From Chucks Onwere, Area 29 Governor
The Area 29 (West London) contest evening was imbued with high emotion and heartfelt evaluations and speeches that tugged at our heart strings from the start. Transparency, vulnerability and the courage to dare to be different won the day.
Special thanks has to go to Daniel Sanz for all the work he did behind the scenes. Marc Lottig and Neil Coleman for the same reason. Andy O'Sullivan for doing such an accomplished job as Contest Chair.
A big thank you to the ballot counters and timekeepers, Richard Fowler, John Irving, Mel, Michael Ciavola, Adrian Smiths and David Alexander.
Of course, thanks also to all the Area 29 club Presidents - Els Vermeulen, Emilie Devienne, Heidi Ashley-Hacker, Marion Sherriffs and Michael Ciavola for their support leading up to the contest and on the night.
Small gifts were given to those unsung heroes that work behind the scenes to acknowledge that their efforts were very much appreciated by me and fellow members.
The placings in our two excellent contests were as follows:
Evaluation Contest
1st Place: Bill Birdi (Trojans Speakers)
2nd Place: James Lumley Savile (West London Speakers)
3rd Place: Els Vermeulen (The Toast Rack)
International Speech Contest
1st Place: Floyd Toussaint - Kaye (The Toast Rack)
2nd Place: Andrew Klimaytys (Riverside Communicators)
3rd Place: Claudia Welsh (West London Speakers)
Our Area 29 winners Bill and Floyd go forward to the Division B contests. These take place on Saturday 18 April at Freemasons' Hall, Covent Garden. http://www.eventbrite.com/e/toastmasters-division-b-international-speech-and-evaluation-contests-2015-plus-workshops-tickets-1517674405
At the end of the Area 29 evening I gave a special mention to Gill Orstein and Jacqueline Purcell for imparting so much of their wealth and experience personally to me. I publicly acknowledged Jacqueline with a bouquet of flowers as a small token of appreciation.
