The Rotary Club of Maleny recently invited year 10 students from Maleny State High School to dinner at its April 6 meeting.    President Roly Nieper welcomed the guests and visitors and offered them this opportunity to develop and polish their presentation skills.

Later in the evening he handed over to youth director Rick Vickers who explained the rules and sequence of events for the night and then asked the students to sing for their supper.

The students had volunteered to participate in a presentation where they could speak on any topic that they felt was current, interesting or important.    However, there was a catch - the speech had to use the Rotarian Four Way Test as its basis.

The Four Way Test is a set of attitudinal rules which Rotarians apply to everyday life in assessing how they think, say and act.    A Chicago industrialist, who was searching for a way to provide a yardstick of ethics for the troubled workers in his factory, conceived the idea during the Depression years.

He devised a statement that asked four simple questions -

• Is it the truth?
• Is it fair to all concerned?
• Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
• Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Industrialist Herbert Taylor later became a Rotarian and in 1943 Rotary International adopted the Four Way Test as part of its program.

The guest adjudicators for the night were Maleny State High principal Paul Tarbuck, Toastmasters' Shirley Stuart and Rotary's Michelle Michel.    They were joined by five year 10 students - Erin Hegerty, Huxley Baberowski, Jemima Phillips, Dale Cox and Sophie Nugent- Siegal.

The students had a diverse range of topics, drawing on subjects that interested them in their everyday life.    Each spoke confidently and with great conviction. Rotary members and adjudicators were equally impressed with the students' skills.

The Rotary Club of Maleny wishes to congratulate the runner-up Dale Cox and the winner Huxley Baberowski, who becomes the Maleny nominee for the preliminary finals later in the year.   Both received gift vouchers from Rosetta Books.

In closing, the president thanked the adjudicators for their thoroughness and impartiality in a tough job, thanked parents and school staff who supported the students and complemented all participants on their high standards.

Youth services director Rick Vickers with the winner Huxley Baberowski, runner-up Dale Cox and president Roly Nieper.