By Grace Chen
Debater and 2021 Head Prefect
On the evening of Wednesday 28 October, the top Westlake Girls Premier Advanced team competed in the annual Thorburn Cup debate against Westlake Boys’ top Premier Advanced team. From Westlake Girls, the team consisted of Aneta Du, Sofia Angelova-Bray, Lily Qi and myself, Grace Chen. Our team was determined to secure a win that night.
The motion was, ‘This House would legalise cannabis’, and our team debated ‘for’ this motion. Pressure, nerves and anticipation pummeled us as we prepared our case for an hour, but when it came time to debate, we felt ready to deliver our points with confidence and skill. Some of our arguments included how the legalisation of cannabis would make the process of obtaining recreational cannabis significantly safer, and how it would encourage addicts to seek help from rehabilitation centres as the fear of incarceration for dealing or possessing it would be dissipated. Much of the debate was centered around teenagers’ interactions with cannabis and how each side could create a world with safer cannabis usage. The motion was especially topical and comprehensive due to this year’s Cannabis Referendum here in New Zealand.
The debate itself was judged by previous head prefects and respected debaters, William Price and Hala Barakat. At the end of the debate, after a tense deliberation, both adjudicators agreed unanimously to give the debate to the Westlake Girls High School team. Our team celebrated Westlake Girls’ first Thorburn Cup win since 2009, elated to finally bring the cup home after more than a decade! Our team is extremely proud of our achievement and looking forward to more debating endeavours in 2021.
A special mention to our coach and mentor of three years, Ms Moorhead, who worked tirelessly to make the Thorburn Cup happen this year and who has given us confidence during the best and worst of times. We wouldn’t be the team we are today without her dedication of time and constant support. We are also thankful for Ms Hodges’ excellent organisation and management towards Westlake Girls debating, which has allowed our team to participate in several debate tournaments throughout the year in order to continuously improve and strive for excellence.