From the Principal

Finding their voice and being heard

This week I had the honour of attending the Grand Final of the prestigious Dame Enid Lyons Speaking Competition to listen to Meena Kanthathas (Year 11) represent MLC School at this distinguished event.

This competition is one of the most challenging. From the moment of entry into the preparation room, students are provided with three topics to choose from and have 15 minutes to prepare an oration of eight minutes without the use of notes or technology.

As one of the 10 Grand Finalists, Meena had progressed through the preliminary heats where she competed against the top speakers from 30 NSW girls’ schools. To make it to the final 10 was a remarkable achievement.

The Master of Ceremonies for the event was Australian journalist, broadcaster, and author Julia Baird. In welcoming us to the event, Julia reminded us of how important it is that young women can speak with confidence and expect to be heard. She described her work in journalism and the ongoing challenge that women in public roles face. She shared ‘Even today we see the male voice as more invested with authority. Women try to make their voices deeper when speaking in public; female politicians get voice training so they can sound more authoritative; female broadcasters get criticised for sounding too shrill; and female lawyers are told their voices sound childish. Margaret Thatcher was informed her voice was too high-pitched, and Hillary Clinton is told hers is “grating” and annoying.’

She commended schools such as ours who provide not just a place for girls to be heard, but programs and training that support their development and build confidence. You can read one of her articles on this topic here.

Oratory has long been an important part of the MLC School’s commitment to encouraging our girls to ‘dare to be more.’ It was the girls themselves who requested that the School establish a ‘Debating Society.’ In the June 1942 issue of Excelsior, a letter from Mary McNish (Flower, 1942) was published asking the for the School to add Debating to our curriculum. She stated: ‘Public Speaking brings poise and helps to cure the awkwardness of the schoolgirl. Further, I believe that by intelligent, unbiased discussion our minds will be broadened and enable us to take our place in the sane government of our country.’

Within two years, 30 senior students were regularly attending the after-school hours Debating Society, debating a variety of topics, such as “Should Post-War Airways be Controlled by Private Enterprise or the Government?” (At the time, WWII was still raging across the word.)

To ensure that our strength continues to build, over the last three years we have deliberately focussed on developing the skills of our Year 5 and Year 6 public speakers and debaters. They, along with our Senior School students, have embraced the expert leadership and coaching provided by Dr Andrea Rowe and her team and have enjoyed remarkable success.

Along with numerous other achievements, our biggest Junior School success has been in the Independent Schools Debating Association (ISDA) competition, this is the most prestigious debating competition in Sydney with 32 girls’ and boys’ schools competing. In 2025, both our teams reached the Grand Finals, and our B team won their division. Many of those students are now some of our best Year 7 debaters. In 2026 both teams reached the Semi-finals and our A team the Grand Final, which they won last week.

Not to be out done, our Senior Students have had a remarkable season. The Grand Final evening marked a significant occasion for MLC School, with a double Grand Final event in competitive debating. Beginning their journey in early February, 16 teams across the Friday Evening Debating (FED) and ISDA competitions demonstrated remarkable commitment and perseverance throughout the season. Their hard work paid off as 14 of the 16 teams progressed to the finals series. Ultimately, two ISDA and two FED teams advanced to contend for the division champions trophies.

The Year 10 FED team excelled in the preliminary rounds, participating in seven debates. They faced Tara in the Grand Final held at Sydney Girls High School and, in a unanimous decision, secured their division win for the third consecutive year.

Our Senior B team of Year 11 students have been champions for the past two years. This season, they maintained their undefeated status and delivered a strong performance in the Grand Final against Sydney Girls High School, winning unanimously from the three-adjudicator panel.

The Senior A debate is always a highlight of the ISDA Grand Finals and, for the first time in eight years, an MLC School Year 12 team reached this stage. This Grand Final marked their last debate representing MLC School after six years of high-level competition. Despite their outstanding preparation and performance, they were narrowly defeated by an excellent team from Knox Grammar.

There are so many individual and team achievements that it is impossible to list them all, but suffice to say, overall, this season has been highly successful for all our debaters and public speakers. As well as being wonderful representatives for the School, our orators are developing the skill and self-confidence to ensure that their voices are heard now, and into the future.

Congratulations to all involved and thank you to Dr Andrea Rowe and her team for their commitment and expertise.

– Lisa Moloney
Principal