Local woman wins public speaking contest at QCWA centenary conference
A heart for the community
Port Douglas local Rita Merrick has proved to be an excellent public speaker and loves to inject some humour into her speeches.
Women from all over Queensland came together just days ago in Toowoomba to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Queensland Countrywomen’s Association with a state conference.
During the conference a state ‘public speaking contest’ was held and 72-year old Rita Merrick went home with the first prize.
“This topic was perfectly cut for me because I like to talk about myself and the experiences I’ve had throughout my life,” Ms Merrick told Newsport.
That Ms Merrick can perform under pressure turns out as she only had a strict seven minutes to carry out her speech, getting penalised on points if you cross the time limit.
Heart for the community
In her speech, Ms Merrick wanted to emphasise the fact that she is a positive thoughted person and that she has a big heart for the community.
“I like to think I’ve got a pleasing and sunny personality,” she said. “I’ve got a positive outlook on things and I have a heart for the needs of the community.
“I’ve always got my eyes open for community problems and I belong to various organisations and community groups.”
FNQ summer is Ms Merrick’s favourite season
For the second speech participants only had two minutes and this time it had to be done impromptu.
“I had to grab a folded piece of paper out of a bowl without looking,” Ms Merrick explained.
“Once you fold it open you immediately have to improvise and give a two minute speech based on the words written on your paper.
“I got the question ‘What is your favourite season?’ and despite the fact that I had to improvise, my speech went remarkably well.
“I’m originally from the UK and I’ve only lived in Australia for six years. I made people laugh by saying that for me, as an English person, there aren’t any seasons in Far North Queensland. It’s just one long hot season.
“I’m 72 years old now, so for 65 years I lived in the UK and I knew the difference between all of the seasons.
“But my favourite season here has to be the summer. Even though it’s a killer with the humidity I just love it because it is so different for me.”