One Christmas nut to keep us on the straight and narrow!

Greetings fellow Toastmasters!

A festive and fun final gathering for 2011 was had last night, many thanks to those who got into the spirit of the occasion. Numerous santa hats made an appearance around the room and thanks to Craig for bringing along his decorations including the unidentifiable light arrangement at the front of the room!! (Consensus was yes - it was Santa!). Rumour has it that Craig's house is also displaying a fine Christmas light selection so probably worth a drive-by if you have time! Fantastic to have guests Alistair and Rob (and regular James) along and we look forward to seeing you again next year.




Ian gave a very comprehensive and useful General Evaluation which I'm confident all recipients would have found extremely worthwhile - thanks Ian! He was ably supported by the newly-qualified Pharmacist James who entered into the Timekeepers role at the last minute and did so with aplomb.

Adrienne led a creative and fun Table Topics session which all participants eagerly entered into with great spirit. Never have I heard such enthusiasm for receiving a single 10c carrot as a Christmas gift! Great idea for a Table Topics session Adrienne. The session was ably evaluated by Danny and Steve with some pertinent points for recommendation.

There were some excellent speeches last night - thanks to all involved in presenting. Chess led us in a dramatic reading of 'The Snowgoose' - we never normally see Chess use notes but this time it was compulsory - great speech Chess! Emily presented 'Neither grinch nor scrooge' in which she gave us a refreshingly honest account of her history of challenging and tense Christmases with family - I'm sure we can all relate to the tensions and stress of Christmas to some extent! David continued on his theme of train journeys with 'A train of thought' and I was most intrigued by the colourful characters on the journey. Graeme recounted his bungy-jumping escapade with 'Life's ups and downs' and much laughter was heard around this room. We'd love to see the photos Graeme!

I felt the evaluations were once again of a high standard with some very useful recommendations for the speakers.

Awards for the night:
Best Table Topics: Sheryl Mackie (we are eagerly awaiting that carrot cake Sheryl - I will buy you the carrots)
Best Speaker: Graeme Valentine
Best Evaluator: Peter Manson
Best Contribution of the Night: James Kan for his excellent TK report and stepping into the role at the last minute.

The meeting was completed with some delicious Christmas fare - many thanks to Craig for organising it all.

Have a wonderful safe and relaxing Christmas time and look forward to seeing you all refreshed and energised at our BBQ meeting on 23 January - details included in the email.

Merry Christmas all! Ho Ho Ho!
Sarah