ORATORY CONTEST

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 November 1942, Page 2

ORATORY CONTEST

SECONDARY SCHOOL TEAMS WIN FOR WAIRARAPA COLLEGE. AWARDED FIRST AND SECOND PLACES. The Wairarapa College Assembly Hall was comfortably filled for the annual oratory competition between the girls of the four local secondary schools. The following were the competitors and their subjects: —St. Bride’s Convent: Yvonne Saunders, “Sir Thomas Moore; Wilma Herrick, “Richard Seddon.” St. Matthew’s Collegiate School: Vivian Rich, “O. T. J. Alpers”; Lesley Pilmer, “Marion Anderson.” Solway College: Isabel Baker, “John Buchan”; Betty Simmons, “Queen Victoria.” Wairarapa College: Dorothy Heckler: “Pundit Nehru”; Brenda Jaine, “W. Lloyd Garrison.” The judge, Mr Thomas Jordan, said he had sometimes wondered how the subjects were chosen. After listening to the speeches he thought he could see a reason in almost every case. He spoke of the necessity of sincerity in speech. A speaker must believe what he says or his audience will not believe him. After a kindly and helpful criticism' of each of the speakers, Mr Jordan said he had placed Brenda Jaine first and her team mate, Dorothy Heckler, second, thus giving Wairarapa College a convincing win. He praised the incisiveness of the winner and her use of the pause. Other speakers had tended to hurry on without giving time for their points to get home. He also illustrated a number of cases of misplaced emphasis from some of the speeches. The chairman, Mr F. J. Gair, expressed the thanks of the schools to Mr Jordan for his kindness in again judging the competition.