Toastmaster brings style to Californian Cop’s retirement

When I was still serving in the police, I was a frequent visitor to Los Angeles County in California. I met several officers in different city police and sheriff departments, one of whom was the Deputy Chief of Torrance City Police Department, Captain Jim Weyant. We have kept in touch well beyond my retirement and becoming a toastmaster. He and his wife have visited me in the UK and I have visited their home in the States.

He was intrigued with the knowledge that in retirement, I had become a toastmaster and asked me if I would act as such when his retirement was due. I agreed. A few months before his retirement he reminded me of our agreement.

I flew to Los Angeles on a Friday where I was picked up at the airport in a police car and driven to a hotel in the city of Torrance. I checked in and found that all expenses had been taken care of. My air fare had been paid for me. There was no fee involved as I was doing this for a friend. The function was to take place on the following evening at the same hotel and my return flight was on the following day.

There were about 100 people at the event, including many senior police officers and council officials from Torrance and surrounding areas. Speeches were made by the Chief of Police, the City Mayor and one of Jim’s senior colleagues. Then he asked me to make a speech. I had nothing prepared but picked up some of the themes from the previous speakers and did so in my best English, much to the interest of the assembled Americans. Mention had been made of the fact that he was moving, in retirement, to the District Attorney’s staff and would be working from a new facility. This was mentioned a number of times. In my speech, I informed the audience that in England if someone asked for the facility, they would be directed to the toilet! Raucous laughter followed. in my toastmastering career.

Our editor recently suggested items that members might consider submitting for publication. One of them was hobbies. In my frequent visits to police in the USA, I collected their shoulder patches and when I had enough to frame, I did so and they now hang on my study wall. The white patch in the second row is the Torrance City Police badge.

Gifts were presented and we were then entertained by a short display of drill by the Torrance City Police Honor Guard (Honor spelt the American way). The photograph shows some of the Guard members with Jim facing me and behind him is his chief. The flag on the right is the flag of California. The members are ordinary police officers who have volunteered for the ceremonial role on special occasions and have the special uniforms. Note their white shoulder patches. You may have noted by the colour of my collar that I was very early