Page 25 - Luce 2021

N ews a nd Events

COVID-19 Vaccine: is your Speaking out in the
right to choose the most Oratory Competition

important thing? Six speakers gathered on Zoom on 7 October after dinner

with a supportive audience of staff and students, and
The Ethel Bage Memorial Debate was held in July via Zoom competition sponsors, barrister and former JCH tutor Brian
with a topic that could not fail to give rise to lively discussion. Kennedy and his wife, lawyer Laura Hartmann. JCH is so
grateful for their commitment to, and generous support of,
Speakers for the SCR Team, arguing for the affirmative, were the annual Oratory Competition.
Sarah Chang, Natalia Evertsz and Alice Pung.
Judges for the event were Jane Miller, Chief Operating Officer
Arguing for the negative, speakers for the JCR Team were and Alison Errey, the Executive Communications Director of
Sylvie Somerfield, Carina McCormack and Milly Chen. the Royal Children’s Hospital. We are grateful to them for
giving up their time and for their enthusiasm and
There was much theatre from the JCR with Milly mutating encouragement of the speakers.
into Dr Chen before our eyes and irony from the SCR as two
medical students argued against their beliefs. The broad topic given was ‘Stuff and Nonsense’ and this was
interpreted differently by each speaker. As the judges said, all
The SCR Team spoke of the importance of consent and bodily of the speakers used personal experience, originality and some
autonomy and the importance of a multipronged approach to great lines to engage and entertain the audience.
weighing up the risks and efficacy of vaccines.
After some deliberations, the judges emerged to announce
The negative JCR side argued that the right to life trumps the the winners. Third place was awarded to William Thomas for
right to choose. They also took issue with statistics saying that his speech entitled ‘Simplicity in complexity’. In second place
only 2% of the population were anti-vaxxers anyway, thus was Milly Chen with her speech entitled ‘Stuff, more stuff and
making irrelevant one of the affirmative’s main arguments. minimalism’. First prize was awarded to Shambhavi Mishra
whose speech ‘Nonsense I still believe’ in which Shambhavi
Lawyer and friend of the College, Laura Hartmann, judged spoke eloquently of her love of Science and how it married
the debate on three equally weighted components: manner, with her wonder and curiosity in the world.
matter and method. All speakers scored highly and were
commended for their well structured arguments, which were Congratulations and thanks to our three prize-winners and to
clearly argued and supported. The negative side rebutted very the other three student speakers – Eve Gray, Anna Marsh and
strongly and the adjudicator announced that the JCR were the Vivienne Tetaz– who braved the anxiety of public speaking
winners by the traditional margin of one point. and also delivered excellent speeches.

Margie Welsford
Deputy Principal

From top left: Sylvie Somerfield (JCR), Natalia Evertsz (SCR Zooming in on the Oratory Competition
Tutor), Laura Hartmann (Adjudicator), Carina McCormack
(JCR), Sarah Chang (SCR), Milly Chen (JCR).
Not pictured: Alice Pung (SCR)

J anet Clarke Hall 25