were all awarded the Melvin Jones Fellowship, recognizing Lions with over 50 years of service under their belts.
According to a post shared on Facebook by the Club, the Fellowship is “the highest honour that can be achieved in Lionism. Each of the Jarvis Lions that were chosen have been members for over 50 years, served as President of the Club, and held many other positions to provide leadership and direction on the many projects we have undertaken.”
The Press spoke to all three about receiving the honour, and what it’s been like being part of the club for over half a century.
Lion Nick kept his reply short and sweet, preferring to let his years of service do the talking for him.
“We just do it to help people,” said Nick. “I’m just pleased to be a Lion and able to help people when we can.”
Lion Fred was invited by a friend to join the club 51 years ago. He recalled, “It was about the same size as it is now. There was a good mix of older and younger members.”
Reflecting back on his many years of service, Fred recalled, “It was a good experience. All the members were good. If you asked anyone to do anything, they were always more than willing to do it… We’re quite fortunate with this community around here.”
He said the award surprised him, as the years have flown by so quickly, “I was just doing what I’ve enjoyed doing, helping the community as best I could. It was quite a surprise to me.”
He shared some pearls of wisdom for the new, younger Lions who have joined the club recently, “You get what you put into it. If you want friendship, you’ll get that, and just helping out in the community, that’s the main object of everything.”
He concluded, “Everything we’ve done has been good.”
Lion George joined the club after finishing college, following in the footsteps of his father and uncles before him.
“Lions has always been a part of our family,” he said. “My father was really active. He was a past president of the Lions. He was always involved in the get-togethers since I was young… I farmed here with my father and uncle… All my good friends were in there, and it was about being part of the community, you could say.”
Over the years, George has enjoyed participating in the many shows the club has put on (in fact, he has never missed a variety show until this year, when a health issue forced him to sit it out), and he has sat on “quite a few committees” over the years, as well.
“One of my favourite events has always been the May 24 weekend. We always do that every year, have a fun time with all the people coming to the ball tournaments and all that. It’s a big day in Jarvis with the parade,” reflected George.
He is proud of the work the club has done in the community over the years.
“It’s great to see the park. We have grandchildren now that are playing ball on it, and it’s good to have a good park like that. The community centre is the hub of Jarvis, that people use for everything.”
He noted the disc golf course and tennis courts that the club helped bring to Jarvis, noting “It keeps the kids entertained.”
He called the camaraderie of the club one of the top things that’s brought him back for five decades, “I look forward to going every other Monday night for dinner… You hear all the scoop, a bunch of us sit together… shoot the gossip, have a good meal, and do the business.”
Both Fred and George noted the welcome presence of a new generation of eager Lions stepping up to join the club recently.
“I see quite a few young people coming through the doors,” said George. “I’m one of the older ones in the club now. It’s good to see them mixing, they want to get into it. A lot of them have moved into the new subdivision in Jarvis and they want to be involved in it… They all pitch in, and it’s just working out good.”
He continued, “Us old guys, maybe our ideas have started to wear out. It’s time to have new ideas, and the next generation thinks a little different than us, which is good.”
On winning the award, George was happy to share in the moment with his family, concluding, “It was a real honour.”
