Meeting 1202 “Community”

Sandgate Toastmasters met at Sandgate Parish Hall on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, for Meeting #1202, themed “Community”. We welcomed Area Director Mary, along with David, Peter’s friend, and return visitor Danie. The theme proved fitting for an evening that repeatedly returned to the ways Toastmasters brings people together.

TJ guided the programme with a toast to “The community of Toastmasters”. The Word of the Evening was “Convergence”, while Helen’s Round Robin invited everyone to finish the sentence, “A community converges when...”. Mary also spoke about where Sandgate fits within the wider area, giving members and visitors a broader view of the club’s place in Toastmasters.

Jonathon presented Peter with a ribbon for completing Level 2 in his Pathways journey, and Christiane with ribbons for completing Levels 2 and 3. The prepared speeches then brought two very different subjects to the room. Narelle had prepared a substantial set of printed pages for her Pathways educational because she was unsure whether the projector would work. Mali’s speech compared the training of guide-dog puppies with the raising of teenagers.

Mali with her Best Speech and Best Table Topic awards.

Jonathon at the lectern during Meeting 1202.

Mali’s prepared speech used a guide-dog puppy as a visual aid.

Chris led Table Topics, with answers from Marlene, Mali, Mary, Christiane, Jill and Maddy. Christiane’s raffle featured coffee, tea, wine and other prizes, with David taking home the winnings. Helen then presented the General Evaluation, bringing together the lessons and observations from the evening’s programme.

Christiane’s raffle added a later highlight to the evening.

The Toastmasters Education Program was part of the evening’s Pathways discussion.

Recognition closed the meeting. Mali was the evening’s double award winner, receiving Best Speech and Best Table Topic. Jill received Best Evaluation, and TJ was named Most Improved.

Thank you to Mary, David, Danie and everyone who contributed to a warm Community meeting. Our next meeting is Tuesday, 11 August, and guests are always welcome.

Meeting 1201 “The Waves We Leave Behind”

Sandgate Toastmasters met at Sandgate Parish Hall on Tuesday, 14 July, for Meeting 1201 and our first gathering of the new Toastmasters year. Our newly appointed executive team took their places as we began the year together.

Jonathon welcomed members to the first meeting of the new Toastmasters year.

Jill called the meeting to order before Jonathon welcomed members. Mali did a great job as Toastmaster, weaving “The Waves We Leave Behind” throughout the programme. Gail offered the toast, Marlene introduced RAMIFICATIONS as the Word of the Evening, and Arun led the Round Robin.

Mali carried the evening’s “Waves” theme throughout her role as Toastmaster.

Arun led the Round Robin early in the meeting.

Marlene introduced RAMIFICATIONS as the Word of the Evening.

Prepared speeches gave us two very different topics. Christiane, pictured below, presented “Einbunpin: awareness, sharing, visitors” for her Team Collaboration High Performance Leadership project. Narelle, not pictured, followed with the timely question “Is AI killing our TM speech writing abilities?” as part of her Presentation Mastery project on managing a difficult audience. It was a very enjoyable moment as she faced a barrage of disruptions, handling each one politely and professionally without breaking stride. Peter and Eoin provided the evaluations.

Christiane presented “Einbunpin: awareness, sharing, visitors.”

Helen led Table Topics. Chris served as General Evaluator, Paul tested our listening, Carmy kept time, and Trish conducted the raffle. Awards went to Narelle for Best Speaker, Trish for Best Table Topic, Mali and Jill jointly for Most Improved, and Jonathon for Best Evaluator. Helen and Paul also provided supper, an always appreciated part of the evening.

Thank you to everyone who helped create another enjoyable evening of speaking, listening and learning. Our next meeting is Tuesday, 28 July, and guests are always welcome.