Bathurst High has defeated Orange High in the Mulvey Cup debate

But, there was one room on the premises that was full of life - the Performing Arts Centre, where a Mulvey Cup debate was taking place between Bathurst and Orange High Schools.

And, after an exciting debate, which argued whether giving is better than receiving, Bathurst - the home team and the affirmative team, came away victorious.

The Mulvey Cup is awarded as the major prize for the annual debate between Dubbo College, Bathurst High and Orange High School, which is now run alongside the time-honoured Astley Cup competition.

The event was adjudicated by Sandra Chapman, who, after careful consideration, announced that Bathurst High had defeated Orange.

The decision was based on the consistency of arguments, the proof behind these arguments, and the ability to negate and refute the arguments of the opposition more effectively.

"In this case, Bathurst High had managed to not only argue their case - that giving is better than receiving - but they backed that up with substantive arguments," Ms Chapman said.

One of the speakers that helped Bathurst High snag the victory, was Kai Clary, who was the second speaker of the affirmative team.

Kai argued that giving provides more societal benefits as a whole, and that it is necessary for the effective functioning of society.

But, not only did Kai help his team bring home the trophy, he also conquered his own fears.

"We've done debating as a team for a bit this year, and right before our last debate, I had a panic attack before I got up and spoke, and so I had to sit out, and we ended up losing and I felt really bad," he said.

"This for me, was like my comeback or my retribution you could say."

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And it was the comeback story of a lifetime for Kai, who was feeling more self-assured than ever.

"Right before I stood up, I was feeling really confident, which I didn't feel last time and as I stood up and I started speaking, I was really just getting into the whole flow of the argument," he said.

Overall, Kai said he was very proud of himself, and for his team as a whole, especially considering the immensely high pressure environment in which they perform.

The teams are only provided with a topic one hour before the first speaker of the affirmative team presents their arguments, and the whole team must then research and prepare their arguments accordingly.

Another person that was extremely proud of the team, was Bathurst High English teacher and debating coach Rhonda Davis.

"It was incredibly exciting, I thought it was a really, really close debate," she said.

She congratulated both the Bathurst team, and the Orange team for their efforts, and said she is looking forward to next week, where Bathurst will be versing Dubbo College in Dubbo.

If the Bathurst team - which comprises of Hossam Dahshan, Kai Clary, Samuel Blencowe and Olivia Daley - proves triumphant in the debate, they will win the Mulvey Cup outright.

If they don't prevail, the Mulvey Cup will become a three-way tie between the schools.

Regardless, Bathurst High will be able to keep the cup by default, as they were the winners of the 2022 debating tournament.

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