Community & Business
1 April, 2022
Alannah set to speak at state
MAREEBA’S public speaking champion Alannah Falvo made her way down to Townsville last weekend to compete in the District Final for Lions Youth of the Year and took out the competition with ease.
Her speech on the horse racing industry and its underlying cruelness had the audience and judges intrigued, now taking her to the state finals in Maroochydore on the weekend.
Alannah expressed her excitement to making it to the next round and said that she had never expected to go this far in the competition.
“I entered the Lions Youth of the Year Program never expecting to make it past the Club Final, I was just excited for the experience and the opportunity to grow as an individual,” she said.
“For me, making it to the State Final is just a bonus and I am just enjoying each step of the journey.
“Over the last few rounds, I have learnt to embrace every challenge which is definitely something that will assist me into the future as I will face many challenges in my career that I will need to be able to adapt to and work through.”
Throughout the last four rounds of public speaking, Alannah has embraced the support from her family, community and school.
Her English teacher in particular has been her inspiration and support over the last month of intense competition and Alannah said that she couldn’t have done it without her.
“My family and friends have definitely supported me along the way, but my biggest supporter has definitely been my English teacher who has given up so much of her time to help me practice by impromptu and prepared speeches,” she said.
“The Mareeba Lions Club has also been really supportive of me at each competition, in particular Gary Searle who has been at every competition.
“Without the support of so many, I would not have been able to make it this far.”
Alannah will now be spending the coming weekend in Maroochydore competing against some of the best public speakers in the state for the Lions Youth of the Year State Finals.
