This week’s Toastmasters meeting was inspiring, expertly led by our Toastmaster of the Day, Ian Thornton. Ian set the tone for an evening with the theme Embrace Change.

Coincidentally, it was also Valentine’s Day, and Ian kicked things off with a hilarious story from one of his past Valentine’s Days in Gore, involving flowers and a night shift.

Our Grammarian, Stuart Lyons, introduced the Word of the Day: “Cockney.” He shared a bit of background about its origins, tying it to his own roots in England.

Dan Vann took on the role of introducing our first speaker, Alana Bogart, who is preparing for an upcoming presentation in Sydney. Alana delivered a powerful 15 to 20-minute speech, from the “Competition & Other speeches – Education Presentation” Pathway. She shared her incredible work in bringing change to the world of the deafblind community, leaving us all inspired by her dedication and impact.

Next up, Natalie Perzylo introduced Felipe Ribas for his speech titled “How to Train for a Marathon” from the “Presentation Mastery – Writing a speech with purpose” Pathway. Filipe’s speech offered practical tips and motivation for anyone looking to take on the challenge of running a marathon.

Laurel Cornell kept the energy high with her Table Topics session, which tied beautifully into the theme of embracing change which were evaluated by Helen Mcleod.

The meeting wrapped up with a structured evaluation session led by our General Evaluator, Louis Landess. Her “back to basics” approach provided valuable feedback for all roles highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. Roydon Gibbs, our Timer, ensured the meeting stayed on track and delivered a crisp and precise Timer’s report.

A big congratulations to Felipe Ribas for winning the Toastie Award, and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated.

Member blog, by Shaun Jacob