For young Beechworth Primary School year 4 student Luke Sievert, taking part in the Lions Club junior public speaking competition is a great way to gain skills needed in later life.

Luke was joined by Beechworth Montessori School year 6 student Wakana Smith competing in the Lions District 201V6 Junior Public Speaking Region Final in Benalla on Sunday.

Luke and Wakana had clinched category wins in the inter-school competition for years 3/4 and 5/6 categories held in Beechworth on 19 July taking them through to the regional competition.

“Many people find public speaking hard but it’s fun when you get the hang of it, and you learn social skills as well,” Luke said.

“I gained more confidence and discovered I was capable of public speaking, and I didn’t think I would go as far as I did."

Wakana said she learnt skills and gained confidence in speaking in public which will be good for when she heads to high school.

“I gained lots of confidence from taking part,” she said.

The speech topic in the regional competition for year 3/4 category was "If you could go on a holiday anywhere in Australia, where would you go and why? Tell us about it, what can you see and what can you do there?"

Year 5/6 speech topic was "If you could have dinner with anyone in the world (a real person past or present), who would it be, and why, and what would you serve them for dinner?"

Luke delved into Australia’s immersive digital experience theatre - DigiPark Westfield Sydney.

“My speech was about some of the DigiPark features and rooms and why I would like to go there,” he said.

“I chose it when I was researching places for my speech about, and DigiPark stood out.

“I did get to go there, which was great, and I got to check that my speech had correct information."

Wakana said her speech was about British actress Milly Bobby Brown and her experiences in acting.

“I chose her because I think she is great and I like ‘Stranger Things’ [Netflix science fiction series]," she said.

Montessori School principal Jane Carrington said the competition is a wonderful opportunity for students.

“It connects our students with peers outside their immediate classroom and school, and they enjoy the feedback provided by the Lions Club,” she said.

Although the pair didn’t score a place to proceed to the district competition, Local Lions’ member Iris Mannik (OAM) said getting to the to the regional event had been a fantastic achievement.

“They were up against strong competition,” she said.

Students from schools in Benalla, Wangaratta and Corowa also took part.

Year 5/6 students were also given an impromptu speech topic.

Corowa’s Isabelle Pilcher won the Year 3/4 category with Wangaratta’s Hypatia Fidge clinching the Year 5/6 win and head to the District Final in Yarrawonga on 30 August.