Canowindra Lions Club is preparing to celebrate 60 years of serving the community, with celebrations centred on the annual changeover dinner on 27 June.

The changeover is an annual event but this year's milestone is a real opportunity for members, former members and special guests to come together and reflect on all the Lions and have and do for Canowindra.

Lions volunteers have been raising funds to pour back into their community and support those in need since Orange City Lions sponsored the club six decades ago.

Lions president Mick Schaeffer said as best they can estimate, they’ve donated between $600,000 and $800,000 since then – to schools, community groups, families facing hardship or young people needing backing to pursue sporting opportunities.

“That’s what we’re about, we’re very community-focussed,” Mr Schaeffer said.

“For a small community, it’s quite the achievement.

“That’s why the volunteers - in the past and present - do what they do.”

The club’s 14 current members have already amassed 5000 volunteer hours for the year-to-date, catering with their barbecue for events like team penning, the swap meet, street party and parade during Balloon Week.

"That’s where most of our fundraising comes from that enables us to do what we do," Mr Schaeffer said.

Mr Schaeffer joined the local Lions club four years ago and says it’s good to be involved – even if managing volunteering and work commitments can be a juggle.

“It’s very satisfying and rewarding and I’ve met some good friends there,” he said.

It’s now more than 50 years since Doug Nash became a Lion - he was invited along by a friend and it was a great way to get involved in the local community.

There would have been more than 35 members – all men at the time – he recalls, and Lions was a great family club.

You could find them cooking up a storm at regular harness racing meetings, shows, schools fetes and street parades in those days too, but one of the highlights was investing in an early jumping castle.

Lions were there at the very beginning of what has grown into a week-long balloon challenge, and they hosted a carnival day at the showground around the ballooning event.

“We had entertainment for the day, different rides and that sort of thing,” Mr Nash said.

“That’s how we came to buy the air castle – the big jumping castle.”

There were a lot of activities on the grounds and the group seized on the idea of the jumping castle as a treat for local kids.

It proved so popular – raising $500 for the day even at just 20 cents a go – that the Lions club went ahead and purchased it.

“We took it all over the countryside raising money,” Mr Nash said.

Another popular event was their “Anything Goes” day – inspired by the tv show.

“We put swimming pools up, had water competitions,” Mr Nash said.

Working with the support of their families, Lions had many roles including carrying out eye screening at local schools, and were also involved in Camp Quality for many years.

Inter-club meetings kept them connected to surrounding clubs in communities including Boorowa, Cowra and Forbes, and Canowindra sponsored new clubs at Eugowra, Manildra and Cudal-Cargo.

They also formed a friendship with the Lions in Cronulla and welcomed them to the central west with country hospitality, with a woolshed dance a feature of the visit.

Through all those years and events, what stands out for Mr Nash is the way the community has supported the Lions: as they have been there for Canowindra, its people have been incredibly generous in response.