In 1987 Bruce Bedson would never have imagined that he would still be looking forward to attending Toastmaster meetings in September 2017. Congratulations Bruce our longest serving member. Thirty years is a long time to have remained a member of any club. Werribee Toastmasters value your knowledge and history of Werribee Toastmasters. I will touch on 3 aspects of Werribee Toastmasters. Youth Leadership, Conventions and Members. Youth Leadership In 1997 VPE Audrey Selley organised to run a Youth Leadership course at Westbourne Grammar for 15 senior students. 2017 is the twentieth year that this course has been running. During the last 20 years many members of Werribee Toastmasters have presented Educationals or run the course.
Over the past 20 years Werribee has also presented Youth Leadership Courses at - The Grange S.C., Hoppers Crossing S.C., Emmanuel College and Laverton S.C. Currently May Wilson and I are working with the grade 5 and 6's at Seaholme Primary School. May has run this course with numerous assistants 2000, I have been assisting since 2006. Youth Leadership is another way in which Werribee members can grow and also serve the community. Semi Annual Conventions Both the Tullamarine and the Werribee Mansion conventions could not have been held without the hard work and input from the members of Werribee.
Tullamarine convention was an Area event, the Werribee Mansion convention relied on the members from Werribee. Werribee members introduced the workshop presenters, manned the registration desk, chaired the sessions in the main hall, introduced the key note speakers. Werribee members made sure that the rooms were ready and any props needed were in place. Sandy Cooper drove a mini bus collecting people from a neighbouring motels and taking people to and from the station. We had members who found sponsors for the convention, chased up donations in kind and in cash. Werribee Toastmasters were on show that weekend and came up roses. Members The members of Werribee are the life blood of the club. People come and people go and this is how it should be. Toastmasters is for the individual. It is the members of the club who encourage and support the new members as they work through the first 10 speeches in the Communication and Leadership manual. If you want to gain the confidence to speak up at the union meeting or to speak at your sports presentation dinner that is fine, we will welcome you to join Toastmasters. We also wish you well when you achieve your aims and you leave. Toastmasters is where you learn public speaking skills and practice them. Toastmasters actually needs a constant influx of new members and subsequently the new ideas they bring, to keep the momentum flowing. As I have said Toastmasters is a moving feast. Every meeting provides a feast for the brain.
Wendy Powell, DTM
September, 2017
Wendy Powell, DTM
September, 2017
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