HAWKESBURY ’ S FINEST ...
by Greg Martin
It has been long known that Richmond ’ s Ken Lyons has a big heart .
A heart made slightly larger over the past few years by the addition of a triple bypass and nine stents !
But 92 years after he came into this place , that big ticker is still ticking along , much to the delight of his extended family
Rotary District Governor Lindsay May had much pleasure in presenting a framed letter of commendation and congratulations from Rotary International president , Shekhar Mehta to Windsor Rotary ’ s 50 Year man , Ken Lyons . Photo : Kathryn Johnston .
and a multitude of friends and admirers .
Only latecomers to the Hawkesbury wouldn ’ t be aware of the nonagenarian through his long career with the Hawkesbury Gazette and his 50 years of devoted service to Windsor Rotary .
For which , the great man was last month presented with a Rotary 50 Year Letter of Congratulations from Rotary International president , Shekhar Mehta , in front of a packed house of family members and fellow Rotarians during a gala dinner at Lynwood Country Club .
If Ken displayed all his Rotary awards on his chest , he would put to shame that tin-pot former Ugandan president Idi Amin , who gave himself a medal for getting out of bed on the right side , not spilling soup and his ethnic cleansing .
Ken joined Rotary on 17 January , 1972 , and throughout the ensuing half century he has diligently and enthusiastically served Rotary and the wider community .
Ken was never in Rotary for the awards , but those awards kept coming !
Four times – yep , four times – he has been the recipient of Rotary International ’ s highest award in being anointed a Paul Harris Fellow for his unstinting service to Rotary and his community .
In 2006 , the world body also presented him with the Rotary International ’ s coveted Four Avenues of Service Award for achieving the four elements of the Object of Rotary - Club Service , Vocational Service , Community Service and International Service .
At club level , Ken has held more
positions than you ’ d find in the Kama Sutra – president , district delegate and international , youth and vocational director .
His undoubted skills after a lifetime working in the publishing industry , came in handy too !
Ken produced , edited and published the club ’ s 50 Year and 60 Year histories and was the club ’ s photographer , publicity officer and historian .
Ken ’ s career in publishing kicked off as a 16-year-old when the revered owner and editor of the Hawkesbury Gazette , Max Day , gave him a job as an apprentice compositor .
For the uninitiated , a compositor is a person who arranges the text and pictures of a book , magazine or newspaper before it is printed .
Ken ’ s five-year apprenticeship with the Hawkesbury Gazette were tumultuous years and paved the way for him to progress from getting ink on his hands to becoming not only the production manager but a company director .
Ken Lyons ’ association with the Hawkesbury began in 1939 when the 10-year-old arrived in Richmond with his mother , Kathleen , and his siblings .
“ My father ( Rueben ) had been working for a year in building the Putty Road and he had become sick and tired of making the regular long trips back home to Gulgong on the weekends ,” Ken explained .
“ He persuaded mum to make the move , explaining the back-and-forth travel was a burden , there was ample opportunity
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6 ISSUE 146 // JULY 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT