This my last article as your District Director. I want to pass on my thanks to all members in District 17 in supporting the District and also for you in achieving your goals for the year.

I particularly wish to pay specific thank you to the Program Quality Director Julie Dall DTM for the amazing work she has done with all the programming of workshops, club officer training and overseeing the Conference and District Contests for 2021-22. The amount of content that Julie Dall has added to the District website has been tremendous and we will be forever grateful.

Thank you to our Club Growth Director Gavin Hyslop DTM for your efforts in supporting clubs and working the development of new clubs.

Thank you goes out to all the District Executive Committee for your support. It has been pleasure to work with you and to see you grow and develop your leadership skills.

International Director – Lesley Storkey DTM visits Perth

We had the pleasure of hosting International Director Lesley Storkey DTM from Wednesday 18 May 2022 to Sunday 22 June 2022. Thank you to Toasting Human Energy Toastmasters Club in hosting us on Thursday 19 May 2022 afternoon and Aspiring Leaders Toastmasters Club in the evening.

2022 District Conference

Thank you to Peggy Leung and Julie Dall DTM for ensuring we were able to have a successful online Conference throughout May. They had to navigate the period of uncertainty due to the ever-changing environment with the opening of state borders and COVID issues.

We had such an amazing line up of keynote and workshop presenters. The District Contests were amazing. The quality of the speakers this year was fabulous.

We were able to have an End of Conference dinner at Tompkins on the Swan, where we were able to be together for the first time for three years. Thank you to Peggy Leung and CPA Toastmasters Club in hosting this event. There were several highlights during the night with Priya Cooper OAM as the Keynote Speaker, Julie Dall DTM award the 2022 Toastmaster of the Year Award and the presentation of Trophies to the District Contest Speakers.

Transition to New Team

I would like to welcome the following elected 2022-23 Trio:

Gavin Hyslop – District Director Elect

Peggy Leung – Program Quality Director Elect

Jeff Zhang – Club Growth Director Elect

We wish you all the very best for your year ahead.

Transition of Club Officers

Many of will have had your club elections and inducting your new club officers. Please ensure that your Club Secretary or Club Presidents enters the new officer details onto Club Central as soon as possible.

Regards

District Director Tim Blackburn

Tim Blackburn
District Director 2021-2022
District 17 Toastmasters International

And the Winners Are …

What fantastic contests! Great contestants and a smoothly run event.

Thank you to all role players and AUDIENCE – there were over 50 attendees at each of the contests and I am positive that even though the contestants couldn’t see you they were thankful for the support.

The first contest was the Humorous Contest on the 15^th May. Congratulations to David Arkell, Young Guns in first place; Kym Godfrey, Banyandah in second place; and Patricia Ong, CPA Toastmasters in third place.

On the afternoon of the 15^th May, we held the Evaluation Contest. Congratulations to Maree Pickens, St George’s in first place; Sue Fielding, WA Speakers Bureau in second place; and Kym Godfrey, Banyandah in third place.

On the 21^st May we had the International Speech Contest. Congratulations to Katrina Pereira, Willetton Toastmasters, who won the event and will represent District 17 in the Region Quarterfinals. Congratulations to William Morgan, Fremantle Gateway, who came second and Kym Godfrey, Banyandah in third place.

The final contest was the Table Topics Contest on the afternoon of the 21^st May. Congratulations to Juliana Kelly, Zoom-Masters, in first place; Abbey Dunne, Currambine Toastmasters, in second place; and Graham Watson, Southern River, in third place.

Thank you to all the role players – Chief Judges, Contest Chairs, Timers, Tally Counters, Zoom Masters, Assistant Zoom Masters, and of course, our Judges. Without your help and support these contests could not have taken place.

Julie Dall, DTM
Program Quality Director 2021/22

Program Quality Director Julie Dall

Julie Dall, DTM
Program Quality Director 2021/22

Let's hear from Julie Dall, our Toastmaster of the Year

Julie Dall, DTM was award District 17's Toastmaster of the Year 2021-2022 for her outstanding contribution to the success of the District. This is the second time Julie has received the award, the first-time being for the 2019-2020 Toastmasters Year.

The Toastmasters of the District award honours members, who contribute to the overall success of the District.

Julie Dall, DTM is a highly motivated and an enthusiastic member. In addition to her role as Program Quality Director, she worked with clubs to increase their adoption of Pathways. Visiting countless clubs to run educationals, she also ran drop-in sessions where people could receive one-on-one support with their Pathways questions and responded to email enquiries quickly.

She demonstrated her commitment to Pathways by completing four paths this year and presenting over 50 speeches.

She looked at various and different ways to help upskill District 17 members - running all day Club Officer Training sessions on Toastmasters and non-Toastmaster skills, open to all members. Facilitating an Online Facilitation Session with overseas speakers, running a session on DISC Personality Profiles to increase member's communication and leadership skills.

Apart from her work with Pathways, she helped raise the exposure of Toastmasters through coaching two TedxUWA speakers, she was invited to be the keynote speaker at District 8's Club Officer Training session and has spoken extensively at clubs throughout the world.

When asked about the award she said "This award is not possible without the help and support of other members. I want to thank all those who have worked with me, supported and encouraged me over the last year. We have achieved a lot together, and together we can achieve more."

Update your Club Officer list for 2022/23

Hopefully your club has already held it's club officer elections for the 2022/23 Toastmaster year, and if not then they are scheduled for the next week.

When the club officers have been elected it is important that the details are updated in Club Central on the Toastmasters International website.

There have recently been some issues with the website and Club Central, that may have stopped your club from updating the list but this seems to have been fixed.

It is important that the list is updated for a number of reasons:

Club Officers will get the correct communication for the District and Toastmasters International.
Club Officers will be able to access Club Central & Basecamp allowing club members Pathways level completions to be approved.
New members will be able to be added to the club.

If you have any questions about how to do this, do not hesitate to reach out to your Area Director or another District Officer.

Upcoming Club Officer Training for 2022/23

Have you just been elected to a Club Officer role for your club for the 2022/23 Toastmasters year?

If so congratulations and thanks from the District team for volunteering to help your help, and for taking on these leadership roles.

Whether you are a brand new club officer taking on your role, or a club officer taking on a different role, or doing a role, you have done before, the District believes that it is important that we provide you with training and education for the role.

We provide two rounds of training each year, one at the start of the new year and another half way through the year.

We have organised a number of sessions for this first round of Club Officer Training for 2022/23 with details as follow:

Session 1 - Open to all clubs

Date - Tuesday, 5th July
When - 6:00 pm to 8.45pm
Where - Online
Registration - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcod--prTIuHtc6x3OH4OYKHTtEcYguW4sP

Note: This session was previously going to be held on 28th June but needed to be rescheduled to the 5th July. If you had already registered you should have got a notification regarding the change.

Session 2 - Open to all clubs

Date - Saturday, 16th July
When - 1:00 pm to 4:00pm
Where - Technology Park Function Centre, Technology Park, Bentley
Registration - To be issued at a later date

Session 3 - Open to all clubs but focus on CORPORATE Clubs

Date - Thursday, 28th July
When - 6:00 pm to 8.45pm
Where - Online
Registration - To be issued at a later date

Session 4 - Open to all clubs

Date - Sunday, 7th August
When - 1:00 pm to 4:00pm
Where - Online
Registration - To be issued at a later date

Hopefully all club officers will be able to attend one of this sessions for your own education about the role, which is important to ensure that you are able to help your club be a healthy club. Having a minimum number of club officers is also needed for the Distinguished Club Program.

What does our Incoming District Director have to say

The last couple of years have been a struggle for a lot of clubs with COVID impacting on membership numbers and how clubs could hold meetings but hopefully that is over and we will be able to see clubs getting guests to their meetings and having them become members.

During that time, I have been involved in the District leadership team, as a Division Director and then Club Growth Director, trying to help clubs survive so I have seen first hand how difficult it has been. Now, I do think that we have turned a corner and that it will get better, though it will still be a challenge for many clubs. I would encourage all clubs and members to keep trying and to celebrate all your successes no matter how small they might seem, and to keep having fun being a member.

I was recently asked what my 'theme' or idea was for my year as District Director, and my response was Trying New Things. Taking on the District Director role is a New Thing for me, I have never done it before, nor been trained in the role but I believe that I can do it. My first role as a club officer was exactly the same and I survived that, and grew from the experience and so it has continued during my Toastmasters journey.

So I would encourage every member to continue to Try New Things, and where possible to take a leap and try something new that is quite different to what you are doing now.

When a guest comes to your club, you want them to Try New Things and become a member, which is what you did when you first joint. Trying New Things is something that you have done before and want other people to do so please consider continuing to try new things.

Thanks for reading this and I look forward to writing more to you for future issues.

Gavin Hyslop

District Director Elect 2022/23

Your District Needs You

Dear District 17 members,

A number of members were elected to the District senior leadership team at the recent District Council meeting or have been appointed to roles since the meeting.

However, there are still a number of vacancies that we need to fill. These are opportunities for you to help you fellow members and the District, while gaining some great skills and experience that are transferrable into your professional and personal life.

Division Director
Area Director
Administration Manager
Public Relation Manager
Logistics Manager
Newsletter Editor
Events Coordinator

Training and support will be provided for ALL roles.

So come on, members. Your District needs you!

Any questions reach out to an experienced member in your club and if cannot help you directly then they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Education

Educational segments in club meetings

When was the last time you had an educational segment at one of your club meetings?

An educational segment is where a club meeting presents on a topic that is important for the education of members. It can be a 5-7 minute speech or longer or even shorter.

Topics can include things like getting into & around Pathways, ways to improve your speaking skills or opportunities to take on leadership roles (important at this time of the year with club officer elections).

There are many resources available to help you present an educational segment.

Everyone who attends a club meeting can benefit from an educational segment, whether they are a new member, guest or a 30 year member.

If your club does not run educational segments then I suggest that you reach out to your Vice President Education and ask that they are included in future meetings.

PS: the member presenting the educational, can easily find a Pathways project to use, so do not see this as 'losing' a speaking spot on the agenda.

Ideas for building Club membership from around the World

Do you need help find new members for your club?

Are the things that you have been doing to attract guests and convert them to members not working?

Maybe you can get some new ideas from the Club Building video contest that Toastmasters International held earlier in the year. They have made available the creative strategies and ideas that clubs submitted, so if you are looking for some new ideas please check them out on the TI website.

Toastmasters International -Recognition Awards

Club News

Slaying their dragons at St Georges and elsewhere

St Georges encourages people to join the club to ‘slay’ their public speaking dragons, and in our 37-year history, many of our members have gone on to become Champion Dragon Slayers.

At the recent dragon slaying championships (also known as the District Speech Contests), two of our members emerged as Dragon Slayers. They may not have been wearing the colours of St Georges at the time of their triumph but in their heart, St Georges comes first.

Juliana Kelly and Maree Pickens, both recent District Speech Contest Champions in the Table Topics and Evaluation Speech Contests, call St Georges their HOME club.

HOME club? It might seem strange if you are new to Toastmasters but some Toastmasters decide to join more than one club, for varied reasons, and both Juliana and Maree are members of a few clubs, as well as being active in Speechcraft. Their first and home club though is St Georges.

Representing their other clubs, they won their District Speech Contests but at their heart they are St George members.

Maybe to become Champions, you need to slay your dragons at more than one club?

St Georges congratulates Juliana & Maree on their success and encourages everyone to reach out and join as many clubs as you need to, so that you can slay your own dragons and become champions.

Visit St Georges to see how we create Champion Dragon Slayers. Guests are always welcome and the first coffee is on us (or Richard, the Club President).

Aspiring Leaders with our International Director

On the 19th May we celebrated our successes for this year with our Leaders and Lesley Storkey, our International Director for Region 12, who was in Perth.

The event was well attended with a lot of opportunities for Toastmasters to connect in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Everyone got to have a chat with Lesley and our leaders.

If you have any questions about Aspiring Leaders you can check out their website, using this link.

Aspiring Leaders Toastmasters Club

Regards,

Leonor Ragan DTM

President 2021/2022

Aspiring Leaders Toastmasters Club

Member Stories

Barefaced Young Gun takes the stage

When Matt Jackson joined the Young Guns Toastmasters Club and presented his icebreaker speech, little did we expect the absolutely harrowing tale of Matt being trapped in Peru after rain and mudslides blocked their tour group from leaving the ancient city of Machu Picchu.

After days of surviving on dwindling food, water, and cash supplies, Matt and his group were rescued by helicopter, making it out with a major life story to share.

After building up his skills and confidence on the Young Guns stage, Matt decided to share his story further – taking to the big stage, with a big audience, at Barefaced Stories at the Rechabite Hall in Northbridge.

Young Guns is incredibly proud of what Matt has achieved, using his skills to take on new challenges and sharing his story with a wider audience!

Alexander Price

President

Young Guns Toastmasters

Finding a new home

Joining Toastmasters at Gosnell Toastmasters Club, I found my niche but when they had to close I was a bit lost until I found Cannington Communicators and now I feel like I fit right back in.

After joining Gosnells in 2016, I became very active in the club and the District, I entered many speech contests and performed several club officer roles. The pinnacle for me was to be Toastmaster of the Year in 2019 for the club.

My journey in Toastmasters has been interesting! When I joined first joined, it was not something that I had been looking for.
I had just left High School and was doing volunteering at an Op shop but after attending my first meeting, I decided to join.
I decided to join the club because the speech therapy that I was doing ran out when I reached eighteen and I needed another option to help improve my speech, After I joined Gosnells in 2016 , my speech improved with the help of the other club members and supportive mentors. The supportive experience and the improvement that I felt, made me become very passionate about Toastmasters.

So why was I doing speech therapy and why did I search out for a Toastmasters club?
Well, I was born with some difficulties, a cleft palate, spinal anomalies, and dyspraxia. I had heart surgery when I was 2 weeks old. I was diagnosed with VACTERL association which affects many body systems including vertebrae, heart, trachea, and limb abnormalities which is why I only have four fingers on my right hand. My right arm is shorter than the left, and my left hip is significantly higher than the right. My neck is at a 40-degree angle, and they will not do surgery as this is too risky.

Gosnells closed and I was lucky to find Cannington Communicators, it is a culturally diverse and appealing club.

I cannot see my future without Toastmasters now because of the person I am becoming. I have learned more than I ever imagined, and I know that this is just another beginning on my journey.

Education Awards: Recognising our Educational Award Recipients

Congratulations to all our awards winners in April 2022.

We have 5 level ones, 6 level twos, 5 level threes, 2 level fours and 2 level fives and 1 Pathways Mentor program submitted this month.

Congratulations all!

Julie Dall, DTM
Program Quality Director 2021-22
District 17, Toastmasters International

Submitting Articles to Black Swan

Want to submit an article next month? If you have any news, stories and tips that would like to share with your fellow Toastmasters within District 17, write to us by the end of the month! Complete the Black Swan Submission Form and email to blackswan@toastmastersd17.org

Articles must have a relevant news category
Articles must be relevant or of clear interest to Toastmaster members.
Articles must reflect the TI core values; Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence.
Length must not exceed 300 words
Please supply images with the best picture quality available
Supply names of people shown in images.

Gavin Hyslop, DTM
Stand In Black Swan Editor
2021-2022

The Official Newsletter of Toastmasters District 17

Contents

District News

Transition Period