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Rostrum Australia (formerly Australian Rostrum) is an association of Australian public-speaking clubs, founded on 21 July 1930. It is the main continuation of the original Rostrum club ("The Rostrum") founded in Manchester, United Kingdom on 21 July 1923. This club's other surviving descendants are "Rochdale Rostrum", a Rostrum club in the Greater Manchester area founded in 1978; and the presently dormant "Wellington Rostrum Club" in New Zealand. Its early establishment makes Rostrum the longest running public speaking organisation in the world. Rostrum clubs aim to help their members improve their speaking and meeting skills. They do this primarily through regular club meetings and less frequent competitions. Australian Rostrum's main national competition for members is the "Sidney Wicks Speaking Competition". This is held roughly every six to eight years. In other years, state and territory competitions are dominant. Its other main national competition is the annual Rostrum Voice of Youth (VOY). This is open to all high school students. It involves a prepared speech and a short notice speech.


History


1920s

Rostrum was founded by Sidney F. Wicks. Wicks who was an author, an advertising executive for the
Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
,
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
practitioner Company Director and Newspaper Chief Editor. He came to believe that people needed to think through their own decision-making processes rather than just accept the promotions of the press and other interested parties. On 21 July 1923, he founded a club in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
with the prime purpose to encourage men to listen to many sources before formulating their own opinions, and then to speak their minds to groups of others in a way that would encourage them to listen. The club began as an offshoot of the Manchester
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
Businessmen's Speaking Class. After the first meeting under a
yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus '' Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew ('' Taxus ...
tree at Greendale Farm near Manchester, meetings for YMCA members were held on Wednesday evenings in the local YMCA building. In 1924 a young Australian Engineer training in Manchester, Alan Crook (later MBE), joined Rostrum while studying at the
Victoria University of Manchester The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. A ...
. The following year he returned to Australia.


1930s

Crook, with the help of Robert Swainson and Stuart McPhee, formed a Rostrum Club in Sydney. It was founded on 21 July 1930, coincidentally exactly seven years after the original club. It was founded under an
Angophora ''Angophora'' is a genus of nine species of trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Endemic to eastern Australia, they differ from other eucalypts in having juvenile and adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, sepals reduced to projec ...
tree on the shores of
Middle Harbour Middle Harbour (or ''Warrin ga''), a semi-mature tide dominated drowned valley estuary, is the northern arm of Port Jackson, an inlet of the Tasman Sea located north of Sydney central business district on the coast of New South Wales, Australi ...
in Sydney. Alan Crook was the first President and Robert Swainson the Critic. Like the Manchester Club, this was a dinner club. In November 1931, "Luncheon Club No.1" was formed, Alan Crook again being the first President. "No.2 Luncheon Club" was formed in July 1932, No.3 in July 1933 and No.4 Club in July 1934. The original club was given the name of "Foundation Club". In May 1934, Alan Crook went to
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
for a holiday and formed a Rostrum Club which a few months later, together with the then five Sydney Clubs, became the first Dais (regional council). Fred Seamons was the first President and held this office for 15 years. A second Rostrum club was formed in Melbourne in July 1935 and the Victorian clubs then formed their own Dais. On the evening of 3 December 1935, George McNicholl, Treasurer of the
Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) was a public utility board in Melbourne, Australia, set up in 1891 to provide water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment functions for the city. In 1992, the MMBW was merged with a number of sm ...
and Chairman of the Australian Institute of Secretaries (AIS), moved a very gracious vote of thanks to a guest speaker from the SA branch of the AIS. Afterwards, some SA residents present asked McNicholl how he became such a good speaker. He told them about Rostrum. This discussion lead to the first
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
n meeting. It was held in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
on 18 February 1936 in the inner suburb of North Terrace. In 1937, Alan Crook took a business trip to
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
and during this trip, he initiated
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
's first club on 6 May 1937. By November that year Brisbane's second club was launched. An Australian Rostrum Council was established on 5 January 1938, bringing together the state Daises. Fred Seamons was the President for the first eight years. Alan Crook served as Secretary for 27 years until his death on 9 August 1965. By the end of the 1930s there were many Rostrum clubs throughout NSW, Victoria, SA and Queensland.


1940s

Victorian Rostrum Clubs held their first conference at Healsville Golf Club in 1940 Rostrum in Australia took a while to spread further west and south, as
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
curtailed expansion. However, there was some growth to the north, with the AHG Rostrum Club running in the Changi POW camp from 1943 to 1944. The first club in
Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
started in 1947 and
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
's first club was founded on 21 May 1948.


1950s

The second Rostrum Club in the UK was started in 1951. By this time, there were nearly 100 Rostrum Clubs in Australia. Speaking clubs were not as popular in the UK as in Australia, the main speaking club group there at the time,
Toastmasters Toastmasters International (TI) is a US-headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping people develop communication, public speaking, and leadership skills. History On 24 March 1905, Dr ...
had only six clubs before World War II. The ACT's first club was founded on 3 March 1953. In the 1950s the Penguin Club of Australia, which was a similar club to Rostrum but for women, continued to expand. It had groups in every state and in 1956 the Federal President, Jean Ellis, witnessed a first branch in Canberra. Interesting, it shows that the new Penguin Club was expecting a member of Rostrum to attend their meeting to offer constructive criticism of the new members. In the same year, the Secretary of the Victorian Dias, Jo Davis, began a speaking competition for Victorian members. This competition later took his name as the "Jo Davis Cup" after his death in 1964. In the late '50s, a Dais was formed for the ACT. This Dais went on to include clubs from nearby parts of NSW. A book titled ''Rostrum in Victoria: 1934–1959'' by RE Tonkin was released by the Victorian Dais around this time.


1960s

The 1960s were a time of rapid growth in the organisation in the ACT and surrounds. Five new clubs became established there during this time. ''Take the Chair'', a book on meeting procedure was written for Rostrum by WA members Cecil Carr and Alan Foyster in 1962. The book sold over 90,000 copies in Australia between its release and 1990, when it was rewritten. In 1965 Alan Crook died, shortly after receiving an MBE for his work establishing Australian Rostrum. ''Have something to say: a text book for public speakers'' was written in 1969 by ACT member Laurie Burgess. ''Chairmanship and Public Speaking'' was written for Rostrum in the 1960s by NSW member Evan Bowen-Thomas.


1970s

Various levels of Australian Rostrum ran youth competitions in the early 1970s. In 1974, the various NSW local competitions were combined into a statewide "Voice of Youth" competition. In 1975, Voice of Youth went national, the first national final being held in Canberra. This competition continues today. 1974 saw the creation of the "ACT Rostrum Critics Club", a group devoted to improving critiques in the ACT. Until 1978, Rostrum in Australia was restricted to men but in that year, the national constitution was changed to allow the entry of women. However, women could not become a member without the Dais council in their state or territory also changing their rules to allow it. Within a few months there were female members in all states except Western Australia, which remained male only until 1986. Also in 1978, a new club was founded in the UK –
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
Rostrum. The release of "History of ACT Rostrum" by Roy Ayrton and Tom Trebilco was another 1978 event. Tom was later awarded an MBE for his Rostrum work.


1980s

The first "Sidney Wicks Speaking Competition" was held in Sydney in 1980 to celebrate 50 years of Rostrum in Australia. It was won by David Mead from WA and presented by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Zelman Cowen. The competition is also known as the "National Rostrum Speaking Competition" and "Sidney Wicks Trophy". 1984 saw Victorian member David Shaw write ''Towards Better Meetings''. In 1985 Rostrum Victoria celebrated its Golden Jubilee with a dinner at the National Gallery of Victoria and other celebrations. Western Australian clubs began to admit women in 1986. Also in 1986, NSW member John White and WA President David Julian Price released the first version of Rostrum's current curriculum standard, the "Personal Development Program" (then "Member's Development Program"). ''Brighter Rostrum meetings: how to make your Rostrum Club meetings more interesting'' (edited by George Shaw) and ''History of ACT Rostrum, Club 8, 1965–1986'' (by Eric Martin and Don Clark) were yet more Rostrum titles released in 1986. 1987 saw Rostrum release the book ''Excellence for Communicators'' by Laurie Burgess. The then Prime Minister,
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991. He held office as the Australian Labor Party, leader of the La ...
, wrote the foreword. This book was followed in 1988 by ''How Do I?'', and the South Australian "Word master: word a day calendar: a vocabulary expander concept". The second Sidney Wicks competition was held in Canberra in August 1988 during the Australian Bicentenary celebrations, and was won by Bill Smith from WA. It was held in conjunction with a national conference entitled "Speak up Australia", held at the
Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...
's "Shine Dome". The conference was joint project of Australian Rostrum and the Penguin Club of Australia, aimed to promote oral communication, especially to children. In 1989, the book ''A Critic's Bag of Remedies'' was produced by WA members.


1990s

In 1990, a new version of popular ''Take the Chair'' (rewritten by Rostrum WA members David Julian Price, Harold Luxton and Bill Smith) was released. 1990 also saw NSW member Alan Milston release the history ''Rostrum in Australia 1930–1965''. In 1993, Australian Rostrum declared
Robyn Williams Robyn Williams (born 30 January 1944) is a British/Australian science journalist and broadcaster who has hosted ''The Science Show'' on ABC Radio National (RN) since 1975, and created ''Ockham's Razor'' in 1984. Early life and education W ...
"Speaker of the Year". Sydney hosted the third Sidney Wicks competition in 1994. The winner was Brian Gillespie of Queensland Rostrum. Also in 1994, Bert Crummer wrote the 84-page book ''A brief history of Rostrum Club No. 3 (Brisbane)''. In 1997, New Zealand Rostrum declared Peter Biggs "Speaker of the Decade". Also in that year, ''Not to be silent: a history of Rostrum in Tasmania'' was written by Malcolm Grant, ''Meetings Made Easy'' (a revised version of ''Towards Better Meetings'') was produced by Arthur Martin for Rostrum Victoria, and South Australian member Ron Johnson released ''Tips on Public Speaking and Meeting Procedure''.Libraries Australia
/ref> The fourth Sidney Wicks competition was held in Hobart on 7 August 1999 in conjunction with the first Rostrum National Convention. The winner was Andrew Dickson from the ACT zone.


2000s

2000 saw the release of ''The torch of truth and freedom: the South Australian Rostrum history, 1936–1999'' by Colin Chiverton, and ''Tips on Public Speaking and Meeting Procedure: Volume 2'' by Ron Johnson. In 2005 the fifth Sidney Wicks competition was held in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
on 15 October at the National Convention celebrating 75 years of Rostrum in Australia. The winner was Clarrie Pryor from Tasmania. In 2005, there were over 140 clubs in Australia, collectively containing nearly 1700 members. There is currently one small club in Manchester, England. The sole remaining club in New Zealand, in Wellington, is at present in recess. Over 3000 students participate in the Voice of Youth each year, covering over 500 schools.


2010s

In 2011 the sixth Sidney Wicks competition was held in Adelaide South Australia in October in conjunction with the National Convention. The winner was Jenny Blain of Malvern Rostrum Club 45 in Victoria. The seventh Sidney Wicks competition was held in Brisbane in conjunction with the annual Australian Rostrum Council conference and the forty third Voice of Youth National finals in late July 2017. The winner was Rob Ellison of Carnegie Rostrum Club 68 in Victoria.


2020s

2020 is the 90th year of Rostrum in Australia and the 97th year since Rostrum was formed in Manchester, UK. The first On-Line Rostrum Club has been formed with members in most states of Australia and, at time, overseas. The Club is developing different skills and techniques required for effective on-line communications. Meetings are fortnightly and in the evening Australian Eastern Time. The eighth Sidney Wicks competition was held in Melbourne. The winner was Will Cassidy from Tasmania. ''A Brief History of Rostrum in Queensland (1937–2021)'' was released by Bill Smith Rostrum Club 3 Brisbane in June 2022.A Brief History of Rostrum in Queensland (1937–2021)
,


State and territory competitions

Each year clubs in Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory hold inter club regional competitions which lead into statewide competitions. These typically determine the Speaker of the Year for the state or territory. In Victoria the competition is called the state Jo Davis Cup in recognition of a previous active and respected member. The national Sydney Wicks competition is held between representatives of the State and Territory Rostrum Zones every 5 to 7 years as part of an annual Australian Rostrum Council conference.


Books

A Resource Manual for Critics, Australian Rostrum, National Critics Council, March 2009 Take the Chair, A Practical Tool for People Who Attend Meetings, D Price, B Smith, H Luxton, 8th Edition,  Rostrum 1990 Rostrum in Australia 1930 – 1965, Freeman Alan Milston, Australian Rostrum Council, 1990   Towards Better Meetings, David Shaw, Australian Rostrum, Rigby, 1984, Bigger, Better, Brighter Rostrum Meetings, Freeman George Shaw, Australian Rostrum Council A Critic's Bag of Remedies, Australian Rostrum, 1988 Chairmanship and Public Speaking, Rostrum Clubs NSW, Fourth Edition, Edward Bowen-Thomas


See also

* AGH Rostrum Club at Changi * Alan Crook *
Association of Speakers Clubs The Association of Speakers Clubs (ASC) is a Great Britain, British confederation of about 150 clubs around the country that promote the skill of public speaking. History The ASC was formed by de-merger from Toastmasters International, Toastma ...
* Ron Kitchenn * Sidney F. Wicks


References


External links


Australian Rostrum

Rochdale Rostrum

Rostrum WA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rostrum Australia Clubs and societies in Australia Public speaking organizations Communication skills training Leadership training