Toby competed in 20 sections over four days at Cowra Eisteddfod last week. He won this prestigious award after performing a contrasting poem and character sketch based on the theme 'Australian characters'.

He also came away with a number of other awards including the Arts Council Speech and Drama Scholarship $2,000, Senior Speech Championship, Senior Entertainment Championship, the Whiteley Award for the Most Promising Public Speaker and the Whiteley Award for the Best Original Verse.

Toby was also the Open Pointscore Winner, took out the Kumar Trophy for highest aggregate marks in solo sections and the Colleen Johnston Memorial Trophy - Open Australian Recitation

Toby said it takes a lot of preparation and it's hard work leading up to Eisteddfods, but he loves them.

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" And I have very supportive teachers at Encore Speech and Drama," he said.

"It was just so great to be able to perform this year because we were all disappointed when Cowra was cancelled in 2020," Toby said.

Toby is in Year 10 at Kinross Wolaroi. He has been studying with Encore since the age of five.

He also studies singing with David Hood at Mitchell Conservatorium and received a MitCon Music Scholarship for vocal tuition in 2021.

He studies bassoon with Laith Ishmail at Kinross Wolaroi and received an Orange Regional Arts Foundation Scholarship for bassoon tuition in 2021.

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