31 July 2018

Samuel Roach of St Kevin's College, Toorak, has been chosen as the Victorian winner of the 2018 Plain English Speaking Award (PESA). Samuel will compete in the national final in Darwin on Sunday 12 August 2018.

Samuel won the Victorian finals after six inspiring Victorian students took to the stage at Treasury Theatre on Wednesday 25 July to demonstrate their outstanding skills in research, speechwriting and public speaking.

Samuel, whose speech ‘The Phase’ discussing boyhood and the coming of age, received a trophy donated by the Australia–Britain Society (Victoria) and a book voucher donated by the English Speaking Union (Victorian Branch).

The 2016 National and Victorian PESA winner Luke Macaronas, a former St Kevin’s College student, won the 2017 International Public Speaking Competition (ISPC) in London. He compered the Victorian state finals this year.

PESA is a public-speaking competition for students aged 15-18 years. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to build self-confidence and extend their skills in oral communication, speech writing and research.

The competition encourages students from government, Catholic and independent schools to speak to their peers from other schools on topics they are passionate about. This year more than 180 students competed in a series of regional finals across Victoria before the state final.
Read the transcript of Samuel’s speech from the VCAA website.