A toast to 100 years: Centurion club celebrates centennial
Happiness is a centennial anniversary of their international club and the Centurion Toastmasters Club filled their celebrations with grand ceremony and nostalgic memories.
Toastmasters International turns 100 in October 2024 and, in honour of this historic milestone, the Centurion Toastmasters Club celebrated this occasion with a glance at their own club’s illustrious history.
Centurion Toastmasters celebrates 44 years of existence this year and past and present presidents and members attended a celebratory function on October 23 in Centurion.
Toastmasters is a non-profit educational organisation that builds confidence and develops speaking and leadership skills through a structured programme and worldwide network of clubs that meet online and in person.
Elize Janse van Rensburg told the audience about how Dr Ralph C Smedley introduced the Toastmasters concept in 1905.
His dream was to create an organisation where thoughts could be shared and members taught how to converse and debate in an organised and friendly way. The foundation was laid in 1924 in Santa Ana in California, when the first club meeting was held.
Today, there are more than 14 000 clubs in 150 countries.
Two Centurion members were honoured for their years of service to the club, Elize Janse van Rensburg and Koos Slabber.
Janse Van Rensburg said she joined in 1990. She thanked the organisation and the club, as well as members way back attending for “helping me and enabling me to reach new heights in the organisation and to develop my skills.”
A jovial Koos Slabber, who after the third meeting of the Centurion Toastmasters Club decided to join up, said he first read about the organisation in the Reader’s Digest and thought it was a good idea.
In the early days he joined up with Keith van Heerden to organise club meetings according to international guidelines. There was however also a social side with members meeting afterwards for more casual chats.
“This organisation can take you from being a sitting duck to being a soaring eagle,” said Slabber.
Members shared special reflections on Toastmasters stories of the club, as well as nostalgic memories of meetings where prepared speeches were delivered.
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