Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

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Debating Tournament On Saturday September 27 and Sunday, September 28, Appleby played host to its Seventh Annual Inter-School Co-ordinate Debating Tournament. We were most fortunate to have the girls from St. Mildred ' s as our co- hostesses. Once again, the tournament resulted in an unqualified success. The tournament involved fifty-two debaters from twenty-six schools ranging from as far afield as Montreal and Sudbury. The debaters embroiled themsleves on the Saturday in arguing both sides of the prepared resolution: That the Canadian Government should impose, immediately , a five year moratorium on all im- migration. The arguments presented varied in scope from ethnic humour to in-depth analysis of socio- economic characteristics, but in all, it was a popular theme. An impromptu resolution was also debated between the two prepared rounds. We are particularly proud of our tournament for several reasons. We use the co-ordinate cross- examination format which was originally invented here seven years ago, but which is now used all over the country. The tour- nament gives the kitchen staff an opportunity to show their very best work in providing an ex- cellent dinner which has become a traditional fixture at these debates. There are many benefits ' to be derived from events of this jiature, but one of the most im- portant is the general at- mosphere of the place; people not only are able to wade into deep and stimulating debates, but it leaves the first-rate debaters with a sense of achievement, comfort and pride, without a trace of anger or rivalry. The Debating Society held a dance on the Saturday night at which almost everyone had an enjoyable time. In conclusion, it is my privilege to thank all those who helped to put this tournament through; all the dozens who put up with our erratic (and al ways hectic) ef- forts at management, and were able, in spite of us, to serve as timers, hosts, speakers, tabulators, dance decorators and general factotums throughout the frantic weekend. I wish to thank Mr. Humphreys especially who put up with my mistakes and follies, convincing me that I knew what I was doing and then quietly did it himself. Above all, I wish to extend a special thanks to Paul Jackson who put in hundreds of frustrating and boring hours of typing, duplicating, and re- duplicating all the letters, programmes and other parapher- nalia without which we would have been totally lost. Generally, I can only say that this was a major success for the Society and the School and hopefully if some funds can be raised, we can do as well next year. E.R.D. BEST DEBATER OF THE TOUR- NAMENT: James Bursey - Trinit y College School BEST EXTEMPORANEOUS PUBLIC SPEAKER: Bryan Davies - Appleby College

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Public Speaking The evening started slightly late, due to the fact that the judges were inconvenienced by the Welland Canal, but after that, the programme went smoothly and entertainingly. The first speaker on the agenda was John Rosseel who delivered a well-thought out and meaningful speech on the abuse of the Indians by the White Men . He spoke from the point of view of an Indian lashing out against all of our wrong doings, towards the original settlers of this land, past and present. His topic was the only one of the evening which tackled a moral issue. The second speaker was Peter Taylor who challenged our coun- try ' s judicial and penal systems. He spoke of the dangers of the lawyer - psychiatrists who are blocking the way to true justice and retribution by false promises of rehabilitation. He called for a total revaluation of psychiatry ' s role in prisons as well as a general shape up of all such in- stitutions. The third speaker, Nick Water- field, expressed openly in his talk the resentment that he per- sonally feels towards Quebec. He spoke on the basis that the province thinks Itself to be one step above the rest of Canada and he ran down a long list of controversial issues which have come out of the area. These In- cluded the Olympics, Bill 22 and bilingualism. He also was op- posed to Quebec ' s control of parliament and the fact that Trudeau leans towards Quebec and gives the province more than its fair share . At the end of the contest, during the judges ' deliberation, Nick was put to the test by five distinguished scholars, who questioned his right to criticize the character of Quebec, seeing as he had never been in or near it. They questioned whether his speech was composed of facts or opinions. The fourth speaker was Jim Wet- more who gave an exceptionally well - delivered and amazing talk on two days in his life at Appleby. They were both ridiculous or- deals filled with insanities and truths with which every boy could relate. All In all, a highly en- tertaining topic and speech. The fifth speaker was Rick Wilson who delivered a witty, sarcastic talk on the value, ad- mirability and beauty of insects. He spoke of their amazing athletic and intellectual feats as well as their highly developed civilizations. He wondered at their ability to adapt to harsh conditions and warned us against a possible insect coup d ' etat. The sixth and final speech was given by Chris Zahovskis who spoke artfully on the topic of dreams. In it he pointed out many interesting points of how im- portant our dreams may really be since we spend approximately one third of our lives asleep. He put it to us that we should try to interpret what our dreams have to say so we can get the full value out of them. At the end of the schedule and after a lengthly and suspenseful conference of the judges the vic- tor was announced. Jim Wetmore deserves congratulations again for his very fine speech. The competition was a complete suc- cess and praise should be given to all those who took part in the excellent show. T.F.