Victory At Last!

24 June 2008 was a day that I will never forget! As the incoming Area Governor, I was exhilarated (pronounced as Ig-z- larated, thanks to Richard Sng, DTM) to install the executive committee of my home club.

Jenny Au, the incoming President, was meticulous in her preparation. She had the “golden” name-tags of all officers prepared, together with all the officers’ manuals put in a folder. Familiar with the duties of the exco officers, I decided to proceed with the ceremony without notes. This time, I struggled with pinning the name-tags. I was really not nimble with my hands. Thank God, everything went smoothly.

Aziz Mustajab, DTM came up to me at the end of the meeting and congratulated me on the installation ceremony. He commented that it was really dignified and well conducted. This really made my day!

My contest speech at the International Speech Contest was “Slam That Door” where I shared the power of words. Words can destroy us! Words can also build us up! As toastmasters, we know the power of words and we are always mindful that when we give feedback, we must be constructive and encouraging.

CPA Australia Toastmasters Club

Last Saturday, 21 June 2008, I was privileged to be the installing officer for the new exco of CPA Australia Toastmasters Club. Out of the 7 incoming exco officers, only 3 were present. The rest were all out-stationed.

As such, I decided to delegate the responsibility of briefing each exco member to the incoming President. Hence, I installed the entire exco altogether and asked for their pledge together.

What a terrible mistake I made! I’ve received feedback that no one knows who is taking on what roles! I’ve done a great disservice to CPA Australia’s new exco. So Sooorrry!

From one extreme to the other. Looks like it is safer to err on the much trodden path. I will conduct future exco installation on a solemn note. Enough of experimenting…

However, I am thankful for the support and encouragement of all present. It’s not about the mistakes we make, it’s about what we learnt from our mistakes that matter. There is this saying, “Fear is a poor chisel with which to carve our tomorrow.” Never allow fear of making mistakes stop us from trying!

The new President, Teresa, shared that she left the Toastmasters Movement for four years and because of the constant reminders from Kong Pak Fee, she decided to return. Now, she is holding the helm at CPA Australia Toastmasters Club. This clearly shows that the Club truly makes members matter.

Quoting Teresa, never give up on your dreams! I look forward to working with your team and your Club to reach for your dreams!

Thank You!

On 16 June 2008, I accepted the invitation by Sienna Lazaro to be the installing officer for the new Executive Committee of Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

This is my first experience as the installing officer. Excited as I was, I pored through the Area Leadership Handbook for guidance on how to conduct the installation ceremony.

From my memories, the installation ceremony is a solemn ceremony. Before that, I discharged the current exco of their duties. They had done well to lead Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club to achieve President’s Distinguished Club status.

Then, I installed the new exco officers one by one. I followed the script word-for-word. To me, it was “painfully” boring. Then, I called upon all members to take their pledge to stand by the new exco. There were few members present. Most of them are guests and visitors. I was thankful that the ceremony was completed without any hiccups!

Charanjit, the new President, saved the night with his inaugural speech. He quoted Mahatma Gandhi, “The true beauty of a country lies in the warmth of the people.” Charanjit said, “The true beauty of a Club lies in the warmth and love of the members.”

True to his words, members of Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club exude warmth and two of the visitors commented that they were so comfortable that they would sign up as members.

Thank you, Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club, for giving me this opportunity to share this moment with you, to install the new exco and to work closely with you throughout the year to reach greater heights! I’m confident that under Charanjit’s leadership, Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club will once again achieve President’s Distinguished Club for the term 2008/2009.