Raconteurs: Toastmasters Club

06/09/2026

You are all invited to Raconteurs Toastmasters this coming Thursday for an evening of either riotous fun and laughter or total chaos when we have our "Back To Front" meeting. We begin with the closing remarks and conclude with the opening welcome, and everything will possibly go downhill from there. Be sure to bring your laughter gear with you, to the Bartley's Hotel. Bartley Tce, West Lakes Shore, 6.45pm for a 7pm start.

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06/09/2026

Raconteurs Toastmasters hosted our annual Club Speech Contests (Table Topics and International) on 27 August 2026.

🏆 Table Topics Contest. Topic: “There has to be a better way”
🥇 1st Place: Brooke Dilmetz
🥈 2nd Place: John Gillespie
🥉 3rd Place: Julian Z.

🏆 International Speech Contest
🥇 1st Place: Marc Ocampo Ramos
🥈 2nd Place: Julian Z.
Congratulations to all our winners! 👏

Our first-place winners, Brooke Dilmetz and Marc Ocampo Ramos, will represent the club at the Area-level contests. We wish them every success as they take on the next stage of the competition!

A big well done to all contestants who stepped up to the challenge. Speech contests take courage, preparation and a willingness to put yourself in the spotlight. We thank the Area Governor David Willanski and Eion Williamson
from District 73 for visiting the club and supporting the contests.

🙏 Thank you to all our contest officials, with particular appreciation to our Contest Chair, John Walker, whose organisation and dedication made the evening possible.

We look forward to welcoming members and guests to our next meeting:
📍 The Bartley Hotel, Bartley Terrace, West Lakes Shore
🗓 Thursday, 10 September 2026
🕡 6:45 PM
Come along, meet our members, and experience the supportive and engaging environment of Raconteurs Toastmasters.

25/07/2026

Raconteurs Toastmasters welcomed 26 attendees 🎉 to our meeting on Thursday, 23 July 2026, one of the coldest nights of the year.

Members and guests were inspired by three engaging prepared speeches:
🗣 Mel Riviere – An Ice Breaker speech about three countries and three corresponding journeys.
🗣 Guilherme Zanella Zanella – A Pathways project speech.
🗣 Brooke Dilmetz – On the topic of Guardians of the Dutch Landscape.

To add to the fun, everyone participated in the Houston Debate and was showered with chocolates in the evening! 🍫 We were delighted to induct and welcome three new members into the club:
🎉 Sibykke Rundel
🎉 Habte Weldemariam
🎉 Yifan Shuai

Please join us in congratulating our award winners:
🏆 Outstanding Performance: Brooke Dilmetz
🏆 Outstanding Prepared Speech: Brooke Dilmetz
🏆 Outstanding Evaluation: Maryanne Katsidis & Darrell Klar
🏆 Outstanding Table Topic: Lorraine Walker

Thank you to everyone who contributed to another enjoyable, supportive and inspiring evening. We look forward to welcoming members and guests to our next meeting:
📍 The Bartley Hotel, Bartley Terrace, West Lakes Shore
🗓 Thursday, 13 August 2026
🕡 6:45 PM

12/07/2026

Our meeting on 9 July 2026, chaired by first-time Toastmaster Maryanne Katsidis, marked a fantastic start to the new Toastmasters year.

It was wonderful to see so many members stepping outside their comfort zones, with five members taking on roles they had never performed before:
🌟 Maryanne Katsidis – First-time Toastmaster
🌟 Jarrod Schutt – First-time Workshop Presenter
🌟 Amy Graham – First-time Timekeeper
🌟 Sibylle Rundel – First-time Table Topics Master
🌟 Mel Riviere – First-time Harkmaster

We were also inspired by a prepared speech from John Gillespie, who shared his journey as a truck driver. His personal experiences and engaging storytelling made for a memorable presentation.

A special highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2025–2026 Toastmaster of the Year Award to our highly respected member, Lorraine Walker. Her dedication, leadership and mentorship at Raconteurs and in the wider Toastmasters community in SA make her a truly deserving recipient of the Toastmaster of the Year Award. Congratulations, Lorraine!

Congratulations also to our award winners for the evening:
🏆 Outstanding Performance: Jarrod Schutt
🏆 Outstanding Prepared Speech: John Gillespie
🏆 Outstanding Evaluation: John Walker
🏆 Outstanding Table Topic: Rosa Pearson

Thank you to everyone who contributed to another enjoyable and inspiring evening. We look forward to welcoming members and guests to our next meeting!

📍 The Bartley Hotel, Bartley Terrace, West Lakes Shore
🗓 Thursday, 23 July 2026
🕡 6:45 PM

12/07/2026

Congratulations 🎉 to our highly respected member Lorraine Walker on receiving the 2025–2026 Toastmaster of the Year Award.

Throughout the past Toastmasters year, Lorraine has made an outstanding contributions to both our club and the wider Toastmasters community in SA. As Area C10 Director, she hosted the Area contests with professionalism and excellence. As Vice President Education (VPE), she consistently brought creativity and variety to our meeting agendas. Stepping in as Acting Vice President Membership (VPM), she diligently maintained a comprehensive guest database while mentoring numerous members and supporting them in achieving their Toastmasters goals.

Above all, Lorraine is a highly respected and much-valued member whose kindness, generosity, humour and unwavering support have brought encouragement, friendship and laughter to countless meetings. Her selfless service, inspiring leadership and genuine commitment to helping others grow embody the very best of Toastmasters.

As Lorraine came forward to receive the award, she was honoured with a standing ovation from the club as a tribute to her remarkable service and the profound respect she has earned from fellow Raconteurs members.

Lorraine's dedication, leadership and mentorship make her a truly deserving recipient of the 2025–2026 Toastmaster of the Year Award.

Congratulations, Lorraine, on this well-deserved recognition!

05/07/2026

Despite the cold weather, Raconteurs Toastmasters welcomed 26 attendees 🎉 to our meeting on 25 June 2026, chaired by Jarrod Schutt.

We were inspired by two engaging prepared speeches:
🗣 Amy Graham – Embracing Uncertainty, sharing her career journey.
🗣 Amanueal Mamo – delivering his Ice Breaker speech.

As we farewelled the current Toastmasters year and welcomed the new one, we celebrated the handover to our incoming executive committee. Congratulations to the new team, and thank you to our outgoing leaders for their dedication and service.

We were also delighted to induct our newest member, Nadia Mahafud (Nadia MaGo). Welcome to the club👏

Congratulations to our award winners for the evening:
🏆 Best Performance: Amy Graham
🏆 Outstanding Prepared Speech: Amy Graham
🏆 Outstanding Evaluation: Johnny Rizk
🏆 Outstanding Table Topic: Marc Ocampo Ramos

It was truly fantastic see that the guests outnumbered the members on the night. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our next meeting:
📍 The Bartley Hotel, Bartley Terrace, West Lakes Shore
🗓 Thursday, 9 July 2026
🕡 6:45 PM

21/06/2026

Club executive members for the new Toastmasters year gathered on Saturday afternoon alongside executives from other clubs across Adelaide. Key discussions focused on how we can better support our members🎯 and help them achieve their personal and professional goals 🚀

With a strong and committed executive team this year 🎤, we are excited for a highly rewarding year ahead.

13/06/2026

The Raconteurs Toastmasters meeting on 11 June, chaired by Julian Z. once again saw a full house at the club. We were inspired by three outstanding prepared speeches:
🗣 Jarrod Schutt on Understanding Your Communication Style
🗣 Darrell Klar on “The Compass Within – The Six-Month Journey”, sharing his experience organising, running, and participating in the D73 Conference
🗣 John Walker on the 5 things he has learned by serving the club as a Treasurer.

In line with the meeting theme, John Walker chaired an engaging Table Topics session focused on beloved pets in our lives.

Congratulations to our award winners of the night:
🏆 Outstanding Evaluation: Maryanne Katsidis
🏆 Best Performance: Julian Z.
🏆 Outstanding Prepared Speech: Jarrod Schutt
🏆 Outstanding Table Topics: John Gillespie

We are now just one meeting away from concluding a highly successful Toastmasters year at Raconteurs. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our next meeting:
📍 The Bartley Hotel, Bartley Terrace, West Lakes Shore
🗓 Thursday, 25 June at 6:45 PM

07/06/2026

We ran out of seats at the Raconteurs Toastmasters meeting on 29th May🎉
We were inspired by three amazing prepared speeches:
🗣 Lorraine Walker on the impacts of social media.
🗣 Johnny Rizk on his journey as a migrant.
🗣 Maryanne Katsidis on her story as an entrepreneur and the importance of speaking up.

We also celebrated Darrell Klar’s outstanding performance at the District 73 Toastmasters Conference attended by 160+ people, where he secured 2nd place in the Humorous Speech Contest 👏

Congratulations to our award winners of the night:
🏆 Best Performance: Johnny Rizk
🏆 Outstanding Table Topic: Maryanne Katsidis
🏆 Outstanding Prepared Speech: Johnny Rizk
🏆 Outstanding Evaluation: Marc Ocampo Ramos CEng, FIChemE, FSEng, RPEQ, CMEngNZ

It was wonderful to see former club member Rob Wood visiting and sharing his insights at the meeting.

Looking forward to welcoming everyone to our next meeting!
📍 The Bartley Hotel, Bartley Terrace, West Lakes Shore
🗓 Thursday, 11/06 at 6:45 PM

18/05/2026

At our recent meeting on 14/05/2026, chaired by Darrell Klar, we held our annual club officer elections. Congratulations to our incoming 2026–2027 executive team:
👤President: Brooke Dilmetz
👤Immediate Past President: Darrell Klar
👤VP Education: Lorraine Walker
👤VP Membership: Maryanne Katsidis
👤VP Public Relations: Julian Zheng.
👤Treasurer: John Walker
👤Secretary: Marc Ocampo Ramos
👤Sergeant at Arms: Johnny Rizk

We were also delighted to induct two new members, Amy Graham and Mel Riviere. Welcome to the club! 🎉

Awards of the Night:
🏅Best Speaker: Brooke Dilmetz
🏅Best Table Topics: John Walker
🏅Best Evaluation: Johnny Rizk
🏅Outstanding Performance: John Gillespie

Next Meeting Details:
📍 The Bartley Hotel, Bartley Terrace, West Lakes Shore
🗓 Thursday, 28/05 at 6:45 PM

Whether you’re looking to build confidence, enhance your communication skills, or connect with a supportive community, we’d love to see you at our next session!