09/06/2026
Last night, Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Toastmasters members Darryl O'reilly, Paul Marshall and Paulette Marshall had the pleasure of attending the 2388th meeting at the Ball Court Hotel of the Rotary Club of Sunbury Australia.
Darryl, our member and outgoing President, was invited as guest speaker for the evening.
It was a wonderful night of community connection, conversation and shared purpose, and a lovely opportunity to get to know several of the Rotarians and hear more about the important work Rotary does in the Sunbury community.
Darryl spoke about his Toastmasters journey, what Toastmasters is about, and the many similarities between Rotary and Toastmasters. Rotary Club of Sunbury began in 1973 and has now reached around Meeting 2388, while Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Toastmasters recently celebrated our 1000th meeting.
Both clubs have a proud history of service, leadership, fellowship, encouragement and helping people grow.
One of the highlights of the evening was when Darryl invited Paul, a newly inducted Rotary member, to take part in a one-minute Table Topic.
Darryl then gave Paul a short evaluation and some supportive feedback, just as we do at Toastmasters. He encouraged him to relax, slow down, keep his arms by his side, and notice filler words such as “um” and “ah”.
After receiving that feedback, Paul then stood up again and shared his own story about public speaking. He spoke about his first experience when he worked in a bank and was sent to public speaking training, and how he later spoke at a union rally in front of around 3,000 people.
This time, Paul spoke for over three and a half minutes with more confidence, ease and natural hand gestures. It was a wonderful reminder of how even a small amount of supportive feedback can help someone grow.
That is what Toastmasters is all about — building confidence, communication and leadership skills in a safe and encouraging environment.
We also enjoyed hearing more about the important work Rotary does in the Sunbury community, including supporting young people through the Rotary Sail Training Challenge. This program helps 15 to 18 year olds build life skills, confidence and friendships through a sailing experience.
There was also great interest in WynSpeak and how Rotary and Toastmasters may be able to work together to support public speaking opportunities for young people across the Sunbury area, including local high schools.
This connection began when Paul and Paulette attended Rotary’s Lift the Lid Walk for Mental Health in February. From that community event, conversations continued, and Merv later attended our Sunbury 1000 celebration. It was lovely to now continue that connection at Rotary.
Darryl brought the evening back to one simple but powerful message: helping one person. You never know how your story, encouragement or willingness to speak may help someone else.
He also shared his smiley face balls, badges and his 15 words:
“The Spirit Of Life Is When You Give And Share Your Spirit To Another Life.”
A special moment of the night was when Darryl gifted a pen to Merv, to be passed on to each Rotary President as a symbol of writing, leading and helping others.
Merv also kindly gifted Rotary mugs to Darryl, Paul Marshall and Paulette, which was such a thoughtful gesture and a lovely reminder of the evening.
Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Toastmasters looks forward to continuing this connection with the Rotary Club of Sunbury and exploring ways we can work together in the community — supporting youth, encouraging people who may be struggling, helping people build confidence, and creating more opportunities for people to speak, lead and grow.
Community is stronger when we work together.
District 73 Toastmasters Toastmasters International
