HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Lionism began in Sub-District 60A with the formation of the Paramaribo Central Lions Club in May 1957. As the enthusiasm grew in Suriname, the idea rapidly spread to Guyana with the establishment of the Georgetown Lions Club in August 1960.  A year later, Barbados accepted the challenge when the Bridgetown Lions Club (formerly the Barbados Lions Club) was formed.

 
Together, the three (3) clubs were given recognition by Lions International as a Provisional District “P”, by virtue of having less than twenty (20) clubs registered. Trinidad and Tobago came into the equation in May 1962 with the formation of the Lions Club of Port of Spain Central (formerly The Trinidad North Lions Club).
 
A year later, Trinidad and Tobago joined District “P” and with the proliferation of clubs throughout the Caribbean, full District status was granted in 1969, with the first elected District Governor of District 60 emerging in the person of John Fernandes Jr. from Guyana.  
 
At the Convention in Jamaica in 1980, the Caribbean achieved Multiple District status having attained the required thirty-five (35) clubs and one thousand, two hundred and fifty (1,250) Lion members. Consequently, Sub-districts 60A and 60B were established. The first elected Governor of the Sub-District 60A was Dr. Harry Carrington of Trinidad and Tobago.   The first elected Council Chairman of the Sub-District 60A was Gopichan Ramsarran of Trinidad and Tobago.

OUR CLUBS TODAY

Today, there are 14 Lions Clubs and 7 Leo Clubs in Suriname; 19 Lions Clubs and 6 Leo Clubs in Guyana; and 25 Lions Clubs and 5 Leo Clubs in Trinidad and Tobago. Through the initiative of the Suriname lions, the “rotation system” was introduced to elect District Governors equitably among the three (3) countries of Sub-District 60A. 

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

It is instructive, that with the change in the International Policy for the inclusion of female members into the Clubs in 1987, women have made their statements both in membership and contribution to leadership. Of significance, was the election to office of District Governors Maike Storm Van Leeuwen of Suriname (1997-1998), Alison Sloane-Seale of Trinidad and Tobago (2004-2005), Cynthia Foort of Suriname (2006-2007), Maria Byron (2007-2008) and Nicolin Carol Moore (2010-2011) both of Trinidad and Tobago, Maxine Cummings of Guyana (2014-2015), Joyce Uden-Lieuw (2015-2016) and most recently Nadine Bushell (2016-2017).   District Governors Sloane-Seale, Foort, Moore and Cummings have been elevated to the positions of Chairmen of the Council of Governors of Multiple District 60 while District Governor Moore was appointed and served as International Director (2016-2017).

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