Rise and Shine at Our Annual Changeover Dinner

Meeting 1178     

    There’s something special about a changeover night; the perfect mix of celebration, reflection, and new beginnings. On June 24th, the Sandgate Toastmasters gathered at the RSL Sub-branch for our 2025 Changeover Dinner, themed “Rise and Shine!”. As we said thank you to our outgoing leaders and welcomed in a new executive team, the room was filled with energy, laughter, and a shared commitment to growth.

Helen

    Outgoing President Helen opened the evening with warmth and grace, reflecting on the year’s milestones and heartfelt moments. Her speech was a reminder of how far our club has come, and how every member contributes to our collective success. Helen’s dedication to creating a supportive and empowering space will leave a lasting legacy. Helen then thanked the outgoing executive for their year of hard work and dedication and shared her joy about the club achieving the president's distinguished award for the 6th time in a row!

    

    Later in the evening, Helen also took us by surprise with an impromptu “Who Am I?” game that had the whole room guessing   (and second-guessing) until the final clue revealed the answer: Simone Biles.

    Toastmaster Jonathon expertly, steered the evening with charisma, while Will offered a heartfelt toast to Toastmasters International.

Will

Jonathon

Eoin

    To kick off the fun, Sergeant-at-Arms Narelle ran a spicy round-robin with the prompt: “If you were a condiment or spice, what would you be?” Answers ranged from the sweet and dependable (vanilla, cinnamon) to the bold and mysterious (chilli, anise)—a fitting reflection of the colourful characters in the room.

    Table Topics Master Eoin then served up a pizza and change-over-themed session that brought out great stories:

    Will didn’t hesitate when asked “What’s the worst pizza topping you’ve ever had?”—it’s seafood, hands down.

    Scarlett shared a BBQ disaster-turned-success story after being forced to make pizza without an oven (tip: don’t forget the baking paper).

    Gail reflected on a significant turning point in her life—her decision to become a teacher during university. When asked “If you were President of the USA for a day, what would you do?”, Narelle replied with a laugh that she’d never take the job in the first place, and would promptly pass it on! 

Jonathon took a thoughtful approach to the question “Have you ever misclassified anything?”, sharing a childhood story about learning to meet uncertainty with confidence.

Gail

Scarlett

Will

 

    The evening also celebrated those who went above and beyond this year. Toastmaster of the Year was awarded to John, for his consistent participation and positive presence throughout the year. 

    Most Improved Toastmaster, voted by peers, was awarded to Narelle for her can-do attitude, willingness to step up, and engaging speeches and educational contributions.

Narelle - Most Improved 2024/2025

Area Director David

    We were fortunate to hear from Area Director David Boyle. David formally dismissed the 2024/2025 Executive Team with words of appreciation, encouraging them to be proud of all they’d accomplished. He then 

welcomed the incoming team with warmth and optimism before sharing insights from his time as Area Director in a thoughtful Q&A led by Toastmaster Jonathon. Fittingly, David ended the night on a high note with him winning one of our raffle prizes! We extend our sincere thanks for his ongoing dedication and presence at the meeting.

    Any night with pizza is already a win. But when you throw in two raffle prizes (a full breakfast spread complete with streaky bacon and a Coffee Club voucher), spirits are bound to be sky-high. Congrats to Will and special guest

David Boyle for their lucky wins and a massive 

thank you to Chris for supplying a fabulous 

raffle. 

Outgoing Executive Officers

New Executive Officers

    

    With heartfelt applause, we welcomed our 2025/2026 Executive Team, led by Incoming President Chris Horne, who shared a positive vision for the year ahead. With this team’s energy and dedication, we’re excited to keep rising and shining together.

Meet Your New Executive: 

President – Chris 

VP Education – Peter 

VP Membership – Eoin 

VP Public Relations – Scarlett 

Secretary – Gail 

Treasurer – Will 

Sergeant-at-Arms – TJ

   Jonathon returned with more light-hearted and thoughtful table topic questions:

    What are some strategies you can use when you're day hasn't gotten off to the best start? Well, Heidi, one of our guests, shared that when mornings are tough, she finds motivation in her next holiday and always something to look forward to.

    Chris, known for his deep love of coffee, was asked if his coffee could talk what would it say, to which he quipped that his morning brew never sticks around long enough to say anything.

    Eoin explored "If he could rise and shine anywhere, where would it be?" and described an ideal work-free relax at his in-laws’ well-stocked house in Cairns.  

    In answer to the age-old question "Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?", Peter declared breakfast to be the most important meal of the day, largely because it’s the perfect excuse to raid the fridge for all the best things, including half a frozen cheesecake, icecream (with cream) and crackers and dip.

    TJ was asked what her ideal morning routine would be, to which she divulged that she savours her peaceful morning routine before her kids are up. with a quiet coffee on the train, but skips breakfast altogether (sorry, Peter!).

    And when asked what he’d do if “rising and shining” were optional, Arun said he’d trade it for travel and hobbies any day.

Heidi

Eoin

Chris

    As Dolly Parton once said, “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” Whether you're stepping into a new role or preparing for your first speech, Sandgate Toastmasters continues to be a place to find your voice and build a new path with confidence.

    Here’s to a bright and brilliant 2025/2026!

    Thank you to all our guests and our members for making a truly special changeover dinner, and we look forward to our next meeting on the 8th of July 2025. 

Meeting 1177 "Bread"

 It was a cold night, but quite cosy in the RSL hall. We were delighted to welcome a first-time visitor, Mali.

President Helen opened the meeting and presented Trish with an award for completing Level 2 in the Motivational Strategies path and to John for completing Level 2 in the Persuasive Influence path.

 It was Scarlett's first time in the role of Toastmaster. She kept the meeting running smoothly with some interesting facts and jokes between each segment.

Helen

Scarlett

Trish presented a toast to "bread - without it, we couldn't make toast," and to the "people who make up Toastmasters."

Carmy presented the word for the evening, "Loaf," and explained several different meanings of the word.

Trish

Carmy

TJ conducted the Round Robin session and asked, "If you were making a loaf of bread, what kind would you make?"

Round Robin

Gail presented a speech from the Leadership Development path, speaking about her experience as a high school teacher, and later on serving on committees in volunteer organisations. Her message was "Everyone has the ability to lead in some way."

Evaluator Paul had some commendations and recommendations.

Gail

Paul

Trish is working from the Motivational Strategies path. She delivered an inspiring speech "Stepping Outside your Comfort Zone." Jonathon gave an in-depth evaluation.

Trish

Jonathon

John, working from the Persuasive Influence path, had everyone laughing with his humorous speech, "Defined by Your Dog." It was evaluated by Narelle.

John

Chris, presented an Icebreaker speech from the Strategic Relationships path, taking on the persona of a smoke alarm, in his speech titled "Burning Down the House." Remember to check the battery in your smoke alarm! Arun gave a helpful evaluation of the speech.

Chris

Arun

Timekeeper Maddy kept the meeting running on time.

Madeline

Peter presented the raffle which consisted of Sourdough bread, cheese, jam, wine and chocolates. 

The lucky winner was Trish.

Peter

Raffle

A delicious supper was provided by Gail and Jonathon, consisting of spring rolls, mini quiches, chocolate chip muffins and chocolate biscuits, most of which was consumed before the photo was taken.

Supper - nearly all gone

Table Topics Master Marlene invited Carmy, TJ, Helen, Peter, Maddy, and our brave guest Mali to draw an item from a bag and tell why it is the "best thing since sliced bread." Not everyone knew what the item was and had to make it up, which proved to be very funny.

Marlene

"The best thing since sliced bread."

Peter presented a "Soap Box" rant and told why he hated the use of the word "Absolutely" for nearly everything. Another expression that annoys him is "It is what it is!"

The entire meeting was evaluated by Helen, who evaluated everything that hadn't already been evaluated.

Helen

The evenings awards went to John (Best Speech,) Jonathon (Best Evaluation,) Peter (Best Table Topic,) and Scarlett (Most Improved.)

Award Winners 10th June 2025

Next meeting 24th June will be our Changeover meeting, when the club officers for the coming Toastmasters year (1st July 2025 - 31st June 2026) will be inducted. It will be held in our regular meeting place (RSL Sub Branch Hall) and we will have pizza for supper. Visitors will be welcome to attend.

Meeting 1176 "Retro Revival"

Thanks to Amy for this Blog Post.

What a start to our Toastmasters meeting! When Narelle accidentally locked the hall keys inside the venue, she remained remarkably calm under pressure. Thinking quickly, she came up with the brilliant plan to use the PA system at the nearby Sands Social to call for assistance, specifically requesting help from any ex-military members who might know how to contact an RSL Hall keyholder. Thankfully, someone stepped up to make the call, and a very kind keyholder drove all the way from Burpengary to unlock the hall and rescue our meeting. 

Locked out

While waiting, we didn't waste time. We started our meeting in the cold, windy front area of the RSL. Narelle wore many hats - Sergeant at Arms, Madam Toastmaster, Speaker, and President. VPE Peter Dooley announced the program changes.

Chris led the Toast for the evening, perfectly matching our "Retro Revival" theme. He recalled when "jorts" (jean shorts) were in fashion and how they've now come full circle, mentioning he recently borrowed his son's. We all toasted to "Jorts"!

Madeline shared our word of the evening, "Antiquated," meaning outdated. She told us the interesting fact that the word itself originated in the 1800s and was literally quite antiquated. Robert then led us straight into Round Robin with the question ‘what is something we fondly recall from days gone by’.

Despite the rocky start, our meeting showed just how flexible and resourceful our club can be when faced with unexpected challenges.

John T

First evaluator Gail H introduced our first speaker, John T, with his speech titled 'Leadership in the Classroom'. John shared wisdom from his pre-retirement teaching days, describing how he adopted what he called a "Genghis Khan/Dalai Lama style" of leadership. He outlined his recipe for effective classroom management: the 3 E's (lead by Example, provide Encouragement, and Enforcement of rules) and the 4 R's (everyone's Right to be Safe, Right to Learn, Right to be treated with Respect, and Responsibility and Rules).

Trish introduced (and evaluated) our second speaker, Eoin, who gave an engaging and educational presentation on World Wide Web evolution. He began with Sir Tim Berners-Lee's creation of the World Wide Web before exploring encryption history, from the basic Caesar Cipher to Alan Turing's codebreaking work in World War II. Eoin then brought us to today, explaining Cloudflare's security measures, including those "I'm not a robot" puzzles we all face. The most interesting part was learning how Cloudflare uses actual lava lamps to create secure encryption keys, capturing the random wax movements to generate truly unpredictable data.

Eoin

John introduced (and evaluated) our third speaker, Gail H, who presented on "Time Management." Gail shared her personal journey with time, growing up on a farm where time was marked by activities like cow milking, feeding cattle etc rather than clocks. Everything changed when she started school, and her mum had to balance getting kids to school on time with her dad's farm schedule. Later as a teacher, Gail's days were regulated by school bells helping her with time management. Now retired, she confessed to being a procrastinator who leaves things to the last minute. Despite this, she emphasised the importance of planning ahead, breaking tasks into smaller chunks, and reviewing your work, a strategy she applied to prepare this very speech. Gail concluded with the honest admission that she'll likely always be a procrastinator at heart.

Gail H

Chris H introduced our fourth speaker, Paul, who presented "Life is a Marathon Not a Sprint." Paul shared his journey from once telling his wife after a half marathon that he would never do a full marathon, yet he's now preparing for one this July. He offered five preparation tips: pick a marathon and lock it in (requiring 3-6 months of preparation), get a training plan (he's following an 18-week program), buy proper running gear (specially fitted shoes, anti-blister socks, hydration belt and anti-chafing cream), look after yourself with good nutrition and sleep, and run consistently. Paul concluded that this has been a rewarding journey, reminding us to "never say never.

   

Paul

John introduced and evaluated our final speaker, Narelle, who delivered a humorous "acceptance speech" titled "Humility is Optional." In this clever presentation, Narelle "self-awarded" herself for her role as Sergeant at Arms, highlighting her critically important duties managing the equipment bag and handling setup. With tongue firmly in cheek, she expressed that serving was a privilege and offered advice to her successor, particularly emphasising one crucial tip: don't accidentally lock out the Toastmasters group.

Miraculously, the meeting was running seven minutes ahead of schedule heading into supper. Prior to the break, Raffle Master Amy presented the delightfully retro-themed prizes, including a vintage magazine featuring an article on why Tom and Jerry was banned from television, a puzzle, Polly Waffles, Love Heart candies, and a "fetch me a drink" bell.

Amy's Raffle

After a delicious supper kindly supplied by Arun and Robert, Madeline delivered some retro-inspired table topic questions to Amy, John, Narelle and Peter about TV show gadget comebacks and best era experiences. Paul provided evaluations for each delivery, followed by a "Are You Listening" session led by Chris H. 

Chris

The Word Master award went to consistent winner Trish. General Evaluator Arun delivered a comprehensive evaluation report, doing an excellent job.

Trish

Arun

Newly appointed President Chris H announced the trophy winners: Best Speech went to Gail H, Best Table Topic was tied between Amy and John T, Most Improved was awarded to Eoin, and Best Evaluator went to John T.

Award Winners

Before closing, Raffle Master Amy announced that Paul had won the raffle.

Paul wins raffle

The meeting closed on time, with the next meeting scheduled for 7pm on 10th June.

 

Meeting 1175 "Say Yes!"

Presented Helen congratulated John on his participation in the International Speech Contest at the District Conference. Toastmaster Marlene introduced the meeting theme "Say Yes! 

Helen

Marlene

Arun proposed a toast to "Dreaming big." Christiane introduced a gesture to be used during the meeting.

Arun

Christiane

Narelle's Word for the evening was "Yes and No."

Round Robin Master Arun asked everyone to share a time when they said "yes," and it changed their life.

Robert delivered his second speech with a detailed description of a diving room.

Trevor's speech was titled "Is There Climate Change?"

Robert

Trevor

Speech Evaluators were John and Maddy.

John

Maddy

Chris was Timekeeper.

Narelle's raffle was a bottle each of red and white wine. It was won by Helen.

Chris

Raffle

Supper was provided by Trevor and Helen.

Supper

Helen conducted a short Business Session then handed control to Gail who conducted the Election of club officers for the coming Toastmasters year.

Helen

Gail

Those elected were

President: Chris

Vice President Education: Peter

Vice President Membership: Eoin

Vice President Public Relations: Scarlett

Secretary: Gail H

Treasurer: Will

Sergeant at Arms: TJ

They will take on their roles from 1st July.

 

Table Topics were conducted by Paul, who called on Arun, Gail, TJ and Narelle.

Arun

Gail H

They were evaluated by Jonathon. Chris conducted a "Who Am I?" session.

Jonathon

Chris

Peter presented a General Evalution of the meeting.

Peter

The evening's awards went to Robert (Most Improved,) Narelle (Best Table Topics,) Trevor (Best Speech,) and Jonathon (Best Evaluation.)

 

Award winners 13 May 2025

Next Meeting 27th May