AUSTRALIA—Sydney spokesmen hosted the end-of-year ladies’ night at Sandon Point Surf Life Saving Club on Dec. 7, 2014, the same days as the pcg’s 25th anniversary.

Forty-five men and women gathered for pre-dinner snacks and drinks on the balcony of the Surf Club at 4:45 p.m.

Ladies found their seats at blue and white decorated tables in the function room, which had large windows that opened to the ocean.

The venue provided the function room and facilities, but not the meal. Local teen volunteers served as wait staff for the evening, directed by vice president Ross Macdonald.

Member Rodney Lorenz managed the meal from the kitchen, making sure teens distributed each course on time. This was a new experience for the club.

“Being a waiter for the first time at the ladies’ night was a great experience for me,” local teen Jeremiah Romanos said. “I enjoyed serving the food as well as collecting all the dirty plates. The venue was fantastic, with a view of the beach.”

Spinach soup awaited the guests at the tables as the club session began.

With the club president away for the evening, Macdonald stepped in as acting president and focused on growth in his opening remarks, comparing the growth of the pcg to the growth of the men as they embraced the Spokesman Club program. He ended with a toast to the pcg’s 25th anniversary.

The event launched into the topics session next. Many ladies answered questions, receiving praise from their husbands and dates.

During the club’s 30-minute break, members moved to the balcony for some fresh air, overlooking the ocean. Teens gathered soup dishes and brought out the main course. Once all dishes were served, everyone sat down for the second half of the night.

Toastmaster John Makrai introduced the speakers for the night. Four men gave speeches, including an add color speech about the meaning behind different colored roses, and an inspire speech about learning to teach as Anne Sullivan taught Helen Keller.

After the speeches, Makrai joked that since there are usually five speeches, they saved one impromptu speech for a lady. Makrai let them know he was only kidding and turned the club back over to Macdonald.

On behalf of the club, Macdonald presented gifts to the club director, assistant club director, members Donna King and Rodney Lorenz.

Following this, club director and Regional Director John Macdonald delivered his comments. He encouraged everyone to expand beyond their habitual way of thinking and summed up his lectures from the past year, reviewing different kinds of thinking patterns. He ended with a short video on perspective using the universe and the microscopic universe as comparisons.

After this, he presented a graduation certificate to his son Ross Macdonald and congratulated graduate Jerry Murtin on completing club a second time. He also announced club officers for the following year. After Mr. Macdonald officialy closed the meeting, members congratulated the new officers and discussed the evening’s events.

“This was the fourth ladies’ night I’ve been able to experience—one in the UK, and three in Sydney,” attending member Lisa Richardson said. “This latest end-of-year ladies’ night would have to be the most inspiring and encouraging I have attended. Not only did we have the beautiful sounds and sights of the breaking waves of the Aussie beach in the background, we were privileged to have the most royal service by our hardworking teens. … The best part of the night—the proverbial icing on the cake—was the lecture Mr. Macdonald gave. … Overall, a truly memorable night.”