The Lions clubs of Australia have been promoting the Youth of The Year (YOTY) Quest since 1964 so this year is the sixtieth time the quest has been run.
The aim has always been to find an outstanding all-rounder among the 15 to 18 year-olds in the nation and Territories, not just one with particular sporting or academic strengths.
Tens of thousands of students have taken part in this great quest over the decades. The quest is run at four stages, the local club, then a Zone, followed by a District competition leading to the State level. From here the six or seven State candidates go to the Lions National Convention to compete for the National title of Australian YOTY. in 2021, local student Zoe Peters was selected as the National Youth of The Year winner.
Last Sunday the Mount Panorama Lions ran their Club round at their premises in Stanley Street. In the morning, four remarkable young ladies from local schools were interviewed to assess their suitability by the judges, Lesley Bull, Angus McKibbin and Millaine Longmore, before taking part in a public speaking event in the afternoon. In front of an audience of parents and Lions members they were asked two impromptu questions about mobile phones at school and where in the world they would like you travel. Each then presented a five minute prepared speech on such diverse topics as the threat to privacy of smart devices, the importance of music, access to legal representation, and why we strive for perfection. These were both informative and entertaining.
The four girls, Hannah Howes, Ella Kay, Ava Meares and Chloe Tayler, stunned the judges and audience with their personalities, knowledge, passion, confidence and ability to express their ideas and hopes for the future. In a very close decision Ava Meares was selected as the Public Speaking winner and Ella Kay as the overall club representative. Ella will represent the Mount Panorama Lions Club at the District Final in Gilgandra on March 11th where a small contingent of club members will be there to support her. The club wishes Ella all the very best for this round.
