Meeting 655 Sept 24 2008
End of the First Quarter of 2008/09
The September Quarter has special significance for our club. It is the first of the new year. After this we are into a new Renewals period, and usually we see a big changeover in membership. It looks as if this will occur again, and we will have a reduced official member list at World Headquarters. The overall numbers will be less, but the Club is as strong as ever.
The Distinguished Club Program
Victoria Quay is always the leading club in District 73, and therefore in Western Australia. It is true again at the end of the first quarter. We have achieved 7 of the 10 Distinguished Club Program Goals, so we are at the Select Distinguished Club level already. Only 2 other clubs among the 151 Clubs in District 73 are at the Distinguished Club level with at least 5 Goals, and amazingly they are both from Fremantle – Gourmet with 6 Goals and Gateway with 5 Goals.
Gail was Toastmaster.
Gail Jenkins
Gail stepped into the role just before the meeting began when Lynn was ill. We hope she recovers quickly. Gail had no problems in handling the ins and outs of the program. Visitor Phil came again and we expect him to join next week, the first week of the new quarter. Andre was another visitor. He is from Canning Vale Club. We have strong links with Canning Vale through its Founder and Vice President Education Mark.
Andre gave the Inspiration.
Andre was inspired by the help he got from the store where he purchased an mp3 player less than a year ago. When it broke down he took it back and got outstanding service
David Raftery
David presented Table Topics
David invited us to speak about various fanciful situations.
Mark had been honoured for his discovery of penicillin, but he revealed a much more important discovery he was keeping secret. A special version of penicillin was keeping him young. He might look about 40, but really he was over 12.
Lee gave us the true story of what happened in the tunnel when Princess Di died in the accident. It was a terrible put up job, and Lee saw it all.
Gail is a day time estate agent, but at night she has another occupation – Dracula. It is Gail who has been responsible for some of the ghastly nightime accidents – even cot deaths. Gail!!
Phil has been to the Bermuda Triangle and he knows what really goes on there. The answer? – absolutely nothing. It’s just the sea.
Marina revealed a completely unexpected side to her character. She was able to go back in time, to see the assassin about to shoot, and by her daring action save John F Kennedy.
Lee delivered the Tonic. It was about sharks and an extraordinary video she saw on UTube where the fearless diver was able to hypnotise sharks and stroke them. Sharks are worth preserving.
Amanda presented the Table Topics Evaluation.
Hermine Zielinski
Hermine presented From Casket to Eulogy Speech 2 from the Communicating on TV Advanced Manual – the Talk Show. David N was the compere who introduced Hermine as the latest World Champion Speaker from Toastmasters International. He fired a series of questions at Hermine which covered her introduction to Public Speaking, peoples fears about Public Speaking, what they can do to improve their speaking skills, and of course the value from joining Toastmasters International. Now there were the questions that Hermine had prepared for her host, but at the end David fired a completely unexpected question at her – what did it feel like to be up there competing for the World Championship. Hermine was obviously surprised, but coped brilliantly as she described what it is like to step off the edge of a steep cliff in a hang-glider. That’s what Public Speaking is like on the big stage.
Tony evaluated Hermine.
Tammy Lee
Tammy’s Project 7 speech was titled The law of attraction.
Tammy had attended a Workshop where the presenter recommended a book – The Secret. Tammy confessed that she is a rather skeptical person who doesn’t take easily to new age stuff, but she bought the book, read it and is a convert. She explained various ideas from the book and recommended that we all get it and read it. She bought 10 copies and handed them around as Christmas presents last year. She showed us a copy of the book and passed it around the group. She ended with “The secret is for you and for everyone.”
Glenis evaluated Tammy.
Alan Smith
Alan’s speech was titled Balance.
He got us off balance right at the beginning by referring to problems at the Hadron Collider. Alas! That had nothing to do with his big problem right now in the garden – getting out a stump. He is saving money and the anguish of watching professionals wreck his shrubs by doing it himself. But he has found himself running up against various Laws of Physics, particularly the inconvenient one about equal and opposite forces. His 75 kgs are no match for the stump’s 1.5 tonnes. So he is proposing Victoria Quay plan for an outside meeting at his house in Booragoon so our members can work on defeating the equal and opposite forces law and then discuss physics in the contest of Alan’s balanced life.
Hermine evaluated Alan.
Amanda Siebert
Amanda’s Highlights were a series of extremely probing questions which dealt among other things with Andre’s mp3 player, Hermine’s life on the edge, Tammy’s scepticism, the Hadron Collider and the venue for the next meeting.
Mark evaluated the evaluators.
Craig gave the Timing Report.
David evaluated the meeting.
Gail closed the meeting, and then as President conducted an information session. Peta hadn’t spoken during the meeting so she got a chance right then. Gail congratulated Claire on winning the W21 Humorous Contest the previous Saturday afternoon. Andre, our visitor from Canning Vale Toastmasters, gave his impressions of the meeting – they were very favourable. Visitor Phil spoke as if he was going to join the club. We will know next week. Marina is back at the club and intends to attend regularly.
Glenis spoke passionately about our Newsletter, Quaywords. She urged those who hadn’t yet contributed to send her 100 words about their experience of Victoria Quay.
Gail prepared the supper.