Mayor Ryan Palmer, who received the cheque at a presentation this morning, says he’s grateful for community groups like Lions who are passionate about Port Stephens.

“The Lions Club of Soldiers Point are active members of our community who take pride in where we live and work tirelessly to support our local community,” Mayor Palmer said.

“This generous donation will help fund the renewal of the park which is already underway. The works include new accessible amenities, new picnic tables and shelters, and dune fencing and landscaping improvements.

“It’s not the first time the Lions Club of Soldiers Point have helped with the upkeep of Bob Cairns Reserve. In 2016, the toilet block was in poor condition and had two years until its replacement. The Lions Club painted the block and funded a local artist to paint a mural on it, keeping our park beautiful until it could be revitalised.

“I want to thank all of the Soldiers Point Lions volunteers for their generous donation and for all their hard work over the years - not just on this park, but for our whole community,” he said.

Soldiers Point Lions Club’s Christine Lilly says it’s great to be able to give back to the local community.

"The Lions Club of Soldiers Point has been part of this community for 40 years, and has been worked tirelessly to make Port Stephens a better place.

“This is our Centenary Project and we’ve been saving money for two years to make this happen. It’s wonderful to see our donation go towards much-needed improvements at Bob Cairns Reserve which will benefit the entire community.”