Public speaking success

Ainger Peck Speaking Award

Congratulations to Year 11 student, Hirunaka Ekanayake, for winning the prestigious 2023 Ainger Peck Speaking Award.

Among the ten secondary school students who made it to the final based on their performance in the preliminary rounds, Hirunaka emerged victorious with his outstanding composition and delivery of a wonderful speech on his experience as a ‘third culture kid’. An excerpt of his speech is provided opposite.

The Ainger Peck Speaking Award is an annual event run by Rotary (Richmond) to promote effective public speaking and to celebrate young people within the local community. It is supported by the family of the late Nigel Peck AM (OM 1945).

Hirunaka has also qualified for the state finals of the 2023 Plain English Speaking Award competition, run by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

Victorian Representative Debaters

Earlier this year Nicholas Bogdan, Year 10, and Ryan Mooney, Year 11, were selected to represent Victoria at the 2023 National Schools Debating Championships – an outstanding achievement which highlights their expertise and skill in the field.

After registering their interest with the Debating Association of Victoria (DAV), Nicholas and Ryan competed in a series of challenging debates to win their place in the team.

Considered the pinnacle of school debating in Australia, the championships bring together the finest high school debaters from every state and territory. Over the course of a week, these talented individuals engage in intense debates, setting the benchmark for excellence in the field.

A third culture kid

An excerpt from Hirunaka Ekanayake’s prize winning speech.

…Imagine a budding 6-year-old boy, with the chubbiest of cheeks, going to his first day of school in Australia. He knows very little English. He has no friends. He does not know anything about Australian culture. He gets up in front of the class. The teacher asks him. ‘What is your name.’ He replies timidly in a thick Sri-Lankan accent. ‘Hirunaka.’ …

…Eleven years later, here I am again, speaking in front of a group. But now, I can formulate eloquent phrases of English, I have made valuable friendships, and I’ve picked up the Australian culture and slang. And now, people call me just ‘Hiro’.

That’s the beauty about it. Identity is fluid. However sometimes when you try to mix two fluids together, instead of mixing to create a solution, they separate. That was my problem. My Sri-Lankan and Australian identity were having a never-ending tug of war with each other. The tension in the rope growing every day. About to snap...

… Because one of my feet was planted in the tropical jungle country of Sri-Lanka with its golden beaches and Sri-Lankan chicken curry. Every time I visit, it's home to me.

But at the same time my other foot was planted in the metropolis coffee loving city of Melbourne with its cold winter air and vibrant night life. Every day I wake up, it's home to me.

Having my feet in two separate places over 8000 kilometres away from each other created this conflict. I did not know where I belonged. And I am very inflexible. So doing the splits over 8000 kilometres is quite tough.

And that was when I made one realisation. All my life, I had been wondering whether I was Sri-Lankan or Australian. Australian or Sri-Lankan. But the reality is, I am neither. I am what is called a third culture kid. An amazing mix of both my Sri-Lankan roots and Australian identity. I understand, I accept, I embody, and I practise aspects of both cultures. And that is my superpower. The issue wasn’t that these two cultures were like a separated solution. It was the fact that I didn’t stir hard enough to mix them both.

And I also learnt that I am more flexible than once thought. For I can stride the world and call both Sri-Lanka and Australia my homes.