General News
22 September, 2026
Legacy junior public speaking award
Hopetoun P-12 student Darcy has earned a place in the national Legacy Junior Public Speaking finals after a stellar speech at the state finals.
Hopetoun P-12 student Darcy has earned a place in the national Legacy Junior Public Speaking finals after a stellar speech at the state finals.
On September 9, 11 students competed in the Victorian finals at Legacy House in Ballarat.
There was fierce competition on the day, with students from a variety of schools across the state competing: Portland, Stawell, Bendigo, Ballarat, Warrnambool, Hopetoun, Murtoa, and Ararat.
Legatee Allan McKinnon coordinated the event, with Legatee Hugh Roberton as Master of Ceremonies.
The panel of adjudicators consisted of Caitlin Grieve (chief judge), Michael Landry, and Rebecca Grime, with Legatees John Morris and Greg Watt as timekeepers.
Many of the participants had their support crews present – with parents, family members, teachers, and Legatees – the room was full to the brim with an eager audience.
The competition began with the 5-minute prepared speech, which showcased the wide range of approaches, skills, and dedication involved in public speaking.
Darcy represented our college with pride, enthusiastically presenting his speech on ‘Gratitude’.
Other students’ speeches covered a range of topics, all aligned with the values of Legacy: from courage, mateship, and the Australian spirit; to the impacts of AI and the importance of communication; to questions of ‘what we leave behind’ and ‘what is a legacy’; through to the symbolism of the ‘empty chair’, recognising the unrecognisable, and how to find success by moving forward in life.
Participants moved straight into the next round, the impromptu speech, focused on the topic of ‘I wish’.
This led to fascinating interpretations of big-picture changes to be made in the world, through to the everyday goals competitors would love to see fulfilled.
This section highlighted the participants’ ability to engage with a topic creatively and critically, in a short space of time.
Darcy’s authenticity shone through, and his ability to sprinkle humour throughout increased his connection to the audience.
All participants were then presented with their certificates and medallions, as the adjudicators left the room to discuss the scores.
After a long wait, reflecting the complexity of the deliberations the adjudicators faced, we broke for lunch to ease the suspense.
Ms Grieve then shared a wealth of constructive feedback with the group before making the long-awaited announcements of the winners.
Congratulations to Isaac (from Portland Secondary College) for achieving first place, and our own Darcy (from Hopetoun P-12 College) as runner-up.
Both students have qualified for the national finals, to be held at St Patrick’s College, Ballarat, on Sunday, November 15.
Overall, it was a brilliant experience, and we invite junior secondary students in the region to participate in the program next year.
Many thanks to the Legatees for keeping this valuable competition alive, and to all those who have supported the students too.