central division semi-annual conference - District 73 Toastmasters

FEBRUARY 2012 – EDITION 86
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION IN A HOLE
IN THE GROUND

Southern Cross
Southern Cross
Newsletter of Toastmasters
International District 73
February 2012
Edition 86
Published bi-monthly or when
required. Editions will be
available on online from the
District 73 website on the first
day of the month.
Editor:
Andrew Breeden DTM
Email:
newsletter@d73.toastmasters.o
rg.au
Publisher:
Carrol Jones DTM DG
Email:
districtgovernor@d73.toastmast
ers.org.au
The views expressed in the
Southern Cross are not
necessarily those of the editor,
the District Executive or
Toastmasters International.
To submit articles and photos
for the Southern Cross:
Email them to the Editor at
newsletter@d73.toastmasters.o
rg.au.
Next Edition:
April 2012
Edition 87
Theme: Convention Preview
Submissions are due by:
Monday March 19th
Edition will be available on:
www.d73/toastmasters.org/sout
herncross on Monday April 2nd
Talk about the Southern Cross
on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/group
s/southerncrossd73/
Hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, now
it is time to get back to Toastmasters.
Coming up in the next few weeks will be Division Contests and
the second round of Club Officer Training. All club officers
should try to get along to a COT session: you never know what
you may learn or who you could meet. Look at Put It In Your
Diary on the back page for details of these events.
In this jammed packed edition of the Southern Cross we are
looking at getting started for the year. We look at being a Club
Sponsor, Goal Setting, and the Starter‟s Perspective on Starting
Their Toastmasters Journey. At the other end of the scale we
hear from a soon to be DTM on his Toastmasters journey.
We would like to hear what you think of the Southern Cross.
Please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/scFebruary2012
and answer the questions. These answers will improve this
newsletter. Thank you to Ian Murray for setting up the survey.
Editorial .................................................................................... 2
Inside This Edition .................................................................... 2
District Governor‟s Message ............................................... 3 & 5
Message from the LGET ..................................................... 4 & 5
Being a Club Sponsor ............................................................... 6
Goalsetting ............................................................................... 7
Central Division Semi-Annual Conference .......................... 8 & 9
Toastmasters and Me ............................................................. 10
A Starter‟s Perspective on
Starting Your Toastmasters Journey ....................................... 11
Prizes …. Fun …. Prizes ….. Fun ……. .................................. 12
Come Join Us and Be Inspired at Albert Park Lake at the
Luxurious Sebel Talk .............................................................. 13
Convention Registration Form ................................................ 14
Southern Cross Gardening
Please help us grow the Money ............................................. 15
Toasties Online ....................................................................... 16
District 73 Leader Nomination Form ....................................... 17
Welcome Mat ......................................................................... 18
Members Achievements ......................................................... 19
Put it in the Diary .................................................................... 20
Page 2

New Year, New Beginnings
Hello Toastmasters and welcome to the New
Year. The New Year is a great time to reflect
on what you achieved in the previous year
and set your targets for this coming year.
District Goal Actual
to date
Year's
goal
Needs
more
Percent
complete
Paid clubs 121 126 5 96.0%
Mem payments 2661 5377 2716 49.5%
CC awards 67 184 117 36.4%
AC awards 35 52 17 67.3%
Leadership
awards
Awards
70 116 46 60.3%
We are excelling with Advanced
Communicator and Leadership awards which
is fantastic – well done to everyone that has
achieved these awards. Unfortunately the
same can‟t be said for Competent
Communicator awards. We are well below
where we should be for this time of year, so I
encourage you all to think about completing
your CC before the end of June. I know I
have my sights set on completing another
one in the next 6 months.
Clubs
We‟ve had a number of clubs fold in the first
6 months, some expected, some not
expected. So far we have chartered 3 new
clubs and should have a couple more come
on board before 30 th June, so hopefully we
Southern Cross
will reach our target of 126 clubs. We also
have a couple of clubs that haven‟t renewed
their memberships for October, so I
encourage all clubs to check that your club
renewals are up to date to ensure members
are being recognized for the hard work that
they are doing.
Club Officer Training (COT)
We have a number of Club Officer Training
sessions organized. Please remember that
you can attend any of the session to achieve
recognition towards your clubs DCP. Dates,
times and venues are in Put It In Your Diary.
More info can be found on the Districts
Website.
Websites
We have a new District Website that was
launched on the 1 st January.
http://d73.toastmasters.org.au/. I know a lot
of hard work has gone into the new look and
feel of the website. This is a work in progress
and you should see some new changes as
we migrate from our old website to the new
one. I would like to thank David Wilson and
Ian Murray for all of their hard work putting
this together.
Don‟t forget that if your club is using
”FreeToastHost” for your website, you need
to migrate to the new version before the 18 th
Feb as the old version will no longer be
supported. There are instructions on the
FreeToastHost website to assist you with
migrating to the new version.
Convention
If you haven‟t signed up for the convention in
May this year, I encourage you to do so. The
early bird registration closes on the 1 st of Feb
but you can still register to attend after this
date. Continues page 5.
Page 3

Distinguished District progress
Just like a club has the Distinguished Club
Program (DCP) all districts have the
Distinguished District program. One of my
roles as LGET is to oversee the educational
programs in the district. 137 members have
achieved at least one award this year – you
inspire us all. Educational awards in the
district are progressing well towards our
goals for the 2011-2012 year. We currently
have achieved 67 of the 184 (36%)
Competent Communicator awards set by
World headquarters. A goal for Advanced
Communicator awards is doing very well.
Our members have achieved 35 of the 52
(67%) awards of our target. To read more go
to: http://www.toastmasters.org/DDP
Contests
Most of the club and area contests are
completed and successful candidates are
now preparing for their Division Contests to
be held in February and March this year.
Please offer to support a contest near you as
your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Here is a link to assist you in planning a
speech contest (sourced from TMI)
http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/Spotli
ghtArticles/PlanaSpeechContest.aspx
Have you heard of Speech Contests
Frequently Asked Questions? This page on
the TMI website is a valuable tool to assist
you in preparing or participating in a contest.
Ensure that you have the most up to date
contest rule book (There is now a 2012
version available online) and if you are
wanting to know more information the FAQ‟s
page can be found here:
http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/Memb
erExperience/Contests/SpeechContestFAQ.
aspx
Club Officer Training
Southern Cross
The second round of Club Officer Training
(COT) started in Melbourne in December
with 40 members attending the session run
by Satdy Arvo Communicators club (an
advanced club in Melbourne). This was a
beneficial start for those members to help
their club achieve the valuable DCP point.
Attending COT is also a way to get direct
access to your District leaders and find out
important information and upcoming events.
Bring a question or two, to your next Club
Officer Training day and share your own
ideas and experiences with everyone.
The District 73 calendar to find a training
session near you – anyone can attend:
http://d73.toastmasters.org.au/events/#Mem
bers
District Leader Mid-Year Training – held in
Sydney on 12-13 th January 2012
The opportunity to spend two days with the
Executive Director of Toastmasters Mr
Daniel Rex was too good to miss! To be
trained by a man who has over twenty years
experience working at World Headquarters
and answer the many questions I had, to
help make District 73 flourish in my term as
LGET was fantastic. Daniel is down-to-earth,
passionate and knowledgeable about our
organisation and a very nice man. He
discussed the future of Toastmasters and the
many possibilities that Toastmasters gives to
so many people. The two days of training
included members from Australia, New
Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore
– including our International Director Mike
Storkey and our Regional Advisor Sue
Haynes.
Page 4

District 73 Leadership Trio at Mid-Year
training: Carrol Jones – District Governor,
Catherine MacGillivray – Lt Governor
Education and Training and David Murphy –
Lt Governor Marketing.
District 73 Annual Convention – 18-20 th
May 2012
If you have not attended a District 73 event
before, the up-coming convention is an
opportunity that you do not want to miss.
There are many parts to the three-day
convention worth mentioning including the
District Council meeting where your new
leaders are elected, the finals of the four
contests we hold in the District, valuable
networking, educational sessions to improve
your skills and the 1999 World Champion of
Public Speaking – Craig Valentine will make
his way from USA to speak and inspire us.
The man who was teased and called Daffy
Duck as a child (because of a lisp) has
achieved greatness to become a
professional speaker.
Summary
The first half of the Toastmaster year has
been successful with 137 members
achieving at least one Communication or
Leadership award and nine members already
achieving entry into the Triple Crown award
for this year (you must submit at least three
awards in one year) to gain recognition at the
annual District Executive changeover dinner
in June – well done.
Make a point to attend a Club Officer
Training session near you and support your
Southern Cross
club and gain new skills and knowledge and
look into attending our annual conference –
even if you have not attended one before.
Don‟t be shy to go on your own, you never
know where your Toastmasters journey will
take you, if you are brave enough to sign up
for a convention.
The 2009 convention was the best decision I
have made in my Toastmasters journey and I
encourage you to make a decision that will
take you out of your comfort zone and give
you opportunities and make friendships that
will last a lifetime.
If you would like any further information
about anything you have read in this article
or questions about Toastmasters in general
or the District, please contact me on
toastmastercatherine@gmail.com
DISTRICT GOVERNOR’S MESSAGE
Continued from page 3
Come along and have some fun, meet new
people, attend some great workshops and be
part of the District Council Meeting by casting
your vote on issues that affect you and your
club.
Leadership roles
I encourage you all to think about taking on a
leadership role this year; take on a role in
your club, step up and be an Area or Division
Governor or think about taking on a role
within the District Leadership team. The
opportunities are endless and you‟ll find that
there are some many benefits to being a
leader
DCP
Check that your club is on track to achieve its
Distinguished Club Program goals and reasses
if necessary. Talk to your members
about what they would like to achieve this
year, run the moments of truth program to
see if your members view what is happening
in the club the same way the club exec does
and most importantly, remember to make
your programs fun and enjoyable.
Page 5

I wish you all the success for 2012, Regard
BEING
A
CLUB
SPONSOR
What are your goals for 2012? Have you
ever thought about being a club sponsor,
club mentor or club coach? When I joined
Toastmasters in June 2008, I never realised
how many opportunities there would be.
Originally I started to pursue the
communication track, then I discovered the
leadership track and realised it wasn‟t as
complicated as I thought. After achieving my
Competent Leader and Advanced Leader
Bronze, the next step was Advanced Leader
Silver.
To be an Advanced Leader Silver you have
to be a Club Sponsor, Mentor or Coach:
� Club Sponsor - helps a new club
become chartered;
� Club Mentor - assists a new club for 6-
12 months by advising the club and
delivering educationals.
� Club Coach - Clubs that have low
membership (12 members or less) can
benefit from having the assistance of a
club coach that can help rebuild a club
by increasing membership.
I find it is always a good idea to discuss your
goals with others because if they know what
you want to achieve, they will look out for
ways to help you. Terry Barridge, New Clubs
Coordinator regularly sends out emails
requesting sponsors and mentors for new
clubs. Women in Leadership required help
with their demonstration meeting. I delivered
a speech in front of more than 50 people and
then became a club sponsor.
As a club sponsor, you have many
opportunities to give back to Toastmasters.
You could deliver a speech or an educational
or you could help the club out by being the
toastmaster or the general evaluator. Being
involved with a new club is a unique
experience.
Southern Cross
There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm as
most people who attend these meetings
haven‟t experienced Toastmasters yet.
These people will look at you as a role model
and the best way to teach someone is to lead
by example. Therefore, if you are delivering a
speech, make it count by completing a
manual speech. If you are undertaking a
leadership role, have someone complete
your competent leader manual.
Being a sponsor involves building a team to
help ensure the success of a new club. This
team may consist of the sponsors and
mentors for the club, and they can help
create a marketing strategy. The key is to get
as many people as possible to the
demonstration meeting. If you would like to
charter a community club, promote it in
whatever way you can. If you want to start a
corporate club, a meeting with the company
decision maker is crucial. Knowing a
Toastmaster member who already works
there is good. Finally, contact your district
leaders, such as the Lieutenant Governor
Marketing or the New Clubs Coordinator as
they will provide you with additional ideas.
Sponsor a club in 2012. You do not have to
be working on your advanced leader silver.
All you need is to understand Toastmasters
and have the enthusiasm and willingness to
make a difference in people‟s lives. Benefits
are:
� to share your experience and give
back to Toastmasters;
� to present speeches, educationals,
evaluations and to mentor;
� to undertake leadership tasks such as
being the toastmaster, evaluator;
� to be part of an extremely enthusiastic
environment with eager people willing
to learn.
Page 6

GOAL
SETTING
We have reached the start of 2012 and with a new
year comes new goals.
What are you planning to achieve this year?
All Toastmasters can benefit from goal setting and if
you have your own personal goals set for the year,
what can you do to support your club‟s success plan
to ensure that your club achieves Distinguished Club
status?
Goal setting is a valuable skill for everyone to practice
and the benefits are so rewarding that you find
yourself wanting to experience the same feeling
again.
Can you set one or two goals today, that will help
you achieve your Toastmaster goals and your
club’s goals this year?
Have you ever had the luxury of staying in a 4 or 5
star hotel room? There is a hotel in Dubai called the
Burj Al Arab which is a deluxe five-star hotel that
some people call a seven star hotel! Imagine staying
in this resort? The luxurious hotel was the goal and
vision established by Jumeirah International, a resort
company who came up with the idea (with an
unlimited budget) in 1993. The hotel (shown below)
stands on a man-made island and is open for
business with rates starting at $1,200/night.
Peter Sinclair talks about having a 7-star lifestyle in
his e-book Self Development Mastermind and I will list
his seven tips which I believe can assist you to
achieve your Toastmaster and personal goals in 2012.
Step 1 – Develop a great attitude
Step 2 – Develop a vision for your life
Southern Cross
Step 3 – Write your goals down on paper (you are
80% more likely to succeed)
Step 4 – Believe that success is yours (expect great
things to happen in your life)
Step 5 – Destroy your fear through action (choose to
take on a challenge)
Step 6 – Think creative thoughts (keep a daily diary
and record your thoughts)
Step 7 – Help others and become a mentor (you learn
more when you teach others)
If you take one of the steps and implement it into your
life this week, you are on target to achieve your goals
and dreams. If you are ready to get started deciding
what you want to achieve this year in your
toastmasters club is a good place to start. Then break
up the goal into manageable parts and create a
timeline for each one. Using SMART goals is an
effective way to achieve your goals. SMART goals
are Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and
Time-bound. Here is an example of a SMART goal
for a newer toastmasters member:
“I will email my VPE today to schedule my 3 rd speech
for the first club meeting in March.”
Once you've decided on your first set of goals, keep
the process going by reviewing and updating your todo-list
on a daily or weekly basis. Once you develop
this skill you will be a step or two closer to achieving
your goals. I hope you will dream big and allow
yourself to create lavish goals similar to the ones that
created the Burj Al Arab hotel – you never know when
they will come true.
Page 7

CENTRAL DIVISION
SEMI-ANNUAL
CONFERENCE:
CELEBRATING THE
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF
NARACOORTE
TOASTMASTERS
Every year in South Australia, we hold the annual
Central Division Conference; this is usually an
all-day event where we see the very best
speakers from the Division compete in the final of
the International, Humorous, Table Topics and
Evaluation Contests. It is something we are very
proud of here in South Australia, especially given
that we are only one Division within the state.
In December 2011, we celebrated 50 years of the
first club charted in the District. Naracoorte
Toastmasters in country South Australia was
chartered on December, 8, 1961. To celebrate
this great milestone in Toastmasters, Central
Division decided to split the Division Conference
into two and hold the Humorous and Table
Topics Contest on the weekend of 3 rd and 4 th of
December at Naracoorte. This was literally a
once in a life time occasion. The other contests
will be held in March.
The club is a „country club‟ in the true sense in
that it‟s a farming community approximately 350
kilometres from Adelaide and over 400
kilometres from Melbourne. Most of its seven
members are wheat or sheep farmers and may
travel up to 150 kilometres to attend a meeting.
Undoubtedly the thing Naracoorte is most
famous for is the World Heritage listed
Naracoorte Caves where the natural acoustics
make this the ideal place to hold any public
speaking event.
This was going to be a full weekend for many
which started off with a 3 ½ hour bus trip from
Adelaide starting at 7:00 am, I wondered how I
could keep everyone entertained. Thankfully
Andrew Morgan, came to the rescue, calling it a
“Toastmaster Meeting in Motion”, keeping
everyone busy with quizzes and prizes along the
way. Joe Moutakis (Speakers on the Terrace)
gave his 10 th speech, a very funny speech that
had everyone laughing.
Southern Cross
After a short stop along the way, chilled
champagne was served on board and toasts
were made, and no the driver didn‟t get any.
THE VENUES
Blance Cave: This world Heritage listed place
was the site for three workshops and the Table
Topics Speech Contest. It was a world first to
hold a Toastmaster meeting in a cave and I‟m
sure Ralph Smedley would be proud. The natural
acoustics in this cave provided the presenters
with the rare opportunity to speak without the use
of microphones or other electronic equipment.
The three 30 minute workshops were organised
by Assistant Division Governor – Education and
Training, Abby Davis and were designed to meet
the needs of most members across the whole
District covering topics from membership building
to chairing a meeting and evaluation.
The three presenters, Peter Cesco, John Deans,
and Abby Davis were all very experienced and
there was a lot of interaction with the audience.
Have you ever been to a workshop where the
presenter is using PowerPoint and something
goes wrong? Well not this time, the presenters
didn‟t use PowerPoint down in the cave but a
unique system of cards held up by members of
the audience invited on stage.
Page 8

The Table Topics Speech Contest
After a wonderful session of workshops came the
final of the Division Table Topics Speech
Contest. And again those natural acoustics
played a big part and no microphones were
needed. However this led to the issue of the
contestants hearing the topic, where would they
go? Answer; Outside! Two contest sergeant at
arms were used, the first took the contests
completely outside the cave and second led them
from the entrance to the stage.
The Contest Chairman was Phil White who did a
very professional job with the question “Adelaide
or Melbourne?” Considering a good percentage
of the audience was Victorian, it may have been
somewhat challenging but it did give everyone
something to think about. The winner was Angela
Guidera (Quintessence), second Darren Fleming
(Adelaide) and third was Rod McKenzie (Tea
Tree Gully).
As we all know it is ideal if judges for a Division
Speech Contest are from outside the Division,
but as the only Division in the state this is not
always possible. Thankfully we had many
Toastmasters from Victoria, so it gave us the rare
opportunity to have all the Judges from outside
the Division.
I have been to many Speech Contests,
Workshops and other events in my 14 years in
Toastmasters but never have I been to anything
as awe-inspiring as this Toastmaster meeting in
a cave.
Naracoorte Hotel: Billy Mac‟s Restaurant at the
beautiful old Naracoorte Hotel was where we
held the Division Humorous Speech Contest and
celebrations of 50 years of Naracoorte
Toastmasters. The 131 people attending set a
new record for attendance at a Central Division
Contest. Ninety-four year old Stan Blackford
Southern Cross
DTM was honoured as the founder of Naracoorte
Toastmasters and also recognised as the
founder of District 73; Stan is still an active
member of Toastmasters today. A new banner
and a 50 year certificate from the International
President, Michael Notaro, were presented to the
club by District Governor, Carrol Jones.
When the formal celebrations were over it was
time for the Humorous Speech Contest, judging
this one would have been tough as the standard
was so high. The Contest Chairman was Phil
Ahern, Area Governor C7 and as always he did a
very professional job keeping everyone amused
along the way. The winner of this contest was
Austin Nevis from Adelaide; second place went
to Ray Welchman from Tea Tree Gully and third
place was Shirley Hollingsworth of Southern
Cross. After the contest many people partied on
till the wee hours of the morning.
The other wonderful attraction to Naracoorte is of
course the Coonawarra Wine Region. On
Saturday afternoon after the contests, four
wineries from the Coonawarra presented us with
wine tasting and gave a talk on their famous
wines. Not to be out done and since we had a
„taste‟ for the wines in the area, after our
breakfast on Sunday morning, our bus went on a
tour of the region sampling the many wines in the
area and once again the driver missed out. Of
particular interest was the Hollicks Winery and
the Cabernet Sauvignon that Julia Gillard gave
Barack Obama during his visit to Australia.
Conclusion
The Naracoorte Conference has been labelled as
“the Best Ever”. I have received many thank you
emails and praises for the Conference from
across South Australia and Victoria. Something
like this just doesn‟t happen by chance, a lot of
work goes into it and I want to take this
opportunity to thank some special people for the
hard work they put into helping me organise this
Conference.
Clayton Pearson, Phil Ahern, Janet Priest, Peter
Cesco and Andrew Morgan worked tirelessly on
this project from the beginning and Phil saw it as
an opportunity do his HPL. Thank you to Abby
Davis, John Deans and Peter Cesco for
presenting the workshops, Helen Kubenk who
was the Treasurer and Peter Stuart and Val
McGlashan from Naracoorte who helped
organise the venues.
Page 9

TOASTMASTERS
AND
ME
I am David Hughes, a very grateful
Toastmaster.
When people ask me why I joined and
remain a dedicated Toastmaster? I have a
ready answer, and this is it.
My dream was to become a competent and
confident communicator and Toastmasters
gave me this opportunity; when I first joined
the Frankston Toastmasters Club, I seized
every opportunity; and I learned so many
new things and now live my communicator
dream.
A friend-who will eternally enjoy my
gratitude-steered me towards Toastmasters,
telling me that, Toastmasters was where I
could learn, listen, speak and lead. He said
“Toastmasters, is the place where dreams
can be realised”
From the first night I attended I‟ve remained
open to change, resolved to apply everything
I learned, and graciously accepted all the
feedback. At Frankston Toastmasters Club I
learned so much including Attentive listening,
Voice Control, Breathing, Posture, Gestures,
Body Language, Vocal Variation, Eye
Contact, Pausing, Pace, Pitch, Word Power,
Power Talk, Humour, Stage Presence,
Timing, and everything I needed to be the
competent confident and successful
communicator I dreamed about.
I also learned that I could enter Contests,
and if I didn‟t want to do this I could assist on
Contest nights as Contest Chair, Chief
Judge, Usher, Counter or Timer. I could also
be a regular judge or even the tie-breaker
judge, which is a real challenge, privilege
and responsibility.
I prepared, practiced and performed all the
projects, with enthusiasm, energy and
passion, while never losing sight of my
Southern Cross
dream, goals and objectives. I have a wide
circle of friends. I am far more informed on
many subjects, but best of all, Toastmasters
abated my fears of public speaking.
I had a dream and now have a passion for
speaking and presenting in public, and give
speeches, listen attentively, learn new things,
and lead in lots of training and workshopping
forums...
I seized every opportunity and really enjoyed
Toastmasters and have attended regularly,
visited many, many clubs, served in all the
club officer roles and also have been Area
Governor, and am currently Bass Division
Governor.
I learned and now live my dream and
Toastmasters has made a huge difference in
my life, giving me the tools, skills,
confidence, and competence to realise and
now live my dream.
In March 2012 I will be a Distinguished
Toastmaster.
Ladies, & Gentlemen, It doesn‟t get any
better than this.
David Hughes
Page 10

A STARTER’S
PERSPECTIVE ON
STARTING YOUR
TOASTMASTERS
JOURNEY
by Keir Wells – Ivanhoe Toastmasters
It was only in September 2011 that I joined
Toastmasters – barely four months ago. So
just what is a total Toastmasters newbie
doing writing an article about a
Toastmasters‟ journey? Read on and
discover.
In the four months since joining
Toastmasters I have been fortunate enough
to be a charter member of a new club
(Ivanhoe Toastmasters Club), deliver six of
my Competent Communication speeches, be
elected to the role of Vice President
Membership, attend meetings at numerous
clubs, act as another club‟s Contest
Chairman, and even run and Chair a
Speech-A-Thon.
Now before you assume I‟m one of those
now Toastmasters hungry for achieving DTM
in record time, forget it. In fact many of the
meetings I attend I do so for the sheer
pleasure of hearing good speakers and
evaluations – and learning from them as
much as I can. Oh, and meeting some great
people as well.
The thing is, that like the majority of
Toastmasters, I joined the organisation to
become a better speaker and leader. So
here is my perspective – warts and all – on
starting a Toastmasters journey that has
improvement as its destination.
Above all, involve yourself. Go beyond the
confines of your own club. Always bear in
mind that even though you are a member of
your local club, you are a member of
Toastmasters International. This brings with
it the wonderful opportunity to attend any one
of more than 13,000 clubs in 116 countries.
Southern Cross
Next, don‟t wait for speaking or leadership
opportunities to be spoon-fed to you. If you
really want to gain experience, then speak to
your VPE. Tell them you‟d like to participate
in speech-a-thons, act as a contest test
speaker or take on leadership roles at other
clubs‟ meetings.
Accept the fact that you‟ll fall flat on your face
at times. But when that happens, pick
yourself up and try again. I‟ve seen highly
experienced speakers crash-and-burn midspeech,
then jump right back in after a few
days as if nothing had happened. Similarly, I
have always prided myself on the ability to
talk off-the-cuff. So what happened when
visiting another club only last night during
something as simple as the meeting warmup?
I blew it! I couldn‟t think of a thing to say.
Today, I‟ll be speaking to my VPE and
speaking to her about opportunities to deliver
impromptu speeches. I‟ll also be talking to
fellow Toastmasters about tricks they‟ve
picked up over the years to help them in
similar situations. Essentially, it‟s all about
improving yourself and seeking support from
other Toastmasters – you might just be
surprised at how much they‟re only too
happy to help.
More than just numbers
I found it interesting to read some recent
posts in a Toastmasters LinkedIn form, in
which posters discussed rapid ascension
through speeches – ten in ten weeks, one
proclaimed. Similarly, I find it intriguing to
hear other Toastmasters discuss how having
achieved CC and CL status has not
necessarily improved their speaking or
leadership skills.
The fact is that it is more than just numbers.
It is more than achieving CC and CL status,
and it is more than delivering one speech
then working immediately on your next. It‟s
about learning and improving.
Yes, it takes effort. But if you really are
committed to improving your public speaking
and leadership skills, then the effort will be
more than worthwhile.
Page 11

Prizes, Fun, Prizes, Fun, Trivia Night –
Friday 17th February, 2012, 7:00 for
7.30pm
Trivia questions as well as no-brainer events!
An exciting prize laden and fun night meant
to be enjoyed by all – bring family and friends
– your brains trust is accepted, drag dad out
of the closet!
Hosts:|
Marlene Sinclair and Gillian Russell. You
have been warned.
Venue:
The Mount Waverley Community Centre, 47
Miller Road, Mt Waverley, just off
Stephensons Road and opposite Mount
Waverley train station. Easy parking and no
fees.
Teams of 8 per table. $15 per head or pre
book for the special Early Bird discount of
$100 for the table of 8 if you book by January
31 st . Bring your own table (of people that is)
or join in with others to make up a table!
BYO glasses, drinks and nibbles. Tea and
coffee provided.
Prizes galore: Special prize for the best
“Themed Table”
Door Prizes - Digital radio and more!
Individual Trivia prizes for each member of
the winning team. Fun competition prizes -
Navigation system, and more!
Southern Cross
TRIVIA NIGHT
17 TH FEBRUARY
Special event:
WOW: The "Wall Of Wine", will be in
operation. The "Wall Of Wine", consists of
bottles of wrapped wine, you pay $10 and
you choose a wine package.
Try your luck – for $10 you have a chance of
winning a bottle of Moët & Chandon
Champagne, and as a minimum, a $10 Bottle
of wine regardless. You can't lose except
that there will be one empty Champagne
bottle.
What will you be doing Friday 17 th
February? Join us- have a bit of fun, use
your head (or not) and meet some new
friends?
Bookings:
Please contact Gillian Russell @
gillianrussell@optusnet.com.au
or Marlene Sinclair @
marlenes.smallfish@bigpond.com
for bookings or register online at the
convention website:
www.d73.toastmasters.org.au/convention
Page 12

18-20 May 2012 in Melbourne
Hundreds of Toastmasters from Victoria,
South Australia, Tasmania and Western
Australia will celebrate and be inspired at
one of the best conventions yet. Yes, we also
warmly welcome all the members from the
newly formed District 17 in WA, our offspring
District, to our convention. It‟s about fun,
friendship and fabulous speakers.
Albert Park Lake
What will you get out of attending a
convention?
As Helen Blanchard, the International
President 1985/86 said, "If you get out of
Toastmasters, all that you can get out of
Toastmasters, you'll never get out of
Toastmasters".
Come Join Us.
Be Inspired.
Get More out of Toastmasters.
See the convention website at:
www.d73.toastmasters.org.au
/convention2012
Southern Cross
COME JOIN US AND BE
INSPIRED AT ALBERT
PARK LAKE AT THE
LUXURIOUS SEBEL
HOTEL
Sebel Grand Ballroom
Why come to a convention?
Because you'll have Fun, be Inspired and
Entertained by Keynote Speakers like Craig
Valentine, the 1999 World Champion of
Public Speaking. And of course the best
speakers in the District. You'll have a great
time meeting old friends and making new
ones. Is there an area in your communication
or leadership program that you want to excel
at? We will have workshops that will take you
from a good speaker to a great speaker. And
of course, the AGM.
Convention Committee
Page 13

Southern Cross
Page 14

PLEASE HELP US
GROW THE MONEY
TREE!
Be a standout club!
Have your club‟s name on the convention
program as a “Club Sponsor”
Your club can be a sponsor for the Audio-
Visual costs for the District 73 convention to
be held 18-20 May, 2012. Help make this the
best possible 2012 Convention by
sponsoring the Audio-Vision costs for
workshops, contests, world champion
speaker and Saturday night function.
“How can we help?” you may ask!
Well it‟s very easy – we‟re looking for District
73 Toastmaster Clubs to make a donation
towards this cost. We don‟t mind how much
or how little - every little bit counts!
Your club can donate using:
Southern Cross
� club funds; providing it is for a
designated purpose e.g.
workshop/educational expenses:
Audio-Visual equipment in this case.
� funds raised from a fund-raising
activity such as club raffle or a
Speechcraft course.
All money should be directly deposited into
the Host Club's account for ease of financial
management. i.e. The Toast Of the Country
Club (TOCC) account, preferably through
PayPal (see the convention webpage), bank
transfer or if necessary a cheque may be
deposited at any Bendigo bank.
Please remember to tag your donation
with your club name (e.g. MT Rowville)
Bank: Bendigo Bank
TOCC Account: BSB 633 000 ACC. # 123
084 774
Cheques: Made out to Toast of The Country
Club Toastmasters
Postage: Rajeev Wadhwa, 7 Wetherby Crt.
Rowville mwadhwa@gmail.com
Contact: Mark Smith 0409 958 373
edugames4@bigpond.com
Your sponsorship will be gratefully
acknowledged by email and in the
Convention Program.
Please help us make your 2012 District 73
Convention one of the best ever.
Page 15

Welcome to 2012! A new year is for many, a
sign of new beginnings. Many of us create
Resolutions to change in some way - only to
find that our reason is not quite big enough to
sustain it.
But what about your commitment to
Toastmasters? What could we do "Online",
to set ourselves and our club up for 2012 to
be your best year yet? Use this list as a
prompt for what you could do: -
� Set up a Facebook Group, for your
club to share news, events, photos,
and updates - and extend your club
experience beyond your official
meetings.
� Set up a google calendar for your club,
imbed it in your website, and integrate
your calendar with that of the District!
� Set up a Twitter account, to share your
news with other Twitter users, and
share their news with your members
and prospects!
� Review your club website, and
member kit and ensure everything
looks current for 2012. How about
updating that "Invitation from the
President" in your orientation kit to be
the one for 2012?
� Check your Freetoasthost website,
and Toastmasters International club
information, and ensure all your club
and member details are all up-to-date!
� Think about your Club Newsletter.
Does it reflect a 2012 look and feel?
� Develop a relationship with a "sister"
Toastmasters club in another part of
the world!
� Re-check your DCP progress, and
revise your plans to exceed them!
� Build a Club Facebook Page - your
address for people to find you on
Facebook.
Southern Cross
� Develop some online "Buzz". Make
sure everyone in your club tells their
online friends about the great time
they've had at your club meetings, or
at the Convention!
� Have them 'tag' your club, or the
District, so your friends check us out!
� Make sure you're participating with
others and following the District online.
Check
http://www.d73.toastmasters.org.au/so
cialmedia for links!
� Make sure your club website has links
to the District, and your Club is linked
from Toastmasters International! It will
help people and Search Engines to
find you!
� Set a schedule, for when you will
review Toastmasters information
online. Make an action plan, and stick
to it. That's the key to using Social
Media and the Web as a helpful tool,
rather than an overwhelming monster.
� Look at producing some video content
about your club - visitor comments,
member experiences, and put it on
your website. Video content is
booming, as *the* way people will "try
before they buy" - even if just to
choose a club to visit.
So... take those things you think are useful,
and put them into place... and may your 2012
be your best year yet – online.
Page 16

District 73 Leader Nomination Form
Southern Cross
Are you interested in nominating yourself or someone else for a District leader position? Please complete the form
below and submit it to the Chair of the District 73 Nominating Committee, Immediate Past District Governor, Bruce
Hill.
If you are nominating someone, you may submit more than one person's name for each position. To be nominated
or elected, a person must be a member in good standing of a Toastmaster club in good standing, meet the
qualifications of the position, consent to being nominated and must sign the Officer Agreement and Release Form.
District Leader Nominating Form
I wish to have the nominating committee consider the following person for the office of:
□ District Governor
□ Lt. Governor Education & Training
□ Lt. Governor Marketing
□ Public Relations Officer
□ Division Governor (please specify division_________)
□ Area Governor (please specify area_______________)
Name _______________________________________________________ □ CC □ AC □ DTM
Address ________________________________________________________________________
City____________________________________________________________________________
State ___________________ Post Code _________Country ____________________
Telephone (H) ________________ (B) _____________________(C) _______________________
E-mail: ________________________________________________________________________
Home Club Name ________________________________________ Club Number____________
If there is additional information you would like to include about this candidate that you feel would assist the
nominating committee in their deliberations, please attach it to this form. Please describe any club and District
offices held by nominated individual (include dates of service if possible). Please share with the nominating
committee why you believe the nominated individual should be considered for the specified position.
Submitted by: ________________________________________________Date:______________
Club Name: _______________________________Club Number: _____________
Email to:
Bruce Hill DTM
ipdg@d73.toastmasters.org.au
Chair, District 73 Nominating Committee
Deadline for submitting this form: February 29 th 2012.
Page 17

CLUB NAME NEW MEMBER
505 Speakers Corner Tania G Matthews
Stuart D Larke
Sule Atli
Fergus Dobbins
Shay Beaton
Matt Dube
Adelaide Central Stephen Kelly
AECOMmunicators Oliver Charlesworth
Marshall Munneke
Nick Didio
Mark Roberts
Aon Melbourne Helen Guo
Tristan Letica
Leonie Tate
Mark Fiorenti
Zen Najjar
Jasmine Bradley
Balaclava Ebony Keltie
Bayside Tim McNamara
Bendigo Zach P Worrall
Berwick Constantine Panago
Boroondara Sruthi Chandrasekhar
Dejanne Kadow
Melville Miranda
Box Hill Central Lachlan T Nunn
Catherine L Bennett
Ashley Coleman-Bock
Brimbank Jake B Nunez
Jumaan Sheriff
Champion Mark Norman
Croydon - Yarra Valley Trevor W Bellinger
Dandenong Ian L. Kemp
Deakin University Chin Ho Lau
Mutsumi Kamiya
Muthuwadura De Silva
Sophia Dang
Eunjeong Ji
Ford Australia Rohan Peter Oaten
Frankston Hans M Caspersz
Geelong Steven Mark Hodge
Glen Iris Stephen Swann
Liudmila Tyumneva
Christopher De Silva
Gourmet Liz J Wu
Sally J Teale
Latrobe Valley Craig Heywood V
Launceston Adam D Dickenson
Lilydale Saska Pratley
Southern Cross
CLUB NAME NEW MEMBER
Macedon Ranges Joanne V Summers
Yasna De Chalain
Manningham Renay Earnshaw
Charmaine J Slater
Monash Vi T Ha
Shenal B Hedwige
More Than Words Warren Lung
Mornington Peninsula Debra Pahl
Mount Barker Anna Los
National Australia Bank Anna L Beddows
North Melbourne Theresa M Young
Josie Coraci
Northern Exposure Huan (hattie) Yu
Lisa Marie Peterson
Sarah Milburn
Suzi R O,Dell
ProSpeak Amanda Marie Wood
Elizabeth Hartnell
Mathew Ross
Cameron Hartnell
Pushing The Envelope Jessie (ze-Jun) Chen
Damian Troy Kielbaska
Wei-I Lee
Mal De Alwis
RMIT Prabath Ekanayake
Sandbelt Sue Simadri
Silver Service Leanne S Whiter
South Coast Speakers Daniel M Marshall
Southern Cross Clare L Harvey
Spirit Of Devonport Todd A Wheldon
Talking Point At Docklands Bharat Bajaj
Tea House Sutharsan Rajasingham
Technospeakers Michael Salt
Paul Wong
Telstra Exhibition Valentina Samac
Allan J Wallace
Tuesday Chatters Athula I Bogoda
Whitehorse Ron J Carroll
Kathy Benis
Phillip Wallis
Yarra Valley Water Kristian Demsky
Neil McColl
Michael Browne
Page 18

COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR AWARD
Name Club
Acton, Robert J Macedon Ranges
Broughton, Kevin National Australia Bank
Castanelli, Kenneth Box Hill Central
Gibson, Neal Mount Barker
Hergt, Anna C. Ivanhoe
Jack, Elinor Maree Ringwood
Murphy, David James Yakety Yaks
Popec, Lydia Telstra Exhibition
Schluter, Philipp Tea House
Sellick, Sharon J. Shepparton
Tait, Robert Ringwood
Tran, Michael Monash
Weatherhead, Andrew Box Hill Central
Woodman, Amanda Sinclair Knight Merz
COMPETENT LEADER AWARD
Name Club
Dunstone, Shelley Adelaide
Hiscock, Emma Adelaide Central
Holberton, Julie ProSpeak
Kilby, Joan Mornington Peninsula
Koeglmaier, Andreas AECOMmunicators
Ptschelinzew, Yuri Box Hill
ADVANCED COMMUNICATOR BRONZE
Name Club
Adams, James Sandbelt
Hergt, Anna C. Gourmet
Patrzalek, Chris Happy Hour
Pearson, Clayton Tea Tree Gully
ADVANCED LEADER BRONZE
Name Club
Southern Cross
Brown, Trish 505 Speakers Corner
Hergt, Anna C. Ivanhoe
Jensen, Julie A. Ivanhoe
Klar, Darrell C Raconteurs
Pearson, Clayton Tea Tree Gully
ADVANCED COMMUNICATOR SILVER
Name Club
Burley, Bill Macedon Ranges
Jensen, Julie Ivanhoe
HPL AWARD - LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE
Name Club
Hayes, Valerie Diamond Valley
DISTINGUISHED TOASTMASTER
Name Club
Dennis, Patricia The Oaks
Wilson-Vlotman, Ann Shepparton
Page 19

February
1 st SOUTHERN CROSS
Wed February Edition released.
4 th
Northern Club Officer Training
Sat Venue: TBA
Time: 9:00 – 1:00
Free Toast Host V2 Seminar
Venue: Education and Development
Centre, Milner St Hindmarsh
Time: 10:00 – 12:00
Central Club Officer Training
Venue: Education and Development
Centre, Milner St Hindmarsh
Time: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Convention Trivia Night
Venue: Mt. Waverley Community
Centre, 47 Miller Rd, Mt. Waverley
Time: 7:00 pm for 7:30 start
18 th Bass Club Officer Training
Sat Venue: Southern Community Church
2 - 12 Chesterville Rd Cheltenham
Time: 9:30 – 4:00
Area M20 Club Officer Training
Venue: Zeps Cafe Meeting Room,
Campbelltown
Time: 10:00 – 4:00
19 th Speechathon
Sun Venue: South Melbourne Town Hall
Bank Street, South Melbourne
Eastern and Ranges COT
Venue: Box Hill Town Hall
Whitehorse Road, Box Hill
22 nd
Wed
28 th
Tue
Time: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Eastern International Speech and
Evaluation Contests
Venue: Box Hill Senior Citizens
Centre, Carrington Road, Box Hill
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Ranges Evaluation and Humorous
Speech Contests
Venue: RAFT Church, cnr Taylors
Lane and Kellerts Rd, Rowville
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 pm
29 th
Wed
March
1 st
Thu
Southern Cross
Eastern Humorous Speech and
Table Topics Contests
Venue: Uniting Church Hall,
11 Highview Rd Preston
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Metro & Southern COT
Venue: Multicultural Hub
District Nomination Deadline
Deadline for submitting nomination
form to Bruce Hill,
ipdg@d73.toastmasters.org.au
Form on Page 17.
Ranges International Speech and
Table Topics Contests
Venue: Willis Room, Whitehorse
Civic Centre, 379 - 397 Whitehorse
Rd, Nunawading
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 pm
3 rd Metro Division Contests
Sat Venue: South Melbourne Town Hall
Bank Street, South Melbourne
4 th Northern Division Contests
Sun Venue: TBA
17 th
Sat
Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Central Division International and
Evaluation Contests
Venue: Education and Development
Centre, Milner St Hindmarsh
Time: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
19 th SOUTHERN CROSS
Mon Deadline for April Edition
24 th Bass Division Contests
Sat Venue: Southern Community Church
Of Christ, 2 - 12 Chesterville Rd
Time: 9:45 – 4:45
April
2 nd SOUTHERN CROSS
Mon April Edition released.
May
18 th – District Annual Convention
20 th Venue: The Sebal Albert Park
Oueens Road, Albert Park
Page 20