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Kate, Alice move on in speaking comp

By Contributed

Aug 19, 2026

Year 3/4 speakers Kate Marriott, Tyson Rowe, Marcus Milne, Zalie Bolton, Lenny Cardillo, Aidan Macheda, and Sebastian Canas Ventura. Absent - Harry Simpson. Photo by Victoria Kennedy

Students from Finley, Jerilderie and Tocumwal contested the Lions Junior Public Speaking Regional Final, held in Finley on Sunday.

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Kate Marriott from Barooga and Alice Lebner from Cobram were selected as the Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 winners respectively.

They will now go on to represent the region and their towns and schools at the District Final at Yarrawonga on August 30.

Students from Barooga, Cobram, Finley, Jerilderie, Katamatite, Strathmerton, Tocumwal, Tungamah, and Yarrawonga participated in the regional final.

There were 15 students across both age categories, who presented speeches which saw them progress through the school and club levels of the competition.

Year 3/4 students were asked to give a three minute speech on the topic ‘If you could go on a holiday anywhere in Australia, where would you go and why?’.

Answers included Kakadu, Hamilton Island, Coolibah Station, Brisbane, Sydney and Coober Pedy.

The year 5/6 students had to present a four minute speech on the topic ‘If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why, and what would you serve them for dinner?’.

Personalities included Freya Skye, Steve Irwin, Grace Nweke, Michael Jackson, Yungblud and Sir David Attenborough.

The older students then had 10 minutes to prepare a one minute speech answering the question, ‘If you could be famous, what would it be for?’.

Responses included a few singers, curing Type 1 Diabetes, a baker, a footballer, and a test cricketer.

Judges Veronica McNaught, Jenny Philpot and Tess Dean spent a great deal of time deliberating on the results, revealing that it was a very tight competition across both age groups.

The Lions Junior Public Speaking program has been running for 20 years, having started at the Lions Club of Barham Koondrook.

It has since become a national Lions project, with clubs from all around Australia running the competition and providing this fantastic opportunity for students to gain public speaking skills.