2023 School Magazine

THE SENIOR AND JUNIOR MERLE WEAVER PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITIONS

In 1954, long-term Girls Grammar teacher Miss Weaver left a bequest to the School to fund, what would later become, our premier public speaking competitions. She was a woman who defied the expectations of her time to originate a tradition that continues to amplify female voices to this very day, the latest being those of the brave girls below. The participants of both the Junior (Year 10) and Senior (Year 12) competitions took this year’s prompt and crafted powerful, evocative speeches that truly inspired all who had the pleasure of listening. Miss Kathryn Talbot Coordinator of Clubs and Activities

This year’s prompt for the prestigious Merle Weaver Public Speaking Competitions was 'Origins'. For many people, this concept seems synonymous with a lack of choice. We have no control over where we are born, who our parents are, or our genetic predispositions, and considering the great impact such factors have on our lives, it’s easy to feel like an origin is not a beginning, but an ending. However, such thinking belies the great power we have in effecting change. One small action can have immense and powerful impact on the lives of others, with effects rippling across the decades. Merle Weaver’s bequest is a prime example.

THE 2023 JUNIOR MERLE WEAVER PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION: COMPETITORS AND TOPICS

HOUSE

NAME

TOPIC

Beanland

Neve McNab (winner)

Reclaiming True Value: The Illusions of Worth in a Materialistic World

England

Claudia Chin

Harnessing the Power of History to Tame AI

Gibson

Eva Clarke

Words: From Roots to Results

Griffith

Lucy Grant-Uhr

A 'Perfect' Parallel; Misogyny’s Mark on Humanity’s Origin

Hirschfeld

Sabrina Yong Gee

The Uprising of Instant Solutions: How AI Tempts Us Away from the Stairs

Lilley

Kaitlyn Aspinall

Gods and Monsters

Mackay

Valerie Yu

On Forbidden Fruits and Forbidden Futures

O’Connor

Lucia Butler

Artificial Intelligence: The Destination Without the Journey

Woolcock

Sameera Prasad

Barbie Reborn: How Far Has She Come?

104 | BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2023