Meeting 1190 "New Beginnings"

 Toastmaster Arun chose the theme "New Beginnings" for our first meeting in 2026. 

Arun

We were thrilled to welcome two guests, Mali (a return visitor) and Peter's son Stephen.

President Chris welcomed everyone to the meeting and offered congratulations to Christiane on becoming an Australian citizen during the Australia Day celebrations.

Chris

Christiane

Christiane had brought a calendar for each person. Some struggled to read it before realising it was in German.

Tracey presented a toast to "Universal Reset."

Marlene

With a nod to the previous Australia Day, the word of the day chosen by Marlene was "Strine," a colloquial word for Australian slang. Rather than use the actual word "Strine" Marlene invited everyone to use some Australian slang words during the meeting. Some of the words & expressions used were G'day, bonzer, dead set, crack a cold one, Straya, flamin' cockatoo, Good on ya, Stone the crows, Mate, cobbers and cobra, rat up a drain pipe, drongo, and give it a go. 

Round Robin Master John asked, "What is the latest new skill you have  learned?"

John

There were three prepared speeches.  Paul used plenty of body language to tell how he had run a marathon. He also conducted a question-and-answer session.

It was evaluated by Jonathon.

Paul

Jonathon

Audience

Christiane told about the process involved in becoming an Australian citizen. Many Australians would not have been able to answer some of the questions that Christiane was asked!

Josh evaluated Christiane's speech.

Christiane

Josh

Eoin's speech was about AI, particularly CHAT GPT. He explained it in an easy way to follow and understand, and he encouraged us to use it. "AI won't take your job, but somebody using it might."

Marlene evaluated Eoin's speech.

Eoin

Marlene

Peter presented the raffle, which was a voucher for the Round Table Coffee shop at Bracken Ridge, also a bottle of wine, and chocolate.

Timekeeper Narelle announced that we were running slightly ahead of time.

Supper was provided by Chris and Marlene.

The Table Topics session was run by Paul with theme related topics.

Paul

"If you could live in a different country, which would it be? " Peter.

"What new skill or talent would you like to have?" Christiane.

"If you could do over one day in your life, which would it be?" Tracey.

"What is the best advice when changing your career?" Narelle.

"What old habit would you like to break?" Chris.

The Table Topics were evaluated by John and Maddy.

John

Maddy

Erin mounted the Soapbox and deplored the wastage in the fashion industry. She urged us to shop at Thrift Shops.

Carmy presented a General Evaluation of the meeting.

Erin

Carmy

Award winners of the evening were Eoin and Erin (Most Improved - tie,) Narelle (Best Table Topic,) Jonathon (Best Evaluation,) and Paul (Best Speech.)

Eoin is not really a giant.
                                                

Award winners 28th Jan 26.

Next meeting Tuesday 10th February.

Meeting 1189 Christmas Breakup

 Our Christmas Breakup meeting was fun! We celebrated with good food, Round Robin, Table Topics (Everyone had a topic!) and Secret Santa.

Our club is now in recess for the holiday period and will resume on Tuesday 27th January 2026.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Chris

Scarlett

Blake

  

Eoin

Trish

     

Peter

Mali

   

Jonathon

Peter D

  

Scarlett

Peter S

John

Eoin

Meeting 1188 "Theory of Relativity"

Some photos from our last meeting. More information may be added later.

Chris -Toastmaster

Maddy - Word Master

Carmy - Round Robin Master

John

Round Robin

Round Robin

John - Speech

Erin - Speech

Eoin- Speech

Eoin - Speech

Gail - Speech

Scarlett - Timer

Maddy - Evaluator

Liz - Evaluator

Christiane - Evaluator

Narelle was also an Evaluator. Also Raffle Master.

Supper supplied by Chris.

Marlene TT Master

Erin - Who am I?

Robert - Table Topics

General Evaluator - Chris.

Guests were Carsten, Karen & Robert.

Award winners to be added later.

Meeting 1187 - St Martin's Day

Remembrance, Reflection & a Little Mystery: Sandgate Toastmasters, 11 November 2025

Meeting 1187

2024 Execs — officially President’s Distinguished!

Our St Martin's Day/Remembrance Day meeting was one to remember — equal parts warmth, wit, and wonderful speeches. With six guests in attendance, the room was alive with energy as we honoured both Remembrance Day and St Martin’s Day, celebrating generosity and community in true Sandgate spirit.

Word Master - Carmy

President Helen and the executive team were congratulated for achieving the President’s Distinguished Award in 2024, and we proudly welcomed returning member Josh back to the club.

Our Toastmaster for the evening, Christiane, guided the night seamlessly. Jonathon’s toast—a touching tribute to his grandfather’s generosity—set the tone beautifully, proposing a heartfelt “toast to generosity.” The Word of the Evening, chosen by Carmy, was Memorial, reminding us of the significance of remembrance.

During the Round Robin, members reflected on whether Remembrance Day remains important today — and it was clear from the thoughtful responses that it truly does.

Prepared Speeches

1. Jillian opened with "The Art of Insights" (and how she became a gamer) — a witty, self-reflective piece exploring creativity and learning through play. (Evaluator: Arun)

2. Maddy followed with First Impressions, a fresh and relatable look at perception and authenticity. (Evaluator: Marlene)

3. Helen, joined by Peter and John, closed the session with the delightfully dramatic "The Mysterious Case of the Missing Easyspeak" — complete with theme music, quick wit, and a dose of 'it’s not a crime, it’s a strategy'. (Evaluator: Paul)

Marlene and Maddy

Helen, Peter and John T

Business & Table Topics

Carmy chaired the business meeting, keeping it short and sweet, Sandgate style, before Jonathon took the stage for a creative Table Topics session:

• When has someone’s kindness surprised you? — Josh

• Who or what do you want to remember with gratitude? — Scarlett

• In honour of Singles Day, how would you treat yourself? — TJ

• Have you ever been unexpectedly asked to lead? — Chris

• If you were to invent a patron saint of Sandgate, who would it be? — Peter

Returning member Josh evaluated the even table topics, while John T acted as General Evaluator, praising the team for their confident delivery and constructive feedback.

Awards & Highlights

Award Recipients: Helen, Chris (President), Peter, & Paul

🏆 Best Speech: Jillian and Helen (& Co.)
🌟 Most Improved: Jillian
💬 Best Table Topic: Peter
📝 Best Evaluator: Paul
🎉 Word of the Evening Winner: Christiane
🎟️ Raffle Winner: Carmy

Raffle Master - Chris

Special thanks to Eoin for keeping perfect time and to Chris for providing the raffle and closing the meeting with warmth and enthusiasm, as well as to all our guests for making the night extra special.

We’ll be back on 25 November for our next gathering — and if this meeting was any indication, it’s sure to be another night of laughter, learning, and community.

Want to grow your confidence, communication and leadership skills?
Join us at our next meeting! 👋

📧 Email toastmasters.int.sandgate@gmail.com to find out more!

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