Queanbeyan-Palerang Mayor Kenrick Winchester (second from left) and Lions members Rod Walker, Luke Pope, Rod Dawson and Gail Dawson at a club event. Photo: Supplied.
Luke Pope would be the first to say our busy lives make it difficult to find time for volunteering.
But in addition to his day job, Luke is the inaugural president of the Lions Club of Googong and Surrounds.
“It’s pretty rare that we get new clubs. It’s bucking the trend of clubs closing,” he said.
He started work on the group last year, before formally launching it in late February.
The group held one of its first major events, a book exchange, in May.
For Luke, who has lived in Googong for the past three years, it was a chance for people to get to know their community.
“I’ve been in two other clubs … I guess I saw a gap in Googong,” he said.
“I figured that if no-one else was going to fill that gap, I would.”
He made it a project while on long-service leave, and began putting the word out on social media and handing out flyers in late 2025.
“It started with one person and then went to two … until we got to about 20,” he said.
Luke said the club always accepted new faces.
“So many people in the community have a heart for service – they want to help people,” he said.
“But they don’t know how to. … We’re really keen to hear people’s ideas for needs – as well as solutions.”
Luke joined Lions 15 years ago, and he has been a member of clubs in Queanbeyan and Cooma.
“My story is, literally, that I was living in Cooma,” he said.
“I’d been living there for a few years. … I wanted to know more and it turned out I knew heaps of people in Lions.”
He said Googong was something different.
“The demographic is very different; the infrastructure is very different,” he said.
“We’ve got a new town that’s got great sports fields, great facilities. We don’t need to do those old things of [projects like] park benches – we’ve got them already.
Inaugural president Luke said the club had grown quickly since early interest in November 2025. Photo: Googong Residents’ Association Inc Facebook.
Luke said this newer infrastructure meant the new Googong club could focus on social inclusion initiatives, as well as potential collaborations with nearby clubs in southern NSW and Canberra.
“There’ll be other events coming up soon – more about social inclusion but also some environmental projects that we can do to make Googong greener for everyone,” he said.
“We’re really keen to do some programs supporting youth.”
Luke said given Googong’s rapid growth in recent years, it was important a feeling of community was built.
“We’re seeing lots of families that come in and stay for four or five years before moving on,” he said.
“If we can build those connections between people, it’ll be a better place to live.”
He encourages people to use what time they have.
“Two hours a month still adds up to make a difference to someone who needs it,” he said.
He said they’d accept anyone 18 years or older living in the Googong area, from communities such as Royalla and Burra.
Find more information about the Lions Club of Googong and Surrounds through its Facebook page.
Original Article published by Claire Sams on About Regional.
