Sunday Sundowners Toastmasters

✨ A New Year, a New President & a Great Start to 2026 ✨

On 11 January, Sunday Sundowners Toastmasters Club held our first meeting of 2026 - a wonderful way to start the year with connection, energy, and inspiration. This meeting was extra special as we welcomed our new President, Viola Dondo 💙

“A New Year brings with it a new chance to relook at everything around us. 2026 is another chance for us to reflect on how we can be great leaders and communicators. May our association with Toastmasters speak for itself. May everything that we do daily reflect the impact of Toastmasters on our lives! Here’s to a great 2026!” - Viola Dondo, Club President

Thank you, Viola, for these inspiring words and for setting such a positive tone for the year ahead. We’re excited to grow together as communicators and leaders at Sunday Sundowners Club 🎤🌱

If public speaking is on your list of goals for 2026, we’d love to welcome you to a safe, supportive, and friendly Toastmasters environment.

👉 Join us for our next meeting on Sunday, 18 January 4:00pm (Perth time), held in hybrid format (in person & online). DM for more information.

✨ Here’s to a confident, connected, and inspiring 2026 together!

🌞 Meet the Sundowners – Our Stories, Our Voices

Every great speaker starts with a single step - and often, with a little courage and a lot of heart. 💛

At Sunday Sundowners Toastmasters, we’re more than just a club - we’re a community of dreamers, learners, and storytellers who support each other through every speech, stumble, and standing ovation.

In this new series, “Meet the Sundowners,” we’ll share the journeys of our members - what inspired them to join Toastmasters, the lessons they’ve learned, and how the power of communication has shaped their lives.

✨ From nervous first speeches to proud leadership moments — every story is unique, heartfelt, and inspiring.

We begin with our Club President, Shara D. Fernando Hondanaidelage, whose story reminds us that sometimes, it only takes one person’s belief to help your voice be heard. 🎤

✨ Sunday Sundowners Meeting ✨

Yesterday, our Sunday Sundowners gathered for another inspiring Toastmasters meeting! The theme was “The Power of Pause.”

We explored how moments of silence can add strength to our speeches, to our life, create suspense, and give our audience time to reflect. It was amazing to see how even a short pause can make words more powerful. 🌿

If you missed it - don’t worry!

You can join us for our next online meeting on Sunday, 9 November at 4:00 PM (Perth time, WA).
Whether you’re an experienced speaker or just beginning your Toastmasters journey, you’ll find a friendly, supportive atmosphere and plenty of opportunities to grow your confidence and communication skills. 💬

We’d love to see you there! 🌟 DM for more information

✨ The Power of a Pause ✨

Even in speaking, a pause has power - it gives space, reflection, and meaning.
Our Facebook group also took a little pause for a while… a moment of silence.

But just like in a good speech — after the pause, comes the next sentence! 😉

Yesterday, our Sunday Sundowners gathered again for a wonderful meeting - full of laughter, ideas, and inspiring speeches.
The energy is back, and so is the activity here in our group!

Stay tuned - more updates, stories, and smiles are coming soon. 🌅🎤💬

🎉✨ What an incredible day at Sunday Sundowners! ✨🎉

Our club shone bright at the Table Topics and Humorous Speech Club Contests – full of laughter, surprises, and unforgettable moments.

🏆 Des Moran stole the spotlight, taking 1st place in BOTH contests – a double victory worth cheering!

👏 In Table Topics:
2nd place – Maria Rykova
3rd place – Saad Ghumman

🤣 In the Humorous Contest:
2nd place – Dee Jacob
3rd place – Saad Ghumman

Every speech was filled with humour, energy, and creativity. The audience laughed, clapped, and left inspired – exactly what Toastmasters contests are all about.

💫 A huge congratulations to all our contestants for their courage and brilliance. You made the night truly memorable!

✨ Do you know why the members of Sunday Sundowners are so happy in this photo?
Because we’ve won the Quick Start 1-2-3 Challenge! 🏆🎉

It felt like being in an action movie. At the start, we were in first place. Weeks later, we dropped to second. Just one week before the end, we were sharing third place with another club.

🎢 It was a real rollercoaster — every week brought suspense, surprises, and cheers!
💡 We encouraged our guests to become members.
💌 We reached out to past members.
🎤 We even organised a Speakathon to help complete Pathways.

And for the grand finale… our club president, Shara Fernando, convinced her husband to finally join Toastmasters! 👏

We are grateful to every single member. Together, we’ve proven what a strong team can achieve. Great job, Sunday Sundowners — we did it! 🌟💪