Gunnedah High School’s Haylee Murrell has taken out the 2017 Gunnedah Lions Club Youth of the Year Quest.
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The year 11 student claimed the award at a dinner held at the Gunnedah Services and Bowling Club on Wednesday evening.
Haylee Murell and fellow Gunnedah High School student Jessica Moore competed in the event alongside St Mary’s College students Eliza Perkins, Grace Jaeger, Mackenzie Dewsbury and Angus Renton.
More than 40 people, including Lions Club members, family and friends gathered to see the six finalists battle it out, with each participant delivering a speech on a topic of their choice and answering two impromptu questions.
Gunnedah Lions Club president Neville Adams has been part of the awards for 26 years, and said the awards provide young people with great opportunities.
“It is a really great experience to be involved in,” Mr Adams said.
“The awards give our young people an opportunity to connect with their community and discuss important issues.”
The competition was open to any young person over the age of 16 and consisted of categories including community participation, cultural, academic performance and sporting performance.
Mr Adams said the competition was “very even”.
“The judges were deadlocked,” he said.
“All the finalists spoke really well and it was very difficult to separate them.
“Eliza Perkins claimed the public speaking award on the night but the culmination of the other categories put Haylee over the top.”
Judging the event were Gunnedah NAB branch manager Sarah Ranclaud, Rachel Frend and Debbie Croft.
Mr Adams said the judges did a terrific job of adjudicating the event.
“The judges were fantastic,” he said.
“The Lions Club really want to thank them for the effort and hours they put in to judging the event.”
Haylee will next compete at the regional final of Lions Club Youth of the Year Quest in Wee Waa in March next year.
If Haylee is successful at the regional finals, she will move onto the district finals which will be held in Gunnedah on March 24.
Mr Adams said it will be the first time Gunnedah will play host to the district finals.
“It’s the first time the event has not been hosted on the coast or in a city,” he said.
“It’s a real feather in the cap of the Gunnedah Lions Club.”
The club president also congratulated Haylee on winning the club final.
“We want to congratulate Hayley on her recent achievement as well as taking out this award,” he said.