Students from three local primary schools honed in on their public speaking skills in a competition staged at the Soldiers Memorial Hall in Beechworth on Sunday.

The successful program for students in year 3 to 6 has been run locally by Beechworth Lions Club for the last four years.

Six students – two from each from local each primary school – Montessori, St Joseph’s and Beechworth – took part.

A competition run within each school had most the most outstanding student selected to compete in Sunday’s interschool competition.

Beechworth Primary School’s Year four student Luke Sievert clinched a win for the Year 3/4 category with Ted Cook from St Joseph’s Primary as runner up.

Beechworth Montessori School Year 6 student Wakana Smith took out the win for the 5/6 category with year 5 student Vivian Cleeve from St Joseph’s Primary placing runner up.

Year 5 student Lucy Read from Beechworth Primary School and year 6 student Ellah Rose Draper from Beechworth Montessori School had been in the running too.

Lions Club members and retired high school teachers Christine Luckman and Lyn Hayes judged the students’ speeches.

Ms Luckman who ran debating competitions when teaching, said judges had been impressed with the high standard of speeches delivered each year.

“Public speaking provides an ideal opportunity to research a topic and to present to a wide audience,” she said.

“Students have an opportunity to add humour, include their own experiences in their speeches and engage an audience.

“Overall, they have the confidence to stand up and present their speech and it’s a real highlight of the competition.

“Even adults are nervous when public speaking.”

Year 3 /4 and 5/6 categories students had prepared their speeches around two different questions with an impromptu question set by the local Lions Club.

Local Lions Club president and event MC John Eldrid said the competition gives students the chance to practice and to speak to the public on topics.

“They did an excellent job,” he said.

Sunday’s successful contestants will compete in a regional competition coming up soon where winners from the regional will then compete in a district competition.

Forty people comprising students and families as well as Lions Club members tucked into a delicious afternoon tea after the event finished.

The local Lions Club is part of Lions Multiple District 201V6 with more than 50 clubs spanning across the border into NSW.

Multiple District 201V6 stretches from the Victorian towns of Quambatook and Kerang in the west to Corryong in the East, and from the NSW town of Lockhart in the north to the Victorian town of Bright in the south.