Our story
The Lighthouse Club was formed in Newcastle-upon Tyne, United Kingdom in 1956 by Edward Ward and his colleagues attending an exhibition at Whitley Bay. The name "Lighthouse" came from St. Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay. The essence of the club was to promote the goodwill and co-operation between people involved in the construction industry. The Lighthouse Club's motto is "Allis cum humanitate", which means "consideration for others".
Over the decades, the Lighthouse Club has evolved into a highly active international social networking organization, which also sponsors charity work all over the world.
In the beginning, the Lighthouse Club maintained a fund to help construction workers who were injured on the job, and their families, until insurance payments were finally received. Over the years, this has expanded into other forms of charity related to construction in the various countries where a Club has been established.
The Australian branch of the Lighthouse Club was established in Queensland in 2011 when Paul Roberts,
a former member of the Hong Kong branch, persuaded other prior international branch members in the Brisbane construction scene to combine efforts and create an Australian branch, first of all in Brisbane. After several monthly Get-Togethers in Brisbane, and great interest shown in the club, efforts were made to establish branches in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. We are also proud to acknowledge our corporate sponsors, who without their support we would not be able to continue.
The Lighthouse Club was formally registered on 11 December 2012 as an incorporated association called ‘The Lighthouse Club Inc’ (Registration Number: A0058620K). Due to the existing regulatory and compensation regimes in Australia, the Lighthouse Club here focuses on providing bursaries for higher and vocational education (including trades education) for those who are undertaking construction based studies. Recipients of the bursaries come from disadvantaged communities and backgrounds and suitable candidates are selected following close liaison with the appropriate authorities. We hope to spread charitable assistance to a wider section of the construction community in the future consistent with the aims and achievements of the Lighthouse Club Foundation in other parts of the world, in particular the Asia Pacific Region.
In addition to the monthly Get Togethers held across the country, the Lighthouse Club also hold in office sponsored CPD events and annual balls in most states of Australia. For further details of events in Australia and the Asia Pacific region, we invite you to check out the ‘Events’ button on our website.