Reflecting on Dr Mulvey and the legacy of the trophy he donated

The annual debating contest between Bathurst High, Orange High School and Dubbo College was won by Bathurst in 2022.

It was originally donated by Dr Roy Mulvey, who was a prominent Bathurst medical practitioner and community member for 22 years until his death in 1952.

Andrew Buchanan, the grandson of the late Dr Mulvey, spoke to the winning Bathurst team, where he shared memories of his late grandfather and the impact he had on the local community.

"I grew up in O'Connell and I was one of the grandsons of Mulvey," he said.

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"He grew up in Parramatta and after World War One, he was compelled to sign-up as a doctor, after the injuries he saw.

"He was first posted to Oberon in the 1920s and then he moved to Bathurst in 1930."

Dr Mulvey moved to Bathurst in 1930 with his five children, after the 1929 childbirth death of his wife Gladys.

Actively involved in the community, he was Government Medical Officer from 1937 when he replaced Dr Brooke Moore, and at times he was president of the Bathurst High School P&C, Bathurst Rotary Club and the Western Medical Branch of the BMA.

His standing as a medical practitioner was recognised in 1938 when he was appointed as one of the three commissioners in the Federal Royal Commission on doctors' remuneration for national insurance service.

He died suddenly in 1952 on his honeymoon in the Netherlands, three weeks after remarrying.

In 1937 in an address to a Bathurst High function, Dr Mulvey spoke of the advantages of school debates and urged a competition should run alongside the Astley Cup.

Dr Mulvey's proposal was adopted and has been an integral feature of the inter-school rivalry for over 80 years.

An old copy of The Burr, the Bathurst High annual, detailed Dr Mulvey's enthusiasm for debating and while in Oberon was largely responsible for the success of the Oberon Debating Society.

The honour of being members of the first Bathurst Mulvey Cup debating team fell upon Kath Ray, Barbara Wark and Anthony May, with Mary Piper as reserve speaker.

The first debate took place at Orange but despite solid preparation from Bathurst, it was the host school that convinced the judges that "medical services should be controlled by the state and administered like education" by 216 points to Bathurst's 216.

Dubbo won the next debate against Orange, while Bathurst defeated Dubbo in the final debate, after it successfully maintained "that a democratic type of government was preferable to government by a dictator".

This year's winning Mulvey Cup team featured Sidney Speers, Thomas Brennan-Newton, Olivia Daley and Samuel Blencowe.

The school claimed victory after defeating Dubbo back in June, taking the affirmative on the topic: 'Honesty is more important than kindness'.

It was a close contest, with adjudicator Sandra Chapman saying both teams had strong arguments, but she ultimately awarded the win to Bathurst.

It was Bathurst's first win in the Mulvey Cup since 2019, with Dubbo having won the title last year.

Bathurst's win in the Mulvey Cup was the school's 29th title, moving it joint-most alongside rivals Orange.

Dubbo has won 26 titles.

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