Lion Deidre Carroll on behalf of her husband Terry Carroll, Chair of the Youth of the Year Quest, welcomed Quest entrants and their families, judges, Lions and Lions Ladies to Lions Club Youth of the Year local judging for 2025 which took place in the Grenfell Dramatic Society/Community Arts complex on Wednesday February 26. Five worthy students, Xanthe Johnson, Ryan Toole, Bridie Forde, Harmony Hua, and Ella Mitton displayed their talents and knowledge before a distinguished panel of judges, Chair; Dianne Franks, Ted Franks and Pamela Livingstone. Following the private interviews, the entrants addressed the 2 X 2-minute impromptu questions. Q1: Sam Kerr has been criticised lately in relation to her leadership. What do you think are the qualities of a good leader and why? Q2: What do you think Grenfell will look like in ten years time (2035)? Deidre particularly thanked Sarah Osmand, a teacher and co-ordinator of the Lions YOTY at The Henry Lawson High School for her outstanding contribution in organising the contestants. Sarah said she is proud to share the outstanding achievements of our students who recently participated in the Lion's Youth of the Year Quest. "Each participant showcased remarkable talent and dedication, representing our school with pride and distinction," she is. Ryan Toole captivated the audience with his thought-provoking presentation on "AI: Benefit or Detriment?" He skillfully navigated the complexities of artificial intelligence, encouraging us to consider both its advantages and potential challenges. Bridie Forde delivered a compelling speech titled "Rethinking Refugees," where she highlighted the importance of empathy and understanding in our discussions about refugees. Her insights prompted us to reflect on our roles in fostering a more inclusive society. Ella Mitton shone a light on "Women in Agriculture," emphasising the vital contributions of women in this field. Her passionate advocacy for gender equality in agriculture inspired us all to recognise and support the efforts of women in every industry. Xanthe Johnson tackled the topic of "Unreliability in Media," urging her audience to critically evaluate the information presented to us in today’s digital age. Her presentation was a powerful reminder of the importance of media literacy. Harmony Hua concluded our presentations with her insightful discussion on "Australia, What Are Our Rights?" She eloquently articulated the significance of understanding our rights as citizens and the responsibilities that come with them. The Grenfell Lions are incredibly proud of each of these students for their hard work, commitment, and eloquence. They should take great pride in their accomplishments and the way they represented our school. Their efforts not only showcased their individual talents but also highlighted our school’s commitment to fostering critical thinking and public speaking skills. Congratulations to Ryan Toole, who took home both the Public Speaking prize and was also declared the overall winner of the competition. Ryan will go on to represent the Grenfell Lions Club in the Regional Finals in Cowra this weekend, and we wish him all the best!” Spokesperson for the judging panel, Dianne Franks said that he was astounded by the calibre of students and said that it was a difficult decision. She emphasised that the public speaking segment which the public witnessed only accounts for 30 of the marks with the other 70 marks being allocated from their performance at the private interview and information supplied on their entry forms. The Quest is a community project that is designed to encourage, foster and develop leadership in conjunction with other citizenship qualities in our youth, at the age when they are about to enter the fields of employment or higher education, and provides students with the incentive to pay greater attention to the general qualities, so vital in developing our youths into first class citizens. The qualities sought, apart from academic attainments are those of leadership, personality, sportsmanship, public speaking and good citizenship. The students meet in fellowship and have the opportunity of open discussion, exchange of ideas and meet professional people of a community service club organisation. The Grenfell Lions Club has participated in the Youth of the Year Quest since its Charter in 1978. The Quest is a great platform for which thoughts, passions and opinions can be expressed and for the students to gain confidence. Lion Terry Carroll presented the Participants Certificates to the students, a School Participant Certificate to THLHS and an appreciation certificate t to Sarah Osmand for her outstanding contribution to the quest and the students involved. An appreciation certificate and gift were presented to the judges. He thanked Lions Lady Lain Thiel for assisting with timekeeping and the afternoon tea.
