TIMMINS – The funny thing about a bikini knit out of wool is that it doesn't hold up well in water, says Tuula Reddit, a woman from the Timmins area.
Reddit now lives in Brampton and was the guest speaker at the Porcupine Toastmasters 30th anniversary celebration on Saturday.
She makes public speaking look like a breeze, but many members of Porcupine Toastmasters say presenting to a crowd didn't always come easy.
Among them is Lisa Wilson, Toastmasters Division North Director, who says when she first started, she was a "terrible speaker… so bad that my general manager told my boss that I was not to speak for her anymore. So either he said she needs to figure this out, or don't put her up there."
Four years later, Wilson now makes a living talking to people.
Aside from learning how to communicate well, other Toastmasters officials say the organization prides itself on developing leaders.
"It's not just good grades and your intellectual smarts that bring you to the next tier of gaining a job or becoming an entrepreneur and making your path in life with your own business or businesses. Toastmasters can help everybody," explained Paul Ouimette, President of Porcupine Toastmasters.
Club officials hope this anniversary will inspire more people to join.
"If you get up and grunt and that’s the best you can do today, we're going to clap for you anyway. And then the next time, you'll get up and you'll say your name so it's just that positive learning environment where it doesn't matter what you do, we're going to celebrate you because you tried," said Wilson.
The club meets every Monday evening, seeing many well-known locals who have come and gone in the past.
Although attendance has once gone down to one person and almost folded, perseverance paid off and the club now sits at 12 members.
