Meeting 900 "Wheels"

I missed our 900th meeting, but Leesa has taken some photos. Thanks Leesa! 

If you were at the meeting we'd love to have your input on what happened.

John S

John  S. was Toastmaster of the evening.

Jonathon

Jonathon presented the raffle. It was won by our guest, Ian.

Some of the Audience

Annette

Annette had the winning ticket for the raffle from the District Conference. Unfortuntely, the prize was a kilo bag of salted nuts & Annette is on a salt free diet. The raffle was redrawn & Liz We won it.

Dave

Dave evaluated Trish's speech

Liz We

 General Evaluation by Liz We

Trish

 Trish was voted best Speaker

Winners
Amanda, Peter, Trish, Jennine & John S

Amanda (Personal Best,) Peter (Best Table Topic,) Trish (Best Speech,) Jennine (Best Evaluation,) & John S (Best Contribution.)

Meeting 899 "Childhood Memories" & Election

Toastmaster Dave, Amanda

It was another fun filled meeting. 
Toastmaster Dave kept us entertained with stories from his childhood. 

The Toast was presented by Jim and the Mission Statement read by Nick.

Jim, Nick reading Mission Statement, Harry

 We welcomed Ben, a member of ACS Toastmasters, who was visiting our club. also Ernie who has been a member of our club, but hasn't been able to attend meetings for some time.

Our Word Master was not present, but Amanda who was in the Hot Seat had come prepared and presented the word "Gambol." It means to play boisterously, or (noun) a light hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement. 

Several people used the word during the evening.

Round Robin Master Ron asked what naughty things we had done during our childhood. This resulted in some amusing confessions.

Monica had prepared the first three Table Topics, which Jonathon presented in her absence.
They were "I wish I was young again because....., " 

"Why are today's childhoods just as good as they were in the past?"  and

"Tell about some games you played as a child."

Robert, Ron and Inge seemed to have no trouble speaking on these topics.

Robert, Ron & Inge

The second three topics were presented by Inge.
"If you accidentally bumped and dinted another car in a parking lot and nobody was around, would you report it?"

"What profession would you have chosen, other than the one you did?" (This is not the same wording Inge used.)

"Manners."  (Can't remember the exact topic, it was very involved.)

These were answered by Leesa, Marlene & Sharyn.

Leesa,  Marlene, & Sharyn

The Table Topics were evaluated by John T and our guest Toastmaster, Ben.

John T

Ben

There were two speeches. The first scheduled speaker was unable to attend, so Marlene presented a speech she had performed many years ago.  (It's a good idea to keep a  copy of your speeches. You never know when they might be needed.) It was about incidents from her son's childhood and how his behaviour was appropriate for his age.

Harry

Later, when Time Keeper Liz W confessed that she had forgotten to time one of the meeting segments, Sharyn said, "That's alright, that's appropriate for your age!"

Harry gave us an informative speech on visual aids, and offered some useful tips, such as never use coloured text on coloured backgrounds, and never use the font, comic sans.
 (Later when passing round the self nomination sheet for next meeting, VPE Marlene said "You'll notice the names are printed in Comic Sans....")

The speeches were evaluated by Terry and Maureen.

Terry

Maureen

Robert provided the biscuits for supper and thoughtfully had brought some gluten free crackers for those on a special diet.

The Business Session was chaired by Amanda, bravely stepping in at the last minute. It was her first time in that role and Parliamentarian John S congratulated her on the way she handled it. Immediate Past President Sharyn was called on to conduct the Election of Club Officer during the Business Session.

Congratulations to our newly elected club officers who will take on their roles from the beginning of July, when our new Toastmasters year commences.

President	Liz We
Vice President Education	Marlene
Vice President Membership	Maureen
Vice President Public Relations	Amanda
Secretary	Leesa
Treasurer	Nicole
Sergeant at Arms	Ron
Parliamentarian & Auditor	John S
Web Site Coordinator	Marlene

Leesa's raffle was a selection of sweets that we all remembered from childhood - Clinkers, Freckles, Jaffas, etc. It was won by Amanda.

Did you know that John S is a direct descendant of William the Conqueror? He had brought a long list of descendants to prove it.

Nicole

Annette

Nicole gave us an encouraging General Evaluation and Annette handed out the evenings awards. They went to
Amanda (Personal Best,) Maureen and John T - tie (Best Evaluation,) Harry (Best Speech,) Ron (Best Table Topic,) and Dave (Best Contribution.)

Award winners 14 th May 2013

Meeting 898 "Travellers Tales" Speechfest

 Club Ambassadors Chris, Del & with June

We were pleased to welcome special guests Chris and Del from Chermside Communicators. Chris and Del are taking part in the Club Ambassador Programme, which involves visiting other Toastmasters Clubs and taking part in the meeting.

Toastmaster June kept the meeting flowing with anecdotes and travelling tips in between meeting segments.

Terry read the mission statement & proposed the Toast, then Annette had the pleasure of inducting three new members, Jim, Nick and Bev.

All three new members bravely took part in Annette's Table Topics. In keeping with the theme of the meeting, Jim was asked to speak on what mode of travel her preferred, plane, train or ship. Bev answered the question, "On your bucket list, where do you still want to travel?" and Nick was asked, "Why should you holiday in Australia?"

Experienced member Trish was given a more challenging topic - "As an experienced caravan traveller, what advice what you give to others considering caravanning?"  Trish gave such good advice, it was hard to believe that she has never actually travelled in a caravan!

The Table Topics were evaluated by Del.

Jim

Bev

Nick

Trish

The meeting was a feast of speeches.
Peter presented his Icebreaker speech, "My VIP Journey." Peter told us of his life as a VIP - Visually Impaired Person. Her provided special simulation goggles for everyone so we could understand how a person with Retinis Pigmentosa views the world.

Seeing what it's like

Peter

Trish evaluated  Peter"s speech and commended him for his use of humour.

Kerry's spoke about "Fragrances" - the unique smell of a country and how aromas can evoke memories.
Her speech was evaluated by Harry.

Kerry

Harry

Maureen's speech title was "What is the answer to procrastination?"  Maureen said she has found the answer. She has been using a programme called "Smart Sheet."

Jennine evaluated Maureen's speech.

Maureen

Jennine

Jonathon was the fourth speaker. His speech, "Celebrate the Surprises of the Journey." was about his trip to India while making a documentary and the insights that he gained.

It was evaluated by John S

Jonathon

John S

Annette kept us entertained with  her wonderful gestures  as she spoke about her efforts to take up golf. 

Her speech was evaluated by Leesa.

Entertained Audience - Leesa in foreground.

Annette

Sharyn

Our 6th speaker Sharyn spoke about the necessity for planning when travelling and gave us a humorous account of trip that lasted longer than she had allowed for after drinking a large quantity of water.

Her speech was evaluated by Dave.

Inge

Inge's raffle was a combination of items including a tote bag, cushion, apron, tea towels, cookbook, and a novel. The lucky winner was Trish.

Since it was almost Anzac Day, John S recited the well known fourth verse of the Ode of Remembrance.

"They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old,

Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, 
We will remember them.
LEST WE FORGET"


General Evaluator Chris gave us some encouraging feed back on the meeting.

Annette reminded us that it will be three weeks till the next meeting.


Award winners were Peter (Best Speech and Personal Best,) Nick & Bev (Best Table Topic - tie,) Trish (Best Evaluation,) and June (Best Contribution.)

Awards winners 23rd April

As there are 5 Tuesdays in April, it will be three weeks till the next meeting on the 14th May, when we will conduct our Club Officer Elections. 

Meeting 897 "Health"

We had a healthy attendance at the meeting and there were four guests, Christiane, Bev, Jim and Nick. President Annette opened the meeting and presented new members Peter and Ron with their membership badge.

Peter & Ron received new member badges

Nicole

 Toastmaster of the evening was Nicole, who skillfully segued from one item to the next with interesting information and quotes.

Jennine proposed the toast and Harry introduced the word for the evening - "Badinage", which means humorous conversation, banter, pleasantry, joke, jest or raillery. There is usually some badinage at our meetings!

Peter conducted the Round Robin and asked, "What do you do to keep the doctor away?" The answers were varied. "Eat Craisins," "Drink plenty of water," Exercise,"  "Dark chocolate,"  "Low protein diet," "Stay positive" "Sleep," "Badinage," etc.

Terry

Marlene presented the Table Topics that John S had prepared. (Thanks for sending them through, John!) They were in the form of a mini debate. Robert was called on to answer the first topic.
"We hear a lot about the ability of the two sexes to withstand pain. Do you believe men are babies when it comes to health matters?"
Then Annette was asked, "You disagree strongly on everything said. Why?" 
The next one was for Liz We.  "Given that we have transplants for those who smoke too much; liver transplants for those who drink too much and operations for those who eat to much - should menical help be given only to those who help themselves?"
And Jennine was asked, "Why do you disagree?"

The Table Topics were  evaluated by Terry.

Ron presented his Icebreaker speech, and spoke of his heritage and his journey to Australia. He cleverly captivated our attention by offering a block of chocolate to whoever could pronounce his surname correctly and also who could tell its origin.

The second speaker was Amanda, who gave some fascinating  insights and  information about Greetings.

The speeches were evaluated by Maureen and Liz Wo.

Liz Wo

Maureen

There was a 15 minute break for supper and possibly some badinage.

While Homer looked on wistfully from under the table. 

The Business Session was conducted by Dave. The main items discussed were the motions on notices that are to be voted on at the  District Conference on the 4th & 5th May.

Inge presented a Handy Hint. She spoke about the use of hands while speaking and how it is hard to hear the speaker if they keep their hands close to their face.

This was followed by a joke by Robert.

Inge

Robert

Sharyn's Raffle, a selection of healthy treats, was won by Dave.

Trish conducted the General Evaluation.

Sharyn

Trish

Award winners were Amanda,(Best Speech,) Maureen (Best Evaluation,) Liz We (Best Table Topic,) Nicole (Best Contribution,) and Ron (Personal Best.) Robert's dog, Homer wanted to be in the picture.

Winners

Next meeting is a Speechfest, "Travellers Tales." We are looking forward to hearing some interesting stories.

Don't forget our club officer election is at the first meeting in May. See the previous post for a description of the roles.

Time to Nominate

The Election of new Club Officers is only a month away. Please consider taking on a role this year. It is a wonderful experience, being part of the team. If you are not ready to take on a full role, you might like to act as an assistant to someone else - or an experienced member might like to assist someone performing a role for the first time.

If you are interested in nominating for a role, speak to the current  Executive Officer to find out what it entails.

Here is a brief overview of the Executive Roles.

 CLUB OFFICER ROLES

PRESIDENT
Attend club officer training day (held in June & February.)
Attend and vote at District Council meetings and Conferences (or authorise a club member to do so.)
Make sure guests are warmly welcomed. Speak with them before & after meeting.
Open & close meetings.
Oversee plan to achieve Distinguished Club programme goals.
Encourage members to acheive their goals.
Chair executive meetings.

VICE PRESIDENT EDUCATION
Attend club officer training day (held in June & February.)
Attend and vote at District Council meetings and Conferences (or authorise a club member to do so.)
Prepare programme for meetings
Track members progress
Initial speaker's Records of Assignments & submit award applications to World Headquarters.
Explain Toastmasters programme to new members
Assign mentors for new members
Attend club executive meetings

VICE PRESIDENT MEMBERSHIP
Attend club officer training day (held in June & February.)
Follow up on guests, new members, & members not attending meetings.
Greet guests and give them information on Toastmasters. Get them to fill in information sheet about themselves.
Help prospective members to fill in membership application form, collect their fees and submit it to World Headquarters.
Keep membership list up to date.
Speak with fellow members to determine if their needs are being met.

VICE PRESIDENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
Attend club officer training day (held in June & February.)
Promote the club via local newspapers, posters in shops, etc.
Announce upcoming events.
Greet members & guests.
Attend club executive meetings.

SECRETARY
Attend club officer training day (held in June & February.)
Send new Club Officer list to World Headquarters within 10 days after election.
Handle club correspondence.
Keep Club files, minutes, resolutions & correspondence.
Record & read meeting minutes.
Greet members & guests.
Attend club executive meetings.

TREASURER
Attend club officer training day (held in June & February.)
Provide bank with new signatures.
Prepare & send dues statements by August 15 / February 15
Collect & send dues to World Headquarters by Oct1 & April 1
Work with VPM to contact members who have not paid dues.
Pay accounts as due.
Keep records of financial transactions.
Present written & verbal reports quarterly.
Submit club accounts for audit.
Attend club executive meetings.

SERGEANT AT ARMS
Attend club officer training day (held in June & February.)
Maintain Club equipment & keep adequate number of supplies.
Provide milk, tea, coffee.
Arrange room for meeting (Everyone helps)
Make sure lectern is in place, voting slips distributed, etc.
Greet visiting Area Governor etc & escort them to the President.
Ensure meeting starts on time.
Collect and tally votes for awards.
Greet members & guests.
Attend club executive meetings.  

You can find more information on the Toastmasters International Website.