A Calabrian immigrant’s hard work and dedication to building a new life in Sunshine helped inspire a Taylors Lakes student’s victory at a national public speaking competition last week.
Overnewton Anglican Community College’s Mia Decleva won the national final of the Legacy public speaking competition in Adelaide last week, beating seven other students chosen from more than 1000 entries.
The articulate 14-year-old delivered two rousing speeches, with her opening address tracing her grandfather Charlie’s journey to Sunshine from Calabria as a four-year-old.
He eventually made a life for himself farming in Wallace in regional Victoria, and still travels more than 75 kilometres to the family farm every day from Taylors Lakes.
“He dropped out of school at 14 to start the farm,” Mia said. “He still commutes today. He told me to always work hard and never take no for an answer.”
Her second speech, an impromptu spiel on “making a difference” and the importance of celebrating one’s uniqueness, secured her win as national champion.
“As individuals, we can change the world,” she said. “My uniqueness is that I like to question things. I used to want to be a journalist, but now I want to be a lawyer.”
