Congratulations to our Public Speakers who competed in the 2025 Brother Quentin O’Halloran Public Speaking event in August.
Brother Quentin OAM is a much beloved member of our community and has enjoyed an enduring connection at St Bede’s College, serving as Principal (1989 to 1998) and Teacher (1955 to 1966). He is well known for his love of literature and the English language, championing reading among students and staff.
This event is named in honour of Brother Quentin, who attends this annual event in celebration of and support of our students.
We’re pleased to share some of the winning speeches from this year’s finals.
Overall Winner – Vinnie M, Year 10
Why does gossip spread so fast?
It’s like a wildfire.
One tiny spark, and suddenly everyone knows that Jack has a pet llama living in his garage. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t. I checked.
But here’s the thing: gossip isn’t just normal chatter. It’s deeply rooted in human nature and psychology. Some studies suggest that up to 65% of our conversations actually involve talking about other people, and research shows that false information spreads 70% faster than true information online. How strange is that? You know, humans are wired to share stories, especially stories about each other.
Back in prehistoric times, gossip was more than just entertainment. It was a survival tool. Knowing who was trustworthy, who was loyal, or who was sneaking an extra mammoth leg at dinner could mean the difference between safety and danger, life or death. Gossip helped early humans navigate complex social networks. In a way, it was the first form of social intelligence, our brains evolved to notice, process, and share social information rapidly.
Today, sure, the stakes are less life-or-death. But the patterns remain the same. Gossip still functions as a social glue. It connects people, it builds trust, and can even establish some hierarchies in social groups. For example, knowing which person in a group project actually does the work, or which student consistently shows up late, it all allows people to make better decisions about who to rely on. And yes, gossip is entertaining, drama is irresistible.
Let me tell you about a mate of mine. He was at the center of a cafeteria gossip storm. One day, he tripped. That’s it, just a small stumble. But by lunch, the story had evolved into him performing a backflip while juggling spaghetti, then dramatically landing in the trash can. None of it was true. Okay, maybe he did stumble, but the story had completely taken on a life of its own.
Psychologists explain that gossip spreads quickly because humans are highly social creatures. Our brains are literally programmed to notice unusual or emotionally charged events. You know what dopamine is, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. Well, it’s released when we hear something surprising or scandalous. That rush literally reinforces our brain to share the story with others. Essentially, gossip is both informative and, because of the dopamine, addictive.
Moreover, gossip can influence behavior. Studies have shown that communities with higher levels of gossip often have stronger social norms because people adjust their behavior to maintain reputation. Gossip can function as a subtle form of social control, encouraging cooperation, honesty, and even accountability.
So, I bet you’re asking me the question, why does gossip spread so fast? Because it’s human nature. It informs us, entertains us, and it connects us, but it can also get out of control. We all have to be careful.
In conclusion, gossip spreads like wildfire because it satisfies a deep, evolutionary need for connection, information, and entertainment. It’s powerful, sometimes funny, sometimes exaggerated, always fascinating.
So the next time you hear a story that sounds outrageous, just pause for a minute.
Smile, enjoy the drama, and remember: Jack’s pet llama is still perfectly safe in his garage, at least for now, because I checked.
The Power of E-Bikes – Ethan S, Year 8
Today, I want to talk about a future that is cleaner, safer, and more connected, a future where high-powered electric bikes aren’t just tolerated, but embraced as part of Victoria’s transport evolution.
E-bikes, especially those with higher power ratings, offer a compelling solution to some of our most pressing urban challenges: congestion, pollution, and accessibility. Right now, Victoria limits electric bicycles to 250 watts, a ceiling that ignores how much more these bikes can offer, especially to people with longer travel times, diverse physical needs, or rural routes.
Let’s look at the benefits.
High-powered e-bikes expand mobility for people who aren’t able to drive, don’t want to be stuck in traffic, or want a healthier, active lifestyle without the full strain of a conventional bike. For younger Australians just like us I’m sure all of us have been told to get off our devices and go outside. With high powered E bikes we could explore new places and go somewhere we haven’t been. We could go on new journeys and find out what Meblourne is. Imagine yourself in your home suburb. You must be thinking about your house right? But with E bikes you can imagine new areas, new shops, not just your house.
Then there’s sustainability. Every high-powered e-bike on the road is potentially one less car. That means fewer emissions, quieter streets, and a better future for many generations to come. Isn’t that a goal worth pedaling toward?
I understand concerns about safety. But let’s be clear, danger doesn’t come from the e-bike itself. It comes from lack of education, poorly designed bike lanes, and outdated laws that lag behind new technology. With proper regulation, helmet requirements and rider education, high-powered e-bikes can coexist safely with pedestrians and other vehicles.
In fact, other countries like the Netherlands and Germany have already integrated higher-power models into their urban transport systems. If it works there, why not here?
The truth is, innovation is knocking, and Victoria can either open the door or be left behind. This is a moment to be bold, to imagine a city where the morning commute feels more like freedom than frustration.
High-powered e-bikes don’t just make sense, they move us forward. Let’s legalise them and ride confidently into a smarter, greener, more inclusive future where life will just be better.
Why Schools Should Teach Coding Like They Teach Maths – Kristian S, Year 7
Let me ask a question:
What if we taught maths in schools just to a select few – only the students who showed interest early on? You’d think that makes no sense. Math is important because it teaches us to think critically and be logical.
Well, it’s time everyone in this room understood something: coding and ICT are just as important – and all schools should treat it that way. In fact, we should be starting to learn these valuable skills early in schooling – just like we do with reading, writing, and counting. Because it’s not just a skill for “nerds” anymore – it’s a life skill. That’s why coding and an understanding about how all the technology around us should be starting from Prep and growing with students as they move through school.
You see, nowadays, almost everything we come across is already digital. Our phones, our cars – even our refrigerators – run on software. Yet most students end up finishing high school with little to no understanding about how any of it works. These students are being educated in preparation for a world that no longer exists, whilst our schools are ignoring the one that we already have.
In the same way reading and writing help us communicate, and math helps us analyse, coding allows us to create – create tools, create apps, create solutions, and create entirely new ways of approaching the way we look at our world.
Just think about all the apps we use today. Whether it be Fortnite, TikTok or even our school system Simon – remember that behind each and every one of these, is code which groups of people had to imagine, design, and create.
And you might say, “Not every student wants to be a programmer.” And I won’t deny that, but not every student becomes a mathematician or an author either. Yet we still learn English and Math as important subjects. So why not programming too? It should be just as prominent as math or English – a core subject, and not just an elective.
Countries like Estonia, France, and China teach their students these skills early on, because they understand that coding is the language of the future, and that their students need to be fluent in it.
Coding isn’t just about typing on a keyboard. It builds logic. It builds creativity. It builds perseverance – the ability to keep going, even when things don’t work the first time. It teaches us to think, to approach problems in a way that nobody had previously thought of. Allowing us to fail, learn, and try again.
It’s no longer time to ask if coding belongs in every classroom – it’s time to start asking why it isn’t there yet.
Thank You
Why Britain Should Return The Pantheon Marbles To Their Rightful Home, Athens – George B, Year 9
Imagine paying to enter an ancient, world-famous UNESCO heritage site, and only getting to see half.
The other half is enclosed in a museum, thousands of kilometres away.
This is the story of the Parthenon Marbles.These intricate masterpieces once adorned the walls of the Parthenon, atop one of the highest points in Athens.
They aren’t just art pieces, they are a major showcase of Greek history, culture and identity. In the early 19th century, Lord Elgin, a British foreign representative to the Ottoman Empire, took many of the marble statues without reason, supposedly taking them to London for protection. Today, I will look at the legality of the situation, the legacy of colonialism that the British Museum carries, and finally, whether London is the home of the Parthenon Marbles.
The first issue is legal: did Lord Elgin really have the right to take them? He claimed he had permission from the Ottoman Empire, the rulers of Greece at the time, to remove the Parthenon Marbles from their home. However, this permission only allowed him to visit the Parthenon, and take small artefacts that did not damage the monument. Did the removal of the sculptures not visually damage the Parthenon? Furthermore, only a decade or so after Elgin left Greece, it became an independent state. The Ottomans had no right to sign off on the theft of these ancient artefacts, for their occupation was illegitimate.
Many artefacts in British museums were stolen, accompanied by the threat of violence. The British Museum, in particular, has a full collection of political statements enclosed in its walls. These are the treasures of people’s suffering, and Britain’s position in this is nothing but petty. Imagine if Stonehenge was moved to Singapore, or Westminster Abbey in the Saudi desert – they’d both look out of place. The Parthenon Marbles belong in Athens, not among relics of colonialism.
Some “trustees” argue that the Parthenon Marbles are safer in London. In fact, the British Museum openly argues that the Parthenon is in ruin. Greece didn’t choose 400 years of occupation. They faced the damage, rebuilt what was lost, and are still restoring it today. Athens has even built a dedicated museum at the Acropolis to house the sculptures. Why should this effort be thrown away?
To review, the Parthenon Marbles were stolen illegitimately, kept under the hostage of colonial power, and claimed under the excuse of safety.
Greece is ready to welcome them home. The sculptures belong in Athens, not a foreign museum, but their home.
The power of resilience – Samuel S, Year 8
I believe that resilience is needed to overcome challenges. Resilience not only helps you bounce back and have an attitude to never give, but also helps you overcome the toughest challenges such as a sporting injury.
My first reason is that resilience gives an attitude to ‘never give up’, allowing you to bounce back while maintaining control of the situation during difficult times. Resilience helps both emotionally and physically helping you to stay flexible and adaptable, helping to navigate during tough times and difficult challenges through self control and patience. When resilience isn’t shown this usually leads people to never bounce back and have a fixed mindset thinking that they can’t do anything. This often leads to people being stressed, depressed and having bad self control and wellbeing. This often happens due to a lack of resilience and with a fixed mindset you’d never be able to overcome challenges. Do you really want that to happen to you? According to Allied One source, studies show that resilient individuals compared to non resilient individuals are 50% more likely to achieve their goals and overcome their individual challenges. This is one reason that made me believe that resilience helps overcome challenges.
My second reason is that, whether playing sports and suffering a big injury, or losing your job and source of income, resilience is the key to overcoming the hardest obstacles that you’ll face. A great example of needing resilience to overcome a challenge is when you suffer a big injury in sports, forcing you to not be able to play and improve your game. This could lead you to being dropped from your team or benched making you lose confidence. Resilience is key in this situation as it enables individuals to maintain motivation and achieve a better recovery outcome. A famous quote, by Eric Greitens is “No one escapes pain, fear and suffering. Yet from pain can come wisdom, from fear can come courage, from suffering can come strength – if we have the virtue of resilience.” What this quote is saying is that something such as an injury can bring strength, courage and wisdom, but only with resilience.
This clearly defines how resilience plays a key role in overcoming challenges. Resilience gives an attitude to never give up and always bounce back, having a growth mindset, while being able to control yourself and find your way through the toughest challenges by staying positive and adaptable. During sports injuries many people lose confidence and motivation. There are many possible setbacks, such as getting put on the bench or even dropped from your team.
But only through resilience can someone not only get past a challenge but even get better and learn from it. This certainly distinguishes the importance of resilience in overcoming challenges, allowing you to control yourself, stay adaptable and most importantly having the ability to bounce back and never give up.
