Stanthorpe student wins Leo of the Year

St Joseph’s School Stanthorpe Year 11 student Sophie Sims competed in the District Leo of the Year competition held on Sunday, August 5, at Merrimac State High School in Mermaid Waters.
The competition is held at the coast as it is central to the district and allowed for Leos from Northern New South Wales, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and country areas to compete.
To participate in the Leo of the Year, the entrant must be part of a Leo Club, be actively involved in the activities of that club and the wider community, and have knowledge and an appreciation of the Leo Program and Lions International as well as Australia and world affairs.
This year the eight competitors were from Ballina, Robina, Moreton Bay and Gold Coast.
District Leo Club chair-man John Werne sends information to the Leo advisors early in the year.
St Joseph’s Leo advisor John Bowyer then passes this information on to the Leos.
“I decided to enter, as I thought it would be a great experience. I filled in the six-page entry form and had a Lions rep sign it off. The entry form was about me, my Leo history, my community service, achievements, interests and hobbies, educational background and my knowledge of Lions and Leos,” Sophie said.
She went through the judging criteria, which included a 20- to 30-minute interview with the judging panel, a series of questions about Leos and Lions, Australian and world affairs and then a five-minute prepared speech that was presented to the audience.
Sophie said she was absolutely thrilled when she won Best Speech and then announced Leo of the Year. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
After presentations of those trophies, Leo District Governor Merv Ferguson announced he would award the Leo Award of Honour, which is the highest award a Leo can achieve.
“When Mr Ferguson called my name, I was stunned. It was pretty awesome,” Sophie said.
On Monday, Sophie was invited to the Stanthorpe Lions meeting where she talked about her experience as an entrant, what she’d gained from entering and her five-minute prepared speech.
“It was such a pleasure to share this experience with the Lions members. I’d like to thank Mr Green for his invitation and making me feel so welcome. I’d like to also thank the Lions Club and Mr Bowyer for their support and Mr Werne for all his work in this fantastic program,” Sophie said.
Sophie will now attend the Lions Convention in October, which will be held in Brisbane, where she will receive the perpetual trophy with both her name and her school’s name. Sophie will then represent her Leo Club and school at the State Finals to be held in Proserpine early next year.
Leo Clubs are a youth organisation of Lions Club International. The aim of the Leo of the Year is to develop and encourage the qualities of leadership, experience and opportunity and to select a fine ambassador for the Leos of Australia and PNG.