Early Edition Toastmasters
14601 - 20 Avenue - Turnbull Gallery V4A 9P5 Surrey, BC, Canada

What happened at Early Edition’s first meeting of 2021? Well, it seemed we were like bears coming out of hibernation, rubbing the sleep out of our eyes, and mumbling complaints like Did our meetings always start this early? Some wondered how come their hair wasn’t longer, while others were musing about a good snip. Nonetheless, Metronome Mike excitedly kicked off the meeting and then kept Swiss-quality timing throughout, using his re-purposed Hawaiian leis. First-time Chai...r Harsha calmed our over-exuberance with deep breathing and called us to Look on the Bright Side, then proceeded to genteelly navigate us through the agenda. Angelika asked us to Imagine and Cindy trained us to combat Zoom fatigue just before Monica’s Pooh-inspired lullaby lulled us into dreamland. But not for long as we were jolted awake by the Topics Master. Like his namesake, the mighty Fraser River, Fraser invited us onto an tumultuous canyon ride, asking each of us to imagine what condition we might expect ourselves to be in once 2021 spews us out at the other end. And just like Simon Fraser could never have imagined how long his river journey was going to take, the first half of our meeting did not reach calm waters until 8:40, at which point, Manjit called forth for the prepared speeches. Nadia, our Accountant-turned-Dancer (or is it the other way around?), danced her Ice Breaker so deftly and passionately, she melted the ice, rather than breaking it. Noel bearly had time to deliver his masterful coaching feedback before Peter, glancing at the clock, pulled a 23-skidoo, and re-scheduled himself for next week. Cindy ACEd the General Evaluation handing out accolades like we were all in Oprah’s audience. The meeting wrapped a little after 9 and we unravelled into our day jobs. What a start to a New Year. Word of the Day: Angelika Bendrich called for Imagination Ace Award Winner: Everybody

What happened at Early Edition December 21? You better watch out because Angelika-Claus is coming to town, and called Naughty or Nice for our last get-together before the holidays. The Ghost of Christmas Presents (Cindy Sheldan) and her Naughty-Nice Spin-o-Rama knows if you’ve been good or bad, and gave the gift of a ridiculous Table Topic to one and all! A flying bagel toaster for Perry, a portable bathtub with a cover for Mike, egg scissors for Manjit, happy sponges for Bob..., a case of champagne for Angelika, a crystal growing kit for Peter, which was later stolen by Kristina. Lucky Fraser got a lace computer cover, Gary got lettuce slippers and Naughty Nancy got a roll of stickers that say Previously Frozen. Roger got a brain teaser puzzle - again - Judy picked a wrapped box, Stuart got a potty putter and our second Ms Claus, Monica received a life-size wooden dinosaur puzzle - perfect for her front yard. And if you missed the meeting - don’t despair - there’s still a few ‘great’ gifts left in the present bag! See you all in 2021!

What happened at Early Edition Monday December 14? Chair Monica Neville recalled Memories of Christmas Past, while rejoicing the lack of dishes, baking and general bustle of Christmas Present! Once you’ve had a COVID Christmas do you ever go back?? Stuart Candiah gave us a thought for the day - a tree needs a hard wind to make its roots stronger - an uplifting way to think about 2020. For a change of pace, we began with two Icebreaker speeches. Judy Higginbotham has a history... with the holidays that spans her past and present and shapes her plans for the future; and Manjit Johal shared her journey of compassion, courage and COVID and her alcohol-fueled gadget! First-time Table Topics Master Roger MacRae teased seasonal stories out of Nadia Zhou, Peter Brear, Perry Fulop, Nancy Coates, Cindy Sheldan and Bob Milliken, all amid a jazzy displays of lights, Christmas trees and holiday headgear. Don’t miss next weeks Naughty or Nice extravaganza, hosted by Angelika Bendrich. Go all out and dress your holiday best for this guaranteed fun-for-all!

What happened at Early Edition December 7? It was our time to Shine! Chair Fraser Drummond was illuminating, while Table Topics Master (and Greek linguist - who knew?) Gary Drouillard shone the spotlight on Peter Brear, Perry Fulop, Nadia Zhou and Mike Sidhu. Prepared speeches brightened our day from Angelika Bendrich, with some dazzling ideas about this December to Remember; Jessica Zhao reminding us about financial flame-out - and to locket up, Noel Bentley shed new light o...n an familiar tale of biblical proportions. Special shout out to Monica Neville, Peter Brear, Stu Candiah and Angelika Bendrich who took up Cindy’s festive challenge and lit-up their 16x9’s! Let’s all remember holiday touches for the rest of December! WORD OF THE DAY Kristina brought some Dazzle TOP OF THE MORNING Table Topics Speaker: Nadia ZhouEvaluator: Angelika BendrichSpeaker: Angelika Bendrich Join us 7:15 am next Monday on Zoom; meeting starts 7:30Email: [email protected] for the link or more info.

What happened at Early Edition November 30? Today’s theme: Hindsight is 2020 but the chance of getting a good internet connection today was only 50/50! Our Chair Stuart Candiah calmly managed a glitchy system, and kept the meeting on time and on track like the pro he is! Table Topics Master Jessica Zhao got us looking back all the way to Black Friday, and looking forward to the holidays. Questions about giving gifts or getting deals were given to Aaron Sosa, Roger MacRae, F...raser Drummond and our guest /Early Edition alumnus Diane Hume. Another familiar face was former EE’er Nadia Zhou. Great to see you both! Join us anytime literally join us! Prepared speeches were given today by Kristina King, (Icebreaker), who pictured a path to her future; Roger MacRae who’s speech was so good it made me want to slap my momma, and Gary Drouillard, who never wastes our time. A word to the wiseguys; stay on Gary’s good side, seems he knows a bit too much about the Double Tap WORD OF THE DAY: Harsha asked us to REFLECT TOP OF THE MORNING: Table Topics Speaker: Diane Hume; Evaluator: Noel Bentley; Speaker: Roger MacRae Join us 7:15 am next Monday on Zoom; meeting starts 7:30Email: [email protected] for the link or more info.

What happened at Early Edition November 23? Judy Higginbotham mustered the troops today with her call to Keep Calm. Carry On. Table Topics master Perry Fulop said I Want You! to 6 lucky recruits: Harsha Sosa, Roger MacRae, Kristina King, Jessica Zhao, Noel Bentley and Mike Sidhu. Prepared speeches today were an excellent Icebreaker from Fraser Drummond, whose Only Thing to Fear is Fear Itself and speaking in public ... and possibly sharks, crumbling rock faces, and turbulen...t seas and on a lighter note: Cindy Sheldan talked about hugs. Word of the Day: Gary Druillard asked: What If? Top of the Morning: Table Topics Speaker: (Tie) Roger MacRae and Noel Bentley Evaluator: (Tie) Noel Bentley and Bob Milliken Speaker: Cindy Sheldan Join us 7:15 am next Monday on Zoom; meeting starts 7:30 Email: [email protected] for the link or more info.

What happened at Early Edition Sept 28? We got to Fall for Mike Sidhu - our Chairman of the day. Table Topics Master Fraser Drummond warmed us up with a seasonal Q&A, harvesting Autumnal answers from Stasia Wegner, Aaron Sosa, Manjit Johal and Bob Milliken. A whooping three prepared speeches today; Gary Drouillard rescued us from a future of dreary point-form PowerPoints, Peter Brear let us in on a little secret, and Cindy Sheldan might be spending a little too much time wi...th Jamie Oliver ... Word of the Day: Whooping - and a game of Who said ... brought to us by Angelika Bendrich On-Theme: Aaron Sosa - who doesn’t let a little torrential rain get him down! Get outside - it’s not as awful as it sometimes looks! WELCOME BACK: Angelika Bendrich, Don Rokosz, Aaron Sosa, Manjit Johal Join us 7:15 am next Monday on Zoom; meeting starts 7:30 Email: [email protected] for the link or more info.

What Happened at Early Edition Monday September 21? A beautiful and fascinating ode to the changing of the season, and a peek into our President and Chairman Fraser Drummond’s life! Autumn and the Winds of Change was the theme, and first-time Topics Master Stasia Wegner jumped into her role with great questions for: Peter Brear, Gary Drouillard, Judy Higginbotham, Mike Sidhu, Monica Neville and our guest Roger MacRae. We also tried something new today at the top of the meeti...ng, a warmup lead by Cindy Sheldan who got our upper bodies, minds and voices fired up. One prepared speech today from Dan Magill, stand-up comedian and visitor from London England. Dan gave a hilarious speech, that did not fall on dead - uh - I mean DEAF ears! A gallery of great reaction-faces above! Word of the Day: Harvest - brought to us by Don Rokosz and his buddy Neil Young On-Theme: Judy’s enjoyment of how the word Autumn, rolls off her tongue. Join us 7:15 am next Monday on Zoom; meeting starts 7:30Email: [email protected] for the link or more info.

What happened at Early Edition, Monday September 14? Somebody new (today’s Chair Gary Drouillard) suggested we Make Room for Something New. Positive message for pandemic time. First-time Topics Master Imaan Toor crafted thoughtful questions for Peter Brear, Cindy Sheldan, Mike Sidhu, Jessica Zhao, Fraser Drummond and our over-seas visitor Chris Lloyd-Davison in from London England. Our only prepared speaker today was Bob Milliken - and talk about making room for something new...! Bob’s mission is to help anyone reluctant about Pathways find their way. Word of the Day: Cistern (brought to us by Perry Fulop, who’s going to get his fill!) Evaluation Workshop: Distinguished Toastmaster and Master Evaluator, Monica Neville will acquaint you with several evaluation techniques! Date: Wednesday September 16th, 2020 Time: 7 p.m. to approximately 9 p.m. Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82286347108 Meeting ID: 822 8634 7108 Passcode: NuCity2020 Join us 7:15 am next Monday on Zoom; meeting starts 7:30 Get the link or learn more: info@earlyeditiontoastmasters

What happened at Early Edition? Summertime happened! And the Living is Easy. Chair Angelika Bendrich set the theme for the day - and for the season! Table Topics was kept bright and sunny by Don Rokosz. TT Speakers were Nancy, Mike, Angelika and Fraser, who made us glad the weather is finally changing. Prepared speeches were made by Cindy - who just "roles" with it; and Nancy who gave us a sign. Shout out to new members Imaan, Harsha and Aaron, who all stepped up to new roles today! Do you know Dai Manual? Dai is a charismatic lifestyle coach, fitness guru, world traveller, and former EET member who will be our guest next Monday, June 29! Join us next Monday, June 29 on Zoom for another morning to remember! For link or more information, email: [email protected]

What happened at Early Edition? Theme of the day, brought to us by Chairperson Fraser Drummond was Success! A great set up for the morning, and the coming TM year. Grammarian Perry Fulop got us thinking serendipitously. Table Topics Master Angelika Bendrich queried us about what it means to be a successful father. Fathers Day is this Sunday. Prepared speeches were given by visiting Toastmaster Rita Cokey who told us about the clerical error that saved her life! And Bob Milliken, who wasted no time in his new role as VP of Mentorship by talking about .... mentoring : ) Speaking of newly minted VP’s; Mike Sidhu, our incoming Sergeant at Arms, kept the meeting moving! Join us next week via Zoom at 7:15am - meeting starts at 7:30. Email for details: [email protected]

What happened at Early Edition? Chairperson Cindy Sheldan opened today's meeting by encouraging us to Listen, Learn and Do Better. A good formula for life and for Early Edition. First order of business, our Executive Committee elections were lead by Noel Bentley. We are thrilled to welcome Fraser Drummond to his new role as President. Thank you to all who stepped up to the Executive roles, and to those who spontaneously volunteered as committee members too! Don Rokosz (remember - rhymes with hocus pocus and crocus) deftly ran Table Topics and Nancy Coates was our speaker. Nancy fascinated us with facts about faeries, spiritual leaders, healers and psychics through the ages. A special welcome to our new members! Join us next week via Zoom at 7:15am - meeting starts at 7:30. Email for details: [email protected]

What happened at Early Edition? I’m not going to lie - we had a ghost in the machine today! Technical glitches with the internet and Zoom tested our Positive Mental Attitudes! And speaking of PMA that’s exactly what this mornings Chair Don Rokosz brought to the table! Today we welcomed new members Aaron and Harsha Sosa, and had 3 guests. We enjoyed 5 speeches - Angelika Bendrich’s essential oils made us smile, Stuart Candiah explained Ikigai and made us happy, Nancy Coates o...ffered insight into our psychic powers, Bob Milliken gave us a history lesson, and our guest Andrea Escobar delighted us with a tale of cultural differences. In the end as Don Rokosz famously says; we were happy, we were healthy, and we were terrific! Join us next Monday June 8th for another session of Early Edition brought to you by Zoom! email [email protected]

What happened at Early Edition? May 25 was Hat Day according to Monica Neville, who wore the Chairpersons hat on Monday. Pretty solid participation on Monday, with ALMOST everyone donning a topper. Noel Bentley chose to bring a cat instead of a hat, and let kitty do the talking. Table Topics prompted us about both literal and metaphorical hats, and was hosted by Don Rokosz. Prepared speeches were given by Nancy Coates who put it to the panel, and Bob Milliken who booked it. Join us next Monday via Zoom! Still a lively way to start the week. Interested? email [email protected]

What happened at Early Edition? Another good one - chaired by Fraser Drummond. A bit different format today as we had a guest speaker from Toronto, Dr. Amin Mali, who told his story of reclaiming his life after a devastating stroke. Pretty amazing guy - who credits Toastmasters as the reason he learned to speak again. Nancy Coates also spoke today, with some interesting background, and reassuring insights regarding Covid-19. Cindy Sheldan asked the questions for Table Topics... - and we heard 4 wonderful short stories from our participants as a result. Also - congratulations to Cindy, who won the Division F Speaking Contest yesterday - and now advances to the May 23 Division Contest. Details to follow! Unfortunately . your faithful reporter was so engaged with it all . I forgot to take pictures! But as our graphic suggests see it live! Join us Monday May 25 for the next episode of Early Edition Zoom. (no meeting next Monday due to Victoria Day)

What happened today? Zoom2. Almost as good as being there! Bob Milliken was our chair, and we appreciated a break from COVID with the theme Sunshine! It’s cloudy now, but the weather at 7:15 was stunning clear blue sky - very cooperative conditions for today's theme. Fraser Drummond lead Table Topics with thoughtful, uplifting questions. Prepared speeches were given by Wally and Noel Bentley, who revealed the truth about Goldilocks, and Nancy Coates who told spun a familiar s...tory as well. I was so wrapped up in today's meeting, I forgot to take pictures so may I present to you the word of the day Radiance" along with sunglasses, which some of us donned as a nod to today’s sunny theme. Join us next week via Zoom - it’s easy! Any questions - please contact me and I’ll see if I can get an answer. Looking forward to seeing you all next Monday - check in at 7:15 am; meeting starts at 7:30!

The Area 50 Speech Contest was held via Zoom on Thursday evening, April 16! Thanks to the many Early Edition members who attended, and those who took on key roles: Bob Milliken - Contest Chair and tech guru, Don Rokosz, Chief Judge. Congratulation to Early Edition’s Cindy Sheldan who won, and will advance to the District Contest, Thursday April 30 at 7:00pm. Interested in attending? Message or email [email protected]

What happened at Early Edition? Zoom happened : ) Today, a small number of us conducted our first virtual meeting via Zoom. The next best thing to being there! It was so good to SEE some familiar faces, and have a ‘close to normal’ experience. Thanks to Bob and Perry for setting this up! I think our faces tell it all! Please join us next Monday morning at 7:30 via Zoom, and jump start your week! Message or Email for Zoom details by Sunday. [email protected]

As recommended by Health Canada and the Toastmasters Board of Directors, the Area 50 Speech and Evaluation contest, scheduled for tonight at the Turnbull Gallery, South Surrey Rec Centre, 7pm has been cancelled! Also - our regularly scheduled Monday morning meetings are cancelled until further notice. Stay safe friends and we'll see you soon!

Toastmasters Area 50 Speech Contest. 7PM - 9PM Friday March 13, 2020 in the Turnbull Gallery, hosted by Early Edition Toastmasters. Come out and cheer on the winners from 5 local Toastmasters Club contests; Early Edition Toastmasters, White Rock Toastmasters, Evening Edition Toastmasters, Finding Vino and Toastmasters By the Sea; will complete in the Area 50 Speech and Evaluation Contest. Five high-calibre speakers will deliver 5 - 7 minute speeches, hoping to advance to the... District finals. Beyond that, the ultimate goal is to compete for their clubs on the world stage - ‘the bigs’ - at the Toastmasters Global Conference in Paris France, this coming August. Five speakers will also compete as evaluators. This unique contest has each contestant giving a spontaneous evaluation of a single test speech. Evaluators have just 5 minutes to get their thoughts together, before delivering 2-3 minutes of constructive commentary. Evaluations, which are like a peer review, are an essential component of a Toastmasters program.

What happened at Early Edition? Jessica Zhao chaired a small but lively group this morning - the first Monday after time sprung forward! Table topics was extended by Topics Master Monica Neville, who gave us a primer on how to approach Table Topics - an excellent lesson. Extra time was also given to Bob Milliken, who tackled a topic from the Advanced Facilitating Manual: The Panel Moderator. Bob managed a timely and important discussion on the topic of Covid19 with panelists ...Fraser Drummond, Jessica Zhao and Monica Neville. Major takeaway: Take reasonable precautions, but do not give in to panic! What are we doing as a Toastmasters club? Disinfecting the tables and chair backs before/after our meeting, touching elbows instead of handshakes. Washing our hands. Keeping a reasonable distance between each other. If you are sick, stay home, but if not - join us! And remember that this Friday March 13 at 7 in the evening is our Area 50 Contest. Angelika Bendrich with represent Early Edition in the Evaluation Contest and Cindy Sheldan will compete in the International Speech Contest. Please come out and cheer our members on!

What happened at Early Edition? Our Club Speaking and Evaluation contests that’s what! Noel Bentley (fresh from emceeing our local TEDx) presided over a full audience. Competing in the speech category was Angelika Bendrich, who will hug you next time she sees you; Nancy Coates who took us to Hawaii, and Cindy Sheldan who made you wonder! After an excellent test speech by former (and future ? : ) EE member Stuart Candiah; evaluations were given by Angelika and Nancy, as well ...as Jessica Zhao. Very good speeches and evaluations across the board today. And the winners are . advancing to the Area Speech Contest will be Cindy Sheldan, and our representative at the Area Evaluation Contest will be Angelika Bendrich! Early Edition is hosting our Area Contest (both Speech and Evaluations) on Friday evening March 13. Join us at the Turnbull Gallery, Semiahmoo Arts and Rec Centre, at 7PM. Or if you prefer the dark and early come see us any (not-a-holiday) Monday at 7am!