Students speak on heritage and future
Young speech makers from throughout the South Island are preparing to battle it out in Timaru.
The EDICM/NPO Future School Speech Competition will be held at Roncalli College on Sunday. The event’s two winners will receive 12-day cultural exchanges to Japan, with a party of 10 travelling from the country to watch the competition
Organiser Gerry Fennessy said he had been approached by EDICM, a Japanese education company, to organise a speech competition in Timaru, the first time one had been held in the South Island, and the first time one had been held nationally since 2004. The last competition was held in North Shore.
Fennessy said the competition would be exciting, especially given the two top speakers would win an overseas trip.
‘‘It’s a great Fennessy said.
‘‘It’s fantastic for these kids that opportunity,’’ have got through to the event.’’
He said the competition was open to year 10, 11 and 12 students, with Atawhai Wooldridge, of Craighead Diocesan School, and Anne Newmarch, of Roncalli College, taking part.
Each contestant will deliver a speech of six to seven minutes on the topic: ‘What have you learned about your heritage that you want to pass on to future generations?’
The competition will be judged by Timaru residents Margaret Dockrill, John Clarke and Max Muldrew.
Fennessy said the competition was a ‘‘good coup’’ for the region, and he hoped it would become a regular event.
‘‘I don’t think it will be an annual thing, but I like to think it could be more than a one-off.’’
He encouraged the public to attend the competition, which will begin at 1.30pm on Sunday at the Roncalli College chapel.
The winners will complete their exchange in December and will travel to Tokyo for a two-day homestay, before travelling to Kofu, Yamanashi.
Meet the candidates
Waitaki electorate candidates will face the public at two meet the candidates meetings this weekend. The first meeting, hosted by Grey Power, will be held on Saturday at the Oamaru Salvation Army auditorium at 1.30pm. The second meeting will take place in Waimate at the Salvation Army Hall, 135 Queen St, at 2pm on Sunday.
Music festival
St Mary’s Church will hold a music festival on Sunday.The events, from midday to 6pm, will include intermediate and younger musicians, playing a variety of instruments including the piano, bagpipes and percussion. A variety of performers will take place, with the prize winners concert from 7pm to 8.30pm.
Police notebook
Incidents reported to police include:
A Temuka man was arrested on an outstanding warrant on Hamilton St, Temuka, at 8am on Thursday, and interviewed in connection with theft from a Warehouse store in Christchurch.
A 34-year-old Waimate man was arrested for assaulting his neighbour at a house on High St, Waimate, at 5.30pm on Thursday. The neighbour had also been charged with assault in connection with the incident.
Two cars were left badly damaged after a crash involving both vehicles and two cows near St Andrews at 7.30pm on Thursday. A driver hit a cow, which was left lying in the road. A second driver drove their car over the same cow and hit the first car.
A 16-year-old Timaru male teenager was arrested on Church St, Timaru, for a breach of bail, at 11.15pm. He was then charged with assaulting police after allegedly assaulting an officer during the arrest process.
A 15-year-old male teenager missing from Dunedin was located by police on Hilton Highway in Washdyke at 3.30am on Friday after leading police on a 60 minute foot chase. He would be taken by police back to Dunedin.
Armed police went to a house in Temuka at 11.30am on Friday after reports of an aggressive man at the address who was reportedly carrying a firearm. Investigations continued..