Chilliwack Toastmasters Club is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year.
Current and past members celebrated the club’s 50th anniversary on Aug. 18 at the Pioneer Village Museum. Since 1971, people with the local club have benefitted from Toastmasters International leadership and public speaking programs.
The celebration was “an opportunity to look back to past accomplishments and to be inspired to find new ways to challenge ourselves and our club to achieve new goals and carry on the joy of giving to the community,” the club stated in a press release.
Toastmasters history in Chilliwack goes back even further than 1971. Since 1947, there has been at least one active club in Chilliwack. Currently there are two clubs: the Chilliwack Toastmaster Club and the Snowpeaks Toastmasters Club. Other clubs that previously existed in Chilliwack included Greenheart Toastmasters and Stream Exceptional Toastmasters.
The original Chilliwack Toastmasters was a men’s only group that started in 1947 and lasted to early ’60s.
In 1958 the women of Chilliwack started their own club called the Chilliwack Toastmistress Club and kept the podium hot until at least 1984. The Toastmistresses were involved in the community by judging Rosedale elementary public speaking contest, entering regional contests, and even hosting a fashion night in June 1975 where the members both modelled and provided commentary.
The current Chilliwack Toastmasters Club was chartered in 1971 when it was still a men’s only organization. In 1973 Toastmasters international opened to women and locally, Joan Wood became the first female president in 1986.
A highlight for Chilliwack Toastmasters happened in 1986 when club member Pam Koczapska won the world international humorous speaking contest after being a club member for just over a year. Koczapska competed in at least five increasingly difficult competitions before winning the ‘best in the world’ status. Since then, many other Toastmasters have improved their skills by participating in speech competitions held by Toastmasters International.
Chilliwack Toastmasters members include local community members from all walks of life – engineers, farmers, mechanics, frontline workers, foresters, entrepreneurs and retirees. Some examples of past or present members include Ray Ramey, current club president and president of Pioneer Village, Atchelitz Threshermen’s Association; Glenda Standeven, local author and motivational speaker; Michael Berger, Rotary past president; David Hobson – international speaker, trainer and improv comedy actor; Stephan Hamilton Clark – executive coach; and Julie and Stephan Head – Headlands Garden Plants, a family run nursery.
Toastmasters is not just a club for public speaking. Thirty years ago, people joined Toastmasters to learn to master the art of communication; make poised, self-assured presentations; and listen and think carefully and critically. This is still true today – club members stay for the ongoing challenges, development of speaking and leadership skills along with the fun atmosphere at their meetings.
Toastmasters are also active in sharing their knowledge with the community both past and currently, by helping judge speech contests for schools, and the Optimist and 4-H clubs. They operate Speech Craft, a short introductory course to public speaking for community members or professional organizations by teaming with Snowpeaks Toastmasters another Chilliwack club. They also support the local 147 Air Cadets Squadron though a short course for the Cadets.
Chilliwack Toastmasters Club welcomes previous members and anyone interested in overcoming their speaking or leadership challenges to visit their meetings. For further information, call Ray Ramey at 604-798-8711.