Australian Rostrum
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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 founded in Manchester, United Kingdom on 21 July 1923. This club's other surviving decendant is Rochdale Rostrum, a Rostrum club near Manchester founded in 1978.
This early establishment makes Rostrum is 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 National Speaking Competition. This is held every seven years. In other years, state competitions are dominant.
It's other main national competition is the annual Rostrum Voice of Youth. This is for high school aged students. It involves a prepared speech and an impromptu speech.
[edit] History
Rostrum was founded by Sidney Wicks. Wicks, an author, journalist and public relations practicioner, 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 with the prime purpose to encourage people 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.
A few Australians living in Manchester joined this club, and later returned to Australia. They founded Australian Rostrum in Sydney on 21 July 1930. The organisation soon spread across the country.
Meanwhile, the UK clubs declined. This was partially due to major competition from Toastmasters International and later from the Toastmasters breakaway group the Association of Speakers Clubs. This has left just the Rochdale club extant.
