The 65-year-old is set to leave the committee after a 40-year run with the club, the latter 16 as president.

Not only did he spend four decades doing the hard yards behind the scenes, he knocked up a 190-game career on the field.

What does all of this equal?

A lifetime of dedication to the club he loves.

And while it's never easy to step away from a role so close to your heart, it was an outcome Stone saw coming.

"There comes a time when you know it's right," he said.

"I've felt that way for a little while now. The club's always changing and you need to have new thinking.

"Three years ago we all met and set up a strategic plan and part of that plan was succession. It made sense to work through to the next generation coming through."

The man who will lead the Lions moving forward is Chris Whittaker and Stone thinks he's going to be an excellent president.

"Chris is very business-oriented... he knows people and he knows how to deal with people and I think that's a very important part of being involved," he said.

"He's been involved in the club through the juniors. He's been on our general committee for the last two years so he's seen how it works.

"I think it's a good time for him to step up. I know Tim West is going to step in and you've got have good help behind you. I certainly had that right through and I know that's a very important part of that role."

Part of the reason why Stone stayed on the club's committee for so long was because of the endless help he received from those surrounding him and that's just one of the many elements that makes City such a great club to be a part of.

"It's the spirit and the family attitude that has been with the club," he said.

"It's a community, it's not just about rugby."

There's a stack of highlights to reflect on but in 1991, Stone captained the third-grade men to a title before sitting back to watch seconds and first grade take out the premiership as well... a clean sweep.

He also had a cracking time leading the under 17s into battle.

"I coached a lot up until the early 2000s," he said.

"I ended up coaching the under 17s sides four years in-a-row. They have a lot of fun at that age group. Won a couple of grand finals... I think we got into three out of the four grand finals.

"They're a good age to coach and that's quite rewarding. After that I just fell into the role as president."

He also took pride in pushing for the juniors to get back onto the park.

"When we first started, the club was young and we all had young children and we grew with that.

"One of the areas that I was quite keen on was trying to establish the game in wallas and juniors."

For Stone, it would take an age to list all the characters who made his journey more enjoyable but he was able to single out one person who contributed massively.

"Charlie Brouwers was always there," he said.

"He was a close friend and a student of administration in rugby."