Meeting 1184 "Nature"

 Maddy handled her first time role of Toastmaster with great aplomb. She had chosen the theme for the meeting, "Nature."

President Chris welcomed everyone, including our guests Karen and Josh. Chris also proposed a toast to "Our waterways."

Maddy 

Chris

Word Master Narelle gave us the word "Brown." It was used many times during the evening.

Trish presented the Round Robin asking for our thoughts on "wisdom and nature."

Jonathon, Trish and Paul

Jonathon gave an explanation and helpful tips on the Evaluation contest which will be held next meeting.

Jonathon

Erin's moving Icebreaker speech "The Power of the Voice." was evaluated by Chris.

Erin

Helen presented a Level 3 speech "A Work in Progress." in the Presentation Mastery path. It was evaluated by Christiane.

  

Helen

The Timer was Trish.

Jill provided a raffle consisting of a Lego set, tic-tacs, car freshener, & voucher for a car wash.  It was won by Trish.

Jill's Raffle

Supper was provided by Narelle and Trish.

Chatting over supper

As well as being a member of our club, Gail is also our Area Director. She had some information about the forthcoming Area Conference and other matters.

Chris followed up with a talk about our succession plan for the next Toastmaster year and called for volunteers for the (non binding) future executive roles.

 

Gail- Area Director

Chris

Table Topics Master Helen called on Narelle, Josh, Jill, Karen, TJ. and Paul to give a 2-minute impromptu speech on the topics she had chosen.

Helen

 

The topics (paraphrased) were:

What can animals teach us about humans?

How much do you love Camping?

Nature best therapist

Should humans rewild themselves?

If nature could speak, what would it say to us?

Birds - majestic creatures or feathered jerks?

Paul took longer than his allotted 2 minutes to tell his very funny story about being attacked by a Butcher bird.

The table topics were evaluated by Marlene and Gail.

Marlene

Gail

Chris gave a General Evaluation of all that had not already been evaluated. 

The award winners of the evening were Karen (Best Table Topic,) Erin (Best Speech and Most Improved) and Chris (Best Evaluation.)

Karen, Erin and Chris

Since there are 5 Tuesdays in September, it will be 3 weeks until our next meeting on the 14th October. (No meeting on the 5th week this time.)

Next meeting will be our International Speech and Evaluation Contest. (There is still room for more contestants!) Winners will go on to compete at the Area Conference at North Lakes on the 1st November.

Word Warriors Take the Stage: A Night of Competition and Confidence

Toastmasters International Sandgate - Competition Night Meeting Recap 1183

9th Sept 2025

There was a buzz of anticipation and preparation before the meeting.

Before the meeting

Sergeant at Arms T.J.  called the meeting to order and handed control to Peter, who was acting as President as well as Contest Chair. 

Peter

The Table Topics contest was first, with eight Toastmasters competing. They were Scarlett, Arun, Erin, Christiane, Paul, Narelle, Helen and Eoin.

Gail and John were Timekeepers.

The Table Topic Contestants had been briefed and were escorted outside by Contest S.A.A. Marlene so that they couldn't hear the topic, then ushered inside individually by T.J. when it was their turn to compete. 

T. T. Contestants outside - an opportunity to chat.

The Table Topic was "What does the world need most right now?"

When all 8 contestants had competed, they were interviewed by Peter and given a Participation Certificate. 

Marlene and Jill collected the judges' ballots and assisted Chief Judge Jenny with the counting.

Table Topics participants

And the winners were Helen - First Place, Christiane - Second Place and Narelle Third place.

 Narelle-3,  Helen-1,  Christiane -2.

T.J. presented a raffle - which consisted of a puzzle book and a bag of tempting goodies to eat. She was kept busy selling raffle tickets during the break. The lucky winner was Jill.

Arun and Scarlett provided a delicious supper. 

Supper

Supper

Chatting over supper

Next was the Humorous Speech Contest, with Paul acting as Contest Chair. Helen and Scarlett were timekeepers. Erin and Eoin were Ballot Counters.

There were three contestants - John who came first, Christiane second and Narelle third.

Narelle-3, John-1, Christiane- 2.

Our contest winners will compete against other Toastmasters Clubs at the Area 8 Contest in November.

Thanks to our Chief Judge Jenny, Suresh, David, Mark, Nev and Chris for giving their valuable time and expertise.

It was lovely to have Erin's friend Amelia at our meeting.

Our next meeting on the 23 September will be a "normal" meeting followed by an International Speech Contest and Evaluation Contest on the 16th October.

Meeting 1182 "Screentime"

 

A Toastmasters meeting is much more fun than screen timing!

We were pleased to welcome our guests Mali and Peter.

T J called the meeting to order and handed control to President Chris, who introduced Gail in her role of Area Director.

President Chris and Gail Area Director

Gail presented the trophy for the District Best Club Newsletter (our blog) to the club. Our blog which has been in existence since 2009, has had various authors including Marlene and Christiane. Our latest blog writer Scarlett was not present at the meeting.

Gail, Marlene and Christiane

Gail also presented Carmy and Chris with ribbons for completing levels in Pathways.

Carmy, Chris and Gail

Toastmaster Peter called on John to present the Toast, which was "To Screentime."

Peter

John

Christiane gave us the word "Addiction." Helen managed to use it the most times, even during her speech.

Christiane

Helen

Helen presented the Round Robin inviting everyone to give 3 words to describe their relationship with their mobile phone. 

Peter was multi-tasking and presented an off the cuff speech on "Interstate Relations."

Evaluator Helen congratulated him on his use of "3D descriptions"

Peter

Helen

John presented a humorous acceptance speech titled "William Shakespeare Accepts the Golden Quill."  It was evaluated by Amy.

John

Amy

Jill presented her Icebreaker speech and told why she had joined Toastmasters.
It was evaluated by Gail.

Timekeeper TJ kept the meeting running on time.

Marlene explained what the judges will be looking for in the forthcoming Table Topics contest and suggested using the P.R.E.P. (Point, Reason, Example, Point) method, or Past, Present, Future.

(more explanation in our blog online handbook.)

Carmy's raffle was a tempting array of goodies including the bag from which she brought out coffee, tea, a coffee mug, chocolates and wine. The lucky winner was Jill.

Carmy's raffle

A delicious supper was provided by Chris and TJ.

Supper time

Yummy food

 Narelle had some challenging Table Topics - all screentime related - for Carmy, Helen Chris, Christiane, Amy and John.

Carmy

Helen

Chris

Christiane

Amy

John

TT Evaluator Eoin (evaluating for the first time) had some commendations and recommendations for the participants.

Eoin

Chris gave a General Evaluator of the meeting and presented the evening's awards to Helen (Best Evaluator,) Christiane (Best Table Topic) and Jill (Best Speech and Most Improved.)

Award winners 26bAug

Next Meeting Tuesday, 9th September will be a Table Topics and Humorous Speech Contest.

An Average Night at Sandgate Toastmasters - 12th August 2025

Embracing the “It’s OK to be Average” Spirit 

Sandgate Toastmasters’ August 12th Meeting Recap

By Scarlett Benham

Jonathon - Toastmaster

Last night at Sandgate Toastmasters, we gathered under a theme that was refreshingly honest and delightfully freeing: “It’s OK to be Average.” From the moment the doors opened at 6:45 pm, there was a warm buzz in the air — part anticipation, part curiosity, and entirely the friendly energy that makes our club feel like home.

A Warm Welcome & New Beginnings

Sergeant at Arms TJ set the tone, calling the meeting to order before handing over to President Chris, who not only officially opened proceedings but also had the pleasure of inducting our newest members and welcoming our guests. It’s always a special moment when fresh faces join our ranks, and the applause (and smiles) made it clear they were warmly welcomed.

Words, Wisdom & Witty Banter

Erin - Toast to Small Wins

Toastmaster for the evening, Jonathon, guided us through the program with charm, humour, and fun facts. Gail, our Secretary, provided updates to keep us on track with program changes, before (new member) Erin lifted our spirits with a toast that felt like a mini pep talk for the soul, toasting to "small wins!".

Word Master Jillian introduced a new word for the evening, 'idiosyncrasy', encouraging members to weave it into their contributions. Round Robin Master Eoin kept us on our toes with his question, "In a world where it's OK to be average, what was a time when you defied expectation?". The Round Robin is a crowd favourite, giving everyone a quick, fun way to flex their improv skills while sparking connections right from the start of the evening.

The Speeches – Knowledge, Storytelling & Handling the Unexpected

The prepared speeches were as varied as they were engaging, with the meeting featuring 2 longer speeches by Helen and Chris that were centred around engaging with the audience through a Q&A session. 

Chris kicked things off with Playing with Fire, an Innovative Planning project where he not only shared his expertise but also fielded an impromptu Q&A session with ease. Audience members couldn't get enough of Chris's presentation on his work as a firefighter with questions ranging from "what is the craziest experience you've had?", to debate on electric vehicles, and an answer to one of life's biggest questions, "how many cats have you rescued?", the answer - far too many, and often they're not friendly about it!

Arun - Presenting his Speech

Arun then shone with a marvellous last-minute presentation on "Challenge Your Lengths". Talking on his experiences growing up in Delhi and his steps on how to step outside your comfort zone:

Step 1. Have a vision

Step 2. Create a plan of action

Step 3. Have courage and resilience

Helen had the challenge of managing a “difficult audience” during her Presentation Mastery project called Home Lending Guide, with her impromptu Q&A session being handled with poise and care. Her quick thinking was nothing short of inspiring, and a great lesson for all of us - Helen's number 1 tip to young people looking to enter the property market - "build your credit score early!". 

Constructive Feedback & Celebrations

Our evaluators, TJ and Trish, delivered thoughtful feedback that was both encouraging and insightful. The evening’s rhythm was kept perfectly in check by Timer Scarlett, who made sure every segment stayed on track.

Trish - Evaluator

And, as always, we had the famed Sandgate supper, with mouth-watering savouries from Marlene and sweets (plus milk!) from Scarlett — a social highlight that sparks some of the best conversations of the night.

Quickfire Fun – Table Topics

After the break, Carmy led a lively Table Topics session with three thought-provoking prompts that had everyone laughing, reflecting, or both. The quick-thinking brilliance from our speakers - Gail, Jillian, and Erin reminded us why off-the-cuff speaking is such an invaluable skill. Their topics: 

"If the average is neither good nor bad, do you consider yourself to be average?" - Gail

"What would an average day be for you?" - Jillian

"To your community or friends, you may be average, but what exceptional qualities do you possess?" - Erin

Wrapping Up on a High

Erin and Chris - Award Winners

Marlene skillfully conducted the evening's general evaluation, providing insightful commentary on the evening's proceedings. The evening closed with awards, raffle draws, and heartfelt thanks from President Chris. Most Improved went to our new member Erin, while Chris had the honour of presenting himself with the award for Best Speech. Members left with smiles, new ideas, and perhaps a little more confidence in embracing “average” — because sometimes, being yourself without the pressure to overachieve is exactly what makes you shine.

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Next Meeting: Tuesday, 26th August 2025 – 7:00 pm
Where: Sandgate Parish Hall, Sacred Heart Primary School

Theme: TBA (but you know it’s going to be good)

Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or just curious about what Toastmasters is all about, join us for an evening of learning, laughter, and community. You might just surprise yourself.

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