District Governor Yvonne (Yvie) Kearns - 2024-25
Lion Yvonne (Yvie) Kearns was born in Armidale sometime before the decimal currency was introduced into Australia.
Yvie was one of five children. She, her mother, Jean, and her father spent their early childhood enjoying the freedom of country life on a sheep station.
Her early education was in Armidale before moving to Murwillumbah to begin her career in nursing.
Yvie then married and moved to Kingscliff, where she had two children with her first husband.
She continued working in the hospitality sector at Cabarita Gardens Lake Resort for the next 13 years, becoming Secretary to Hansen Development and resort manager.
For ten years, Yvie was heavily involved in the guide movement, becoming a Brown Owl and Girl Guide Leader before moving on to Rangers, where she developed leadership skills and the knowledge to succeed in all her endeavours.
Yvie re-met her old school boyfriend, Kel, and the attraction was obvious. They married, moved to Darwin, and spent several years as contract managers in the motel and Restaurant industry.
Because Yvie and Kel wanted to travel but not miss out on being Lions, a branch club was formed at Wooli, which eventually became known as Australian Lionsonoz.
This Club was the idea of Yvie and Kel and was charted on 11 March 2009, with Yvie as the Charter President.
Yvie’s dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed, and she has received many awards, including a Keith Smith Gold Honour award, a Barry Palmer Fellow, and a Melvin Jones.
Yvie encourages all Lions in our District to work together as a team, be there for each other and have lots of fun. Her theme for this year
“DON’T LOOK BACK; WE’RE NOT GOING THAT WAY”