Winter is Coming to Sandgate Toastmasters

 A Winter’s Night of Warmth, Wisdom, and Wit

Sandgate Toastmasters Meeting #1180

John - Toastmaster of the Year

On Tuesday, 22nd July 2025, the Sandgate Parish Hall in Sacred Heart Primary School was alive with laughter, learning, and leadership as members gathered for Sandgate Toastmasters’ 1180th meeting. Despite the winter chill outside, the atmosphere inside was anything but cold. This themed meeting, simply titled Winter, brought a vibrant mix of speeches, impromptu fun, and thoughtful evaluations.

Kicking Off with Camaraderie

At 7:00 pm sharp, Sergeant at Arms Scarlett called the meeting to order, welcoming guests and members alike. President Chris followed with opening remarks and distributed recent achievement awards - Toastmaster of the Year to John, setting a tone of encouragement and celebration. 

Our Toastmaster Steering the Night

Paul - Wordmaster

Jonathon - Toast

The meeting was then handed over to Toastmaster of the evening, John, who kept the night flowing smoothly with warmth and humour. Vice President of Education Peter delivered a brief update on program changes before handing the spotlight over to a lineup of role-holders who added flair and flavour to the agenda. 

Jonathon offered a thoughtful toast to warm hearts and to Toastmasters, and Paul, our Word Master, introduced the word - and action - of the night, 'Winter' (with a shiver). The always-popular Round Robin, led by Marlene, gave everyone a chance to speak (even if just for 20 seconds), warming up our vocal cords and minds alike. The question "What is the coldest you've ever been?".  We heard from all members and guests all about exotic, icy adventures, to frosty morning school runs. 

Prepared Speeches with Impact

We heard four prepared speeches from our talented members:

• Scarlett delivered a dynamic piece as part of the Motivational Strategies Pathway called 'Why Care? Self Care'.

  

  Scarlett

• Amy shared insights in her speech on 'Is Self Development a Trap?', sharing personal experience with self-help and the trap of trying to achieve perfection. 

  

  Amy

• Maddy took us on a humorous journey with her presentation on her Base Camp Communication Journey.

  

  Maddy

• Arun rounded out the lineup with a thought-provoking talk called 'Lead or Follow', which saw him reflect on his journey understanding his leadership style.

  

  Arun

Evaluation Excellence

Following the speeches, evaluations were presented by Helen, Peter, Christiane, and Paul. Each evaluation was packed with encouragement and actionable advice — a cornerstone of the Toastmasters learning experience. Evaluators provided structured feedback, showcasing Toastmasters’ commitment to supportive, constructive growth.

Helen

Peter

Christiane

Paul

Fun, Food, and Further Growth

Gail - Raffle Master

Between segments, Timer Helen kept us on track with time reports, and raffle master Gail brought an extra dose of fun with a cozy bunch of raffles! Supper was served by Scarlett (savoury), offering a perfect mid-meeting chance to mingle and refuel.

Table Topics & Business

The second half of the evening featured a well-run business meeting chaired by Arun, followed by Table Topics hosted by Gail. This impromptu speaking segment challenged members and guests to think on their feet with four unique prompts. 

1. What is your favourite Winter activity? 

Jonathon's response 'We don't have any real winter activities in QLD... so   probably my Saturday coffee after a surf.'

2. What is your favourite winter food? 

Marlene's answer - Soup! Easy, hearty and warming. 

3. Describe your ideal winter holiday. 

New member Erin described a range of holidays, from going to an onsen with the monkeys in Japan, traversing through Europe, and warming up in a cozy cabin with some hot chocolate in Canada. 

4. What is your go-to drink in the cold? 

TJ discussed her love for hot chocolate with all the toppings, or a steaming cup of herbal tea. 

Evaluations for the topics were led by Chris and Carmy, who provided actionable and enthusiastic feedback to our table topic participants.

Recognising Growth

Winners - Gail, Amy, Erin, Christiane

Paul returned with a report on word usage throughout the evening, and General Evaluator Jonathon offered a comprehensive review of the entire meeting, providing valuable feedback to all role holders. As the meeting drew to a close, votes were cast for best speech, table topic, evaluator, and most improved speaker. 

Winners: 

Best Speech - Amy

Most Improved - Gail

Best Table Topics - Erin

Best Evaluator - Christiane

Looking Ahead

President Chris wrapped up the evening with guest comments, final thanks, and reminders for the next meeting on Tuesday, 29th July 2025.

As always, guests are welcome to attend obligation-free. Whether you're looking to improve your public speaking, meet like-minded people, or simply enjoy a night of inspiration, Sandgate Toastmasters welcomes you warmly, even in winter.

Change of Venue this week.

 URGENT NOTICE

Our meeting this week on Tues 22nd July will be in the Sandgate Parish Hall, Sacred Heart Primary School, 92 Brighton Rd, Sandgate, Qld.

Parking is available on the street or in the church car park.

Entry to the hall is on the left-hand side from the street. There is a ramp on the right.

Visitors welcome.

Meeting 1179 "All Things Extraterrestrial"

We were thrilled to welcome three guests Erin, Lisa and Jill who braved the cold weather to visit our club.

Our new Sergeant-at-Arms TJ called the meeting to order and handed control to President Chris.

Gail, in her new Area Director role gave an update about the District Changeover Dinner which she had attended.

Toastmaster of the evening was Trish who had chosen the theme "All things Extra Terrestrial."

Gail

Trish

Paul proposed a toast to "Intelligent Life."

Word Master Gail presented the word "Vacuum" which was used frequently during the meeting.

John had a challenging Round Robin question for us - "If you were an alien, what would you look like and what would your secret power be?"

Paul

John

There were four prepared speeches. John who is working on the Persuasive Influence path, delivered a moving eulogy - "Farewell to Laurie." A shoebox served as a coffin for Laurie Keet, also known as "Rainbow" who had been a bit of a galah.

John

TJ presented a speech "The Discovery of No Dig Garden Beds." It was a project from the Leadership Development path. 

Helen, working on the Presentation Mastery path, delivered a persuasive speech "A Work in Progress."

Jonathon's inspiring speech "Playing Above the Line" was a project from the Effective Coaching path.

Helen

Jonathon

Speech Evaluators were Gail, Marlene, John & Chris.

Gail

Marlene

John

Chris

Carmy was Timekeeper.

Arun's raffle consisted of wine glasses, a bottle of wine and a set of pretty china bowls. It was won by John.

Carmy

Arun

Supper was provided by Paul.

Arun had some challenging Table Topics for Paul, Marlene, Christiane, Chris, Gail, Jonathon

Arun

Paul- "Communicating with ET"

Marlene - "Keeping ET safe."

Christiane - "Aliens around us?"

Chris - "Travel in space"

Jonathon - "ET could change our life"

Gail - "Search for ET life"

The Table Topics were evaluated by Helen and Robert.

Helen

Robert

Trish presented a short Educational Session on Debating. 

General Evaluator Christiane evaluated everything that had not already been evaluated.

Trish

Christiane

The evenings award winners were Best Speech - John, Best Evaluation - Jonathon, Best Table Topic - Chris, Jonathon & Marlene (tie) Most Improved - TJ.

Awards 8th July 2025

Next meeting 22nd July

Extra meeting (Debate) 29th July

Einbunpin Festival 27th July

Club Officer Training 9th August

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.