YOUNG ORATORS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21248, 19 October 1940, Page 6

YOUNG ORATORS

HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL WINNERS OF CONTESTS Oratory of an unusually high standard, evidence of careful thought and preparation, was heard at the Hamilton High School oratory contest last night. The prescribed subject was some topic from history or literature, and a wide variety of themes was treated.

The judge, Mr Douglas Seymour, commented favourably on the clear enunciation and the self-confidence displayed by the speakers. The most apparent fault was a certain stiffness, some of the competitors failing to focus the attention of the audience with appropriate gestures. Heavy subjects, more in the nature of historical disquisitions, detracted from the merits of otherwise praiseworthy efforts, said Mr Seymour. The following were the speakers who took part, the prize-winners in each section being mentioned first.: Junior Girls: Shirley Buchanan (Joseph Stalin), Pam Linder (Shakespeare), Nina Waite (Sir Christpher Wren).

Junior Boys: Arthur Oliver (Edward Gibbon Wakefield), Peter de Latour (Guiseppe Garibaldi). Senior Girls: Margaret Stokes (Bismarck), Peggy Simons (Rhodes of Africa), Mona Roberts (Federal Union).

Senior Boys: Roy Marsh (The Saga of the Sea), Marshall Hobson (Richard Wagner), Rex. St. Clair (The Fall of the Roman Empire). Impromptu: Rex. St. Clair (Do Parents Regret the Passing of the Victoria Era?), Marshall Hobson (We are the Products of Our Environment), Roy Marsh (A Well-educated Community Does Not Require a Censorship).