The people
A dozen regulars
and room for you.
Students, retirees, researchers and professionals, of all ages and many cultures: the table is mixed on purpose. These are the members who keep the club running.
The committee
Who keeps the wheels turning
President & Treasurer
Sivan Iswaran
Steers the club and minds the books, and takes the chair more often than anyone. Most of the format nights started as one of his ideas: the debates, Guess Night, Christmas in Winter.
Secretary
Maureen Bourke
Keeps the club's records and its memory, and chairs four nights a year. If you visit, Maureen is probably the first person who'll learn your name.
Program Director
Phoenix Xie
Plans the season: the theme nights, the debates, and who's speaking when. Show and Tell and On This Day both started here.
Club Coach
Michael Lutt
Coaches every meeting on the calendar, closing each one with considered feedback drawn from decades of speaking. The award for the best speech is his call.
Membership Manager
Malcolm Hill
Looks after new and prospective members, and is the person to talk to about joining, once you've sat through a night or two.
Around the table
The speaking members
Beyond the committee, these are the members who share the speaking program: PhD students giving their first speeches, experienced speakers who've moved across from other clubs, and one member who joins faithfully by Zoom from Port Augusta.
Damien Lynch
A long-standing member who takes his turn in every role: chairing, minutes, the word of the day. He has Christmas in Winter in August.
Deirdre Norman
Chairs, speaks and keeps the minutes; a steadying presence at the table. She ran Disney Theme Night and takes the Speaker of the Year warm-up.
Lachlan Dorrian
Took the chair for the first time in 2026, and has the club's 1,300th meeting in October.
Lewis He
One of our newer speakers, already working up to longer speeches, and chairing Guess Night this October.
Lily Li
Joins us from Port Augusta by Zoom, came across from another club, and still takes her turn in the chair.
Maria Cristina Enjuto Crespo
One of our newest speakers, already on the program and in the chair this November.
Michell Cardoso
A regular on the speaking program, with a good line in everyday subjects.
Patrick Bourke
One of the club's most experienced speakers. He sits beside first-time chairs as their mentor, and coaches the coaches.
New members start with shorter speeches, four minutes with a bell at three, and work up at their own pace. First-time chairs get a mentor beside them for the night. Nobody is thrown in the deep end here; you wade in when you're ready.
Come and say hello.
The best introduction is a Wednesday evening. Pull up a chair; no speech required, dinner optional but recommended.