ROSEWOOD Lions Club roared into its 49th year with a birthday bash attended by members and their partners.

The club’s works in the community are evident in the services it has enabled organisations like Cabanda Care to provide for their members.

Looking back on the past few decades, a new $50,000 bus was something the club’s president Bernie Newell said made him most proud.

The 12 seater Toyota HiAce replaced Cabanda’s older bus that had broken down and needed towing.

Safe and comfortable transport was deemed a necessity and Rosewood Lions Club stepped up and helped out.

It’s the stepping up and helping out that’s been a constant during the past 49 years.

Bernie has been a Lions member for 37 years and said one of the club’s best fundraisers was its charity shop.

“Our Lion’s Op Shop was once the Blue Nurses, they got out of the op shop game and we took it over,” he said.

“Any money raised through that op shop goes to the community, no Lion’s money is taken out of that.

“The op shop makes around $80,000 a year.”

He said a lot of money went to local schools and families in need.

“Then there is the campground at the showgrounds, that’s another good money spinner,” he said.

“We distribute that money by percentages, a portion goes to Lions and some to the community.

“We also do things like provide sun shirts for the new preps coming into school, we supply five or six schools in that way.”

Rosewood Lions have helped so many organisations and individuals across almost five decades giving them plenty of reason to celebrate during the birthday hurrah.

“The cake was cut by our oldest and our newest Lion members,” he said.

“Sel Heit is in his 90s and a long serving member while Paul-Michael Sanders is our newest Lion who’s only recently joined.”

Next year the celebrations are expected to be bigger when Rosewood Lions Club celebrates half a century of serving the community