It’s almost exactly a year since I started this blog after I was elected as 2nd Vice District Governor for Lions District 105M (The UK Midlands). This weekend just gone I was lucky enough to be elected as 1st Vice District Governor for the 2012-13 year so the journey continues. The scary thing is that in around 1 year from now, all things being equal, I will be the District Governor Elect.
Next year’s District Governor’s Team will be Paul Anstice as District Governor, me as 1st Vice District Governor and Ian Haffner as 2nd Vice District Governor (all pictured above giving their speeches). The current team meets tomorrow but, in the spirit of continuity, Ian has been invited to join us for the rest of the year. Paul is now busy finalising his cabinet and preparing for his trio to Busan in South Korea in June for International Convention where he will be formally appointed.
Convention itself was a fairly uncontroversial affair but it was great to meet old friends and some new ones. Perhaps one of the most interesting sessions was on Sunday morning where we were invited to a Q&A session with International Director Per Kærager Christensen from Denmark. Among the things discussed was his view of our convention (too formal) and how we might improve it to make it more inclusive (reduce the formality). One task for the long range planning committee going forward will be just this topic. One thing we are considering in the DG’s Team is to provide some education to clubs on how to submit and present resolutions.
So one year on what does the next year hold for me? Until July I will chair my last Long Planning meeting as well as other meetings and I will complete the handover of my webmaster duties to Joy. I will also hopefully complete my crusade to get 100% of clubs in the district on the web (only 3 to go thanks to club visits). From July I will still be a member of the Long Range Planning Committee but the chair will pass to Ian, I will chair the Finance and Administration Committee and remain as a member of both the Global Membership and Global Leadership teams. I will also continue to lead the signature projects on behalf of the district. In June I have further training with my fellow 1st VDGs. The DG’s Team will be sharing the club visits this year and I’m sure that there will be other events where I will deputise for Paul. I need to start thinking about a theme for the year and to look for members to serve in my cabinet although I have already started both of these tasks.
Through all this I will try to keep you up to date via this blog but I would also welcome your ideas for Lions related topics I could cover. It’s going to be a busy year but I’m sure it will be enjoyable.
Lion Simon Moss
@simonhmoss @MarstonGnLions @lions105m @lionsclubsorg
1400 miles travelled so far as 2nd VDG
375 hours since 1 July 2011 on Lions’ activities
My Life as a Lion 
Agree with your comments on Young Ambassador and the International Director’s view of convention. I do think though, that’s this year’s convention was less formal than last year and it’s moving in the right direction. Something that needs some thought is the amount of time spent standing during the opening ceremony. There were many present who were having noticeable problems and due to a reluctance to be the only one to sit, at least one person has exacerbated his back problems. Not so sure though, that convention itself was fairly uncontroversial!
Lions related topics – I’d like to know more about the difference Lions in the district are making in the community and to people’s lives. Also, what about the differing ways in which clubs in the district implement Lions Projects, so that we can learn from others.