It all began in December 1970 when a group of 31 Harbord locals recognised a need to improve their communication skills and formed a new club. The club was hosted by the Harbord Diggers, where it has been meeting twice a month ever since. The philosophy of the club in 1970 was “Better Listening, Better thinking and better speaking”.

Initially, all of the clubs’ charter members were men, but from 1973 Toastmasters opened up to men and women aged 18+ and it didn’t take long for the female membership to grow. Indeed, in 1978 a diary note in our records stated that ‘the female species outnumbers their male counterparts’!. 

Since that time, many members have walked through the doors of the Harbord Diggers. Thankfully the decor has changed from the old wood-paneled rooms and brown and gold wall paper to the current modern club environment with its beautiful ocean vista – and, of course the basic skills we all seek to learn and the qualities we want to embody remain unchanged. Our club mission is to provide a supportive, positive and safe learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.