Roger Hoskins Speechmaking Competition 2024

The Rotary Club’s Speechmaking Competition was undertaken on Tuesday 19^th November 2024 after the Club meeting.  Five secondary school pupils took part in the competition – Ropa Nyadete from Nairn Academy, Daniel Cowan from Inverness Royal Academy, Daniel Garrod from Culloden Academy, Tanya MacKay Petrie from Inverness High School and Lucy Turner from Charleston Academy.  The topic for the speeches this year was “Can we still reverse climate change”.  The students all spoke extremely well and made the judges task, of picking a winner, extremely difficult.  After much deliberation the judges decided on Daniel Cowan as the winner, and he was presented with his trophy and Certificate.  The other four students all received a runner-up certificate.

The competition is in memory of Roger Hoskins, who was a Rotarian at Inverness Culloden Rotary Club from 2002 until 2015, serving as President during 2008/9.  His ever-ready wit was well renowned and his unending willingness to help and support others was celebrated by all who knew him.  Roger was a wordsmith and loved to pontificate on all sorts of topics and expound on whatever took his fancy.  His delivery on such matters was always genuine, and often heartfelt, and when he spoke people listened.  He died of cancer in December 2015 after an illness bravely borne and never complained of and is sadly missed by all who knew him.