She may not have won, but according to those who went along to support her, Annelise Romer left little doubt that the future is in good hands at the recent Lions Club Youth of the Year Quest.
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The Year 11 student from Great Lakes College travelled to Port Macquarie on Sunday, March 17 for the zone three round of the competition.
Held at the Port City Bowling Club, the competition was comprised of two components and saw Annelise matched up against four other students from the region.
The first component involved the students being interviewed by the judges about their achievements at school, their involvement in activities outside of school, and their general knowledge.
Following this, they were required to participate in a public speaking component, which saw the students given just two minutes to answer two impromptu current affairs questions, as well as five minutes to present a prepared speech on a topic of their choice.
"It was very close," Forster Tuncurry Lions Club president, John Soorley, said.
Mr Soorley praised all the contestants, particularly for their responses to the challenging impromptu questions, which required them to discuss the recent Christchurch massacre.
He also said Annelise performed exceptionally well considering she was up against students from Year 12.
I wanted to do it for my school and to help with my future.
- Annelise Romer
Annelise's principal at the Great Lakes College senior campus, Brad Germon, travelled up to support her and said she did herself and everyone associated with her proud.
"She handled herself so beautifully," he said.
"She's an outstanding young lady."
For Annelise, she was just happy to have taken part in the event.
"It was pretty amazing," she said.
"I wasn't disappointed. It was just a great experience."
With another year ahead of her, Annelise said she was looking forward to entering the event again in 2020 and urged others to consider it as well.
"It's a great experience that everyone should have a go at," she said.
The Lions Youth of the Year Quest is designed to encourage student interest in leadership and the qualities required to take an active and constructive role in the community.
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