From Zimbabwe to Wee Waa: Ayisha wins Rotary Public Speaking Competition Finals

From Zimbabwe to Wee Waa, high school student Ayisha Titimira has made her mark as a passionate youth advocate and now she can add ‘winner of the Rotary Public Speaking Competition Finals’ to her list of outstanding achievements.

“Oh, it’s amazing. I was a bit surprised,” Ayisha told The Courier after her win over the weekend of November 22 and 23. “I’ve always been a public speaker, but this is a different audience. I’ve always spoken to an African audience. Back in Zimbabwe, I was in the junior parliament,” she added.

“I am surprised but I am very happy and very motivated by this accomplishment. There was very stiff competition, they were all so good and there were some diverse topics.”

The Wee Waa High School vice-captain should feel very proud, Ayisha was a standout at the Rotary District 9660 finals, claiming the top prize in a competitive field of articulate, captivating and confident speakers.

The district spans a large portion of northern NSW, extending from Woolgoolga in the north to Newcastle in the south, out west to Dubbo and Bourke and Mudgee in the Central West.

Local cluster coordinator and Gunnedah West Rotarian Kel Walls explained the diverse range of topics to The Courier after the Tamworth semi-finals.

“One comment that I’ve found is the topics that the students are choosing would not have appeared years ago, but the topics they’re tackling show the confidence and outgoing nature of students and how they’re switched on with world issues and want to change the world

“It’s an interesting window on the thoughts of some of our better students.

“Some of the topics can be pretty heavy … mental health, prejudice, impact of growing up in a digital age. The topics are ones that students care about and feel strongly about.”

Throughout the competition, Ayisha impressed staff at WWHS, the Rotary judges and audience members with her presentation, impromptu speaking skills and speech about youth issues,  including substance abuse and social media.

“Ayisha has only been in Australia since March and English is her second language, which makes her success even more amazing,” said WWHS’ learning and support teacher Carmel Schwager who has accompanied Ayisha at some of the public speaking events along with WWHS teacher Gaye Devoy and relieving principal Nichole Maloy.

Ayisha moved from Zimbabwe to Wee Waa in March with her family, joining her father who has lived in the town since 2022.

She praised local residents, community groups and WWHS for helping her settle into her new hometown and for offering her opportunities beyond her wildest dreams.

“I got to see the ocean for the first time,” she said, when asked about highlights of her trip to Coffs Harbour to attend the Rotary Public Speaking Competition Finals.

“The ocean was beautiful – absolutely amazing,” Ayisha said, who was thrilled to dip her toes in the salty sea.

“I just couldn’t swim because I don’t know how to swim yet, but I have to learn,” she added.

“I’m so grateful, it’s an amazing community here and the people are very supportive, and this school has been amazing. The teachers are just so supportive. When I first got here, I met Miss McKinstry and absolutely loved her … she is still very special to me.”

Wee Waa Rotaract sponsored the star student’s public speaking endeavours and she was also supported by the Rotary Club of Narrabri.

As a trial run and to build her confidence,  Ayisha presented her speech to the Rotary Club of Narrabri at one of their monthly meetings earlier this year. When asked what the support of Rotary meant to her, Ayisha expressed her sincere gratitude and appreciation.

“Those guys are amazing,” she said. “They showed me that not all heroes wear capes and not all heroes have super lasers and muscles to battle bad guys – heroes have kindness and patience and love too. They are the superpowers that those guys showed me, and they accepted me. When I had to do the second stage of the competition in Tamworth, they made sure that I had all the help that I could get and Ethan Towns from the Rotaract would come over to school to help me and I also met him sometimes during the holidays and he would tutor me. I’ve always felt like I was terrible at impromptu speeches, but they all helped me feel more confident.”

Ayisha said she was driven to help youth who “don’t get the opportunity or platform to shine”.

“My speech was about drug and substance abuse,” she said. “Back in Zimbabwe I was a in the junior parliament, so I was a youth advocate.

“We all know that drug and substance abuse is one of the things that can affect most of our youth today. My speech was also about technology: technology is good but with social media, cyber harassment and cyber bullying can have a big impact on teenagers, which is also connected to drug and substance abuse because some of the teenagers are into drug and substance abuse because of the modelling of what they see on social media. Like people presenting something as good or hilarious, and then they lose sight of what is actually good,” Ayisha explained.

“I presented the speech from a teenager’s point of view, so it wasn’t just a speech about me saying, ‘yeah, drug abuse is bad’.

“I presented it from a teenager’s point of view to show that sometimes teenagers just need to be heard.

“Sometimes teenagers need to be told that ‘you’re capable’ because they might go down a (negative) path to find validation.

“In part of my speech, I take on the persona of a young girl, who has indulged in drug abuse and she can’t get out of it and she tries to find solace in social media but it’s not working – she gets hit by cyber bullying,” Ayisha explained the storytelling element of her speech.

“Where I came from, there were a lot of students, people, children, teenagers my age who were talented, but they just have been in circumstances that have clouded their vision,” she said.

“Sometimes they don’t get the opportunity. If we work together, we can overcome challenges.”

During her interview with the Wee Waa News, Ayisha described herself as ‘someone who dreams a lot’. Her positive attitude and infectious optimism convey the impression she will go on to achieve her dreams. “I want to be a gynaecologist when I grow up,” she said.

Ayisha explained she was determined to improve medical services and make a difference.

For now, Ayisha is focused on her final year of school studies at WWHS and her youth advocacy work, especially when it comes to speaking up for those in society who have no voice.