Carlow Toastmasters Newsletter May 2011 – First edition
Welcome from Dina Brazil, the Carlow Club President. Welcome to the first club newsletter from Carlow Toastmasters. Carlow Toastmasters was chartered in 1996 and since then has been an active club of more than 20 members. We welcome members of all ages and occupations and the aim of the club is to foster the development of communication and leadership skills in a supportive environment. When asked, current members say they have joined for a wide range of reasons ranging from curiosity to wanting to be
able to deliver a speech at an important occasion. Every member follows an individual programme, setting their own goals and time frame. The Toastmaster philosophy is to learn by doing. We do this by completing a series of structured projects found in the Toastmaster manuals. By listening to the constructive feedback offered by other members we learn to develop and perfect our speaking skills. In addition to the prepared speeches, Table Topics allow us to develop quick thinking and the ability to give short unprepared talks on a range of topics. This always proves to be a popular and entertaining part of the meeting. Why did I join Toastmasters? Curiosity I suppose, what’s more important why did I stay? I‘ve found a great supportive friendly club where I am always educated and entertained in great company. Visitors are always welcome to our club to come and see what we do and decide if they would like to become members. A warm welcome
is always on offer from the Toastmasters at the Seven Oaks. We also have a facebook page so do ‘like’ us and see all our updates and hear what is going on at Carlow Toastmasters. Carlow Toastmasters First and Third Wednesday. SeptMay.8pm in the Seven Oaks Hotel Contact Lorna for more info on 086 1051007 Find us on Facebook too
We hope you enjoy our first newsletter from Carlow Toastmasters, where we tell you about past members, the role of the PRO within Toastmasters, our Liam Butler award and our treasurer, Kay Keating, tells us about her enjoyment of the bi-annual Toastmaster conferences she attends
Carlow Toastmasters has been very honoured this year as Lucia Hughes, one of our members, has become the PRO of District 71 and in our first newsletter, she tells us about that honour and some of the duties that goes with it.
The role of D71 PRO has been a busy one since I took up office in July of 2010. I was elected to the post at the conference in Sligo in May and as with all officers took up my new position on July 1st . One of my responsibilities is to publish six editions of the D71 newsletter. The current edition is about contests and bringing Toastmasters to young people through Youth Leadership Programmes in schools. Sourcing the articles has brought me in touch with members from all across the District. I am also charged with widening the profile of Toastmasters and assisting the other members of the D71 Executive under the
leadership of the District Governor Teresa Dukes to bring D71 to its highest potential in the world rankings. My name goes forward for election to Ltg Governor Marketing in London in May. I will attend the congress and world Public Speaking championships in Las Vegas in August with three other members of the D71 Executive; here we will attend two full days of training. Since I joined Toastmasters in 2000 every year has been marked with a personal achievement. My CC award was the first in a long line of TI awards. The first conference I attended was held in Bath. The friends I made there are still to this day people I meet regularly at conferences. I was appointed Area Governor 2005 and Elected Division D Governor the following year. Establishing Athy Toastmasters in 2006 was
rewarding beyond my imaginings. The club has prospered and has produced two Area Governors and have hosted two Area finals. My last award was my DTM in May 2008. My home club Carlow is very special and I have received valuable feedback and support in everything I have done. Supporting new comers and passing on any information I have is just a small return for all I have gained in this organisation that will never grow stale to me. I have made some wonderful friends at Toastmasters Lucia Hughes DTM D71 PR Officer
Past President, John McDarby, remembers past members of Carlow Toastmasters and tells us more about our treasured Liam Butler Dolmen Award.
The Liam Butler Dolmen Award was made by our late club Past-President and Past Area Governor. Liam was a gifted stone mason and sculptor. He created this award to mark the exceptional contribution of a member at each club meeting.
Liam also crafted a black marble scroll for all Carlow club charter members and contributed a story for the clubs book “Lest we forget.” Liam’s story was called “Finger smith” and tells an amusing story about a pick pocket he met in Australia.
We remember other deceased club members at this time: Alice Murray, Abe Huggard, Carmel Shannon and Christy Sheehy.
Above: The late Liam Butler DTM Right: (l to r) Lucia Hughes, Mary Hogan and Alice Murray
One important aspect of Toastmasters is that of fun and of conferences. One of our members, Kay Keating, tells us about her involvement in Toastmasters and how much she enjoys it. The Toastmasters conferences have become my bi-annual mini breaks. The organisation and structure of the conferences demonstrate the inner workings of such a fine organisation and I have met so many people who enjoy Toastmasters just as much as I do. The Conference begins with registration on Friday afternoons and on Friday night the official opening of the Conference takes place with the procession of Irish and UK Flags. The theme on Friday night is always fancy dress and I have enjoyed dressing up as a “flower power person”, as a pageboy in “Peter Pan “, as a nun for “Saints and Scholars” and at the May 2010 conference as Princess Leah from Star Wars. A world class programme of workshops takes place on Saturday and Sunday. The Official business of
Saturday night is the opportunity to put on your best formal frock. Dinner and Dancing is the order of the evening. Sunday morning brings the Table Topics Contest in Spring and the Evaluation Contest in Autumn. Toastmasters takes place in the form of a Council Meeting and if you ever wanted to know all about TM, this is the learning room. I was fascinated to see a timer at the back of the room. Even at council meetings timing is all essential.
There is a guest speaker on the Saturday afternoon. My favourite was Darren LaCroix last year. He was the 2001 Toastmasters International Speech Contest Winner. The speech contests are always held on Saturday afternoons. In Spring the Humourous and in Autumn the International speech contest. They are the culmination of three months of club, area and division contests. It would be my dream to represent my club in one of the finals. Would it be yours?
The Hall of Fame is the second last item on the agenda and last year our own deceased friend Noel O’Farrell was honoured with a posthumous award for his work and dedication to Toastmasters. The business of the Toastmasters Conference are only part of a wonderful weekend. The fun and laughter rings aloud throughout the venue for the entire weekend. I have met numerous wonderful fellow Toastmasters. We have argued and agreed accordingly with successful speeches and judges amongst ourselves, swapped ideas, noted their topics experiences and come away from each Conference with a penchant and a lust for the next one. Roll on Windsor on 6th to 8th May 2011 - aptly named “2011, A Spring Odyssey”. ......Kay Keating