Young speakers set sights on regional stage

Katamatite students Jamie Todoroski and Stella Monk also progressed through the competition to the district level, with Stella going on to compete in the district final.

Cobram Lions chair Janet Austin said reaching the regional level was a “huge achievement” for the students.

“It’s absolutely fantastic to have a student headed to the regional competition,” she said.

Barooga Lions Club member John Weinert said the students involved had been “just amazing”.

“You sit and listen to the kids and go, ‘wow’,” he said.

“Being able to stand up in front of a group of people and talk is so beneficial. It’s sets them up for life.”

Nine-year-old Kit was thrilled to make it to the district level, having competed last year but not progressed beyond the club level.

For this year’s competition, Year 3 and 4 students were asked, ‘If you could go anywhere in Australia, where would you go?’ and Kit chose Kakadu in the Northern Territory.

“I thought Kakadu would be nice because I heard that my parents were planning on going there, and I discovered that it was a really historical site with lots of Indigenous artwork there,” she said.

Kit, who loves animals, was particularly excited to discover Kakadu’s wildlife, including crocodiles, dingoes and water buffalo.

“There are lots of crocodiles up there, and it was really scary because there’s a jumping crocodile tour that you can go on,” she said.

“So you get in a boat, and there’s a person who will make crocodiles jump out of the water.”

Visiting Kakadu after writing her speech also meant Kit could add what she had learnt first-hand.

Kit said she practised “every day and every night” and had worked on getting the timing of her speech almost exactly right.

During the recent district competition, Kit said she found it quite “nerve-racking”, but kept reminding herself she could do it.

She said her confidence had grown since competing, and she hoped to continue public speaking as she got older.

Meanwhile, Alice’s path to the regional competition was somewhat unexpected.

The Cobram student was originally the backup after finishing second at her club final, but when the original competitor was unable to take part at the district level, Alice was called up to compete.

With only a couple of days to prepare, she took to the stage — and went on to win.

“I didn’t really prepare because it was only a couple of days before when they rang me up,” Alice said.

For her four-minute speech, Alice was asked who she would invite to dinner, dead or alive.

Her choice was Australian wildlife legend Steve Irwin, reflecting her love of animals and nature.

“I used to watch him on TV when I was little and all the different things he was doing, especially catching the crocodiles,” she said.

Alice also planned a three-course meal for her guest, featuring salt and pepper calamari, barramundi and pavlova.

Having competed in the public speaking competition several times over the years, Alice said regionals would be the highest level she had reached so far.

“I’m pretty nervous, but excited at the same time,” she said.

For both students, the journey will continue at the regional competition later this month, with the chance to progress to the state level.

For Kit, her advice to anyone considering public speaking is simple.

“Give it a go because you might really enjoy it,” she said.