After a week putting off his entry in The Armidale School’s inter-house public speaking competition, Will Davis looked to his resignation for inspiration – and only hours later delivered an amusing reflection on procrastination that won him the title.
Randomly selected as the first of the six speakers to take to the rostrum at a whole school assembly on 25 August, Will put fear into the hearts of the staff and reassurance into the minds of students, as he championed delay tactics and professed the power of prolonging.
“Procrastination is just another form of prioritisation. Without ‘the last minute’, we procrastinators would never get anything done,” he said.
“To quote Oscar Wilde – never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”
Will’s win was not the only thing with a hint of irony; the power of the underdog was the subject of a strong speech by the only Year 11 speaker, Ben Moffatt; meanwhile the senior student cadet Nicholas Finney, drew on the Tao philosophy of profound peace in his dissertation on Conflict and Violence.
The international language of music, values and mateship and the journey of purpose rounded out the themes explored.
Headmaster Murray Guest adjudicated the speakers and congratulated them on their courage and confidence.
“That there was only three marks between the six of them is a tribute to their preparation, their intelligent commentary and polished delivery,” he said.
The senior public speaking is a component of the Clemson Cup for inter-house competition in public speaking and debating.
A speech on procrastination by Will Davis (front) narrowly beat those from (l-r) Harry Wright, Samuel Redhead, Ali Ahsan, Ben Moffatt and Nicholas Finney in The Armidale School’s senior public speaking competition.
