Brantford Lions Club celebrated its 100th anniversary with an open house event on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
Surrounded by members of nearby Lions Clubs, longtime supporters and local representatives, the milestone celebration featured a photo display, old copies of the club’s bulletin Jungle News, a new member induction ceremony and, of course, cake.
The local service club was chartered on February 23, 1926, and its members have been hard at work supporting the community ever since.
Making one of his famous declarations, Brantford Town Crier David McKee kicked things off by reflecting on the club’s early beginnings.
“When Melvin Jones of Chicago founded the Lions Club in 1917, he was not only a philanthropist, but also a visionary. For within three years, the club was spreading world wide and became Lions Club International. One of the earliest charters to be issued was on February 23, 1926 to the Brantford Lions Club,” declared Brantford Town Crier David McKee. “The Club immediately began a mission of voluntarily helping the community wherever help was needed. For over 40 years, the Brantford Lions met in a variety of locations, but with the establishment of Lions Park and the subsequent construction of a permanent complex at 20 Edge St, the Brantford Lions Club was able to conduct and expand its community activities and fundraising.”
Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis, who then awarded the club with a certificate of recognition, said that the club should be proud of what it has accomplished.
“There’s a real commitment that service club members have to their community and to the concept of service; service to one another and service to your club, but most importantly, service to our community and making our community stronger and better. And what a record to celebrate: 100 years of doing just that,” he said. “You should be proud of what you and those who have come before you have done for our community, and where we are at Lions Park is a perfect example. I believe what made Lions Park possible was an original transfer of land to the Lions Club at the time, as well as a very significant financial contribution by the club. So this park stands as a testament to the service and of what the Lions Club has done for our community, and it’s with great pride that I’m here to recognize your 100th anniversary.”
Larry Brock, MP for Brantford–Brant South–Six Nations, also extended his congratulations.
“You’re making a much brighter community for all of us, and you all deserve a big thank you for the contributions you have made over the years,” he said.
Randi-Lynn Jancik, president of the Brantford Lions Club, then welcomed A15 district governor Linda Vinette to induct Ihunanya Onuegbu and Ginelle Zimmerman as new members.
As part of the ceremony, past district governors, Tony Davidson and Denis Vinette, read off the Lions’ objectives and code of ethics.
After Onuegbu and Zimmerman confirmed their commitment to the club and the induction finished up, the fellow club members in the room, as well as those in attendance, welcomed them with an official Lions roar.
The current district governor later gave Chris Kruter a special award recognizing that he’s been a Lions Club member for 50 years.
Following the celebratory cake, the Brant Beacon spoke to Lion Scott Dillabough, whose grandfather, James Harold Turvey, was one of the 12 founding members of the Brantford Lions Club.
Dillabough said that he and many of his family members have all been involved with Lions Club International for decades.
“There’s been a lot of Lions in my family,” he said with a chuckle. “My mother was a Lioness and I later brought her into this club, her father’s, ten years before she passed. My uncle was in this very club back in the 50s and 60s, my cousin was in this club in north Brantford when it was still in service, and I’ve been a Lion here since February 1995.
When asked how it felt to be celebrating a century of the club his grandfather helped start, Dillabough said it felt “really good.”
“I do this work for my grandfather, he’s my focus when I’m doing the work,” he said.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
