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The National Association of Toastmasters

TOASTMASTERS’ VOICE TMV SPRING 2022

we were able to make a sizeable donation to the Salvation Army - whose band incidentally were great – to support their excellent charity work at Christmastime. I am also delighted to be able to say that this fundraising has also allowed us to sponsor a taxi in the Magical Taxi Tour in September this year. It will be great to have the National Association of Toastmasters logo on the side of one of the taxis this year in the convoy to Disneyland Paris and back. More importantly, it will be delightful to be able to bring wide smiles to the desperately ill, yet very excited, children inside the taxi! Congratulations once again to Past President Richard Heywood for receiving the President’s Award and of course to Past President Howard Robbins who was presented with his Life Vice-President Award. More about each of these later in this issue.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Colleagues and Friends.

in a wonderful Christmas setting.

It seems only a short time ago that we were wishing each other ‘Merry Christmas’ and Happy New Year’. As this is the first TMV of 2022 we can look back at last year and remember the ups and downs of Covid and the effect it had on all our families, homes and businesses. 2021 was a difficult year but I am a firm believer in the ‘glass is half full’ philosophy and there were some positives for me. I therefore look back with great fondness to the Christmas Lunch at Vintners’ Hall on the 13th of December. I hope those who joined us really enjoyed a fabulous occasion with great food, excellent company, and fun entertainment

Thank you everyone who attended. Specific and heartfelt thanks must go to Steve Marcham for the very interesting hall tour and for allowing us to use the hall; Searcys catering team for looking after us with the lovely food and wines and our excellent toastmaster Lee Taylor. The massive efforts of Richard Heywood and Andrew Coy in planning, preparing and delivering such a wonderful event were outstanding. I wish to thank everyone for their great generosity in donating some amazing prizes for the raffle and also for buying tickets on the day. Thanks to this kindness

And so, to this year. I am particularly looking forward to the Social Weekend, which is nearly upon us. It is set to be a great occasion and we can look forward to some interesting, and almost certainly embarrassing, photos in TMV later this year. If you have not experienced NAT social events then 2022 may be just the time to start. I hope that 2022 is set to be a bumper year for all of us. The uncertainty caused by Covid is diminishing and I hope that everyone has work coming in for this year and beyond. In connection with our working lives, Ted Prior and myself are looking forward to meeting a number of you at the presentation on Working as a Toastmaster or Beadle in the City of London. We hope that this will be useful, entertaining and enjoyable. I am delighted that Nina Vaseer, out newest Associate Member, has joined us. Congratulations Nina and welcome to the NAT. I am also aware that a number of other people are undergoing training

at this time and we look forward to them presenting themselves for an entrance exam in due course. I mentioned Covid at the start of this piece and it is appropriate to end with a thought or two about it. Whilst it has largely disappeared from daily headlines due to the unprecedented and totally unlawful invasion of Ukraine by a Russian dictator, Covid is still with us. We all know that the regulations about testing, isolation, wearing of masks etc. will shortly be coming to an end. Despite this we must all make our own decisions about what we will each choose to do in the future. My own personal thoughts are that we work in environments which may have a high Covid risk with a great many people in close proximity, often with hand-shaking, hugging, dancing and more. (Towards then end of 2021 five or six days after a wedding at which I worked, 80 of the wedding guests were found to have Covid!). Whilst the effects of Covid are mitigated by the vaccination programme, there are still people dying of it every day. I would not wish to bring Covid, and potentially real grief to a family so I will still be testing regularly, wearing masks where possible and regularly sanitising hands – but we must all make our own decisions. Covid also means that we are possibly more at risk of not being able to work at events at short notice so we may wish to think about what contingencies we can put into place to mitigate possible problems. Well, enough of gloom and doom and enough from me. I look forward to seeing you when we can but I wish you all a very happy, healthy and very successful rest of 2022.

Peter Thompson President

TMV Contents

From Our New Life President - Howard

Presidents Award

Honorary Members - Paul Deacon

Christmas Lunch Photographs

22 24 26 - My Love Affair with Yoga Janice Dorn

Our New Life President

20 22 - Joe Short - A man of many talents

Editor introduction and miscellaneous information

26 28 30

My Love Affair with Yoga - Janice Dorn

My Love of Ipswich Town FC - Rodger Oatley

My Love of Acting - Laurence Seeff

Highlighting Outstanding Suppliers - Sarah Head - Silhouette Artist

Joe Short - A man of many talents

Tales of Yeast - Tom Reddy

16 - Christmas Lunch Photographs from Vintners’ Hall

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor I’m writing to thank the NAT for arranging such a splendid Christmas lunch in Vintners’ Hall. My fiancée Patty and I enjoyed every moment and every element and, having travelled from Vancouver, we were very pleased we could join in the fun.

Welcome to the Spring edition of the TMV. Thank you to those who have contributed to this issue. I know that you will find the articles around the theme of ‘My Love of …’ interesting. We are such an eclectic group that I am sure there are many more fascinating articles to be had - please please send them in. If you have any outstanding suppliers in the wedding industry that you would like to highlight, we would love to hear about them. If you have any thoughts about what you would like to see in the TMV please contact me at richard@ cambridgetoastmaster.com with your suggestions.

A particular bonus was Patty winning a star prize of a night in a 5* hotel and tickets to a top West End show. As a Peruvian, Patty has not seen any professional theatre performances and she has harboured a wish to see Lion King for many years. Her dream came true on New Year’s Eve and, having been upgraded into a suite at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, we moved from majestic views over the Thames through the African savannah to our flight the next morning back to Vancouver. A splendid way to end our UK trip. It feels like we travelled most of the world in 24 hours! Thank you again for your kind hospitality.

Once again, thank you all contributors to the Spring TMV.

Harry Deacon

Happy reading! Richard Mitchell Editor

Wedding Fair Dates for the diary Annual General Meeting Sunday 30th October 2022

Executive Committee Meeting Monday 11th April

Southern Regional Meetings Wednesday 4th May (Zoom) Monday 5th September Wednesday 2nd November

Watch out there’s a Beadle about! An excellent training session on Beadles’ and Toastmasters’ work in the City of London was held on 7th March at the wonderful Mercers’ Hall. Thank you, Peter Thompson and Ted Prior.

Anniversary Wilkins Micawber

For anyone who is interested in attending a wedding fair in Dunstable on a Sunday between 12 noon and 3 pm. Dates - 24th April, 29th May, 26th June, 31st of July, 28th August, 25 September or 30th of October. Contact www.dunstable.gov.uk/prioryhouse for details and if you tell us you can come for tea after you have been. Christine Akehurst

A little birdie tells me that Ken Tappenden (Past President) and his wife Pauline have just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Congratulations to you both form all of us in the NAT.

Our new Life Vice President Howard Robbins A year or so ago it was a privilege for me to award Past President Howard Robbins the first ever President’s Award. At the Christmas Lunch in December last year it was also my absolute pleasure, and an honour, to present Howard Robbins with the collarette and badge, and a certificate to show that he has been awarded the position of Life Vice-President. The proposal for this appointment, made to the Executive Committee, contained the following words. Howard’s Father and Grandfather were both Toastmasters. His Grandfather, Alec was working as a Toastmaster from 1933 until 1965. Alec’s son, Bernie, worked as a Toastmaster between 1948 and 1981. Howard started as a Toastmaster in 1973 and became an NAT Associate in November 1991 and a Member in November 1992. He was promoted to Fellow in June 1996 and served as the 2001/2002 President. Prior to the appointment of David Wylie, for five years he has been very effective as our Welfare Secretary and before that has had various spells on the Executive Committee. He was awarded the 2020 President’s Award “for his outstanding service and dedication”. During his 2002/3 year as President he hosted a very successful and profitable Banquet and Ball and many of us will remember the laser light show which was arranged in the Great Room of the Grosvenor House Hotel that evening. 08

Howard is passionate about the running of this organisation and will voice his opinion about improvements at every opportunity. He is a stickler for high standards for Toastmasters; during lockdown he gave 2 zoom talks on Jewish and Mediterranean weddings and organised a third lecture about the Lord Mayor. In addition to being famous throughout the industry he has trained a total of 20 new Toastmasters and nearly all of them became members of the NAT. This does not cover everything that Howard has done and continues to do for the NAT and those members of it. When we say that Howard was the Welfare Officer it should also be noted that he was the one who suggested the idea of the position. Such is the character of our colleague that he did not say ‘it would be a good idea if someone did this’. He said ‘I think this is a good idea and I will volunteer to do it.’ As so often with Howard, this is an example of developing ways in which this organisation can support and care for one another. I know that Howard genuinely cares for his colleagues. This is exemplified by the way in which he will readily give other members of the NAT advice and the benefit of his huge experience. Many of us, Past Presidents included, have benefitted from being allowed to shadow him and observe specific types of events at which he was the toastmaster. Some ideas that Howard has promulgated have resulted in changes to the way we operate in many areas, including in the area of training and exams. I will spare you a long rambling account of everything he has done in his many years as a toastmaster. Suffice it to say that there is no doubt that Howard commits himself totally to the NAT and is always striving to make it better. He will never fail to give advice or voice an opinion but does so in a clear,

lucid and supportive manner. He has an enviable reputation throughout the toastmaster profession and is certainly held in high esteem by his fellows. The award of Life Vice- President does not happen often! It is given for an outstanding contribution to both the association and the profession. A nomination has to achieve the unanimous approval of the Executive Committee and the support of all existing Life Vice-Presidents. This in itself is a difficult process and causes lengthy discussions and soul

searching. It is right that it should be so because this award is the highest honour that the NAT can bestow on any of its members. I have no doubt that Howard Robbins genuinely deserves to wear the symbols of this position. I consider myself privileged to have handed the award to him but am conscious that I did so on behalf of every one of us. Howard, I hope that you wear your badge with pride and wish you continued success and happiness in this wonderful profession.

Peter Thompson 09

From Our New ‘Life Vice-President’ - Howard Robbins

In December 2020, I was given the great honour of being the first ever recipient of the new “NAT President’s Award”, which I was very proud indeed to receive. So, I was completely ‘Gob-Smacked’ at the recent NAT Christmas Lunch, when our President, Peter Thompson, unexpectedly started talking about me during his Speech. On hearing my name, my initial thought was that he was just going to repeat the comments made when giving me the President’s Award last year. But I was completely astounded when he went on to announce that I was to be given the very great honour of being made a “Life Vice-President” of the N.A.T. Having been a Member since 1990, I remember only too well, the amazing contributions made by two of our previous Life Vice Presidents, Bryn Williams and Martin Nicholls. Several years ago, our colleague Barry Dorn was also made an LVP, to mark his excellent contribution to the Association and I am absolutely delighted and 10

honoured to be joining him in this important rank. As an NAT member, I have always done whatever I could to promote the Association and assist our Members whenever possible. In addition, Paul Deacon, and I have formed a ‘Training Scheme’ and we are proud to have brought in many new members over the past few years. I would like to thank the President, the Executive Committee and all the Members of the NAT for honouring me in this way. I can assure you all that I will continue to do whatever I can to help the NAT continue to grow in the future and will be there for any Member who might need my assistance. Howard Robbins 11

President’s AwardRichard Heywood The President’s Award was initiated in 2021 in memory of our good friend and colleague, Past President Ian Low. This year the recipient is someone who has done a great deal for many years to support the social life of the NAT Past President Richard Heywood. In his presidential year he instituted the buddies list to help us keep up to date with what is happening on the Executive Committee and in the wider world of toastmasters. It also serves a social purpose and allows us to keep in touch as well as helping to keep the Welfare Officer informed when needed. Perhaps understandably when we consider the many years he spent organising top flight events in prestigious West End hotels, Richard used a great deal of initiative when he instituted the NAT Social Weekends. The first of these was in 2013 at Hogaths in the West Midalnds and since then we have been to such lovely places as The Balmer Lawn in the New Forest, Down Hall in Bishops Stortford, Liverpool and Cheltenham (organised on that occasion by Geoff Harris). I believe that these events are really good value for money in lovely venues and, above all, allow us to get together with our colleagues and friends in an informal, fun setting. (If anyone needs a definition of fun I would suggest watching the video of Vice-President Tom Reddy doing a Scottish sword dance!). This year is no exception and I can give testament to the massive efforts that Richard has made. Together with his wife Shirley and our Honorary Member Andrew Coy (who 12

himself is an absolute legend at the very pinnacle of the banqueting world) another superb weekend has been arranged. This has taken months in the planning and preparation and has involved visits to possible venues around the country. I have no doubt that those attending the function this year will have a superb time and I know that they will have Richard to thank for it. When I was elected President the one thing I was absolutely dreading was organising the Christmas Lunch. This is the flagship event in the NAT social calendar and I freely admit that event organising does not feature high in my personal skill set. Richard very kindly volunteered to take a lead in this and I was able to sit back and admire his drive, his attention to detail and his innovative approach to the lunch. Again, it would not be right if I did not include a mention for Andrew Coy who reminded us of important considerations we had missed and managed the more outlandish figments of our vivid imaginations. In short, I am not sure that the Christmas Lunch would have happened without Richard and the support of Andrew. Before, during and after any event in which he is involved, Richard gives 100% commitment. Despite him having had considerable health issues for a very long time Richard has always worked tirelessly to support Gillian and I in these endeavours. The President’s Award quite deliberately is in the gift of the incumbent president of the NAT and does not need any second opinion or approval. The choice is entirely his/hers

as to whether the award is to be given at all and to whom it should go. (Although I am sure that Ian Low would approve - he loved a good social event).

Thank you again Richard.

Peter Thompson

For 2021 I had absolutely no reservation in presenting this Award to Richard Heywood for the sterling work that he has undertaken and from which we have all been able to benefit. 13

Honorary Members With apologies for any errors and omissions in their biographies, currently our honorary members are: COY, Andrew Andrew Coy has been a good friend to the NAT over a number of years as a leading West End Banqueting Manager. His name is synonymous with excellence and his glittering career in banqueting reads like a Who’s Who of premier banqueting and hospitality. In March 1976 he was Banqueting Manager at the Café Royal and moved to The Savoy between1984 and 1988. He was Director of Food and Beverage at The Ritz London until 1990 followed by 5 years as Director of Conference and Banqueting at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. After two years as a director of One Whitehall Place he returned to the Savoy for three years from 1997 before becoming Responsible for the Hospitality and Food and Beverage businesses on the Estate. Including Woburn Golf Club, the Inn at Woburn, The Sculpture Gallery and the Safari Park. Having established an Events business there, he spent a year as Director of Private Events with Sodexho and, latterly, he was General Manager at the Langham Hotel, Eastbourne. Since 2012 he has been proprietor of Simply Banqueting undertaking consultancy contracts in Private Houses, Villas, Hotels and Venues together with working at major events managing VIP areas and in a number of sites in The West End and the City. Andrew has given a number of “Masterclasses” as to the value of Toastmasters to enlighten Banqueting Managers. He has always done his best to favour NAT professionals. In recent years, he has been instrumental in selecting and negotiating terms for the NAT Social Weekends and we are very grateful to him for many reasons. He was appointed an Honorary Member in 2018. 14

DORN, Janice Janice is married to LVP Barry Dorn and, for many years was Secretary to the late Martin Nicholls, a Past President of the Association who served the Association in the offices of either Treasurer or Secretary for over 15 years. She also coordinated work for many NAT members and has been a Minutes Secretary. A highly supportive member of the NAT and everything it stands for. For a number of years, she set up an arrangement for the NAT Exec meetings with the Banqueting Managers of various London Hotels, whereby they would provide a room and coffee at no cost, on a rotating basis. This ensured that NAT faces and/or presence would be (regularly) seen at a wide variety of venues, with a gap of at least 18 months between each venue, so that we never outstayed our welcome. This aspect of NAT publicity over that time cost us nothing at all. MARTIN, Ian The Martin family were farmers on the Castle Howard Estate in York and Ian became the Marketing Manager for the Castle Howard estate. He was also one of the only two Englishmen to be a member of the Jurade de St. Emilion (in Bordeaux), which is an 8oo year old brotherhood promoting St. Emilion wines throughout the world. He was a close friend of the late Bryn Williams and, every few years, he arranged for the NAT (with wives/partners) to have a banquet, at the estate – which provided very useful mutual PR. His son is James Martin, the celebrity chef. PERRY, Errol Errol Perry took over the management of ‘Perry’s The Wedding Company’ from his late Father over 25 years ago. He has been a good friend of the NAT and always promotes NAT Toastmasters. Perry’s are now the premier wedding planners for the Greek, Turkish and

Italian communities in and around London and Errol now runs the company with his Wife, Sue and Children, Sophia and Tony. For several years, Perrys sponsored the drinks reception at the NAT’s Christmas lunch and they have always supported our events. After celebrating 50 years of organising Mediterranean weddings, Perry’s the Wedding Company are now at the forefront of the wedding industry, offering innovative ideas, venues and concepts for a new generation of Brides and Bridegrooms, whilst always keeping true to their cultural traditions. Perry’s are now associated with many of London’s finest locations. PETRIE, David David was another very senior Banqueting Manager, originally a friend of the late Martin Nicholls. He moved from The Dorchester to the Inn on the Park for a number of years (which then became the Four Seasons Hotel). He was extremely supportive of Toastmasters per se and for the NAT in particular. Whenever possible, he employed NAT members. Frequently we used to have our Christmas Lunches there as well as our AGMs and several Banquet & Balls; all at a very economic cost. He has been retired for at least 10 years and moved to the West Country with his wife (ex-Dorchester Hotel and who relatively recently passed away). He is now unfortunately in poor health in a residential home in Trowbridge.

She also helped Tom to: • edit TMV, • ensure Postal Voting took place • undertake the role of Treasurer for two separate periods • administer the 100 Club, checking on payments and preparing a spreadsheet with complete information about the stakeholders • overhaul the NAT Rank and File Membership list adding historical facts • update and circulate the Membership List. • set up and update the new NAT Website Sue has continued in this role having recently updated the website to include all Active Toastmasters in the Find/Search for a Toastmaster. At the Executive Meeting on the 14th February it was decided that there should be no fixed way of appointing Honorary Members but NAT members should feel free to recommend people to the Exec who are considered worthy of appointment. I’m grateful to Barry Dorn, Tom Reddy and Howard Robbins who have assisted in the preparation of this report.

Paul Deacon

REDDY, Sue Married to V-P Tom Reddy, Sue’s experience in minute taking assisted Tom during his term of office as Honorary Secretary. She enjoyed being part of the meetings and getting to know the Members of the NAT. The Presidents she worked with were: Paul Deacon, Richard Heywood, Ted Prior, Peter Thompson (first time round), Ian Low, Jevan Morris and Stephen Sanders. During this time, 15

Christmas Lunch at Vintners’ Hall Monday 13th December 2021

Highlighting Outstanding Suppliers in the Wedding Industry

To unravel the mystery that shrouds silhouette history, Take a chance upon a journey to France, Back to the 18th Century, do not fret, To meet the Chief Tax Collector, Etienne De Silhouette He invented this art by cutting his friends at tea, (although it has been said that he taxed his people very highly) So when they discovered this art at last, It circulated the streets of Montmartre quite fast. These popular portraits spread to pastures green, They were even a favourite with the Queen, Alas 19th Century photography came in a flash, Putting an end to the silhouette panache.

Sarah Head is a silhouette cutting artist and has been applying her craft since 1999. She has cut silhouettes at many prestigious events from royalty and celebrity events to international functions. So, weather it’s a wedding, private function or corporate event, her clients are in a good scissor hands! Sarah Head Website: www.SilhouetteSaarah.co.uk Email: Silhouettesarah@gmail.com Phone: +44 (0)7949 1333 90

Now back to the present day, There are only half a dozen silhouette artists in the UK, In conclusion, this form of art is extremely rare, And will capture your essence with a snip and a tear. 20

Joe Short – A man of many talents! What an evening we had back in early February, when we got the chance to listen to world renowned wedding photographer, Joe Short, talk about his interesting and varied career. Joe was given his first camera aged 8. His first photo was of his bike and when he got the pictures back and saw the image against the front door - he was hooked. Joe then built a darkroom in the garden shed and photographed his first wedding at 17 years old. He said it was both a terrifying and fabulous experience. Joe has photographed weddings throughout the UK, US, New Zealand, Sweden, France, Italy as well as working for the British and other Royal Families.

west country into the Guinness Book Of Records with 5 other equally barking musicians! How did we get this opportunity to hear Joe? Well, as you will know from previous TMVs, Si Shirley was one of Joe’s subjects photographed to chronicle how people from the wedding industry were dealing with the pandemic. So it was thanks to Si that we got this fascinating talk. By the way, Joe went on to be one of the winners of the Portrait of Britain competition and Si was the subject of the portrait!

It’s one thing to have a very successful artistic career in one area but Joe is a man of many talents and has been able to pursue his other loves - travel and music. He has been writing and recording songs for as long as he has taken photographs. Always a man to keep busy he had a number of projects on the go, including releasing records on Wall Of Sound and playing bass and touring with Siouxsie Sioux throughout the US and Europe. I should imagine that he is the only wedding photographer to have played on the Jonathan Ross Show and sung a John Lennon song to Yoko Ono? And as if that is not enough Joe is also a world record holder for “The Highest Concert in a Hot Air Balloon” - soaring above the

Tales of Yeast from your “Fermentation Expert”??? About six years ago, I took up making Kefir.

You may not know this: Kefir is a fermented style yoghurt drink which is crammed full of pro-biotic bacteria (and now can be bought at all good supermarkets) to keep the gut healthy. It is recommended to take daily. I started fermenting Kefir to assist with Sue’s IBS and it seems to have worked. Subsequently, I was bought a book on fermenting foods for my birthday. I started to play with Kombucha, Sauerkraut, Kimchee & Villi. Already making sourdough bread, which we have eaten for years, I have now learned to preserve foods in a Kombucha and salt fermentation. All good fun! Some of these efforts were much more successful than others and some not to our tastes. After a little while when you are making this kind of food, you can end up with an oversupply of starter yeasts etc, all of which, when you set out on the preserving path, can be bought on the internet. One day I found I had an over-abundance of Scoby [Scoby stands for “a symbiotic organism of bacteria and yeast]. You need a Scoby to make Kombucha, a fermented tea. Very refreshing with a slight fizz and also beneficial to your health. It can be used as a substitute for Cola! I posted on my local Facebook that if anybody wanted to make Kombucha, I had spare Scobies because they multiply! Scobies look like a field mushroom or jellyfish. To my surprise I received a number of takers, one of whom turned out to be a Researcher for BBC Radio Nottingham. Soon after this

she contacted me and asked if I would be interested in taking part in a live chat show to explain the benefits of Kombucha. I agreed and this led to a broadcast hosted at BBC Radio Nottingham, on Boxing Day morning and I was introduced as an “Expert in Natural Fermentation and the Preservation of Foods”! This came as rather a shock as I had only been dabbling in the field of fermentation, with limited amounts of success. Expert I am definitely not!

Kefir Granules

This is where Toastmaster experience comes in handy - don’t panic and keep going – waffle as Sue says! Well, after 45 minutes, interrupted only by 3 records and the news, we finished. Alan Clifford, Presenter of the programme, offered his thanks and congratulated me off the air, asking if I’d be prepared to come in and give some demonstrations. What have I got myself into??? The morale of this tale is, it doesn’t take much to become an “Expert”! But seriously, if anybody is interested and would like the starter ingredients for Kombucha, Kefir, Villi (yoghurt) or Sourdough, I am quite happy to send a starter to you with instructions on how to get you started.

Sourdough Bread

Best wishes and Happy Fermentation. Tom Reddy

Scubies and Kombucha

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH YOGA It was September Nineteen seventy three And suddenly My days were free

and relaxing, and some are very tough. If you do an internet check there are lots of yoga pages, sometimes also aligned with Pilates, and other forms of bending and stretching ones body parts.

My younger son Had started school So I was wondering What to do

I was not looking for something to take over my life – which can happen if you get over involved in a particular form of sport. I was just wanting to get a bit fitter, have an interest which would give me some ‘time out’ once in a while, and learn to relax.

My good friend Jean Said ‘come with me’ And soon A yogi you will be Barry and I were living in Birmingham at this time, as he was working on a 5 year contract with a Midlands company. Our older son had settled well into the local school, acquiring, in the process, a wonderfully accurate ‘Brummy’ accent, and when the younger one joined him, I found myself with time on my hands. My friend Jean – who lived nearby – was a very enthusiastic exerciser, doing yoga, helping to run a swimming club, and following other energetic pursuits. But the yoga attracted me, so I agreed to go to a class and see how I felt about it. The class was held in the local church hall, and there were probably about 20 ladies there. With no experience whatsoever I felt like a ‘fish out of water’ but the tutor was very encouraging and I soon settled down into the class and relaxed. By the end of the session I had decided that I would like to continue, and became a member of the group. Yoga is a fascinating form of exercise, and there are many varieties of it, some are quite gentle

I became a regular attendee at the class and realised that I had found a way of shutting my mind to any problems, anxieties or frustrations which were going on in my life, by just learning to lie on the mat and let myself go. It’s a very strange feeling to start with, as thoughts keep trying to muscle in on your brain and disturb your practice. But, as the old saying goes ‘practice makes perfect’ and whilst I would never consider myself to be a perfect yogi (not sure such a person really exists) I do know that over the many years, since that first class, I have found it to be a wonderful way of concentrating my mind, and whilst doing so putting anything which is bothering me on one side for a while. My yoga mat, and it’s later replacements, and I, have travelled far and wide over the years and I would say it is like a very special friend. It has been on holidays to all sorts of places. It has spent many holidays in France – especially when we had our cottage in the Dordogne, and I could just stretch out in the garden with no interference, although often a source of amusement to the neighbours. It has been to Australia, when our younger son was living there, and I was able to join classes

overlooking Bondi Beach. It then spent time in Queenstown, New Zealand, where our younger son now lives. We didn’t do a bungi jump though !!

whilst the pandemic has raged around us all. Since the restrictions have been eased it now comes with me each week to my regular tutored yoga class, at a studio nearby.

It came to keep me company when I flew out to Canada alone, when I knew that my brother was dying, and helped my to grieve quietly in my room once it was all over.

So, I think I can truly say that I fell in love with yoga, and my yoga mat, all those years ago – and, to my delight, we are still very much in love with each other.

I now do 20 minutes of yoga practice each morning, on the landing, and it has been a great way of ‘switching off ’ over these past two years

Janice Dorn

My love of Ipswich Town FC - a dream retirement job! It all started with BBC’s Grandstand’s back in the early 1960’s, mimicking the final scores being read out by the Announcer on the TV and watching the Teleprinter chattering away. I would always look out for the Ipswich Town’s results not really understanding their significance. I was 10 in 1962 and didn’t realise at the time that Town were making football history. Promotion from 3rd Division South all the way to the top of Division 1 in 3 consecutive seasons under the guidance of Alf Ramsey. Dad finally took me to my first game – the last game of the season in 1964, ITFC v Aston Villa. The score was 1-1 and I was hooked. Never a big Club (until Bobby Robson’s era) but always a family Club. The brewing family, the Cobbolds owned the Club and the famous line that will always be remembered came from the Chairman –“Crisis-what Crisis – that only happens when the white wine runs out in the Boardroom!” In my time we were managed by Alf Ramsey followed by the then the famous player but not so famous manager, Jackie Milburn, Bill McGarry and then legendary Bobby Robson – no less than 2 England Managers with both of them living ¼ of a mile each way from my home! It was when Bobby Robson took charge that ’the Town’ really took off but he never won the title having to make do with a 2nd place, using only 16 players. We were a regular in Europe during the 1970’s hosting the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and St Etienne almost on a seasonal basis. In 1978, we won the FA Cup beating Arsenal 1-0 in front of 100,000 at Wembley. In 1981 we added the UEFA Cup. The family had season tickets throughout this time. I started my catering business in 1980 and I was fortunate to be on a catering job when the EUFA Cup was presented and also the 28

FA Cup during this time. It was 17 years later when I was approached by the Club to provide some Corporate Catering for an Ipswich v Norwich game, a local derbya brunch for 350 people in a marquee at the ground. I managed to get a spot on local TV on camera too. This happened every year for 3 years until in 2000, when we won the Play-Off final at Wembley. I was asked to provide the catering for the Civic Reception at the Town Hall. I was already the Civic caterer by then and I was a regular Toastmaster at the Mayor’s Charity Ball, so I was pretty well known at the time. What a great event though, with thousands outside. I loved it and we were in the Premier League! With only a 100 seater restaurant in the ground and all the interest for corporate hospitality, the Club rang me and said, “We’re going to buy a £70,000 marquee, put it next to the West Stand and wondered if you would be interested in providing the catering services”. I jumped at the chance, 200-350 every game against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United etc, my contract and no fee!! Of course I would be doing all the announcements in the marquee too. I really enjoyed it and also catered for England v Croatia as well with Sven Goran-Erikkson as manager. They quickly turned part of the marquee into a press centre after the game. How exciting! Unfortunately, the Club were relegated in 2003, I didn’t get paid and became a Creditor getting just 5p in the pound. I featured on TV and local radio with my sob stories and in 2005, I decided to sell the business. Well, I’d been at it for 25 years and 33 as a caterer does take its toll. More time for me to be a Toastmaster. Fast forward to 2010 when I was out on the road working for Henri Wintermans Cigars, my phone went off. It was the Director Sales –“Rodger, we need a Match Day Host as part of the Sales Team working in the main Restaurant-The Sir Bobby Robson

Suite alongside the Legend (my hero from the 1980’s), former Scotland, Liverpool and Ipswich player) Johnny Wark. We thought of you, would you be interested?”

hero’s of the 1970’s and ‘80’s including other guests from the sporting and other areas (I haven’t met Ed Sheeran yet!) with as much microphone work and ad-libbing as you could wish for.

It didn’t take me long to reply,” Yes” I said eagerly – up to 30 games a season, being paid to watch football and of course all the announcing I could wish for plus a season ticket for my wife what a gig!

So, here’s to another 10 years and hopefully we will get promoted back to the big time!

So, here I am 12 years later, a brilliant paid hobby, working and introducing my

Rodger Oatley Match Day Host Ipswich Town FC

My Love of Acting I am fortunate to be retired from the world of work. I can now reflect on the fact that I have had a satisfying career over almost 5 decades. In modern parlance, I have had a ‘Portfolio Career’ which means that I have not done exactly the same job over my entire career. As I will explain, my ‘work’ has not just been remunerative but has also included voluntary activities. I started my professional career as a statistician – which involved technical work and not too much public interaction. I did that for 10 years whilst living in Paris. (Aaahhh, poor chap, I can hear you say). Having said that, even whilst in a technical role, I did write some songs and sketches which I performed for my colleagues at work events such as socials, leaving parties etc. I am not exactly shy so I really enjoyed doing these. When I returned to London in 1985, I became involved in work with a financial services company that required me to make client presentations and carry out a lot of training to clients and colleagues. This meant putting on a bit of a show and I found that I was not too bad at doing it. After 19 years, I left the company above and I joined a professional training company where I lectured to financial professionals who had to obtain their regulatory qualifications. As lecturers, we always had to try to be inventive to retain interest and so, I did a short course in simple magic which I occasionally introduced into my teaching. It went down rather well and taught me that it is often not what you say but how you say it. In short, when lecturing, one is putting on an act and, although the business of lecturing was deadly serious, it also necessitated performing in front of the students. This job was successful and, even after I left full-time employment with that company, I continued as a freelancer. Not long before I took up the role as a lecturer, I had a desire to expand my interests and do something a bit different and felt that I could combine my

existing skills by becoming a toastmaster. I joined the National Association of Toastmasters (NAT) in 2004 and received excellent training from experienced NAT trainers and set to work. By the time I was up to speed to work as a toastmaster I also took up my fulltime role as a lecturer so I did not do a large number of events. However, when I did work at weddings, barmitzvahs and corporate events I knew that what I was doing was presenting, performing and, to a large extent, acting. I loved it. In addition to my remunerative work, I developed an interest in the criminal justice system and, after a very lengthy application process, I was appointed as a magistrate in 2001. In a sentence (if I may use that word!), the work of a magistrate is to serve as judge and jury on criminal matters that can carry up to 6-month jail sentence. For the first 4 or 5 years one serves as a ‘winger’ – one of the two magistrates that sit either side of the chairman or presiding justice as they are known. Wingers do not get to speak in court so no performance is required. However, after a I became a chairman, it was me that did the talking in court. Once again, I found that performing skills were required. For example, when one had a cheeky offender in front of the bench who clearly did not give a damn about the offending he or she had been doing, it was necessary to put on a severe look and seriously reprimand the offender whilst passing sentence. On other occasions it might simply be having to show sympathy to a defendant who has spun a sorry tale – even when, on occasion, we didn’t believe a word they had told us. There is no doubt in my mind that the experience I had gained in corporate life and as a toastmaster, helped me perform as a presiding magistrate and again I can view that as a type of acting. As for my toastmaster work, I loved it. As many of you will know, in November 2020, I and my wife emigrated to Israel to join our four children and grandchildren. As a new immigrant and a retired person, I had to think about how I was going to fill

my time. So far, I have spent my time learning the language, playing tennis and spending a lot more time with the family including helping with the grandchildren. However, I have also been very busy with another activity. At university and for a few years in my twenties, I was into amateur dramatics. Although I have done some performing since my early twenties, I have not actually trod the boards. However, I told myself that, in retirement, I would like to take it up again. So, last June I saw an advert for auditions with the Haifa English Theatre (HET) and thought that here was the opportunity I had been waiting for. I applied, got sent some material to learn and I auditioned. The director told me that they would get back to me within a week… however the next morning she called to offer me the lead role in Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” – Hercule Poirot. I either impressed them or they were short of male actors!

such a huge role – but, in time, I did! We had great fun rehearsing and, as I write, we are about to put on our fifth and last performance. As far as I can judge, the show has been a roaring success. So, after entering my eighth decade, I have embarked on a revived activity and, as I have said above about other activities, I love it. It would be remiss of me not to make mention of another toastmaster who was into amateur dramatics. You will probably know that the late Jevan Morris was also very much an actor. I had the great privilege of seeing him at the Radlett Centre in 2014 in the role of Bill Sykes in the musical ‘Oliver’. He was nothing less than superb and, even then, I remember saying to myself that I would like to get back to acting one day. And get back, I did!

Laurence Seeff

I was in shock and petrified as to how I could learn

How to be a part of the Summer edition of the TMV 1. So, weddings and events are now in full flow. We are looking for your wedding photobooth shots.

All contributions to be sent to richard@cambridgetoastmaster.com The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the NAT.