District 71 Monthly Newsletter
We did it!
District 71 has achieved Distinguished status, and that is thanks to you. Whether you took on a leadership role, mentored a member, gave a speech, organised a meeting, welcomed a guest, or simply turned up and supported your club, you played a part in this achievement.
Thank you for your time, your enthusiasm and your kindness to each other throughout the year. It’s those moments of encouragement, teamwork, and friendship that make District 71 such a great place to be a member.
Thank you for everything you’ve done to help our clubs and our District grow.
Finally, I wish the incoming DLT every success. We have a super year ahead with Steve at the helm!
Mairead Dillion
– District Director
As we reach the end of another Toastmasters year, I find myself reflecting on what we have achieved together. This has been a year of innovation, learning and, above all, teamwork.
Together, we tried new approaches to developing leaders at every level of our District. From our blended club officer training program and the Leadership Summit to expanded educational support, Pathways Champions, webinars, training and The Rose Conference, hundreds of volunteers stepped forward to share their knowledge and help others succeed. More than 150 Toastmasters contributed to our Program Quality initiatives, demonstrating that leadership is best developed by serving others.
These efforts have made a difference. We have seen more participation in club officer training, the number of clubs with all seven officers trained has doubled, and we now have more Distinguished Club Program goals achieved, more educational awards and more members than at this point last year. Those achievements belong to every club officer, trainer, Area Director, Division Director and volunteer who invested their time and energy in supporting others.
Serving as your Program Quality Director has been both a privilege and a tremendous learning experience. Thank you for your encouragement, your ideas, your willingness to embrace change, and your commitment to our shared mission of empowering individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.
As one chapter closes, another begins. I personally get to take on a new challenge, one where I aspire to support the District team in building on the foundations we have built together. I look forward to seeing District 71 continue to grow, innovate and inspire.
Thank you for making this an unforgettable year.
Steve Campion
Program Quality Director
This year has been a blast, a struggle, and a whirlwind of emotions. But most of all, this last year has been the most stretching of my entire professional life!! And I wouldn’t change one thing.
From the bright-eyed man of July 2025 to the more wiser, experienced man of June 2026, being Club Growth Director has tested me to my limits and beyond.
And I’d love to share a few bits of my learning with you all.
Firstly, the time I would be spending on Toastmasters increased almost from day one. I went from 2 hours every two weeks to 2 hours every day. This took a little to time to adjust to and plan and organise.
Secondly, the cognitive load was huge and completely unexpected. When you volunteer in an organisation that is worldwide, the phone never stops at any time of the day or night.
Thirdly, the pressure you put on yourself to deliver your promise made at the CGD election is never out of your mind.
With that all said, the biggest change in becoming club growth director was through the wonderful, amazing, fantastic, exceptional, inspiring, motivational and just really nice people I got to meet and spend those additional hours with.
The learning that came from being stretched is the most I have personally and professionally completed in one year. and I could not be more proud of myself and those who supported and helped me along the way.
And learning to manage my own expectations, my own time, my prioritisation, my self-management, boundary setting, communication skills, interpersonal skills, budgeting, persuasion skills, conflict resolution skills, debating skills, relationship-building skills, and team-working skills.
But most of all, getting the opportunity to practice patience, stoicism, mindfulness, self-reflection, resilience and intrinsic motivation on top of the other wonderful skills and learnings is what has made this role one of the most rewarding and satisfying roles I have ever had the privilege to hold.
And for anyone who would want to step forward and go after this role in the future, I would highly recommend it.
I want to take this opportunity to thank every single person who has supported me in one way or another. There are really too many to mention, as this article would go on forever.
So all I would like to say is thank you, and I look forward to putting in the same effort and drive into the PQD role this coming year.
Kevin O’Reilly
Club Growth Director, District 71
As we close the Toastmasters year 2025/2026, I pause with deep gratitude, reflection, and renewed anticipation for what lies ahead.
This has been a year of building—not just campaigns, not just content, but foundations. Foundations that will outlast any one term, any one team, and continue to serve District 71 for years to come.
From the moment we stepped into this role, there was clarity about one thing:
we were not just here to manage Public Relations, we were here to transform it.
And together, we did.
We built a Public Relations team from the what we met at up, established a governance system to ensure continuity, and created a PR Playbook that now serves as a guide for future leaders. We revitalised the District newsletter, making it more member‑centred and accessible, now housed permanently on our website as a living archive of our story.
We strengthened our voice across platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and began telling richer, more intentional stories. We initiated media outreach, secured radio and podcast appearances, and took meaningful steps to position District 71 more visibly in the public space.
We created content pipelines for clubs, supported Area Directors, and designed branded materials to empower club growth. We launched masterclasses, began consolidating tools for efficiency, and embraced smarter ways of working even with a lean team.
And through it all, we never lost sight of the most important element:
People.
The connections formed. The leaders developed. The conversations that sparked ideas and action.
From the District Conference in all its beauty and brilliance, to the Strategy Weekend in Belfast, where vision met collaboration… this year has reminded us that Toastmasters is more than an organisation, it is a living, breathing community of growth and possibility.
I am deeply grateful to my incredible PR team, who gave their time, expertise, and energy to bring every initiative to life. What we achieved together is a testament to your dedication and belief in what is possible.
My sincere appreciation also goes to the District Leadership Team, from the District Director through every leader across the district. Thank you for the trust, the encouragement, the openness to ideas, and the willingness to collaborate. You created the environment that made this work not only possible but impactful.
To every member across District 71, across clubs, areas, and divisions—your participation, your stories, and your commitment are what give meaning to everything we do.
It has been an absolute privilege to serve as Public Relations Manager.
And I am both humbled and honoured to have the opportunity to serve again for the 2026/2027 year.
The work ahead is exciting.
The possibilities are even greater.
Because now, we are not starting from scratch.
We are building on pillars.
We are building with clarity.
We are building with purpose.
And the best, without question, is still to come.
With gratitude,
Stallone-Obaraemi Samuel
-Public Relations Manager
I joined the District Leadership Team in February 2026, midway through the Toastmasters year. As I reflect on the past four months, I also consider the role of the District Leadership Team in supporting clubs in District 71 and in promoting and advancing the District Mission of helping clubs achieve excellence and build new clubs. I have seen the time, energy and commitment my fellow team members have shown in ‘lighting the fire’ that keeps District 71 healthy and growing. It has been a privilege and an honour to serve as part of this team.
As much as the team lit the fire, it is you, the members, who, through your passion, enthusiasm, and hard work in your clubs and beyond that, have fanned the flame and helped bring District 71 to Distinguished Status for the 2025/2026 Toastmasters year. Each action you took, from giving your speeches, carrying out meeting roles, stepping up to leadership within your club and in the wider Toastmasters Community and saying yes when you could have said no, ensured that we reached this Distinguished milestone together. I thank you for your passion, your diligence and willingness to serve our Toastmasters Community with Respect, Integrity, and Excellence. It is a community I am proud to be a part of.
As I pass the gavel to the incoming team, I want to say thank you for the opportunity and the experience. On a personal level, being part of the DLT for a brief period has been a sometimes challenging but mostly an incredible and rewarding experience. I have met so many new people, I have shaken hands with stars, I have watched amazing contests and seen people stretch beyond their comfort zones to achieve dreams they once thought impossible. And I, I have learnt, I have grown, and I too have stretched beyond self-imposed limits.
I want to finally take this opportunity to wish the new team every success in the coming year. Though I am stepping away from the team, I will remain somewhere in the background to help, support, and encourage as we lead together into the new Toastmasters year.
Maura Meaney
D71 District Administration Manager 2025/2026
Valencia filled the river bed And planted trees, with cycle paths And grassy banks and purple flowers Between the bridges that still spanned The wide
I buy a box of four in nudeTo add to my ever increasingforlorn collection of footwear Last year’s pop socks
I prefer small moments.They don’t insist.They don’t apply for memory. A kettle considers boiling—not yet a decision,just a tremor. Light
In the gunmetal sky,
gull wheel and wheech
slim pickings in off-season.
A paper merchant ship
lists in Bayonne’s bay window.
Children
hover, pivot and scoot
around and around the bandstand.
Hatted hipster dads
scroll the Dow Jones,
counting down the seconds
-to hand over.
Christina Hessian
Capital Communicators in Edinburgh celebrated achieving the Smedley Distinguished status award with Zara’s grandmother’s chocolate cake at our Tuesday meeting,
Belfast Toastmasters held their annual summer outing and meeting on Rathlin Island, off the North Coast of Co. Antrim, on
Area 32 members and guests gathered for a memorable Gala Night at Redbourn Golf Club to celebrate the 30th Anniversary
Hi, I’m Nada Pupovac, a member of Limerick Toastmasters. I joined the club in October 2023 with one simple goal:
Fingal Toastmasters recently celebrated a significant milestone – 40 years of helping members build confidence, communication, and leadership skills. The
For the past two years, Toastmasters Unplugged has been shining a spotlight on the people who make District 71 such
June marks the end of one year and the beginning of another, and the view from the editor’s desk is a good one. I am afraid you will need to put up with me for a few more months at least.
There is plenty to be proud of at District level. Distinguished status achieved. A new District Leadership Team ready to go. Poetry written and celebrated. A Toastmasters meeting held on a remote island off the Antrim coast. Anniversaries marked. If you wanted evidence that this community is alive and well, this edition has it in abundance.
Thank you to everyone who contributed a story, sent a photo, or passed on a piece of news this year. The newsletter is only as good as what comes in, and what came in was genuinely worth reading. As we move into the new programme year, I want to build on that. Next month’s edition brings a number of changes to the format and content — the start of a new year felt like the right moment to raise our game a little further.
On a personal note, my thanks to Stallone and the outgoing PR team. So many good friendships formed, and I truly believe the best relationships are built by those who are in the trenches beside you. I am equally excited about the team that has assembled for this year — a real sense of building and momentum. Whatever your aims and plans for the year ahead, I hope you achieve them and keep finding your voice.
Here’s the link to submit content again, in case you need it:
https://forms.d71toastmasters.org/share-news
John Leech
D71 Newsletter Editor