Riverside Club 5135 received its Charter from Toastmasters International in March 1995. Our meeting location at that time was the basement of St. Patrick’s Home, 2865 Riverside Drive, whence we derived our Club name of Riverside. Sponsors were Jane Stuart, DTM, and Wayne Kines, DTM. They conceived the idea to found a new Club in the south part of Ottawa and helped recruit the first 20 members. Club Mentors were Carolyn Arcand, CTM, and Jane Finley, CTM, who nurtured the Club’s educational program through its first six months. The sponsoring Club was Uplands Wingtalkers, Club 9303, which donated our lectern at our Charter Dinner, held in June 1995.

The following people have served as Club President:
1994–95 Jane Stuart, DTM
1995–96 Carolyn Arcand, CTM
1996–97 Henri Saint-Louis, ATM
1997–98 Bob Lyle, ATM
1998–99 Tim Dey, CTM
1999–2000 Christine Bischof, ATM-B
2000–01 Jeannie Page, CTM
2001–02 Nancy Desroches, ATM-B/CL
2002–03 Mark Rosenbloom, ATM-B
2003–04 Bob Lyle, DTM
2004–05 Rod Brook, ATM-B/CL
2005–06 Denis Doiron, CTM/CL
2006–07 Nancy DesRoches, ATM-B/CL
2007–08 Bob Lyle, DTM
2008–09 Carl Wagar, CC
2009–10 Helen Cutts, CC

Our Club banner, first unfurled at the Charter Dinner, tells our Club history. Each year that the Club has achieved its Club Success Plan goals under the Distinguished Club Program, we have received a ribbon to display on the banner. There are three levels of achievement: Distinguished Club, Select Distinguished Club and the highest level, President’s Distinguished Club. White Founder’s Award ribbons were awarded when Riverside sponsored two more new Clubs: Entrepreneurial Speakers Club 2361 in 1999 and Clarica One Club 4916 in 2002.

Additional ribbons were received when the Club recruited five new members in September/October to qualify for the Smedley Award commemorating the founding of Toastmasters International in October 1924, and in February/March to qualify for the Talk Up Toastmasters Award in various years.

Burgundy ribbons commemorate visits to World Headquarters in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, by Jane Stuart, DTM, and Wayne Kines, DTM, in August 1995 and by Bob Lyle, DTM, in August 2002. Riverside has also been the home Club of two past District Governors, Jane Stuart, DTM, who served in 1992–93 and Bob Lyle, DTM, who served in 2001–02.

Our Club banner also makes visits. It is shown at District-sponsored events such as Area and Division speech contests as well as spring and fall District Conferences. The Opening Ceremonies of the District Conferences feature a Parade of Banners, at which all banners representing delegates attending are put on display. The Riverside Club banner has been proudly displayed at Conferences.

In June 2005, we celebrated our tenth year of success with a celebratory dinner held at Robbie’s Spaghetti House. About 70 current and past members, leaders and friends shared stories about past Riverside Club events and helped to commemorate our anniversary.