Frayne Speech Festival 2025

On Friday 29 August, five St Mary’s students participated in the senior debating competition at the Frayne Speech Festival – an annual public speaking competition between Mercy schools. This year it was held relatively locally, at Sacred Heart College Kyneton.

The Catherine McAuley College Bendigo (CMCB) team, Isabelle Byrne, Holly McColl, Rose McSweeney, Terri Murithi and Diana Napoleon, competed in two debates:

1. Water restrictions should be reintroduced permanently in Metropolitan Melbourne to address long-term drought risks. (Affirmative)
2. VCE should be replaced with a more flexible and skills-based assessment system. (Negative)

The CMCB students held their own, narrowly losing in both debates, despite not having the extensive debating practice that many of the other debating teams did, with experience in competitions such as the Debaters Association of Victoria.

Standout performers were from Rose McSweeney who participated in both debates, and Holly McColl who was equal highest scoring debater in the second debate.

The students all conducted themselves with grace throughout the day, congratulating their opponents and watching the finals of the voice choir competition, which was adjudicated by another CMCB member, Mrs Lisa Darlow.

The students all commented on the benefits of practising for the debates and how this will assist them in their Year 12 English studies when they complete the public speaking School-Assessed Coursework (SAC).

Congratulations again to the CMCB Debating Team.

Mr Matthew Angove