Final curtains fell on Batu Pahat Toastmasters Club (TMBP) on 23/3/2009 at a sombre and solemn last hurrah dinner at Ocean Steamboat VIP room to finalise the last rites for TMBP.
In attendance:-
Charter & President 1994-1995 : Michael Chong, CTM
President 1996-1997 : Angelina Chong, CTM
President 1997-1998 : Lim Bok Sze, CTM
President 1998-1999 : Timothy Ho, CTM
President 2000-2001 : Ong Lin Kuan, CTM
President 2003-2004 : Lee Tian Eng
President 2004-today : Dr. Tan Leok Soo
President Elect since 2004 : Soh Chin Tiam
In 1992 we were given the mandate by TM International to organise a Batu Pahat chapter of the Toastmasters Club. Since then we met in various venues, like Garden Hotel, Hokkien Association, Teo Chiew Kong Huay Association, Crystal Inn, Batu Pahat One Rotary Centre, individual homes, before our final venue at Jireh Building conference room.
We were rather active; won quite a few awards in our day … a couple of Ralph Stanley Awards for membership ribbons. We organised and held a few TM Speech evaluation contests, a few TM humourous speech competitions, several TM installation dinners. For community service, we held countless training workshops; with Rotary Club Batu Pahat for Interactors, with the district education office for speech-craft and public speaking competitions and with specific schools for debate preparations and for MUET preparations. Our last community function was a training workshop for teachers at Batu Pahat Technical School (Sekolah Teknik).
TMBP then fell into an inactivity coma sometime in 2005. Several attempts for revival including the highest setting ever on the defibrillator, in the person of our de-facto honourary mentor from Kluang Toastmasters, CTM TM Kumar, failed to see prolonged resuscitation.
We used all the tricks in the book to urge TMBP to breathe on its own, including the exemption of wearing the necktie and meeting in homes and having pot-luck meals before during and after TM meetings, but to no avail.
Members then decided that it is time to pack up. After a long comatose period, our Treasurer and incoming President complained that even our cash in hand had been collecting fungus and we need to spend it. With whatever money we had, TMBP donated a haemodialysis chair to Batu Pahat Rotary Haemodialysis Centre hoping that none of us will ever use the chair but some one on dialysis will be comfortable while he undergoes his dialysis.
True to TM style, we called it curtains with a bang .. in the form of a sumptuous 8 course dinner fit for royalty.
Dish 1: Cold dish
Dish 2 : Shark fin soup served individually
Dish 4 : Sea cucumber with porky filling.
By this time all of us are well pretty much stuffed already …..
Dish 5 : Roasted duck
Dish 6 : Scallops with vegetables
Dish 7 : Abalone on ice
All the above washed down with this fluid mixture!!
Final curtain call : Yes it was good while it lasted.
Hey!, if anybody is seriously interested in reviving TMBP ….
2 comments:
"TMBP then fell into an inactivity coma sometime in 2005"
what happened? im quite new to BP. i am looking forward to join a TM club
Hey, the photos looked tasty enough to be in a cook book.
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