Lachlan Hocking has reached the state final of the Lions Youth of the Year award, making him the first student to compete at the state level from the Bundaberg Region in over a decade.
The Lions Youth of the Year award is designed to encourage, foster and develop leadership in conjunction with other citizenship qualities in our youth.
As part of the competition, Lachlan, a St Luke’s Anglican College student, had to respond to a range of interview questions, including two impromptu questions, and deliver a five-minute speech on a topic of his choice.
Representing the Bundaberg North Lions Club Lachlan entered the local competition in the Q4 region, which covers west to Longreach, south to the Sunshine Coast and north to Rockhampton, competing against around 100 other entrants.
Lachlan won the regional and district finals, progressing to compete in the state final in Brisbane against the winners of the other three regions.
Lachlan said he enjoyed the experience and learning what the Lions were doing within the local community and further afield.
“The competition gave me the opportunity to meet a range of other young people and learn from their experiences, as well as gain further understanding of the impact the Lions have on our communities and the support they provide,” he said.
“I would encourage other young people in Bundaberg to give the competition a go, as you have got to throw yourself in the deep end and challenge yourself.”
Bundaberg Lions Youth of the Year Chairman Michael Brown explained that it was a fantastic achievement to make it to the sate finals, with only the cream of the crop rising to the occasion.
“Bundaberg North had never had a representative contestant reach the State Final, so this was a huge thrill,” Mr Brown said.
“We were proud to see the confidence and improvement in Lachlan at the various stages he experienced.”
The stages of the quest include club, zone, regional and district judging before reaching the state finals, with the state winners going on the national judging at the Lions Annual Convention each May.
While St Luke’s Anglican College is associated with Hinkler Lions Club, the six entrants were this year spread across six local clubs at the zone final.
This allowed for one student to represent each of the Bundaberg North, Moore Park, Hinkler, Bundaberg, Bargara and Gin Gin Lions clubs.
The Youth of the Year quest is an annual competition run by Lions in Australia for youth age between 15 and 19 years.
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