St Mary’s Corowa grade four student Isabelle Pilcher won the Victorian state final at the 2026 Lions Club Junior Public Speaking Competition, held in Melbourne last month.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
Isabelle Pilcher loves public speaking after just one year, and the inspiration behind her chosen topic, turtles and the Great Barrier Reef, has brought earned her victory at State level.
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On September 20, Isabelle represented St Mary’s Primary School Corowa in the Grade 3/4 division at the Victorian state finals of the 2026 Lions Club Junior Public Speaking Competition in Melbourne, and won.
The year four student said it was an exciting experience and she was looking forward to competing again in the future.
“I love it, it builds confidence in how we stand up and speak in front of a crowd,” Isabelle said.
“I enjoyed listening to others and seeing how good they are, and finding out how we can improve.
“My topic was ‘If you could holiday anywhere in Australia, where would you go and why?’
“I would go to the Great Barrier Reef because I want to see the turtles, go swimming and catch up with family.”
Corowa Lions Club president Stuart Whisson said Isabelle had grown tremendously in confidence since her first public speaking attempt at the beginning of term three, and he is confident she will go far with her endeavours.
“She will go on to year five and six, and no doubt do well,” Stuart said.
“She will be able to use this as an extension to her education and take it wherever she goes with work or further study.”
Isabelle with St Mary’s Corowa principal Cheryl Brigden and Corowa Lions Club president Stuart Whisson.
St Mary’s principal Cheryl Brigden said Isabelle’s success in public speaking sets a great example for other students and encourages them to put their hand up and try, because they may not know how good they are until they do.
“She’s a great role model,” Ms Brigden said.
“Not everybody likes to do public speaking or thinks that they're good at it until they try.
“It builds self-esteem and confidence, communication and leadership skills.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the parents.”
The Lions Club Junior Public Speaking Competition is an Australia-wide program designed for primary school students in Grades 3 to 6.
Schools run an in-school public speaking competition first, with the winners going on to compete in their local Lions Club district.
Winners from the district finals then go on to compete at State level.
