Kickstart Toastmasters Club

"Clouds" were aloft in our meeting this morning after Toastmaster Anna was inspired by her move to new vistas in the country, while grammarian Ollie cast an "ominous' spell to get us in the mood. Three gripping speeches this morning, including an Icebreaker from Urmas which touched on his hunting passion from Europe; then Donna regaled with a tale of delayed concussion from a horse-riding incident; and finally Lawrence, who changed the setting to his discovery of a new-found passion with surfing. Eli grabbed the nettle of table topics this morning - and with what seemed like a very full programme, we still managed to finish on time - which Toastmaster Anna applauded and commended as a goal for every meeting.

Despite our theme of "breakdowns", inspired by Toastmaster Xena's unfortunate car experience last week - and other disasters that followed, including a dead cat on her driveway this morning - we managed to stay "unflappable" and cruise through another memorable Kickstart meeting. Three enjoyable speeches kept us in our seats: an Icebreaker from Will, who told the tale of how a high-flying American has ended up in little old NZ; then a fill-the-gap story from Stephen about his dream trip to 'heaven' (aka the Caribbean) as a member of his Rum Appreciation Evaluation Society; and finally Greg, not long back from the London Marathon, trying to convince us that "60,000 Runners can't be Wrong." Yea right, Greg! Great to see new guest Sam and old-hand Colin back as a visitor. We all left suitably charged from another cracker Kickstart morning.

An evening of food, fun, and friendship was enjoyed by all at the Kickstart social function hosted by the wonderful Lawrence & the generous Cathy.
Thank you so much.

"The human body" and all its wonders were in the spotlight this morning, as Lawrence took the helm as first-time Toastmaster. Grammarian Vince added to the theme with a good dollop of "blood". Three memorable speeches followed: first up Avril who told a family story and introduced us to a new concept of "pan" (not the one we are most familiar with); then Anna with a reprise of her speech about the twists in her career journey - which have taken her everywhere from 5-star resorts in the Pacific to a local adult shop; and finally Raphael with another personal story about "Love on Drugs" and the strategies for coping that he learnt early in life. It was good to see a handful of guests in our midst today, including Area Director Jennifer and her hubby Keith - who gave us an update on our area and some upcoming events to watch out for. A final wrap-up from GE Jesse brought us to the finish line.

Time for a workout this morning with our Toastmaster and resident gym-junkie Bev. Kathy opened energetically before Grammarian Angela revealed our word of the day - TENACIOUS. Three attention grabbing speeches followed: Ingrid reprising her Benjamin Button Re-imagined speech honoring her 87-year-old mum, complete with perfectly timed visuals; then Ande with a tale of falling off her bike twice - and yes finally seeing the light in taking stock of the damage; and to finish an on-form Ollie who told us the story of how he first lost and then re-found his voice 19 years later, thanks largely to Toastmasters. Anna's turn to dish out the quick-fire brain scramblers we know as table topics, which were embraced enthusiastically by her chosen targets. A nice summing up from GE Marie, who left us with the profound thought that "people who can articulate themselves end up as leaders." Wonderful to see in our midst two former members Pete and Philip; and first-time guest Binz.

Marking Matariki, Toastmaster KeriAnn gave us an explanation of the cosmic significance of tomorrow's public holiday, as well as offering space to remember our departed friend Keith. Three speakers today started with an entertaining tale of winter fishing from Lynette, complete with props and action from the fishing spot; then we were introduced to the pleasures of "standby" air travel from Donna - much to the consternation of those who prefer a more planned and predictable approach; and finally a motivational story from Vince's Middle East days that came with a strong message: "it's not what you do; it's who you are." Eli was our TTM today, and dished out some on-theme topics; while Avril did the wrap-up as GE and commented on the welcoming atmosphere she encountered when she arrived. Great to see ex-member Colin back to support Lynette today, and one other guest Tracey.

R.I.P. Keith Kietzmann, our longstanding member, friend, mentor and cheeky maverick.

A memorial service for Keith will be held this Friday 10 July at 2.30pm at Legacy Tauranga, 383 Pyes Pa Rd. Kickstarters current and past all invited.

Nice surprise opening from ex-member Jennifer this morning, who gave us an endearing story about her nan and her belief that every problem could be solved with a cuppa. Toastmaster Tatia introduced her theme of "roots" by announcing she was off on an unscheduled trip back home to Colorado for a month. Then 3 captivating speeches followed: Angela, who (on theme as well) gave us an intriguing story about a rescued tapestry from an aunt's wall (or maybe it was really about something else?); followed by Marie, who braved a sad tale of how she experienced a second set-back in life after first losing her husband - which serves as a warning to all of us; and finally Michelle, who took us on a wander down memory lane, and revealed how much banking has changed in the last 30 years.
Grammarian Ingrid offered a novel twist by challenging us with a word NOT to use - which some of us then promptly ignored. GE Greg gave us a final summing up, and commented on the warm, friendly feel of the room as he walked in this morning. Nice to see one other guest this morning for the first time - Tracey.

What a jam-packed, "adventurous" meeting we had this morning, led by a very able and oftentimes "audacious" Toastmaster Ande. Marie set the mood and expectations of everyone participating, before three very different and sparkling speeches: the multi-talented Eli giving us a live demo of the art of being a guitarist for his kapa haka group; followed by a heart-felt family story of "food is the medicine" from Anna; and finally, a no-notes reflection from Dani on what she has gained from her 5 years work experience with her current employer - has it been her perfect job? We then welcomed our newest member, Will, to the fold - and Lawrence also took the opportunity to whet our appetites for the upcoming social event on July 24th at his place. Not to be missed. Table tennis pros watch out! Angela had a tough task this morning as GE fitting her copious observations into a very tight timespot - to allow us to finish bang on time.

After fending off procrastination last week, we got into gear this week and "accelerated" under some great momentum from Toastmaster Angela. Three speakers today - including first up an Icebreaker Speech from Paul - who we learned made a good career choice with accountancy; then Stephen who got our attention with a provocative question; and finally Xena - freshly back and fizzing from a 40th birthday holiday in South Asia - and a sparkling ring on her finger. We also took the opportunity to welcome our newest member Ben to the fold. Sorry folks, a bit light on the photos this week as I was multi-tasking - apologies if your starring moment was missed.