Lion Deidre Carroll on behalf of her husband Lion 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 2026 which took place in the Grenfell Dramatic Society/Community Arts complex on Monday, 2 March. Two outstanding students, Ryan Toole and Bridie Forde displayed their talents and knowledge before a distinguished panel of judges, Chair: Dianne Franks, Ted Franks and Mary Dodd. Following the private interviews, the entrants addressed the 2 X 2-minute impromptu questions. Q1: Australian values seem to be a hot topic in the news at the moment. What do you think are Australian values and have they changed? Q2: What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being a rural student in Australia? 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 the Lion’s Youth of the Year quest showcasing the talents and dedication of our school’s representatives, Bridie Forde and Ryan Toole. "Both students delivered exceptional performances and represented our school with pride,” Sarah said. Bridie and Ryan tied for the Public Speaking component, each captivating the audience with powerful and moving speeches. Bridie’s speech focused on effective leadership, drawing inspiring parallels between American and Australian ideals in response to gun reform. Meanwhile, Ryan’s heartfelt story about his grandfather explored the theme of connection over perfection, nearly bringing the audience to tears. Ryan was announced as the overall winner of the competition, which also involved an interview panel that contributed to the final scores. He will now progress to the next round in Canowindra. Bridie, demonstrating her passion and skill, is already preparing for a regional public speaking competition in Term 2. We congratulate Bridie and Ryan on their outstanding achievements and wish them every success in their future endeavours. Their dedication and talents are a true reflection of the spirit of our school community. Spokesperson for the judging panel, Dianne Franks said that she was impressed 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 Inc 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 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.
