Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

Page 128 text:

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.

Page 127 text:

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

Page 129 text:

ii Romanoff and Juliet 55 The play taken on by the Dramatic Society this year, Romanoff and Juliet , offered its audience a differen t type of drama from the musicals usually seen on stage at the School. This play, by Peter Ustinov, reflects the various stupidities of in- ternational politics, but makes its statements by the vehicle of exaggerated personages going through their motions in an at- mosphere of vague and remote fantasy. The satirical barbs thus strike the audience with a clarity made all the more stark by their complacement, somnolent background. The light-hearted focus of the story was the apparently doomed love of Romanoff and Juliet, the son and daughter of the Russian and American ambassadors. Chris Zahovskis in the role of Romanoff, conveyed with con- sistent discipline the determined helplessness of this Russian ideologue who has seen his world shattered and remade in an encounter with love. Maureen Mcllveen walked, as Juliet is supposed to, crassly, roman- tically beside her Russian coun- terpart, contrasting his severity with flightiness. The character who brings the two of them together, and without whom all the relationships of the play would fall apart, was the General played by Milind Pendharkar. This difficult role, which necessitates an attentive toying with the audience, was handled by Milind with the affection for detail more natural to a genuine drink-carrying diplomat than to a student portraying the part - a fine achievement. Special praise belongs to the supporting cast, who saved their roles from the danger of caricature by acting with sen- sitivity and variety of emotion. Tim French and Edward Dickens played two soldiers with a political conciousness they could have carried in a wheelbarrow, but they gave their characters a complexity of feeling which made them real. The same can be said of Har- tland Paterson and Phillipa Hall- Brooks - the American am- bassador arfd his wife - who, while typically American, were sympathetically genuine. Charles Stacey and Elizabeth Woodliffe as Vadim and Evdokia Romanoff, the Russian opposites of the Moulsworths, depicted more than adequately the spectacle of cold politicizing brought low by sen- timent. Perhaps the most drastic turnabout of the plav was the one produced in Freddie , the American boy, played by Ian Cameron, and Marfa, the female Russian army comander, played by Amanda Keay. This tran- sformation displayed more than any other the tendency of all the characters not to conform to but, instead, to escape from their types. The one to steal the show, however, was Alasdair Halliday in the role of the Archbishop. With his competent sidekick, a reformed spy, played expertly by Richard Wilson, the Archbishop held the stage and the audience for the entire final act, a feat achieved by the best piece of ac- ting in the show. The skill of Alasdair ' s portrayal combined with the pageantry and colour of the closing, brought the play to a rewarding and satisfying con- clusion. It was a night made en- joyable by the evidence of hard work from many hands showing its successful fruits on stage. P.J.