Chaired by Jocelyn, with the theme of “Matariki”. Jocelyn opened the meeting with the beginnings of a story of Matariki and continued the story throughout the meeting between speakers.

Grammarian Darrell’s word of the day is “obdurate” which means being stubborn against all reason. Several speakers managed to use the word in their speeches.

Angela introduced table topics and called on Gary to speak first.
What do I need to know as a first time cruiser – Gary says it is tempting to pack like you are moving house, but no, not really, pack for where you are going and take very little.
Dieter was asked about South African politics – he said there’s tribal lines, political lines, and with 11 official languages you can see how diverse it is. Politics is messy in South Africa.
Dirk told us what he liked about the Olympics this year – he will pick and choose which country he will support, and prefers the winter Olympics which is much more fun to watch.
Kathy was asked to explain how to make the perfect cheese souffle – she said it is similar to making pavlova even though she has never made one, but recommends you serve it before it sinks.
Jacqui told us about some of her hobbies – she has a symbiotic relationship between her plants and water in aquarium, as she uses the fish tank water as plant food. Her hobby of knitting is useful while she watches her plants grow.

Speech 1 by Gary, introduced by Dieter, was a Level 3 Pathways project using descriptive words, “Did you know Alex?”. A true story about Alex was relayed to us and the problems he had as a child. Perseverance and working hard to overcome life’s challenges was the main message of Gary’s speech. Evaluator Dieter said we had a picture in our heads of Alex’s journey in life which he really appreciated and enjoyed.

Dirk introduced Lin whose speech was a Level 1 Introduction to Vocal Variety project. “Food Choices and Identity”. She explained that no matter how much she tries other cultures food and cooking styles, she always reverts to her home country of Chinese food. Food is not just food but culture passed down through generations, it’s part of our heritage no matter where we live. It also plays a role in our family traditions such as Chinese new year, or western Christmas celebrations, which brings us together to form a connection even though you may be far from home. Evaluator Dirk said he really enjoyed the speech and reflected on his own diet and food choices.

Angela introduced Katina for her speech from the Team Collaboration Pathway level 1, “Finding your balance”. She opened by asking “Why do we hurry through life, piling the pressure on ourselves?” She then shifted focus and imagined standing on the shore of a peaceful lake with a sense of calm. The trick is to find a balance in life where we have a sense of calm and inner peace and quieter things in life, like mindfulness. Evaluator Angela said it was a masterclass of a speech from Katina tonight – it was perfection! It was a beautifully presented speech with a perfectly executed introduction.

Dale’s speech was an educational on Club Officer Roles for 2024-25 and was introduced by Kathy. Dale outlined the 2024-25 club officers for Spinnaker, and give a very brief description of their role. Evaluator Kathy said Dale’s purpose was to educate and inform us with vocal variety and gestures. Now everyone knows their roles and club members are encouraged to approach their club officers with any issues or ideas.

If you like the sound of this and want to learn more about how Toastmasters and our meetings work, then email us on spinnaker@toastmasters.org.nz. We’ll contact you back and invite you to our next meeting. We’d love to see you.