Archive for the ‘District News’ Category

Noel Pearson has been recognized for his lifelong devotion to changing people’s thinking and attitudes towards Indigenous Australians.

The lawyer, academic, land rights activist and author received District 69’s Communicator and Leader Award for 2009-2010 at the Northern Division Conference in Cairns on 26 March.

Photo caption: (From left) International Director Region 12 Mike Storkey DTM, Immediate Past District Governor Coral McVean DTM, award recipient Noel Pearson, District Governor Bruce George DTM and Lieutenant Governor Education and Training John Kay DTM at the Northern Division Conference in Cairns.

Noel was the unanimous choice by the leadership team of District Governor Bruce George, Lieutenant Governor Education and Training John Kay and Immediate Past District Governor Coral McVean.

This trophy is presented each year to a non Toastmaster who has shown themselves to be a good communicator and leader.

The founder of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership, Noel has devoted his life to breaking down passive welfare dependency and reinstating the rights of aboriginal people to take responsibility for their lives.

Since the late 1990s he has strongly argued that Indigenous Policy needs to change direction in relation to welfare, substance abuse, child protection and economic development.

Over the years Noel has contributed regular articles as an opinion writer in the Australian and Weekend Australian newspapers. He is widely respected and regarded as one of Australia’s most influential, original and provocative thinkers.

Noel was born in Cooktown and grew up in Hopevale, a Lutheran Mission in the Cape York Peninsula. He attended primary school there before going to St Peter’s Secondary School in Brisbane as a boarder.  He graduated from Sydney University with a law and history degree and wrote his thesis on the Hopevale Mission.

He is currently a member of an expert panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians, who will report their findings by December 2011.

Although Noel has not held any political positions his award nominator, Toastmaster Vernon Flood, believes Noel should be our Prime Minister.

Could Your Club Benefit From A Helping Hand?

It is well known that Clubs go through cycles with respect to membership levels and that sometimes despite the best efforts to the contrary, numbers drop. If your Club’s numbers are 12 or less, please consider the benefits of getting a Club Coach (or 2) on side.

Club coaches have much to offer besides being another ‘bum on a seat’. They are usually experienced Toastmasters who bring with them the gift of fresh eyes, alternate perspectives, new ideas and bundles of energy that can help stimulate and refresh interest and passion in your Club.

Ingham Toastmasters in North Qld is one Club that has recently applied for a Club Coach and it is with pleasure that it can be announced that Sue Bandaranaike and Leigh-Anne Metcalf have accepted this assignment. Both are outstanding Toastmasters with enviable achievements. No doubt this will be a mutually beneficial journey for all involved.

Are YOU A Hand That Can Help?

Aside from the personal satisfaction that a Club Coach earns through seeing the fruits of their input in Club growth and members thriving, a Club Coach also achieves credit towards their Advanced Leadership Silver Award which is a necessary step before achieving the DTM. Are you someone ready to take on this challenge?

If the glove fits for either your Club (you have 12 or less members and want and helping hand) or for you personally (you are ready to take on the challenge of being a Club Coach) please contact me. My name is Anne McKinnon and I have taken up the District Head Coach position since Kevin Wright resigned.

I can be contacted by email on anniemac2@live.com.au, or on my mobile on 0406 029 746.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Did you realise that the Toastmaster year is already almost 21 days old?

How prepared are we for the exciting year ahead.  To help us set the scene for a successful year each club is asked to participate in the Toastmasters International Membership Building Contests through out the year.

Members are the lifeblood of, and key to, the strength of your club and our organisation.  We build the strength of our clubs by retaining current members and inducting new ones. Although membership building should be an ongoing continual activity, throughout the year, Toastmasters provides additional encouragement and reward for our efforts through special membership building contests.

Club Contests

1. Smedley Award : 1 August 2010 – 30 September 2010
2. Talk Up Toastmasters! 1 February 2011 – 31 March 2011
3. Beat the Clock: 1 May 2011 – 30 June 2011

Individual Member Sponsors

Program Dates:  1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011

Toastmasters International recognises that most members of Toastmasters joined a club because someone invited them to a meeting.  They recognise the importance of our individual members in our membership building efforts and reward members who sponsor 5, 10 or 15 new members during the Toastmasters year.

Visit the TMI website

Find out more about how your club and members can be recognised and rewarded.

Clubs’ progress will be regularly posted on the website.

It is important to remember that year long attention to membership will bring the best results.  Keep the Contest dates in mind and plan ahead for each of them.

• Download the Membership Building Plan strategy document.

Rose Chant
District 69 Public Relations Officer

We understand that many of our members may be affected by the floods which have swept our district. A number may have had to evacuate their homes. Some very generous Toastmasters who are high and dry have opened their homes to other Toastmasters. Here are the homes with space available in Brisbane suburbs:

1. Clayfield

• 3 or 4 beds available from now until the 29th of January 2011
• Contact: 0400 164 088 or 0447 415 372

2. Moorooka

• beds for 2-3 people
• 0429 002 747

3. Tingalpa

• 1 bed available until 28 January 2011
• 0419 674 599

4. Kenmore

• No of Beds: Numerous beds
• Duration: as long as needed
• Contact: 0403 379 183 or 3374 3450

5. Gold Coast

• Location: close to Varsity Lakes station and M1 freeway
• No of beds: one double and one single bed
• Duration: for as long as they like.
• Contact: 0407 753 520

If you have temporary accommodation please contact Public Relations Officer on pro@toastmastersd69.org to have your location added to our list.

Congratulations to every member of every club!

Through your commitment to assisting your members to achieve their goals our District is a Distinguished District.

Thank you Area Governors, Division Governors , Leadership Team and all members of our Support Team for your dedication to your members, clubs, areas , divisions and district.

Once again may I remind any member who is close to completing his/ her goals to strive to complete their goal . You still have 10 days in this Toastmasters year.

Coral McVean

Since the start of our March to May Madness membership drive, we have gained 244 new members

This is how the clubs stand at May 7th 2010:

5 Clubs with 6 new members

Ballina; Telstra Transit; Sunnybank; Indooroopilly; Business Focus

3 Clubs with 5 new members

Forest Lake; Goalsetters; 111

10 Clubs with 4 new members

Hervey Bay; Riverside; DC; Aurecon; Boyd Park; Townsville; Tambourine Mt; Uniting; Goondiwindi; Southern Cross

14 Clubs with 3 new members

Nambour; Caloundra; Upper Mt. Gravatt; Redlands; Morning Stars; Jimboomba; Western Suburbs; Maunsell NQ Raconteurs; Darwin; Innisfail; Gold Coast; Nerang; MullumMagic; Ipswich

39 Clubs with 2 new members

39 Clubs with 1 new member

Congratulations to the 102 clubs who have gained at least one new member and to Ballina; Telstra Transit; Sunnybank; Indooroopilly; Business Focus; Forest Lake; Goalsetters and 111 Toastmasters Clubs who have already achieved their target!

With 3 weeks to go, which of the 10 Clubs with 4 new members is going to join them?

Remember - a Success/ Leadership or Success/ Communication module of your choice is awarded to all clubs who gain 5 or more new members between Mar 1 and May 31 2010.

Charlie Starrett
PRO