Nineteen teams from Years 8 to 12 have been vigorously and vociferously prosecuting their cases throughout five rounds of hotly contested QDU competition during Terms 1 and 2.
As with so many of our interschool competitions, our debaters have shown tremendous flexibility and fortitude. They have dealt admirably with illness, floods, storms, and late postponements. They have contested both long and short preparation debates, with frequent late finishes. They have shown great mettle and they have thrived, under the leadership of Debating Captains, Johanna Conomos (12W) and Scarlett McLellan (12H).
Fourteen teams have progressed to the QDU Finals, a five-debate series, which will be contested weekly throughout Term 3. The successful teams are:
The 8.1 team of Emma Bond (8L), Leyla Bouhafs (8H), Meg Ellem (8B), Cadence Chang (8H), Elizabeth Nash (8H), and Alice Victorsen (8O), coached by Wiji Rahim (2021).
The 8.4 team of Frankie Austin (8R), Hudson Crombie (8G), Clare Dooley (8E), Millie Wenham (8L), Holly Fleming (8M), and Alisa Wang (8R), coached by Trish Le (2021).
The 9.1 team of Ciara Clunies-Ross (9R), Lulu Hickey (9M), Jaimee Jessop (9R), Leni Kruger (9E), Sophia Skitek (9R), and Katie Dore (9W), coached by Abbey Grice (2020).
The 9.2 team of Eva Clarke (9G), Zoe McElwaine (9G), Amaleas Weston (9M), Elodi Hsu (9M), and Sonia Juta (9M), coached by Mikayla O’Flynn.
The 9.4 team of Sameera Prasad (9W), Chelsea Chern (9O), Sophie Chambers (9E), Olivia Banh (9E), Mimi Milani (9M), and Valerie Yu (9M), coached by Abigail King (2021).
The 9.5 team of Claudia Chin (9E), Hannah Sun (9W), Jacqueline Loh (9E), Holly Xu (9O), and Kelly Zhao (9O), coached by Neha Pauley
The 10.1 team of Jasmine Burgess (10E), Saigon Ngo (10M), Isobel Payman (10M), Dorothy Rae (10G), and Lucia Butler (9O), coached by Isabel Nolan (2017).
The 10.2 team of Iha Agrawal (10R), Sophie List (10E), Zara Hosking (10G), Elsie Jackson (10B), and Molly Cooper (10W), coached by Saravanan Somasundaram.
The 10.3 team of Sargun Virk (10W), Prudence Walters (10B), Olivia Stanton (10H), Leah Elms (10R), and Levi Gao (10G), coached by Charli Newton (2017).
The 11.1 team of Hema Gobindnarain (11E), Kate Ireland (11O), Sophia Kondos (11W), and Sophie Lillyman (11B), coached by Eva Seet (2020).
The 11.2 team of Naomi Dooley (11E), Tung-Hi Ma (11H), Vicki Chuang (11E), Irene Shim (11G), and Sherry Jiang (11M), coached by Annaka Tong-Law (2020).
The 11.3 team of Ayesha Khagram (11G), Marina Abu Shamelah (11G), Renee Liang (11M), Louise Campbell (11O), Rose Baumgart (11H), and Claudia Kelso (11L), coached by Saravanan Somasundaram.
The 12.1 team of Scarlett Glodic (12W), Fareeha Qureshi (12W), Tia Fitzpatrick (12M), and Abigail Woodcock (12W), coached by Mikayla O’Flynn.
The Senior A team of Johanna Conomos (12W), Scarlett McLellan (12H), Isabel Shorrock-Browne (12R), Isla Fisher (12L), and Sofia Cirino (12O), coached by Isabella Busby (2016).
From here, these teams will compete in knockout finals on Wednesday 20 July, and Wednesday 27 July. Those who remain at this point will contest the Quarter Finals on Friday 12 August, Semi Finals on Wednesday 17 August, and then the Grand Final on Wednesday 24 August. Brisbane Girls Grammar School will continue its hosting duties throughout the QDU Finals, so if you happen to be at the School on any of these evenings, make sure you wish our fabulous debaters luck.
Meanwhile, the Year 7 QDU competition begins in the final week of Term 2 and continues into Term 3. There are only four rounds of the Year 7 competition, and no finals—this competition is designed to provide our youngest students with the experience of QDU competition without the pressure of finals. Any Year 7 students who are interested in further debating opportunities, or who missed out on selection for a QDU team, should look out for information about another competition being run in Term 4 with All Hallows School and Brisbane Grammar School.
We wish all those students competing in QDU Finals, and those Year 7 girls about to begin their BGGS debating careers, the very best of luck in their upcoming debates.
Anthony Cupitt
Debating Assistant Manager
QDU 8.4 - Clare Dooley (8E), Holly Fleming (8M), Millie Wenham (8L), Alisa Wang (8R) and Coach, Trish Le (2021)
