Well, what a year it turned out to be, I had no idea of what lay ahead when I was installed into this role. As leaders, we never know what might come our way, and this year was certainly no different.
I was installed by the DTM who was a member of my first club when I joined Toastmasters about 11 years ago, Frances Fraser, DTM, PDG, in July 2019. July 2019 seems like a lifetime ago. Frances was the Toastmaster who encouraged me then and still encourages and inspires me today. I then traveled to Denver, Colorado, the home of Toastmasters International for District Leader training & the International Convention in August. I was inspired by leaders from around the world and Njabulo, Merryl, and I came back to Southern Africa ready to take on the year. We have worked together harder than I can ever recall, with the support of the rest of Cabinet and the Executive teams..
In January, straight after our holiday, we traveled to Chennai, India for Mid Year Training and when we came back, things were already changing, we just didn’t understand how much they would change in the ensuing months.
Our IPDD, Frank Tsuro, Regional Advisor, Sandra Cooper DTM, International Director, Aletta Rochat and past District Leaders have supported us and motivated us every step of the way. My peer group, District Directors across the Middle East, and Africa have propped me up and picked up my spirits every single month.
But it is #everymembermatters and watching our members strive for success and continuing to take #onestepforward has been incredibly rewarding for me. I’m grateful to all of you, I could never have dreamt how emotional this year would be. I am grateful to my personal friends, both in and out of Toastmasters, my family and my partner Steve, who might be looking forward to me spending a bit more time with me.
Thank you everybody, as I prepare to hand over to Merryl Jubber, a Toastmaster with many years more experience than I, I look forward to supporting you and your team as we continue our journey.
Taking #onestepforward with you, Nikki