German Verse-Speaking Awards presented at USQ

The top primary and secondary school German verse-speakers were recognised for their language skills at the German Verse-Speaking Award Ceremony at the University of Southern Queensland on Thursday 13 September 2007.

Around 260 students took part in this year's competition which required students to perform a poem of their choice for a panel of judges at USQ.

Organiser of the competition USQ Senior Lecturer in German Rod  Wilson said students are judged on their pronunciation and interpretation in the competition.

'It was formerly known as the Goethe Society Verse-Speaking Competition which has a long tradition throughout Queensland and Australia. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was considered to be Germany's greatest poet.

'When I came to USQ in 1995 some of the local teachers asked if I could run a competition to save them travelling to the University of Queensland to participate,' Mr Wilson said.

'We started with secondary schools in 1996 and primary schools in 1997. We usually have 300 or so students participate from schools in the Darling Downs, South Burnett and Lockyer Valley. Ipswich Grammar schools have taken part in the last few years as well.'

Mr Wilson said the skills and experience students gain from the competition are beneficial as well.

'Learning another language, no matter what it is, is an enriching experience.

'The competition gets the kids to engage with creative poetic texts and also puts them in a situation where they have to perform which they will probably have to do a lot in life, for example in interviews,' he said.

Benjamin Olbrich from Concordia Lutheran College said he had enjoyed his first time entering the competition.

'I went in it because my German teacher thought I was a good German speaker. She said to give it a go so I gave it a go.'

Mr Olbrich won second place in the Year 8 verse speaking section.

Audiences heard the first prize winners of each section recite their poems and USQ opera singers Theresa Adermann and Jon Maskell sing in German.

Media Contact: Jane Urquhart USQ Media +61 7 4631 2559