David Nottage

13 April Bronwen Newcombe, Director, Davenports Law

The impacts of staff isolation requirements were presented in detail by Bronwen Newcombe, along with vaccine mandate implications, which have placed increased pressure on businesses, their staff, suppliers, and clients. The need for business leaders to be open and fully communicative with their staff around business operations and changes to any employment conditions were of upmost importance.

4 May Bex Taylor, Marketing Manager, The Mind Lab

This presentation provided business owners with quick and affordable ways to make their marketing more efficient whilst not compromising on output or relevancy. Bex Taylor provided useful and highly practical insights about how to streamline your presence, prioritise your stories (not product details), use your mobile phone camera more often, and reinforcing that all roads lead to your website.

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LIKE SO MANY others, the BNH team was shocked and saddened by David Nottage’s recent passing, following a short and unexpected illness.

An Australian by birth, a Kiwi by choice, David’s kindness, humour, generosity, and talent touched the lives of thousands of people. Yet, despite his success and renown, he remained humble, devoid of airs and graces.

In 1996, David triumphed over 20,000 entrants to win the World Championship of Public Speaking for Toastmasters. This is an outstanding achievement by anyone’s standards but extraordinary in context because, in his early twenties, David couldn’t even speak to his team of four staff without a panic attack. Joining Toastmasters, he said, was life-changing.

In 1994, he founded TORQUE Business, which has been based in North Harbour since 2002. In his inimitable style, David shared the same techniques and skills with his clients that helped him win that prestigious award, become a

Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and made him one of NZ’s most in-demand MCs (master of ceremonies). Indeed, exhibitors and visitors at BNH’s 2021 Showcase North Harbour business expo will undoubtedly remember his exuberant energy. IN MEMORIAM

A celebration of David’s life was held on 21 April. Those paying tribute included friends and representatives from Toastmasters, the Professional Speakers Association of New Zealand, the Global Speakers Federation, and the National Speakers Association. Their recollections added extra colour to a truly larger than life character. David’s portrayals of Dame Edna Everage (which included a trip down Queen Street in a limo to surprise someone!), a gorilla, a Catholic priest, and the captain of Focker Airlines sounded legendary. And time and again, they described David as a gentleman who was “an inspiration”, “an amazing person”, and “an entertainer” who was devoted to helping others.

David’s life philosophy and subject of his Championship-winning presentation was “Get up, get up, get up”. His wife Julie has pledged that his legacy will endure through TORQUE Business.

All of us at BNH send our sympathy and support to Julie and the family, and to the team at TORQUE.