Posted by Dorothea Stuart
| Peter van der Sloot and Keith Gautier. Photo: Bob Nisbet, London Athenians |
In December London Athenians celebrated Keith Gautier’s achievements. I caught up with Keith, Distinguished Toastmaster, on his return from the country.
How was your special night? Athenians really honoured me - even the programme was in gold to celebrate my DTM. They presented me with a book of memories with contributions from many TM’s, a celebratory cake, a portrait painted by a member, framed Chinese calligraphy of my name and a video of the evening. An event that I’ll never ever forget!!
Athenians know how to celebrate success and put on a good party? YES!
How did you come to join Toastmasters? I joined because I’d been invited to address a conference of my fellow Chartered Building Surveyors, an audience of 750 people. I chickened out - terrified of public speaking. I first visited the Athenians in 1995, and was greeted by the President! I joined the following week and became a Charter (founder) member and I’ve been a member ever since.
Why did you start the Toastmasters Leadership track? I’ve always worked on the basis that the more you put into anything the more you get out. Following this philosophy, I found myself on the club committee, eventually President then Area Governor followed by Division B Governor.
Why have you stayed with the club? Athenians has a wonderfully eclectic mix of members from all over the world. True life stories abound: the Irish lady who went to school barefoot so she didn’t stand out from the rest of the class, the Somali guy who spent years dodging bullets, the aid worker whose main diet was grass along with the indigenous people... All so interesting.
Have you ever got bored? No, but if ever anyone did, then volunteer, get involved and put something back into TM. Run an event, join the committee, visit other clubs, be their General Evaluator. You’ll find TM is definitely a pathway to a fuller life. Socially, and from a business point of view, your general confidence will grow and that next interview will be a breeze!
Competitions are a show case of the best in the land and you learn a lot. District conferences are superb and highly recommended, lots of socialising too. Through them I’ve gained an even wider circle of friends from
Why go for DTM? – It just happened. I joined in. I got involved, I was occasionally nudged by my VP Education and here I am!
The future? When I retire to the country, if there isn’t a TM club around, then there soon will be. I’ll start one
